How will the US (the soccer team and the country) fare at the 2026 World Cup?
You may have heard there’s a World Cup this year. After all the debate about ticket prices and peace prizes and cooling breaks, an actual soccer tournament will kick off. That’s when the US, both as a national team and a host nation, will truly be judged; when the 2026 World Cup will be deemed a soaring success or a grotesque failure. There will be no in between. No nuance. That vanished from public discourse a long time ago.
Fifa has already taken its victory lap, boasting about a record 150 million ticket applications. How many of those applications came from bots, it didn’t specify. Gianni Infantino did, however, claim Fifa’s exorbitant ticket prices are justifiable because without supporters being squeezed for every penny “there would be no football in 150 countries in the world.” Apparently the $7.5bn in revenue Fifa made over the last World Cup cycle wasn’t enough.
The USMNT is also expecting an improvement on the 2022 World Cup. A run beyond the round of 16 would represent success for Mauricio Pochettino and his players who went through a sometimes painful process in 2025. From the Concacaf Nations League losses to Panama and Canada to the friendly victories over Japan, Australia, Paraguay and Uruguay, the year ended more positively than it started. Will this lead to a strong showing at the World Cup itself?
Further questions will be answered next summer. Will President Donald Trump’s cosy relationship with Infantino have any impact on where World Cup matches are played – and where they aren’t? How will fans from countries currently subject to a travel ban attend matches? Could the searing heat of a North American summer affect the intensity of games? On and off the field, the USA’s measure will be taken.
Can Arsenal hold their nerve to end their long wait for Premier League glory?
Arsenal have been here before. Exactly four times, to be exact. Each of those four times the Gunners have been top at Christmas they have failed to win the Premier League title. Mikel Arteta could therefore be forgiven for chowing down his turkey and stuffing somewhat nervously this year even with his team in first place.
Not least because Manchester City are getting larger and larger in the rearview mirror. There’s good reason to be wary of Pep Guardiola’s team considering they have won their last six league fixtures in a row. What was not so long ago seen as a transitional season for City could turn into another title winning one.
Arteta says Arsenal are “actively looking” at potential signings in January. A mid-season addition or two could help push the Gunners towards the finish line ahead of City, Aston Villa and everyone else. However, Arsenal’s substantial summer business was meant to be enough to make them champions.
Viktor Gyökeres was supposed to be their Erling Haaland. Instead, the Swedish striker has scored just five goals in 17 league games. Eberechi Eze was signed to give them a different dimension in the final third. Since netting a hat-trick in November’s North London Derby, though, the England international has gone four league games without a goal contribution. Noni Madueke – another summer signing – has missed much of the season through injury.
The experience of previous title race failures might help Arsenal handle this specific sprint to the finish. Alternatively, past traumas could add to their nervousness which already appears to be building on the basis of recent shaky victories over Wolves, Everton and Brighton. Tuesday’s emphatic win against Villa was a release of some tension and possibly a sign that Arsenal are embracing the fight. The second half of the season will be a reckoning for Arteta’s title challengers.
Who will win the power struggle for the soul of Real Madrid?
If Xabi Alonso was ever complacent about the task of overhauling Real Madrid’s playing style and overall culture, he surely isn’t now. Hired in the summer to drag the Spanish giants into a new era, the former midfielder has encountered everything that makes Los Blancos an anomaly in the modern game.
Under Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen pressed high. They won the ball back quickly in advanced areas and were among the Bundesliga’s best in possession. Alonso’s Real Madrid side, however, are nothing like the team that surged to the German title two seasons ago. They don’t press high. They don’t win the ball back quickly in advanced areas and they are often lacking in possession.
That could be because Real Madrid don’t have players capable of doing these things. Or it could be because they have players unwilling to do these things, Vinicius Junior possibly among them. The Brazilian’s frosty relationship with Alonso is well documented, raising questions over his future at the Santiago Bernabéu beyond this season.
This season has been more than just the start of a new managerial tenure, it’s been a power struggle for Real Madrid’s soul. One way or another, 2026 will be a watershed year. Either Alonso’s methods will start to take root, perhaps after some high-profile departures, or the 44-year-old will be spat out by a club that refuses to swallow its medicine.
