Cristiano Ronaldo and the Problem With Too Much Fame
The soccer superstar’s trip to Euro 2024 has been marked by pitch invaders and uninspiring performances. As fans try to get close, his team can’t seem to let go.
By Rory Smith and
The soccer superstar’s trip to Euro 2024 has been marked by pitch invaders and uninspiring performances. As fans try to get close, his team can’t seem to let go.
By Rory Smith and
The region has long seen itself as distinct from its country and disinterested in the national team. Can a Euro 2024 squad studded with Basque stars turn heads?
By
Hard-core fan groups, embracing a strong nationalistic streak, have provoked pushback from soccer’s authorities at the European Championship.
By Rory Smith and
The move escalates a fight with China and world antidoping officials, and will cast a shadow over the Paris Olympics.
By Michael S. Schmidt and
An Uproar Over a Chinese Doping Case, Except in China
Chinese state news and social media has been virtually silent about 23 swimmers secretly testing positive in 2021, even as the issue is being debated widely abroad, including in Congress.
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A Battlefield Break to Cheer Ukraine’s Soccer Team in Euro 2024
Soldiers huddled in a bunker with soft drinks and chips to watch Ukraine face Romania, only to suffer heartbreak.
By Maria Varenikova and
The success of Barcelona’s team has made Catalonia a laboratory for finding out what happens when the women’s game has prominence similar to the men’s.
By Rory Smith and
The Premier League’s Asterisk Season
As it concludes an epic title race, soccer’s richest competition is a picture of health on the field. Away from it, the league faces lawsuits, infighting and the threat of government regulation.
By Rory Smith and
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Grudges from the World Cup and rugby union have spilled over to the Games. But is this new sports feud even real?
By Rory Smith and James Wagner
The N.B.A. star LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and the tennis star Coco Gauff were chosen by their peers to lead the United States at the opening ceremony in Paris.
By Jeré Longman
After the tip of his ring finger was mangled in a practice match two weeks ago, Matthew Dawson chose amputation over a long, uncertain recovery.
By Yan Zhuang and John Yoon
In seven years, Racheal Kundananji went from playing her first organized game to signing a multimillion-dollar contract. Her rise could have lasting effects.
By John Eligon
France has promised an unusually heavy blanket of security for Israeli athletes at the Games. In its first test, it pulled out all the stops.
By Tariq Panja
We measured the speeds of eight objects to make our own Olympic game. Can you guess how fast the discus flies? An arrow? The badminton birdie?
By Jeremy White, Joe Ward, Noah Throop, Emily Rhyne and Bedel Saget
About 500 top-level Ukrainian athletes and coaches have died in the war. Volodymyr Androshchuk promised his loved ones he would make it back.
By Jeré Longman and Oleksandr Chubko
Southgate’s eight years in charge made him the most successful England manager in decades. In stepping down two days after losing the Euro 2024 final, he got the last word.
By Rory Smith
A 2-1 victory in the Euro 2024 final extended England’s suffering but crowned a generational star in Spain’s teenage forward, Lamine Yamal.
By Rory Smith
The princess has stepped back from the public eye since her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
By Amelia Nierenberg
Performing before a major match like the Euro 2024 final offers priceless visibility, and the nonzero chance that you’ll be booed.
By Rory Smith and Tariq Panja
After installing a Labour government for the first time in 14 years, the country is looking to a historical precedent as a presage to a long-awaited sporting success.
By Mark Landler
Lina Boussaha joined a team in Saudi Arabia so she could wear her head scarf while playing the sport she calls “a part of my soul.”
By Sarah Hurtes and Iman Al-Dabbagh
With thousands of voices and a few well-choreographed dance moves, Dutch fans have transformed match days into pulsing, joyous celebrations. Their next one is Wednesday.
By Claire Moses and Rory Smith
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Some of the country’s top players had urged voters to reject the far right in a pivotal election. With that battle over, a date with Spain in Euro 2024 offers a more familiar challenge.
