First Touch '26
March 4, 2026 — Newsletter #26
Remembering a Random World Cup Legend Every Week:
Scotland’s Kenny Dalglish!!
Headlines :
The World Cup is less than a hundred days away, and we wish we could be pivoting to discussing what’s going to happen on the pitch. The news, however, is so much bigger still off-of-it:
Geopolitical tensions that ignited in the Middle East after the U.S. and Israel attacks in Iran have now cast Iran’s participation in doubt. This situation is bigger than soccer, but the World Cup is big enough to be a major point of conversation around the escalating conflict.
The cartel violence in Mexico has led to tickets for the FIFA Playoff matches in Guadalajara, the epicenter of the violence, and Monterrey to be priced under $20.
Meanwhile, host cities are still fighting for crucial financing for local security, a promised $625 million. Andrew Giuliani, the Task Force lead for the U.S. government, won’t specify why they haven’t been released beyond an “administrative delay.”
Tickets:
There was a surprise ticket release last week, and everyone is trying to figure out what’s going on.
Following FIFA’s assertion that the World Cup was sold out, a surprise email to many fans provided access to 60+ matches for those who wanted to purchase.
We don’t have anything else here except, check your email. Turns out there aren’t rules anymore?
Newsletter Halftime: Let's Do Some Trivia!
It’s the curious case of…three yellow cards?
In 2006, famed English referee Graham Poll was assigned a crucial Croatia vs. Australia match to decide knockout qualification. If Croatia won, they advanced. If not, Australia advanced.
In the 90th minute of a tied match with everything in the balance, and with Croatia already a man down, Poll awarded Croatian defender Josep Simunic a yellow. It was Simunic’s second. He walked away, and remained on the pitch.
Poll had forgotten he’d already carded the Croatian defender. Amazingly, Simunic berated the referee after the final whistle and received his third yellow, and the red he’d been owed only minutes before.
Poll was sent home from the World Cup, and retired a year later.
A Thing We're Excited About:
Canadian soccer!
It’s been a rough week for Canada, with both Alphonso Davies and Promise David suffering injuries that could threaten their World Cups.
That being said, Canada has unprecedented depth, Jonathan David is a star up top, and you know Head Coach Jessie Marsch is going to have his team overperforming.
Canada has only recently risen to the elite of North America, but the fans are the friendliest going, and the team is immensely easy to root for. We’re stanning Team Canada this summer but we suspect you will too, soon.
Another Way Too Early Prediction Ranking:
Here is our prediction of the top five teams, ranked by Vibes, in the 2026 World Cup:
5. Scotland
4. Colombia
3. South Africa
2. Canada
1. Japan
Week World Cup Palette Cleanser:
AS PROMISED:
We got some good feedback on this one last week, because (gestures wildly at everything happening around the World Cup.)
So, until morale (and the world) improves, we’re going to do a soccer video thing that makes us feel better. It’s quite possible that it’s exclusively adorable animals on the pitch:
Road to '26:
Brazil, France, Croatia, Colombia, Egypt…you don’t have to wait until the summer to see the world’s best play in the U.S.!
Road to ‘26 kicks off this spring with the best players in the world competing on your doorstep
Go to Roadto26.com to sign up and get early updates around upcoming match announcements and pre-sales, and to purchase for March’s matches.
Don’t sell your car for a soccer ticket this summer. See the world’s best play in Road to ‘26!
Episode 2 of First Touch Weekly Comes Out Thursday!
Introducing Kickback Soccer Media’s First Touch Weekly, our premium 2026 World Cup podcast, covering the biggest stories across global soccer—from players and matches to politics, culture, host cities, the fan experience, and beyond. Hosted by Susannah Fuller and David Gass alongside a rotating cast of journalists and experts, the show delivers smart, inclusive analysis and deep dives into everything shaping the road to and through the FIFA World Cup 2026—and continues beyond the tournament as a weekly destination for what’s next in the global game.
- This week’s episode dives deep on the talks of 2026 boycott with Alex Abnos, the little known “almost” of a 1986 World Cup in the U.S. with Michael Lewis, and the case of the fake gold medals for a South Korean soccer team.
- Listen here (Apple) or here (Spotify) or wherever you find your podcasts!
Every World Cup Nation, Previewed!
Over at our website kickbacksoccer.com, we’ve launched a first-of-its-kind team by team preview of every participating World Cup nation!
You can find both written overviews, and special video and podcast primers for every country, all right at your fingertips.
Check it out here and tell your friends!