Sasha Issenberg

My book "THE LIE DETECTIVES: In Search of a Playbook for Winning Elections in the Disinformation Age" is out now. It covers what I consider the most urgent frontier of political innovation: how to track, measure and respond to online disinformation. —> sashaissenberg.com

politico.com/worldcup (Don't forget to reload the liveblog every time you take a hydration break.)

POLITICO's World Cup liveblog is back: ⚽️ Spain's racism problem ⚽️ Dallas's love-hate look at pro sports ⚽️ 700 years of Spain-France teamwork ⚽️ Orbán's predictions ⚽️ France flies ICE ⚽️ Andorra, mountain mama, take me home ⚽️ Burnham's long-range goal and SPOT THE POL! —>

politico.com/worldcup (Remember to reload every time you take a hydration break.)

Today on POLITICO's World Cup liveblog: ⚽️ Norway still wants to beat Israel ⚽️ Will Trump's DOJ save Messi's Argentina? ⚽️ Milei's gamble ⚽️ Secrets of a sports superpower ⚽️ FIFA lays Miami roots ⚽️ National-holiday scrooges ⚽️ WTF is Miami Gardens? ...and SPOT THE POL! —>

Norway's other World Cup campaign: Getting Israel kicked out of soccer dlvr.it/TTTPmy

@AdHaque110 politico.com/live-updates/2…

politico.com/worldcup (Don't forget to reload every time you take a hydration break.)

Today on POLITICO's World Cup liveblog: ⚽️ Exclu: FIFA pushed to probe anti-gay Mexico chant ⚽️ Spain's post-separatist team ⚽️ How Trump radicalized...Belgium ⚽️ Palestine seeks a new soccer champion ⚽️ Dutch pol calls Moroccan fans "madmen" ...and SPOT THE POL! —>

politico.com/worldcup (Remember to reload the liveblog every time you take a hydration break.)

POLITICO's World Cup liveblog is back: ⚽️ France-Morocco reconciliation tested ⚽️ EU officials demand FIFA investigation ⚽️ Achraf Hakimi and the Muslim manosphere ⚽️ Mbappé-Paraguay racism row rumbles on ⚽️ Morocco vs. Spain for 2030 final ...and much more to come:

Is this the point in the cycle where we learn the US Soccer official who decides if the manager gets his contract renewed is…Jay Pochettino?

⚽️"More than a year ago, one of the giants of political reporting decided to embrace the fast-approaching World Cup." @SBJ spoke with @sissenberg about @politico's World Cup coverage, and @SophiaCai99's break out reporting. Read: sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/…

New: I talked with Rep. Liccardo about this post, why he wasn't there when the now infamous Balogun red card was issued, and what he called a “corruption summit” between President Donald Trump and soccer’s governing body. Conversation below 🔽

Noted without comment

FULL timeline of the campaign to bring Balogun back, according to a half dozen U.S. government & soccer officials: - Wednesday after U.S.-Bosnia match: Andrew Giuliani alerted Trump to the red card (Trump & Giuliani had been talking multiple times/week since start of World Cup and regularly before that.) - Wed night: Giuliani, Lutnick and U.S. Soccer officials began activating on plans to challenge red card - That kicked off 4 days of coordinated lobbying, legal maneuvering & diplomacy that stretched from Oval Office to Zurich - On *Thursday* Trump dialed Gianni Infantino and asked abt FIFA’s rules around the red card decision and grounds for suspension. (They’ve known each other for 8 yrs.) - FIFA declined to confirm any specific discussions but reiterated to POLITICO that the decision to suspend the one-match ban was made by an independent disciplinary committee. - As U.S. Soccer’s legal team formally prepared & submitted its appeal to FIFA, Giuliani + Lutnick offered to make White House attorneys available to assist - At the same time, Giuliani and Scott Goodwin — a hedge-fund manager who had helped pay the salary of Mauricio Pochettino — zeroed in on the officiating history of referee Raphael Claus -Articles examining previous controversies involving Claus circulated among senior gov officials as they evaluated every argument that could bolster the appeal - On FIFA side, Emilio García, who oversees the legal affairs of FIFA, advised Infantino on the available procedural options - García + other FIFA officials worked to determine whether the circumstances of Balogun’s tackle met the narrow standards that would allow the disciplinary decision to be revisited - By Sunday, FIFA announced that Balogun’s one-match suspension would be suspended - FIFA insists that the decision was an independent one made by its 18-person disciplinary committee, but it would not say whether the decision was decided through a vote, and it has not published a report on the decision. politico.com/live-updates/2…

Great reporting from @SophiaCai99

Real test coming of Keir Starmer’s lame-duck pull

How to grab onto an England victory dlvr.it/TTMjQM

On POLITICO's World Cup liveblog today: ⚽️ Balo blowback: Trump kvells! Brussels fumes! ⚽️ What's really at stake between Mexico and England ⚽️ Lib Dems nick extra-time win ⚽️ Norwegian soccer boss pillages FIFA ⚽️ Can Gianni please Trump and keep the world? ...and much more —>

Exclusive: European soccer leaders make plans to take Belgium's side against FIFA dlvr.it/TTMmLj