By Rory Smith
Trey Cunningham said friends and peers reacted to his decision to come out with a shrug. He wishes the same was true for other men in elite sports.
By Rory Smith
In India, cricket has become immensely profitable and a destination for the world’s best players. But a tournament victory had eluded it for many years.
By Mujib Mashal
The embattled Conservative Party is embroiled in investigations over whether some of its own staff members used insider knowledge to bet on the timing of the general election.
By Rory Smith
Sweltering train cars, frequent delays and regular cancellations: At the Euro 2024 men’s soccer tournament, Germany’s faltering rail system emerges as a tough opponent.
By Rory Smith and Melissa Eddy
Edmonton’s mayor says that the issues behind homelessness, opioid overdoses and mental health crises cannot be fixed by cities.
By Ian Austen
A soccer championship has doubled as a test of identity for millions of Germans with Turkish roots. For many, picking one team to support was an easy decision.
By Tariq Panja and Rory Smith
Lionel Messi had said the 2022 World Cup, which his country won, was his last. Will the Copa América soccer tournament be his goodbye?
By Daniel Politi, James Wagner and Sarah Pabst
The opposition in Georgia accused the government of cozying up to Russia. Can playing in the Euros make the nation feel more like a part of Europe?
By Tariq Panja and Ivan Nechepurenko
The shooting took place in Hamburg, in an area packed with soccer fans, and hours before the Netherlands and Poland were set to play in the city.
By Rory Smith, Lena Mucha and Christopher F. Schuetze
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Julian Nagelsmann was hired to win a European Championship on home soil. Can he restore a divided nation’s self-esteem at the same time?
By Rory Smith and Christopher F. Schuetze
The rise of multiclub networks introduced a web of conflicts to European soccer, and could block a young Brazilian’s heralded transfer to Manchester City.
By Tariq Panja
No club has won European soccer’s richest prize more than Real Madrid, but its recent dominance has been accompanied by a bruising fight over the tournament’s future.
By Rory Smith
The script called for the former prime minister, and Brexit champion, to don an England jersey and say, ‘I told you I would get us back in Europe.’
By Tariq Panja
A coach’s soccer legacy is often reduced to titles and trophies. In Liverpool, a beloved manager will endure in murals, music and shared memories.
By Rory Smith
FIFA said it would solicit legal advice before taking up a motion from the Palestinian Football Association to suspend Israel over its actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
By Tariq Panja
FIFA tried to put a corruption crisis behind by changing its rules and claiming its governance overhaul had the endorsement of the Justice Department. U.S. officials say that was never the case.
By Tariq Panja
Luis Rubiales, the former head of Spanish soccer, was also charged with coercion in connection with the unsolicited kiss of a star player after the Women’s World Cup.
By Rachel Chaundler
In a suit filed in federal court in New York, a firm that provided hundreds of millions of dollars to 777 accused the company of double-pledging its collateral to other investors.
By Tariq Panja
A three-team race is deciding this year’s Premier League champion. The competition’s global reach means a significant portion of the world’s population is following along.
By Muktita Suhartono, Elian Peltier, Shawna Richer and Rory Smith
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The Queens Park Ladies, an under-12 soccer team in Bournemouth, England, hopes to inspire younger girls to get into the sport after a dominant season against the boys.
By Claire Moses
Having a team in the world’s richest sports competition might alter how people think of Luton, a place long dogged by a ramshackle image and links to extremism.
By Rory Smith
The case, involving multiple swimmers who seven months later won medals at the 2021 Games, prompted accusations of a cover-up and concerns over why antidoping regulators chose not to intervene.
By Michael S. Schmidt and Tariq Panja
As Bayer Leverkusen sealed its first Bundesliga title, the real joy for its rivals came in seeing Bayern Munich lose it.
By Rory Smith and Christopher F. Schuetze
When Paris F.C. made its tickets free, it began an experiment into the connection between fans and teams, and posed a question about the value of big crowds to televised sports.
