Mixed Zone blog

World Cups used to feature rare encounters between separate footballing civilizations, each with their own distinct style and players not known to the rest of the world. Globalization has changed all that, with World Cup rosters increasingly resembling a fusion of teammates and rivals from the top European leagues.

The great economic thinker who championed free trade and open markets was Scottish, but he’d still appreciate how England’s national team is proving him right. England has embraced a radical globalization of its domestic league, and its domestic product (the national team in international competition) has improved considerably as a result, notwithstanding that inexplicable collapse to Argentina in the semifinals.

While we are sad that the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup is now over, we are also excited to look ahead to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. This 2026-27 academic year, ASU’s Great Game Lab will be researching and highlighting Women’s World Cup stories that showcase our major inquiry: how the US connects to the world through sport. Only 339 days to go!

Sanctions sidelined Russia from participating in international soccer, but the Russian public can still watch North America's World Cup.

The World Cup in Philadelphia is over — 6 games, 410,000 fans, 290,000 beers, 26,500 cheesesteaks, and one of the most-attended FIFA Fan Festivals. Great Game Lab documentarian Yana Pashaeva was there for the Croatia vs Ghana game on June 27.

One of the ways in which the United States has closed the gap with Mexico in men's soccer is by placing more of its stars in top European leagues.

Soccer may not be the biggest sport in the United States, but the U.S. is already the #1 source of TV money for FIFA. Oh, and it's also the #2 source, thanks to FIFA's ability to sell two U.S. media rights packages. But with Telemundo's broadcasts now streaming on Peacock, how much longer can we pretend the Spanish-language coverage occurs in a separate mediaverse?

Matt Brown puts the college in U.S. college sports reporting. He also brings global awareness to what can often seem to be a provincial, insular domestic sports industry... that very much is not. For folks outside the United States who want to learn more about the American college sports landscape, the best place to turn is to Matt Brown's Extra Points newsletter.

For its World Cup Fanzine "Rituals," Nike commissioned numerous stars of the game, artists, and essayists to capture the culture and spirit of global football. Nike asked Andrés Martinez, the Co-Director of Great Game Lab, to write an essay on how America really sees soccer, and he explores whether the novelty of being the underdog at home is what finally brings the country together around the sport?

This week, Carlo Ancelotti announced his final selection for the seleção that will represent Brazil at this summer’s World Cup.

Shelby Evans went to scout out the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, near Palm Springs. It’s a wonder she ever came back.

The host of "Good Game with Sarah Spain" (and Great Game Lab fellow... she's good and great, folks) Sarah Spain had quite the time covering her first Olympic Games in Italy, where women’s sports media also became a newsworthy protagonist. In this Q&A version of a Scouting Report, Sarah answered the Great Game Lab’s most pressing and hard-hitting journalistic questions, like what was it like to sing with Flavor Flav and which pin was she most excited to trade for.