Via GZero, a look at whether a World Cup host can obtain political objectives: The festival of football is finally here: the 2026 World Cup kicks off today, with the United States, Mexico, and Canada hosting [...]

Via Equator, commentary on how - despite Palestine's pitches being in ruins - the game lives on: Palestine will not be at the 2026 World Cup. The national team has never qualified for the competition, because producing a [...]

Courtesy of The Diplomat, commentary on how - under Pyongyang’s new “two states” policy - sports diplomacy has been repackaged as inter-state, not inter-Korean, exchanges: Last week, North Korea sent a sports [...]

Courtesy of the New York Times, a report on how, while diplomatic relations between the two Koreas are near a historic low, a rare trip by athletes from the North triggered intense emotions in some older South [...]

Courtesy of World Politics Review, commentary on the opportunity ahead for North American soccer diplomacy during the World Cup: This summer, the United States, Canada and Mexico will jointly host the World Cup, organizing a [...]