The World Cup is on, the United States are hosting it, and this week we drew their whole tournament history. One new piece, two from the archive worth your time while the games run.
The USA’s whole World Cup story
Most people only know the modern team. The real arc is stranger. Third place in 1930, the amateurs who beat England in 1950, then forty years of not qualifying at all. The 2002 quarter-final that still sets the bar. The night in Trinidad when a run of seven straight World Cups ended. New this week, tournament by tournament, with 2026 as hosts the clearest shot they have ever had at a new high.
Read it → https://thearchv.ca/explainers/usa-at-the-world-cup/
The biggest upsets in World Cup history
The other history. USA over England in 1950, North Korea over Italy, Cameroon beating the holders Argentina, Senegal doing the same to France, Saudi Arabia ending Argentina’s run in 2022. Ten nights the bracket broke, ranked, with an honest read on why the favourites are never as safe as the table says. With this tournament throwing up its own shocks, it reads better by the week.
Read it → https://thearchv.ca/explainers/biggest-world-cup-upsets/
The final from the USA’s best-ever tournament
2002 is still the American high-water mark, the quarter-final no team since has matched. That same tournament gave us one of the finals we have drawn in full. Brazil beat Germany 2-0 in Yokohama, Ronaldo scoring both, four years after the 1998 final that broke him. It was Brazil’s fifth title. Start there, then have a wander through the rest of the finals collection.
Read it → https://thearchv.ca/finals/yokohama-2002/
One for the live window: this has been a World Cup of debutants and small nations holding the giants. Every result like that is the upsets piece above earning its keep.
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That is this week. If there is an era, a club, or a final you most want drawn next, just reply and tell me. I read every one.
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