soccerCultureFIFA’s World Cup Halftime Show Puts American-Style Spectacle on the World StageBy Angela WatercutterGearHow to Watch the 2026 World Cup FinalsBy Boone AshworthScienceLionel Messi’s Final World Cup—and the Death of Early RetirementBy Malak SalehGearThe Problem With VAR at the 2026 World Cup Isn’t the Technology—It’s Who Interprets ItBy Fernanda GonzálezScienceWhat Watching a Soccer Final Does to Your Body, According to ScienceBy Jorge GarayScienceWhy Do Some Soccer Players Cut the Heels Off Their Cleats?By Jorge GarayCultureErling Haaland Is Everywhere at the World Cup. Most of It Is AIBy Megan Tomos ScienceThe Science Behind Why Soccer Players at the 2026 World Cup Are Cutting Their SocksBy Jorge GarayScienceMexico’s Victory Over Ecuador Made the Ground Shake. Was It an Artificial Earthquake?By Fernanda GonzálezSciencePenalty Shootouts: Is the Team That Kicks First More Likely to Win?By Jorge GarayBusinessEveryone’s Mad at the World Cup’s New ‘Hydration Breaks’—Except Mr. Moneybags Over HereBy Malak SalehGearHow Qatar Became FIFA’s Technology Test LabBy Rim ZreinBusinessWorld Cup Teams Are in a Race for AI DominanceBy Sam CunninghamSecurityWorld Cup Scams Are Getting Harder to SpotBy Jumana NaimBusinessThis World Cup, Bigger Might Not Really Be BetterBy Chris Hamill-StewartPoliticsLocked Out of the World Cup: A Year Marked by Barriers, Borders, and Broken AccessBy Malak SalehPoliticsFor Iran’s Athletes, There Is No Separating Sports From PoliticsBy Tamara DavisonScienceHow Can Soccer Players Bend Their Shots in Midair?By Rhett AllainGearWelcome to the Waymo World CupBy Aarian MarshallGearCameras, Sensors, and 3D Body Scans: All the Tech Helping Eliminate Blown CallsBy Ben DowsettPoliticsTrump’s Border Crackdown Is Wreaking Havoc on the World CupBy Elena BettiScienceHow Mexican World Cup Stadiums Achieved FIFA’s Environmental CertificationsBy Verónica García de LeónSecuritySoccer Fans, You’re Being WatchedBy Vas PanagiotopoulosGearThe World Cup’s Trionda Ball Challenges Traditional AerodynamicsBy Fernanda GonzálezMore Stories
