Say cheese … or not. A woman works a stand at a cheese festival in Moscow, Russia.
AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin
In the US, smiling is a reflexive gesture of goodwill, but Russians view it as a sign of stupidity. Social psychology research could help explain this cultural contrast.
Morocco will be going home after coming last in their group in Russia.
Martin Divisek/EPA
African governments and football associations need to do some serious recalculating for the Qatar world cup in 2022.
EPA/Vassil Donev
The way we talk about football reinforces the idea that the men’s sport is the norm, and women’s the exception.
Adam Davy/PA
Chinese football fans have gone to Russia in huge numbers – to support other nations.
EPA/MALASIG
Sporting success depends on strong squad bonds.
Harry Kane celebrating after scoring the winning goal against Tunisia in Volgograd, Russia.
EPA/FRANCIS R. MALASIG
Footballers came under attack from a swarm of flies on the Volgograd pitch. But there’s more to midges and gnats than meets the eye.
VAR is already proving controversial at this year’s World Cup.
EPA/ Yuri Kocketkov
VAR is part of a wider trend of digitalisation that threatens to make football less natural and spontaneous.
shutterstock.
As the England World Cup team get set to debut in Volgograd it’s apt to reflect on an Anglo-Russian relationship that has endured tumultuous political times.
Leo Messi advertises sportswear, airlines, and even this Russian bank.
Facundo Arrizabalaga / EPA
Ronaldo and Messi cannot go on forever, and Neymar, Pogba and Salah are waiting in the wings.
Morocco’s World Cup squad training in St.Petersburg, Russia.
Anatoly Maltsev/EPA
The football world cup offers a useful chance to consider the apparent division between North and sub-Saharan Africa.
Sexualised images of women persist in sport media, despite the changing demographics of fans.
Srdjan Suki/EPA
Women now make up a sizeable share of football audiences, but unless decked out in short shorts and cropped jerseys, they are barely visible in the media.
Aleksandr Kurganov / shutterstock
Beluga sturgeon found their migration route blocked by Europe’s largest hydroelectric dam.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev watch the action during the match between Russia and Saudi Arabia that opened the 2018 World Cup.
Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
The Russian leader seems to understand the ability of sport to foment feelings of national pride and enhance his popularity at home.
Spirits were high when the Socceroos qualified for the 2018 World Cup, but the team’s chances in Russia are slim.
David Moir/AAP
Interest in the sport is starting to wane as the Socceroos have struggled internationally and the A-League has failed to evolve.
Can we predict who will win the trophy in this year’s World Cup held in Russia?
Shutterstock/fifg
Australia has won the soccer World Cup three times, in simulation games only. So what are the challenges to predicting the winner?
Sunderland AFC playing Spain in 1934.
Journal La Educacion Fisica
Losing to Sunderland in 1934 forced Spanish writers and commentators to look beyond football for answers.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Spartak Moscow, 1954.
PA/PA Archive/PA Images
Sporting diplomacy could warm Britain’s relations with Russia during the World Cup once more.
Superstar Diego Maradona holds up the World Cup trophy in 1986. The World Cup tournament may prompt some people to get out and play themselves, leading to possible injuries.
(AP Photo/Carlo Fumagalli)
It’s easy to get caught up in World Cup fever. But if watching the beautiful game inspires you to get out and play, injury prevention is vital.
While major brands like Coca-Cola have stuck by FIFA and the World Cup, others have not.
Maxim Shipenkov/EPA
Compared with years past, the build-up to the Russia World Cup has been relatively subdued from a marketing and advertising standpoint.
Yuri Kadobnov / EPA
Russia and Saudi Arabia’s new friendship is bad news for Iran.