The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.Good morning! Get nostalgic for the recent past today. Inside:
The five lasting impacts of this World CupAs we all deal with World Cup withdrawal, I, Hannah, wanted to take one more moment to celebrate everything we shared. Here are my five most lasting impacts of the 2026 World Cup after covering it almost every day for The Athletic.(What are yours? Reply and let us know.)1. Formative sports joy. Every morning of the World Cup, I looked out at the park in front of my building and saw kids on the playground, dogs playing fetch, usual park stuff. Then, maybe around the quarterfinals, I noticed a change: The kids were all playing soccer. No, seriously; for weeks they weren’t playing soccer, and then suddenly, every single day, they were.We’ve been changed!
For my husband, it was the 1994 World Cup that led him to choose soccer, which he played through college.
For me, it was the 1996 Olympics that led me to spend hours in my backyard practicing front handsprings and to join a gymnastics team.
And it’s not just kids: “Adult soccer league near me” was a breakout search online during this World Cup.2. Connection: the collective anti-trauma. The scenes of fans from all over the world celebrating together — even against the backdrop of border policies and corruption and mess — felt to me like the opposite of what the world experienced in COVID; the opposite of forced separation. It was chosen togetherness. To quote The Athletic’s Adam Crafton:💬 “When so much of the online algorithm force-feeds division, the World Cup has presented a new, uplifting form of viral content; unifying, cross-cultural, a reminder, should it be required, that most people actually like one another.”A big one for the monoculture lovers (me)! We will always have Erling Haaland’s taxidermied raccoon in our hearts.3. New fandoms created … just in time for the Women’s World Cup (my actual favorite!). The USMNT’s rise was so exciting, despite the disappointing exit. The U.S. WOMEN, though?? They’re the favorites to win it all! Heck. Yes.4. Can someone say: CLUB SOCCER!??? To quote Stefon from SNL: This club has everything. Drama, superstars, politics, chants, cool nicknames, international travel — you name it, club soccer has got it.Soccer is the biggest sport in the world, full stop; but it’s still niche in the States. I say this as a compliment, but over here, it’s the sport for sports nerds. So: Will soccer go fully mainstream? Will fútbol have its “Drive to Survive” moment in America now? I think so.And, speaking of clubs: Looking for your next soccer obsession? Take our quizzes!
