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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

Defector

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Bosnian players lift their coach, Sergej Barbarez, in celebration after they qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

Soccer

The World Cup’s Most Interesting Newbie Is Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Poker-Playing Manager

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and U.S. President Donald Trump on the red carpet prior the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw

Border Security Theatrics Are Rising At History’s Stupidest World Cup

A black and white photo of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz walking from a plane on the tarmac with their children. The black and white Minor Dilemmas logo sits in the middle of the photo

Minor Dilemmas

Should I Take My Two-Year-Old To A Soccer Match Abroad, Or Can I Leave Him At Home?

Sean Kuhn

An Immaculate Grid filled in with the most-remembered people from the Defector/Immaculate Grid collaboration week.

Let's Remember Some Guys

Who Gets Remembered? Crunching The Numbers From 36,000 Immaculate Grids

Columnist. Author of many <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Drew-Magary/e/B001JS8R52/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1">fine works of literature</a>, including Point B. Handsomest man in the world.

Drew Magary

A blank high school scoreboard with a backdrop of the snow-covered Topatopa Mountains in Ventura County, California.

Jamboroo

Scoreboard!

Albert Burneko

Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski and Ansu Fati react to a missed scoring opportunity against Getafe CF

La Liga

Barcelona’s Doing Its Damnedest To Make Winning Boring

Funbag

We Must Protect Soccer From Grubby Rule-Mongers

Lauren Theisen

Defector Up All Night

Soccer Endings Don’t Get Any Better Than This

Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.

Dan McQuade

Gunnersaurus, the Arsenal mascot, which is a big green dinosaur in a red Arsenal jersey, walks up the steps escorted by some people in suits.

Arsenal Mascot Gunnersaurus Axed, Possibly Brought Back By Mesut Özil

A player stops a goalie's throw with his foot, and the ball bounces into the net

This Implausible 90th-Minute Goal Should Probably Have Been Disallowed

Luis Paez-Pumar

Gonzalo Higuain celebrates disallowed goal vs. Germany

Gonzalo Higuaín Deserves More

Timo Werner running during a Chelsea game