First Touch '26

October , 2025 — Newsletter #8

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Remembering a Random World Cup Legend:

The Netherlands’ Secret Weapon, Penalty Savant Tim Krul!

Headlines From the Pitch:

The vibes around the USMNT? Improved! The U.S. drew Ecuador in an impressive performance and then defeated Australia 2-1. While a potential hamstring injury to Pulisic will cause some concern, the switch to the three man backline and reintroduction of players like Tessman and Haji Wright paid dividends.

Three players who came out smelling like roses? Cristian Roldan, Haji Wright, and Diego Luna. Pochettino on Cristian Roldan, “Cristian Roldan is an example of how if you want to build your perfect player, he has a little bit of everything.”

Africa completed their World Cup qualifying, with the headline coming from Cape Verde, where a nation of just over 500,000 people earned their first World Cup berth. For fans of MLS, their incredibly diverse roster featured Columbus Crew standout Steven Moreira.

Elsewhere in CAF, a massive final day swing saw South Africa usurp Benin to qualify, while continental powers Senegal, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Egypt secured their place.

With three teams qualifying as host nations, CONCACAF qualifying was supposed to be a bore. It’s not. The tiny nation of Suriname tops their group, while Curacao are only a point behind Jamaica. We’re geeking out at the Kickback Committee.

In Asia, the Fourth Round of qualifying secured previous and future World Cup hosts, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, places in the tournament. In Europe, there’s plenty more to play but a dominant Norway looks like a new international power, and tiny Faroe Islands have stunned reeling off three wins in a row.

Headlines From the Suites:

FIFA has been trialing a new VAR system at the U20 World Cup, and fans of American football will recognize the system. Each manager has been provided two reviews they can demand at any time during the match. Don’t worry folks, it’s not flags…they’re cards!

Adidas has introduced the World Cup 2026 match ball, the Triondo. The ball features inspiration from Canada’s, Mexico’s, and the U.S.’s colors. The big question for everyone, through, is how it flies. Y’all remember the Jabulani in 2010?

We’re talking about FIFA ticket prices. You’re talking about FIFA ticket prices. The Athletic is pretty much on a daily beat now on World Cup ticket prices. While prices have increased via the dynamic pricing mechanism, access via the lottery still seems to be the main sticking point for most. The good news? New emails are still going out inviting people to the Visa Presale lottery.

World Cup Tickets Update:

Each week First Touch ‘26 will provide an update on the best way to purchase tickets to the 2026 World Cup.

The big news on the ticket front is FIFA continued sending letters of acceptance in the lottery after October 7th. Keep checking your email, there may still be a lottery window on the way!

Your options, as of today, which we will continue to update you on:

1. FIFA Visa Presale Lottery (if you signed up for it in September).
2. U.S. Soccer Insiders lottery. Sign up for the Insider program at ussoccer.com
3. FIFA lottery round two. This starts October 27th.
4. FIFA resale platform.

We’ll keep you posted on more ways to find tickets as they arise!

Newsletter Halftime: Let's Do Some World Cup Trivia!

An expanded World Cup means more underdog sides qualifying, bringing a “March Madness” flair to the tournament.

The lowest ranked side to ever qualify? North Korea, in 2010. While many may remember the ensemble of fans dispatched to each match, you may forget that it took Brazil in to the second half to win in the “World Cup’s Biggest Ever Mismatch,” which finished 2-1:

A Thing We're Excited About:

American media mishaps! As local broadcasts and national morning shows spend a month trying to wrap their head around the sport, we’re sure to be fed a steady diet of mispronunciations, misunderstandings, and just plain gaffes.

Will the Chicago Fire win the World Cup? Will Son Heung-min lead the U.S. to World Cup glory?

We can’t wait to find out!

Level Up:

Each week Kickback approves the leveling up of a player who has taken that crucial leap with their game. 

With two goals and an assist capping an international window further advancing Norway towards a World Cup berth, Antonio Nusa is leveling up.

The dynamic wonderkid has drawn comparisons to Neymar early in his career thanks to his electric dribbling skill and ability to create chaos on the ball. Having transferred from Belgium to RB Leipzig in 2024, Nusa has begun refining his game and become a crucial chance creator for a Norway side.

While bigger names like Haaland and Odegaard will dominate the headlines as Norway seems set to make waves in 2026, it may be Antonio Nusa’s world class dribbling that wins the crowds.

Allocate your points wisely, Antonio. 

Qualified Teams (so far):

Here are the countries who have booked their spot at the final tournament, so far! 

U.S.A, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Japan, Iran, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Australia, New Zealand, Colombia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Morocco, Tunisia, Cape Verde, Ghana, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Egypt, England, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,