2018-world-cup Page 1 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Paul Pogba's career could be done after 4-year doping ban

Juventus midfielder and French National team player Paul Pogba’s future career remains uncertain after Italy’s national anti-doping prosecutors requested a four-year ban from soccer after testing positive for testosterone in September. ...

Literal Baby-Name Police Won't Let French Couple Name Their Kid "Griezmann Mbappé"

International tournament success in sports famously breeds joy, babies, and joyfully birthed babies named after the sporting heroes who achieved said success. It’s no surprise, then, that one French couple wanted to name their newborn son after two stars from France’s World Cup victory this summer. ...

Luka Modrić Wins FIFA's Dumb Little "The Best" Award

Individual awards in soccer are inherently silly and effectively meaningless. FIFA’s premier individual award has been rendered even sillier and less meaningful recently after soccer mag France Football regained ownership of the actually prestigious Ballon d’Or, causing FIFA to invent their own “The...

France's World Cup Celebration Party Was Wonderfully Joyous

Yesterday, France beat the Netherlands in a fairly meaningless international match. While the match itself didn’t matter, it did have the distinction of being the first time the French national team had returned to their home stadium since this summer’s glorious World Cup victory. To commemorate the...

Let's Remember Some Guys: 2018 World Cup Guys

It has been exactly one month since the World Cup ended. This might cause you to believe that it is far too early to engage in any remembering of guys who participated in the tournament, but that would overlook one of the central truths of guy remembering: Any guy can be remembered, at any time....

The four members of Pussy Riot who ran onto the pitch during the World Cup final have been sentenced to 15 days in Russian jail. They’ve also been banned from sporting events for three years. [The Guardian]...

Croatia's World Cup Final Run Was A Miracle

As a rule, small countries do not play in the World Cup final. Only 13 countries on earth have ever even made the final, and aside from one of Sunday’s participants, only big countries have played for the cup in the modern era. It’s been over 50 years since there was a final that didn’t feature one ...

Paul Pogba Bossed The World Cup

Kylian Mbappé’s rifle-shot goal that put the World Cup final firmly in France’s grasp was a fitting flourish on what had been a tremendous tournament for the 19-year-old prodigy. If France’s run to glory was paced by one player, it was Mbappé, whose reality bending runs and lethal finishing elevated...

Let Us Congratulate Vladimir Putin For Victoriously Claiming The One Available Umbrella During World Cup Medal Ceremonies

I can’t quite describe why I find this image so funny, but here it is: Vladimir Putin, grinning in the handshake line at the World Cup medal ceremony, with like the one umbrella anywhere in sight being held over his head dutifully by an attendant, while all around him are drenched in pouring rain:...

France Topple Croatia In Hectic, Exhausting World Cup Final

A hilariously wild and ragged World Cup final concluded with a 4-2 victory for France, after a chaotic first half marked by a pair of dumb goals for France, and a second half marked by a Pussy Riot field invasion and maybe the dumbest goal you will ever see in a World Cup Final, from Croatia....

This World Cup Final Match Absolutely Fucking Rules

If you were worried the World Cup final would present a couple of cagey teams hoping to avoid mistakes and get lucky on one decisive set piece or counterattack, that fear was dashed in just the 18th minute, when a pretty shameless dive gave France a dangerous free kick that converted to an own goal ...

Belgium Topple England In Sweet, Satisfying Third-Place Match

Belgium topped England in a loose and entertaining third-place game Saturday, behind a couple terrifying quick-strike counterattack moves, and some delightfully screwy defending from the lads of England....

Photographer Tackled By Celebrating Croatian Players Got Incredible Photos, Kisses

During yesterday’s World Cup semifinal game between England and Croatia, a sideline photographer for Agence France-Press, Yuri Cortez, found himself at the bottom of a Croatian team dog pile after the got knocked over during Croatia’s celebrations for Mario Mandzukic’s extra-time, game-winning goal....

Dear Croatia, Please Wear Your Extra-Cool Checkerboard Kits In The World Cup Final [Update]

Mighty, valiant Croatia have had a dream World Cup, and this weekend, they will take the field for the World Cup final only 26 years after joining FIFA as an official national team. It will obviously be the biggest moment in Croatian soccer history, and as such, they had better not overthink it and ...

What In The Damn Hell Happened To England?

Immediately after England scored in the fifth minute of today’s World Cup semifinal, it seemed like they’d cruise to a comfortable win over a clearly exhausted Croatia side that was running on fumes....

Now These World Cup Teams Are Frauds, In My Opinion<em></em>

There are no more frauds left, but there’ll always be an England....

England Coming Home, Won't Bring Football With Them

The bracket was on their side, the memes were on their side, and even the sport, a creation of their very own, appeared to be in favor of the Brits. Unfortunately for them, football won’t be coming home, because Croatia beat England in their World Cup semifinal today by a score of 2-1....

A Soccer Oaf's List Of The Best Soccer Things

Because it’s the most popular sport in the world and because the entire world is currently losing its collective shit about it, there is something forbidding about approaching soccer from the outside. There are many millions of people around the world who are so passionate about club teams that they...

Kieran Trippier's Absolute Banger Brings It One Step Closer To Home 

Is it coming home or what? It only took five minutes for Kieran Trippier to do his thing and put England up 1-0 with a gorgeous curling free kick from just outside the box....

Watch Croatian Firefighters Miss The End Of PKs Against Russia In This Exquisitely Timed Video

Yes, this video is officially Old News given that Croatia are taking on England right now. But the Zagreb Fire Department just today released this video of some firefighters watching penalties against Russia in the quarterfinals on Saturday, and the exact moment they had to drop what they were doing...