Explained
Football, explained
The rules, the terms and the records, without the jargon. One question per page, answered in the first paragraph.
- ARCHV Explains · Officiating · 1 August 2026Why a VAR check takes so longWhat actually happens in the four minutes a stadium spends waiting: the four situations VAR is allowed to touch, why the video referee rebuilds the whole attack in order, where the offside lines went, and what changed at the 2026 World Cup.
- ARCHV Explains · Transfer mechanics · 29 July 2026Loan with an obligation to buy, explainedWhat a loan with an obligation to buy actually is, how it differs from an option to buy, and the four recent Manchester United deals that show every way the clause can end: triggered, bought out, left to expire, or flipped on for profit.
- ARCHV Explains · World Cup · 22 July 2026The World Cup Golden Boot: a history of the tournament's top scorersKylian Mbappe won the 2026 Golden Boot on ten goals without playing the final, the first man to win it twice, and passed Lionel Messi as the World Cup's all-time top scorer. The full history of the award, from Guillermo Stabile in 1930 to Just Fontaine's untouched 13.
- ARCHV Explains · World Cup · 15 July 2026Most World Cup titles: every nation that has won, and how manyEvery World Cup winner from 1930 to 2022: Brazil's record five, Germany and Italy on four, Argentina on three, and why only eight nations from two continents have ever lifted the trophy.
- ARCHV Explains · World Cup · 8 July 2026The oldest goalscorers in World Cup historyRoger Milla still holds the record at 42 years and 39 days, but Cristiano Ronaldo closed the gap at the 2026 World Cup, becoming the oldest man to score in a knockout match. The full list of the oldest scorers in the tournament's history.
- ARCHV Explains · World Cup · 1 July 2026Canada at the World Cup: a historyCanada's full World Cup story: a scoreless debut in 1986, a 36-year wait, Alphonso Davies' record-fast goal in 2022, and the 2026 co-host run that finally delivered a first-ever knockout win.
- ARCHV Explains · World Cup · 20 June 2026USA at the World Cup: a historyThe full story of the United States at the World Cup, from a third-place finish in 1930 and the 1950 win over England to the 2002 quarter-final, the 2018 collapse, and co-hosting the 2026 finals.
- ARCHV Explains · World Cup · 16 June 2026The biggest upsets in World Cup historyThe ten greatest World Cup upsets, from the USA beating England in 1950 to Saudi Arabia stunning Argentina in 2022, and why the favourites are never as safe as the bracket says.