“How much can fans conveniently forget in order to enjoy the games? The answer, evidently, is a lot.”
soccer
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘They Celebrate Goals, We Count Martyrs’: Watching the World Cup in Gaza
“Palestinians are defying Israeli bombings and power outages to follow soccer’s biggest tournament. But many fear the world has abandoned them.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
How Mexico’s World Cup Run Brought a Small Oregon Town to Life
“A little less than eighty miles from the Oregon coast and a little more than a thousand miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, Jose was selling the feeling of being around something familiar.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Clip Stage
“The clip is something like the primary episteme of the World Cup, for the simple reason that there is too much soccer.”
Posted inFeature
The Wayfinders
The Marshall Islands’ first national soccer team discovers what “home” can mean—on a field in Arkansas.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Turfin’ Safari
“Growing grass for the 2026 World Cup has been a years-long science project. Here’s how it’s going, from B.C. to Tennessee.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Political Street Fighters Of Israeli Soccer
“A soccer rivalry between an idealistic fan-owned club and a powerhouse’s racist hooligans reflects Israel’s continuing march towards right-wing extremism.”
Posted inNonfiction
Best of 2022: Profiles
A great profile accomplishes the nearly impossible by making you feel like you truly know someone you’ve never met. It’s a feat of empathy and insight, the kind of alchemy that turns reporting into rapport. The five examples here span all manner of tone and subject, from victims of gun violence to digital charlatans, but […]
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
How rural America is failing migrants. The life lessons of soccer strategy. Moving on after the unthinkable happens. One house’s unsettling past. And a conversation between film icons. (Who doesn’t need more Nic Cage?) Welcome to our editors’ five favorite stories of the week. 1. What Happened to Rezwan Kartikay Mehrotra, Matti Gellman | ProPublica, […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Life, Death, and Total Football
“My Dutch friend Lars taught me to appreciate the most radical team in World Cup history—and how their tactics could be meaningful far beyond the pitch.”