By Rory Smith
Online messages urged violent attacks on four matches, prompting the police in England, France and Spain to step up precautions.
By Aurelien Breeden, Rachel Chaundler and Tariq Panja
Her movies try to explain why Japan is the way it is, showing both the upsides and downsides of the country’s commonplace practices. Her latest film focuses on an elementary school.
By Motoko Rich
In competitions like the Premier League, Muslim pros who once faced pressure to avoid daily fasts during the monthlong holiday now benefit from custom diets and in-game breaks.
By Tariq Panja
The apparel giant moved quickly to block the sale of shirts bearing the No. 44, which resembled a banned Nazi logo in the uniform’s new lettering.
By Christopher F. Schuetze
Once a semipro baseball player in Japan, Yukihiro Shimura has now become a baseball missionary.
By Jack Nicas and Dado Galdieri
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Mr. Rubiales, who resigned after kissing a player at the Women’s World Cup, is a focus of Spanish investigators looking into accusations of corruption and money laundering.
By Tariq Panja and Rachel Chaundler
The country’s raucous fan culture will be on display when Major League Baseball opens its season in Seoul. Here’s how to cheer and what to eat.
By John Yoon, Jun Michael Park and Shawn Paik
Baseball fans in South Korea have embraced the superstar from Japan, despite the longtime rivalry and history between the two countries.
By John Yoon
Doping rules, legal challenges and endless appeals have left some medalists waiting (and waiting) for their golds.
By Jeré Longman
A group wants the federal government to mirror its blanket restrictions on tobacco ads, citing addiction and its effect on sports.
By Ian Austen
Maybe, just maybe, that was their future on the screen. How a new cricket league inspired two sisters in a Punjab village.
By Atul Loke and Mujib Mashal
The Dublin club Bohemians has made support for social causes a crucial part of its identity. Critics say the hipsters have taken over, but the approach has attracted fans around the world.
By Rory Smith
The sealed case could include the highly prized Wayne Gretzky rookie card. Or not. The buyer may never find out.
By Amanda Holpuch
The decision means the club will lose six points in the standings, not 10, potentially helping it to stay in the division and to remain financially viable.
By Tariq Panja
Buying a small-town club offers a tempting entry to ownership. But the sport’s economics mean even multimillionaires can struggle to compete.
By Rory Smith
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Jim Ratcliffe spent $1.5 billion for a 25 percent stake in his boyhood English soccer club. On Wednesday, he laid out his vision.
By Tariq Panja
A proposed marketing partnership with a private equity firm was abandoned after weeks of protests that disrupted matches across the country.
By Rory Smith and Tariq Panja
Fancy a chance to claim the Rose Bowl? Get really good at carrying stones.
By Victor Mather
It is a sharp contrast to other countries, where men dominate fandom. Experts have a variety of explanations, including the influence of K-pop culture.
By John Yoon
Sheffield says it was home to the planet’s first real soccer culture. Staking a claim to that honor may hold the key to its future.
By Rory Smith
While no new stadiums will be built in Vancouver or Toronto, multimillion-dollar renovations must be finished on a tight deadline.
By Ian Austen
This year’s Africa Cup of Nations, like several previous editions, played out in Chinese-built arenas. It will end with familiar questions about their legacy.
By Elian Peltier and Joao Silva
Aleksander Ceferin prevailed in an effort that would have allowed him another four-year stint as president. Then he announced he wouldn’t seek one.
By Tariq Panja
In Ivory Coast, lêkê are the preferred footwear for amateur games and almost everything else.
By Elian Peltier and Joao Silva
Hockey fans in Canada are struggling to make sense of a scandal that has led to sexual-assault charges against five former junior hockey players.
By Vjosa Isai and Ian Austen
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A proposal that would weaken term limits at European soccer’s governing body has insiders and governance officials worried that sports’ power brokers are forgetting why the rules exist.
