Rog writes: I type with fingers crackling with excitement. Happy World Cup 2026 draw day. “SOCCER’S COMING HOME!” This is a seismic moment for all who love football here in North America. A day we have dreamed about since the moment the tournament was awarded to the U.S., Canada and Mexico on June 13, 2018. We now stand here 188 days away from the kick-off of the tournament on the day 48 teams get drawn into the opening group stage. Dramatic music will play, ersatz performers will lip sync, and the whole affair acts as the undercard for a Village People concert. 🏆

I am so excited to cover the event with my friends Rory Smith and James Horncastle, who have flown over to be with us live from the beautiful sold-out Manhattan Center in New York City where we will act as a second-screen accompaniment and discover whom the United States have to beat to win the World Cup. You can follow along with us here starting at 12 p.m. ET and also join the conversation on Discord. 🇺🇸

My big prediction: the U.S. will face South Korea, Scotland and Cape Verde.

More: To understand the draw process, watch Khaki Prince Steve Kornacki break it all down. 📊

ii. One note I have to acknowledge is that this show is going to be some surreal mix of messages and talent. Kevin Hart, Wayne Gretzky and the Village People do not often appear on the same bill as legendary footballing. We have always said, “Football is merely a mirror to the world that surrounds it.” This is who we are now. I am just sorry that the Baha Men were not available to sing “Who Let The Dogs Out.”

More: Worst-case scenarios for USA and England. 🙃

iii. Saturday, we head to Boston for a spectacular night with Noah Kahan, Clint Dempsey, Herc Gomez, and Sam Mewis amongst the guests at a sold-out Roadrunner. It is such a delight to be able to commune with you all coast to coast at this time, and we cannot wait to raise a pint with you all. For those of you not able to attend, you can check out the show on our YouTube on Sunday. 🍻

iv. This week, we filmed with the iconic Tommy Fleetwood and discussed the source of his optimism and tenacity, his love of Everton Football Club and how the two are connected. I love this man so much. He has had a career year so late on, and it has all been so gratifying to watch. To have him come on now is to bring the kind of joy to the world we live to do. That conversation will drop on our pod feed and YouTube channel next Wednesday. 💙

v. I want to send huge love to the great Shaka Hislop, who revealed he is battling prostate cancer and urged Caribbean men to get tested. His message is a crucial one. I wish Shaka and his family strength and health at this moment. 🫶

vi. We are currently hiring for several positions here at MiB, including two writers/editors to join our growing newsletter team. If you're looking for your next role, or know someone great who is, please check out all of our openings here. 🙌

PS - If you need some joy in your day, Fluminense and São Paulo walked onto the pitch with dogs in a recent game to promote pet adoption. It’s perfect. 🐾

Aston Villa vs. Arsenal (Saturday, 7:30 a.m. ET, USA)

Another existential test for Arsenal that I have no doubt they will pass. The jilted Unai Emery has tortured them in seasons past. The infinite depth of their squad has been challenged by their center-back attrition rate which has been set at “Spinal Tap”-drummer levels. William Saliba is expected to return, having overcome the experience of speaking with me in the most fascinating way. A more fragile team would have imploded under the strain of these absences, but Arsenal sit five points clear. Incredibly, David Raya has more clean sheets (8) than goals conceded (7) in the Premier League so far this campaign. 

Comeback artistes and elite edgers Aston Villa have won their last six matches in all competitions—including four in the Premier League. Emi Martínez may remain out after injuring himself in the warm-up of their stunning 4-3 shootout against Brighton midweek.

Bournemouth vs. Chelsea (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock)

Glorious Bournemouth are in free-fall, gleaning just one point from their last 15. Blunt in attack, both Evanilson and Junior Kroupi have gone cold. Chelsea though have had some week. Their best performances in an eon in beating Barcelona, then fighting Arsenal, before self-immolating against Leeds United. Can they reset, or is this their truth?

