It’s the 116th minute of play, deep into extra-time in the 2010 World Cup final.

Why does luck matter?

Randomness in Knock-Out Tournaments

“There’s a concept in football that the table never lies” said Rasmus Ankersen, formerly of Brentford and Midtjylland, now sporting director at Southampton.

“I don’t believe in luck in football.

Looking back at the best players of the 2026 World Cup we are immediately faced with a challenge.

The Difference Between Influence and Impact

Manager: Mikel Arteta Bench: Courtois, Neuer, Maignan; Dimarco, Ruggeri, Cucurella; Marquinhos, Pacho, Tah, Upamecano, Senesi, Schlotterbeck; Timber, Hakimi, M. Llorente; J. Neves, Zubimendi, Pavlo…

Moving on to 1954, we hit our stride with a lot more high-quality footage and a wealth of information about the competition (including the first English book focused on a single tournament).

As we turn to 1950 our life gets much easier.

As I’ve outlined previously, if we’re to assess history’s greatest footballers based on their performances, we need to work out what mattered and what didn’t.

What matters most in assessing the standard of tournaments and how has that changed over time?