By Tariq Panja
The accusation, made in London, Ontario, in 2018, has put the country’s hockey organization into turmoil and outraged the public.
By Ian Austen and Vjosa Isai
Two Supreme Court decisions and a lower court’s ruling have cast doubt on the legal basis for a host of prosecutions. Several defendants want their records cleared and their money back.
By Rebecca R. Ruiz and Tariq Panja
The ruling by a National Court judge resulted from a pretrial inquiry into an unsolicited kiss that set off a widespread debate about sexism in Spanish women’s soccer.
By Rachel Chaundler
The official, Zvonimir Boban, said he was quitting UEFA because of a proposal that could allow the organization’s leaders to extend their terms, and their power.
By Tariq Panja
Track and field’s decision to bar intersex athletes from women’s events has raised questions about fair play and inclusion ahead of the Paris Games.
By Jeré Longman
The player, Eden Karzev, was fined and moved to an Israeli team. He is the second Israeli pro this week to run afoul of a Turkish team for displaying pro-Israel messages.
By Safak Timur
The Premier League announced charges against Everton and Nottingham Forest, increasing the risk that both clubs could be relegated at the end of the season.
By Tariq Panja
The player, Sagiv Jehezkel, displayed a pro-Israel message after scoring on Sunday and was promptly suspended by his club. He was released after questioning and returned to Israel.
By Safak Timur and Tariq Panja
As Premier League clubs create fan zones to collect yet more money from stadium visitors, a local economy of food trucks, pubs and small restaurants is holding its ground.
By Rory Smith
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In West Germany, he revolutionized his central defense position and was one of only three people to win the World Cup as a player and a coach.
By Rory Smith and Andrew Das
Ever since the Quebec Nordiques decamped in 1995, leaving a hole in the Francophone city, vote-seeking officials have vowed to bring them back. But younger voters may be starting to forget the team.
By Norimitsu Onishi
Jennifer Hermoso, who was kissed on the mouth by Spain’s former soccer boss, Luis Rubiales, gave evidence at a hearing to determine whether Mr. Rubiales will be charged.
By Rachel Chaundler
The billion-dollar deal leaves the team’s unpopular owners, the Glazer family, in control of the club, but it delegates important responsibilities to their new partner.
By Tariq Panja
A plan to persuade sports federations to move to the country could save them millions. Supporters and critics of the proposal say it is intended to tempt one governing body in particular.
By Tariq Panja and Daphné Anglès
The postgame attack shocked a country used to heated atmospheres at soccer matches. The team president who threw the punch was arrested and later resigned his post.
By James Montague
A decision by the International Olympic Committee paves the way for individuals from the two countries to take part over the objections of Ukraine and others.
By Andrew Das and Tariq Panja
How sports can dissolve boundaries.
By Vivek Shankar
Han Kwang-song’s recent appearances in World Cup qualifiers were his first ones overseas since 2020, when U.N. sanctions led to an involuntary career break.
By Mike Ives and John Yoon
A dominant World Cup run closes with a loss to Australia in the final, a symbol of how far India has come and how far it still has to go.
By Mujib Mashal
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While most of Europe’s leagues engage in a Sisyphean quest to source as much money as possible, Sweden has chosen a different model. But its rewards come with risk.
By Rory Smith
The penalty adds to the problems of a team operating under a mountain of debt. It vowed to appeal.
By Tariq Panja
Irate investors looking for a bankrupt “crypto king” were regular visitors to the new Toronto-area home of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
By Ian Austen
FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, cheered a plan to take soccer’s richest event to the kingdom. He has said little about his years of work to make that happen.
By Tariq Panja
Afghanistan’s cricket team has won big games and many fans in an international competition, in a stark contrast to the pariah status of its government.
By Mujib Mashal and Atul Loke
Australia announced it would not bid, clearing the way for the Saudis to bring soccer’s biggest tournament back to the Gulf.
By Tariq Panja
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