As North America prepares to host the biggest World Cup in history, media groups are chasing fans beyond live broadcasts and players are facing ever-heavier workloads. From Brazil’s fading aura to Curaçao’s unlikely rise, football’s old assumptions about power, profit and identity are being redrawn

The largest World Cup in history will kick off this Thursday across the US, Canada and Mexico. With 48 teams playing 104 matches, fans are bracing for a five-week marathon. But if…

As North America prepares to host the biggest World Cup in history, media groups are chasing fans beyond live broadcasts and players are facing ever-heavier workloads. From…