The most important and anticipated sporting event of the year is almost here. On Thursday, June 11th, the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico begins, the first to be contested by 48 national teams (instead of the current 32). Three countries and sixteen cities will host the 104 matches, culminating on Sunday, July 19th (9:00 PM) with the grand final to be played at the MetLife Stadium located in New Jersey (near New York City). This event will mark a generational shift in the world of football, as it will be the last World Cup for Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, among others, and the emergence of new global stars like Lamine Yamal, who will play in his first World Cup.

A week ago Tim Payne was an anonymous player, practically unknown to the general public. With just over 4,700 followers on Instagram, the center-back of the New Zealand team, ranked 85th in FIFA, was the least media-friendly footballer among the 1,248 called up for this summer's World Cup. But overnight he became internationally famous and his number of followers increased at a dizzying pace, becoming the viral phenomenon in the days leading up to the World Cup. Not Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo: the man of the moment is Tim Payne.

The celebration of the first World Cup of the Spanish women's soccer team it was altered when the players had not yet lifted the trophy. During the medal ceremony, the president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, kissed the mouth of ex-Barcelona player Jennifer Hermoso, one of the players who had started in the final. The action took everyone by surprise, including the footballer herself. "It is a situation of abuse of power of a sexual nature," says Marta Roqueta, a doctoral researcher at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC) who is an expert in gender perspective.