If you have plans this weekend, you might want to cancel them, fluff the cushions on your sofa and stock the fridge full of beer/lemonade/chocolate milk.
Because between Friday morning and Sunday night, there is more football happening than anyone can know what to do with: from the women’s World Cup quarter-finals in Australia and New Zealand to the start of the Premier League, the launch of the Saudi Pro League (Jordan Henderson vs Cristiano Ronaldo anyone?), a Kylian Mbappe-less PSG starting their season, Barcelona and Real Madrid kicking off their campaigns and the small matter of Lionel Messi in a cup quarter-final for Inter Miami. With the small matter of a transfer window going on in the background.
And with apologies for the completely unsubtle hard sell, The Athletic is the only place where you can read about them all from writers on the ground where the drama is happening. Yes, we will have writers across the globe this weekend, from Brisbane to Brentford, from Saudi to St James Park, from Miami to Merseyside.
There are so many big themes we will look to explore and in lots of ways, whether that be through long reads, news stories, live blogs, match discussions with our writers, podcasts, video, our social media accounts:
- Can Mauricio Pochettino breathe some life into Chelsea at last? He has a very tough start up against Liverpool?
- Will England qualify for a third successive World Cup semi-final when they face Colombia?
- How surreal will the star-studded Saudi ProLeague be and will anyone be asked about human rights or why they’re really there?
- Can Luton’s fairytale rise to the Premier League start with a win?
- Will Jude Bellingham become the overnight darling of Real Madrid’s fans?
- Can Erling Haaland end his six-game Man City goal drought (we’re only kidding)?
- How will PSG fans react to Mbappe, even with him not being in the team?
- Can Messi score another ridiculous free kick?
- Which of Declan Rice, Sandro Tonali, James Maddison and Youri Tielemans will make the best start?
Teams all over the country will begin their Premier League campaigns, starting from Friday (Getty)
We could go on and on but that would delay you making sure you are signed up for the season (you can do it here INSERT LINK). Whether you’re a fan of a team and want unrivalled, in-depth pieces and David Ornstein transfer stories on only them or you are a general fan who wants to be across the big talking points of the day, we’ve got you covered.
And if you’re still not sure, here is a list of some of the brilliant things you get when you join
- Analysis on the stories of the weekend, whether they be on your team or wider issues
- The only place for David Ornstein’s exclusive transfer stories
- You can now follow the biggest games as they happen, with analysis from our new team of former players and coaches
- Stories breaking down tactical trends and data in a way you can understand (and that make you sound clever in the pub or your Whatsapp group)
- Information from behind the scenes you can trust as it is multiply sourced and balanced — even if that means a less sensationalist story
- Podcasts for your car journey or commute whether you want analytical (totally link), newsy (tafp) link, a quick 10-minute daily update (dfb link) or deep dives on the biggest clubs
- A promise to help you understand the more complicated parts of the game, whether that be on the field or off it
- Video analysis of the key things you are wondering
- And lots to just make you smile and help you forget about how badly your team are playing after a whole summer of hope
So please take the plunge, you won’t regret it.
Our job is to inform and entertain you and be the most trusted source of football information in the world. And we love it.
Thanks and good luck to your team this season
Alex
