First Touch '26

January 14, 2026 — Newsletter #19

Remembering a Random World Cup Legend Every Week:

The Czech Republic’s all-time leading scorer, six-foot-eight striker Jan Koller!

Headlines :

• The World Cup home base announcements are starting with Germany, who have selected Wake Forest University. You might be surprised that Wake Forest, a men’s soccer powerhouse based out of Winston-Salem, was chosen as a host. However, universities will constitute many of the base camps. 
• Our favorite FIFA selected potential basecamp? Stillwater, Oklahoma! We’re rooting for a K-Pop meets cowboy country crossover event.
• The big news of the week came on the sidelines, as Real Madrid fired manager Xabi Alonso. Alonso, who joined over the summer with ambitions of building a more system-based side, faced pushback in his attempts at change from players and the board alike. 
• Real Madrid appointed former player and reserve coach Alvaro Arbeloa as new head coach. Now, potential World Cup superstars like Vini Jr., Kylian Mbappe, and Jude Bellingham will need to adjust to a new manager and style-of-play, in hopes of carrying form over to the summer.
• Off the pitch, the infamous World Cup corruption case came to a simpering end as the U.S. Supreme Court signed off on President Trump’s decision to have the Department of Justice drop charges against the FIFA bribery scandal defendants. 
• In light of the difficulty many organizing committees are having in covering their expenses, reports show that, for the first time ever, many World Cup host cities will require fans to pay to enter the FIFA fan fests, if they host an official one at all.

Tickets:

The phase three World Cup ticket lottery closed on Tuesday. All applicants will be notified some time after February 5th whether they’ve won the lottery, and automatically charged for their tickets if so.

If you did not participate in this lottery, or if you end up not being selected, there are a few more ways you can acquire tickets outside of the resale market:

• Each nation, including the U.S., is allotted tickets for fans. Each nation can set its own criteria for distribution, so check out your favored federation for more details. 
• U.S. Soccer does have tickets, and does have access to the discounted $60 tickets. Good news, these are theoretically allocated to supporter groups and the most avid fans. Bad news, of course it’s not that simple. Read this from our friends at American Outlaws to know more.
• There will be another lottery provided by FIFA, though the time and availability is not yet determined.

A Thing We're Excited About:

Iran in Los Angeles

Did you know Los Angeles has the largest Iranian population outside of Iran, totaling more than an estimated 400,000 people of Iranian descent?

As protests against the regime in Iran intensify, and civilian deaths mount, Iranians will hopefully find some moments of peace and joy in what might effectively feel like two home matches in Los Angeles this summer, including one against group favorites Belgium.

From our perspective, it is exactly moments like these that should exemplify the 2026 World Cup, when American diasporas congregate and celebrate their community.

Newsletter Halftime: Let's Do Some Trivia!

Did you know that the USMNT  has technically qualified for a World Cup semf-final? The U.S. did advance through the group stage in the first World Cup in 1930, only to be defeated 6-1 by Argentina.

This score may seem extreme, but back in the day there were no substitutes, and the Americans were down three men by halftime, with one player in particular having his leg broken by an Argentine tackle.

The most famous incident of this match, however, is courtesy the US’s physio, who threw his bag in a tirade while yelling at the official, and ended up passing out after inhaling chloroform from a broken bottle.

Here’s to hoping that if the USMNT does manage to reach another semifinal, things go a little better than they did back in 1930.

USMNT Vibes Update:

European club soccer is fully back in action, so you know what that means…cringe-inducing injuries! 

Our current USMNT Vibe Reading:

• Many would say the USMNT will go as Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie go. While that may not be us, they continue having the best seasons of their career.
• A surprising candidate for “best season of their career” is Leeds United’s Brenden Aaronson, who out of nowhere has three goals and an assist in his past four Premier League matches.
• On the negative side…injuries and benchings. Most notably, Ricardo Pepi joins Tyler Adams on the injured list with a broken arm, which he suffered in scoring his fifth goal in five matches..
• On the “need playing time” side, as Gio Reyna’s spell of starts has clearly ended with limited minutes post-winter break.
• The 2025-26 club season is still going great for the USMNT stars, but injury worries may become woes as the World Cup approaches.

In December, Kickback Soccer Media released our special First Touch World Cup nation capsules, each a 10-20 minute story on the past and present of each World Cup nation’s soccer identity, on-and-off the pitch. We’ve nearly released one for all 42 nations who have qualified for the World Cup! 

You can listen to our podcasts and follow First Touch now by:

• Listening on your preferred platform in our “Kickback ‘26” feed found on our Linktree here.
• Following us on Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube @firsttouchksm
• Find our links at kickbacksoccer.com!