Tottenham vs. Brentford (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, USA)

Thomas Frank as Danish Benedict Arnold Clásico. The first game of football to watch just to observe the crowd and to see if the “supporters” challenge their team as much as the opponents do. This line from Rob Davies is great, “That is the crux of it really, the creeping toxicity of the atmosphere at Spurs and the danger of a vicious cycle taking hold, where it is no longer clear whether the atmosphere is holding the team back or vice versa.” 

Manchester City vs. Sunderland (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock)

The tectonic plates under Pep’s Manchester City keep shifting. The memory of the team who utterly controlled games has been transformed into one who score for fun, and concede for misery. Fulham terrified City towards the end of Pep’s 5-4 midweek win. Sunderland have all of the collective audience and discipline City lack. However, Guardiola has 100-goal record-breaker Erling Haaland, who is on pace for a casual 98-goal season. This game could be an epic poem.

Everton vs. Nottingham Forest (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock)

Sean Dyche Memorial Derby. Our father, St. David Moyes, faces up to the mean stepdad he replaced with the team a single point over the relegation zone and a limp tailspin of just one win in 11. Dyche’s memory has almost been blotted out by Everton fans. The new owners, new stadium, and swaggy new faces have remade the sense of expectation coming into every game. However, Dyche kept Everton afloat in the face of financial austerity and crippling points deductions and deserves a debt of thanks he will not receive — which for him, no doubt, makes the idea of entering the Hill Dickinson, giving Jack Grealish a good kicking and gleaning three points all the sweeter. Remember people: spite is the rocket fuel of human motivation. 

Leeds vs. Liverpool (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

Liverpool supporters in my life are starting to watch their team from behind the couch and through the fingers which cover their eyes. Welcome to my world, Reds fans. After Sunday’s win over West Ham, Liverpool struggled and suffered to fend off Sunderland midweek. A late goal snatched a first draw of the season but the football was flat and passive, and required a heroic last-gasp defensive intervention by Chiesa to save the day. My Liverpool friends assure me this means he will get 90 more seconds of playing time as a reward. Liverpool's threat has gone the way of Virgil’s aura, and Elland Road will bellow their team to repeat the havoc they inflicted upon a shocked Chelsea midweek. These are crazy Premier League days in which just nine points separate fifth place and 17th. This game is the embodiment of that: a reflection that this is the most competitive and unpredictable the league has ever been. 

🗓️ Full weekend Premier League schedule here.

The most important tournament in world football is nearly upon us! To celebrate, we are creating Men in Blazers city guides for all 11 host cities to help the footballing faithful experience your city like a local fan. Now up: New York and New Jersey! Home to pizza, bagels and (mostly) effective public transportation — not to mention the final that the entire world will be watching.

Come June 2026, the entire planet will descend upon your region and we want you to tell us what’s great about the place in which you live, what the world should go see, what to eat and drink, where to watch, and how to best experience the five boroughs and the great state of New Jersey.

To tell us (and the footballing world) about your favorite locations, simply fill out the short survey below.

MLS Cup Final: Inter Miami vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX/Apple TV) 🇺🇸

Half of what MLS wanted: Messi is there, Sonny is not. But Thomas Müller, self-appointed “Messi-hunter,” is relishing this coda to his legendary career. This is a wonderful moment for the league — a game with global storylines that will make news no matter who wins. 

More: Every Messi vs. Müller game ranked.

Real Betis vs. Barcelona (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 🇪🇸

With the Spotify Camp Nou back open, Raphinha fit and scoring, and Wrapped results being revealed across the globe, everything’s coming up Barcelona. They’re top of La Liga by a point after a 3-1 beatdown of Atlético Madrid on Tuesday, and with Hansi Flick’s number-one boy reunited with Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal, the Catalonians are moving like they did last season. However, Real Betis are a joy in their own right, managed by the majestic Manuel Pellegrini, a cigarette in human form. They're fresh off victory in the Seville derby, fifth in La Liga and unbeaten in eight in all competitions.

More: After a Kylian Mbappé brace in a 3-0 win at Athletic Club during the week, Real Madrid welcome mid-table Celta Vigo on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN+).

