Publisher - The Beautiful Game, Beautifully Told

On 17 June 2006, in Frankfurt, a 21-year-old wearing the number 17 shirt stepped up to take a penalty for Portugal against Iran. He was wearing 17 because Luis Figo — Portugal's captain, their most decorated player, the man whose shoes he…

Day 11 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 produced 13 goals across four matches, with Lionel Messi once again dominating the headlines as Argentina defeated Austria. France continued their impressive form with a convincing victory over Iraq, Norway…

England can secure their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout stages when they face Ghana at GEODIS Park on Tuesday evening. Thomas Tuchel's side opened their campaign with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Croatia, while Ghana arrive…

The gods of football, as someone noted afterwards, clearly did not want the record broken from the penalty spot. They had something better in mind. In the ninth minute at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Messi struck a penalty wide of…

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,…

Portugal and Uzbekistan meet at NRG Stadium in Houston on Tuesday afternoon in a crucial Group K encounter, with both nations seeking a result that could define their World Cup futures. Roberto Martinez's side were held to a…

History has been rewritten in Texas. Just two days shy of his 39th birthday, Lionel Messi has officially become the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history, inspiring Argentina to a clinical 2-0 victory over Austria at Dallas…

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…

Argentina and Austria clash at Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium) on Monday night in a monumental Group J fixture where the winner will directly book their ticket to the 2026 World Cup knockout rounds. Both nations arrive in exceptional…

Cape Verde's remarkable FIFA World Cup 2026 journey continued on Sunday as the tournament debutants produced another fearless display to secure a memorable 2-2 draw against Uruguay, moving one step closer to an historic place in the…