First Touch '26
May 20, 2026 — Newsletter #37
Remembering a Random World Cup Legend Every Week
Portugal’s Eusebio!!
Headlines:
Shakira saves the day, releasing the new 2026 World Cup anthem, “Dai Dai.” Let us never speak of the Jelly Roll World Cup song again.
Shakira will additionally feature in the Super Bowl style World Cup Final halftime. As will BTS and Madonna. Yes, that means it will be a first, an extended halftime beyond the traditional 15 minutes.
FIFA announced that clubs will receive $11,000 per day a player is released for the World Cup. This $250,000 pay day may be especially enjoyed by lower league clubs such as El Paso Locomotive and Colorado Springs Switchbacks, who both (Carl Sainte and Duke Lacroix, respectively) will feature players on Haiti/
On the pitch, the conversation has shifted to injuries and roster call-ups. The biggest news is the return of Neymar to the Brazilian national team for the 2026 World Cup, after which the Brazilian icon plans to retire.
Elsewhere, Spain will be finalizing their lineup without FC Barcelona star Fermin Lopez. With Lamine Yamal’s full participation still in question, one of the tournament favorites will be faced with attacking limitations due to injury.
The other World Cup favorite, France, announced their 2026 roster…and yes, it’s loaded. The big name missing for France is Real Madrid’s Camavinga, who struggled with injuries and form all season.
Finally, keep an eye on some surprise MLS additions to World Cup rosters after last-minute eligibility changes. San Diego FC goalkeeper C.J. Dos Santos and Nashville attacker Ahmed Qasam switched to Cape Verde and Iraq, respectively, and should add to the cast of MLS players featuring across the World Cup.
Let's Do Some Trivia!
Perhaps the World Cup’s best cameo comes from a stray dog in the quarterfinal of Brazil vs. England at the 1962 World Cup in Chile.
A dog got loose on the pitch during the match, evading all attempts at capture. Finally, England’s Jimmy Greaves managed to coax the dog to his embrace. His reward? The dog peed all over his kit.
This being 1962, there were no kit changes, so Greaves played the rest of the match in a urine-soaked kit.
Brazil ended up winning the match, and Brazilian icon Garrincha adopted the dog after the World Cup. He named him “Bi,” a reference to the Portuguese word for the second championship Brazil won in 1962.
A Thing We're Excited About:
The return of a long-time world power to the World Cup, Czechia!
As Czechoslovakia, the nation reached two different finals, and was a mainstay in the latter rounds of both continental and European competition. Post national split, the Czech Republic produced a perceived golden generation of Tomas Rosicky, Petr Czech, and Pavel Nedved.
That side in 2006 crashed out in the group stage, along with group mates the U.S., and hadn’t returned to a World Cup until this year’s iteration.
By upsetting the favored Danes in the World Cup playoffs, Czechia will provide World Cup debuts for stars Patrick Schick and Tomas Soucek, and return hope to one of the world’s most soccer mad nations.
Listen to our special “starter pack” First Touch episode on Czechia, and enjoy our abbreviated video version below!
A World Cup Prediction:
Highest Rated USMNT Performers:
10. Tim Weah
9. Sebastian Berhalter
8. Sergino Dest
7. Jedi Robinson
6. Cristian Roldan
5. Folarin Balogun
4. Tyler Adams
3. Matt Freese
2. Chris Richards
1. Weston McKennie
Episode 12 of First Touch Weekly is Out Now!
First Touch has announced its 2026 slate of soccer coverage, featuring a daily studio show every morning, live from New York!
Hosted by Susannah Fuller, Matt Doyle, and David Gass alongside a rotating cast of journalists and experts, the show delivers the sharpest coverage of matches and previews of the upcoming day. In the meantime, enjoy our weekly releases of our magazine-style show First Touch Weekly, and the most concise review of the week in soccer news, First Touch Dispatch!
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!