Stuttgart vs. Bayern Munich (Saturday, 9:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+) 🇩🇪

Having conceded 10 in their last five games, Bayern Munich look top heavy at the moment, which isn’t totally catastrophic given Harry Kane’s 25 goals and Luis Díaz’s 12. With his inventive blend of possession-based and counter-pressing football, Munich native Sebastian Hoeneß turned Stuttgart from relegation fodder into last season’s DFB-Pokal winners; they’re currently sixth in Bundesliga and beat Bayern 3-1 in May last year. 

Napoli vs. Juventus (Sunday, 2:45 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🇮🇹

In this north vs. south culture clash, Antonio Conte will be desperate to take second-placed Napoli back to the summit against the club he won 19 trophies for as a player and manager. Since hiring Serie A repair man Luciano Spalletti late in October, Juventus have gone undefeated, and the USMNT’s Weston McKennie has wrestled back a regular place in the starting XI, hitting 200 appearances for the club on Tuesday. Not bad for a player who is constantly being ousted. 

More: AC Milan travel to Torino on Monday and should welcome back Christian Pulisic, who returned to training after another fitness setback. Find out why the USMNT captain’s stats are peaking this season.

Preston vs. Wrexham (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Paramount+) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Wrexham travel to David Moyes’ former stomping grounds to face playoff-chasing Preston. Four points and five places separate the two sides, a win away for Phil Parkinson in his 201st game in charge could see the Red Dragons as high as sixth by weekend’s end.

This week’s phrase is:

“Mikel Merino to Arsenal, is what _______ is to _______”

Email us your submissions to be in contention to win a coveted MiB patch.

There were lots of brilliant entries this week, but there can only be one winner:

Mark Bricher: “Only Arsenal Fan TV could stop Arsenal from winning the title now.”

Mark — You crack me up you, king.

I am going to close this with a letter that lifted me from GFOP Sam, who dug out an old interview with John Green that inspired him.

Sam writes: “As we reach the time of year that inspires reflection and thanks, I wanted to say thank you. There are many sources from which I draw strength, and sometimes that even includes crap pods. I have sullied my ears as a regular listener of “Men in Blazers” and “Dear Hank & John” for years, and I love when my favorite pods collide.

Every year has its ups and downs. Without diving into the details, mine has been tough. Amidst the various notes and quotes I have saved and turned to for laughs, motivation, inspiration, one podcast I saved for multiple listens, and shared with many others over the last two years is the December 2023 podcast interview with Rog and John.

For me, it is the long form version of, “We should be careful, we should be kind, while there is still time.” I’d press this pod interview into vinyl if I could. I’ll leave you with my standout excerpts from your interview and say a most heartfelt thank you. Thank you for bringing football, fun, and kindness to many.

Coraggio,
Sam

—

John: “It’s a gift to love someone through the hardest days of their lives. It’s not an easy gift. It’s not an uncomplicated gift. But it is a gift.”

Rog: “Can you leave us with some words of hope?”

John: “Well we are going to love each other through this life. That’s the responsibility and privilege of being a person. And I take a great amount of solace in that human capacity for solidarity. The fact that we can experience togetherness. And the fact that I can hug a Liverpool fan I’ve never met. And maybe even hug an Everton fan I do know and care for.

But I think, for me, part of the hope has to come from a rejection of despair. A rejection of nihilism. A rejection of hopelessness. Because those simple narratives can never tell the whole story. They can never be the whole truth. They’re too simple. They’re too obvious. Despair has to be a lie because it tells too simple a story about a species, and a life, and a world I know to be complex and capable of tremendous beauty and hope.

So I really do believe do believe that the light-soaked days are coming. I do believe that there are light-soaked days in front of us. We don’t know what they’re going to look like. I wish I could tell you what they’re going to look like. I don’t know. But I know that they’re on the horizon… And even though it’s really hard to do, especially right now for me, I choose to love the world. I choose to love being here. And I choose to see it as a gift.”

—

Rog writes: Amen, Sam. To you and your family – I send you love and strength.

Keep sending your stories and questions to [email protected].

To Better Days Ahead for All.

Let’s not take a moment watching football together for granted and make great memories.

Big Love.

Courage,
ROG