Britain wouldn’t have its latest likely next prime minister if not for soccer. Andy Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor elected to the U.K. Parliament in a closely-watched by-election on Thursday, is expected to oust Prime Minister Keir Starmer as Labour Party leader in a matter of weeks. The sport propelled his political rise. The…
The U.S. delegation in Seattle includes HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, according to a FIFA official, along with White House FIFA World Cup Task Force czar Andrew Giuliani. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy were among those who attended the…
FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts — Boston is bouncing and the Massachusetts governor wants to thank thousands of kilted Scottish soccer fans who have taken over the city between Scotland’s first match against Haiti last weekend and its second, against Morocco, today. The tournament’s shock love affair is sparking delight in Gov. Maura Healey’s office as the supporters…
FIFA rang in Juneteenth, the country’s newest federal holiday, with a video that played in Seattle ahead of the U.S. team’s pivotal showdown with Australia. It stars Seattle Supersonics legend and NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton and features iconic Seattle locations. “Some remember, some reflect, while many others celebrate,” Payton says in the video,…
You don’t have to rely on The Discourse to know whether soccer is finally being embraced by America. Political ad spending targeted to catch World Cup viewers tells you all you need to know. Look no further than today’s Susan Collins-aligned Pine Tree Results PAC launching the next phase of a seven-figure general election ad…
While Boston and Dallas have been taken over by marauding Scotland and England fans, Washington, D.C., this week welcomed a (slightly) more sedate British crowd at Duke’s Grocery, a trendy restaurant and bar in Washington’s West End neighborhood. Call it the U.K.’s diplomatic mullet: Business in the front; party in the back. More than a…
CANBERRA — It was disappointment from start to finish around the U.S. vs. Australia match in the Bush Capital, won comfortably by the American side. Neither of Canberra’s Socceroos made the starting lineup and the local government failed to provide an outdoor watch site for the match, despite a heavy social media campaign from locals….
POLITICO has been crunching the numbers to see how all 48 of this year’s World Cup participants rank in several other off-field categories, which we’ll share more of over the weekend. In today’s item, we look at whether GDP per capita has any connection to soccer performance. As you can see, the chart does show…
Brazil has won a record five World Cups, but the most important match it has ever played may have been an exhibition match against Haiti that was meaningless in sporting terms but has had a long influence on each country’s politics. On Aug. 18, 2004, Brazil’s players drove through the streets of Port-au-Prince in armored…
Daniel Lurie is already imagining the scene at Levi’s Stadium on July 1. The San Francisco Democrat — who, according to at least one recent poll, is the most popular mayor in America — was circulating around his city ahead of Levi’s Stadium hosting Turkey vs. Paraguay tonight, when he began to wrap his head…
