Sigh. Estadio Monterrey.

When I wrote about the Colombia-Portugal game last month, resale tickets were starting at a preposterous $2,500. Turns out that was a bargain. The average get-in price for the game, tonight, wound up at $3,500. www.wsj.com/sports/socce...

One of the huge hidden costs of the World Cup: parking. One couple paid $175 for a game at Gillette Stadium outside Boston and $150 for a game in Miami. www.wsj.com/business/med...

Cape Verde, a nation of 530,000, has advanced to the World Cup knockout stage to play reigning champion Argentina. In college basketball terms, Cape Verdeans are now these guys

One of the huge hidden costs of the World Cup: parking. One couple paid $175 for a game at Gillette Stadium outside Boston and $150 for a game in Miami. www.wsj.com/business/med...

Who can ID everyone in this group? (At Adidas’ fan event under the Brooklyn Bridge)

Sending thoughts to Minneapolis peeps on Naz Reid Trade Zero Day

Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston now leads all voting for the WNBA All-Star Game. She's so modest in spending her $1.5 million annual pay raise (from an average of $80K to $1.6M!) that she considers doggie daycare a splurge: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bH1...

The @WSJ Editorial Board notes USMNT player Folarin Balogun's birthright citizenship, and adds: "America’s World Cup men’s team shows again how bringing in foreign talent can be a win for the individuals and for the country." www.wsj.com/opinion/worl...

“Seeing Neanderthal misogynists go nuts online is part of the fun, because any right-minded human being who you or I would wish to converse with can see Emma Hayes’ delivery is authoritative and engaging.” www.nytimes.com/athletic/738...

ESPN announces that Linda Cohn will retire from the network on June 30. She hosted more SportsCenters than anyone in the network's history. She's also been one of hockey's most vocal and important advocates on a network that for decades marginalized the sport. Absolute icon.

There are 14 soccer stadiums, total, in Cape Verde, most of them seating between 1,000 and 2,000 people. The national stadium seats 15,000. (Wikipedia)

Even more incredible: He plays professionally in a *US second division* league, USL Championship, for Miami FC.

Swedish surrender cobra cc: @hollyanderson.bsky.social

Today on Phantom Island: @realbachscore.bsky.social joins me to talk about FIFA's fiscally ambitious* approach to 2026 World Cup ticketing: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... *see i can be nice, i can be diplomatic

important background reading for tomorrow's Phantom Island

Superfan alert: This man holds a statue-like pose and steely gaze throughout entire games games of the Congolese national team. It's a tribute to his country’s founding prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, who was assassinated in a Belgian-led plot in 1961. www.wsj.com/sports/socce...

Ivory Coast is That Team. Even their gameday photos are fire

Les éléphants gagnent

Brilliant illustration by my colleague @bzcohen.bsky.social of just how much more a trillion is than a billion (now that there exists a trillionaire). It's way way way ... way more than you think. www.wsj.com/business/tri...

Very cool rundown of 48 New York-area bars and restaurants for every team in the World cup: www.wsj.com/lifestyle/tr...

DR Congo soccer team 🐆 www.footyheadlines.com/5468923613/d...

First brace for a USMNT player in 96 years 🤯

How glad is Team USA (where he was born) that Folarin Balogun picked them and not England (where he was raised) right now

The World Cup kicks off today in Mexico City. In 1971, the same stadium hosted an unsanctioned Women’s World Cup FIFA opposed it, but it was a massive success. This doc about it (98% on RT) was produced by the Williams sisters and Alex Morgan: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fNG...

The World Cup kicks off today in Mexico City. In 1971, the same stadium hosted an unsanctioned Women’s World Cup FIFA opposed it, but it was a massive success. This doc about it (98% on RT) was produced by the Williams sisters and Alex Morgan: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fNG...

The Knicks trailed by 27 points at halftime and won Every single other team that trailed by 20+ points at halftime in NBA Finals history ended up losing the game by double digits

Unions are having a moment. www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...

🍿Even if you don’t follow the stock market, something very big is happening Friday. SpaceX will make its ticker debut in what’s expected to be the biggest IPO of all time. But despite the Musk-owned company having many fans, some are sounding the alarm. www.wsj.com/articles/mus...

I was delighted to talk World Cup, and all the madness surrounding it, with Kara Swisher, alongside the great @realbachscore.bsky.social and @tariqpanja.bsky.social. youtu.be/CtMrswnaXck?...

Incoming Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby admitted he bet repeatedly on college football. A judge says he can keep playing. The decision has scrambled sports precedent. www.wsj.com/sports/footb...

“When it comes to pre-competition style, the Ivorians are the Brazil of the World Cup.”

Don’t let World Cup controversies distract you from the amazing fits of Ivory Coast.

I love that Aliyah Boston is still driving her Buick, Jazzy. Interesting interview from @realbachscore.bsky.social with the WNBA star on handling money #WNBA

There’s a Naomi Girma-sized hole in the USWNT’s back line sbisoccer.com/2026/05/naom...

Folks is it true we’re putting Crocs on dogs now? Please advise.

The USMNT plays Germany in a friendly today. A leader of the American Outlaws told me: “We’ve had some of our members jokingly say they’re going to tell their kid that’s the World Cup because that’s the only thing they can afford.” www.wsj.com/sports/socce...

"I'm English. We invented football. But the Brazilians taught the world how to play it." -- @uswnt.ussoccer.com coach Emma Hayes, ahead of Brazil friendlies Saturday and Tuesday

College softball's World Series between Texas and Texas Tech (G2 of best-of-3 is tonight) shows that not all college sports are broken. www.nytimes.com/athletic/733...

Normal distribution says that Wemby might not even exist

“Wemby’s a tall dude, man.” — Guy on a stoop, talking to guy on the sidewalk in Brooklyn as I walked to the train. #analysis #Knicks

New World Cup comment just dropped

I’ve watched this 500x

Ghana v. Panama in Toronto is my bellwether and I'll probably be looking for tickets at BMO up to match day for any of the games up there but the cheapest available for a single orphan ticket is still $439. Absolutely no way.

A U.S. fan who went to the 1994 World Cup as a teenager vowed to take his 8-year-old daughter to this one. Then he entered FIFA’s nightmare ticket maze. He wouldn't get out before spending thousands of dollars -- on three tickets. www.wsj.com/sports/socce...

"From 2020 through 2025, $2.7 trillion in new wealth was created for the top 0.0001% in the U.S., a group of about 250 people." www.wsj.com/lifestyle/ca...

Not long ago, FIFA kept World Cup ticket prices relatively affordable to suit hardcore fans. Now, it is leveraging the potent cocktail of an American World Cup to pack its war chest with money it plans to redistribute to FIFA’s 211 member nations around the world. www.wsj.com/sports/socce...

Serena Williams is back. The 44-year-old multi-time champion, who retired nearly four years ago, plans to restart her career at next week's HSBC Championships at the Queen's Club in London, the WTA announced. She's been awarded a Wild Card to play doubles, with a partner TBA.

FIFA saw this summer’s World Cup as a rare opportunity: the biggest field of teams ever (48) plus the richest nation on earth. The result is the most expensive World Cup in history. www.wsj.com/sports/socce...