Apalak

The semifinals are always the most obsessively dissected games in the World Cup. They are generally more dramatic and entertaining than nervy affairs of finals, and they are more concentrated with quality than the quarterfinal fixtures.…

All four quarterfinal match-ups of the 2026 FIFA World Cup had more or less clear favourites. And keeping with the trend in this World Cup, they all won. Also keeping with the trend in this World Cup, there was quite a bit of drama en route…

The phrase “business end” is often used quite loosely in the context of football tournaments. The quarter-finals of this World Cup are finally upon us. After almost a month of relentless football, with two rounds of knockouts spanning 24…

This world cup has seen more than ninety games in less than four weeks. It has been so tremendously full of stories and various narrative arcs, that it has been really difficult to keep up with it in real time. In a world of enshittified…

The world cups I have been a witness to have all had a curious and eminently poignant sort of figure. The figure of a no.10. The figure of a tragic no.10. In 2010 there was Forlan, with his flowing golden locks and kisses on his wrist after…

The first ever round of 32 in a world cup has started brightly. We are a quarter of our way towards the round of sixteen. When FIFA introduced the round of 32, it was considered to have opened the door towards more one-sided knock-out ties.…

The third round of group matches did not take much time to get over. Still, it was a drag. This World Cup has already seen eight more matches than the entirety of the previous iteration. The 64 games in Qatar were enough to give us a winner…

I should have been more careful. When, last week, I decided to rank eight favourites to win the tournament, it seemed like a straightforward task. But it is not anymore. Ranking eight teams, all perched at the topmost position in eight…

The World Cup rarely offers such neat symmetry. This almost feels scripted. And if it is, I am loving it. Last week, Messi, Mbappe and Haaland scored a total of seven goals within hours of each other. This time they scored a total of six,…

It’s a funny old game. The mighty La Roja tore away Saudi Arabia’s resistance to end the game as a contest within the first half an hour and without needing to enter second gear, but this day will still be rightfully remembered as a day of…