👋 Welcome..
..to The Tap-Inn. Where you can tap in to the world of soccer with me, your first-gen Irish Tap-Inn bartender, Joe.
Happy Friday, folks. On tap this week:
Reasons you should (and shouldn’t) be backing Mexico this summer 🇲🇽
Why everyone thinks a standard ball looks like this → ⚽️
Who actually scored “The Hand of God” ✊
As they say in Mexico, Salud. 🍻
🏆 World Cup Tracker: 160 Days to Go
The opening ceremony at the 1970 Mexico World Cup
Team Preview: Mexico — El Tri times the charm
On Thursday June 11th, 2026 El Tri will kick off the 23rd edition of the World Cup against South Africa in the Estadio Azteca. This game will be special — not just for the global surge in sales of Corona and Don Julio or the scores of Mexicans who’ve already pre-booked their tables at The Tap-Inn — but for these three key reasons:
Mexico will become the first country ever to host three World Cups (1970, 1986, 2026).
The Estadio Azteca will be the first venue in history to host games at three World Cups (including the 1970 and 1986 finals).
Mexican World Cups have always been iconic: Mx 1970 was won by Pele’s Brazil (arguably the greatest team ever) while Mx 1986 saw Maradona lift the trophy, the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century (see Quickfire section below).
Even though they’re hosting, it’s nothing new to see Mexico at a World Cup — they’ve qualified for 17 out of 22 World Cups in their history (the joint 4th most).
“Got it, Joe — Viva México. Are they any good though?”
They’re no dark horses. Maybe grey horses at best. Here’s the good stuff:
Currently ranked 15th in the world.
Beat both USA and Canada in 2025.
Had their best performances (reached QF stage) on both previous occasions they hosted.
Their squad includes legends Raúl Jiménez (3rd all-time top scorer) and GK Guillermo Ochoa who is all set for his quadrennial defrosting before turning into prime Gianluigi Buffon this summer.
The not so good:
Only made it to the quarter finals twice in 22 attempts.
Exited 7 tournaments at the Round of 16 (1994-2018).
Crashed out in the group stages at Qatar 2022.
Haven’t won any of their last 6 games.
So while they’ll probably make it out of their group, don’t put the house on any silverware — they’re 50/1 longshots for a reason.
TLDR
History says Mexico will be loud, proud and mediocre — but ready to provide some iconic World Cup moments in their record-breaking 3rd time as hosts.
📺 This week in soccer
Premier League Roundup 🏴
Ties. And plenty of them — 7 of the 10 midweek games finished level. I know, the American mind can’t comprehend.
Only Newcastle (3-1 away to Burnley), Everton (2-0 away to Nottingham Forest) and table-topping Arsenal (4-1 at home to Aston Villa) taking 3 points from their games. Snoozefest.
Prem for Pepi? ✈️
PSV Eindhoven and USMNT striker Ricardo Pepi — who turns 23 next week — is catching Premier League eyes aplenty with 10 goals in all competitions so far this season.
Fulham are pushing hard to bring him to Craven Cottage but PSV are holding firm on their valuation. Watch this space.
AFCON 🌍
Group stages? Dusht. Perfect records intact? 2 (Algeria and Nigeria). Knockout soccer? Incoming.
The Round of 16 will commence tomorrow with all eight fixtures played from January 3rd to 6th, as teams compete for quarter‑final spots. The pick of the fixtures are:
🇲🇦 Morocco vs Tanzania – Hosts expected to win comfortably.
🇨🇮 Ivory Coast vs Burkina Faso – Defending champions face a tight, physical test.
🇳🇬 Nigeria vs Mozambique: Mozambique in the Round of 16 for the first time in 40 years.
🇪🇬 Egypt vs Benin – Salah-inspired Egypt look to manage another cagey knockout tie.
📝 Trivia on Tap
This guy is as basic as it gets. The man behind the ball looks pretty normal too.
Now that’s what I call a ball ⚽️
The iconic 32-panel black-and-white ball above has become THEE global standard for anyone pretending they know what a soccer ball looks like popular culture — but in what World Cup did it first appear?
🧠 Quickfire
Sound like a Pro: Hand of God ✊
June 26, 1986. Estadio Azteca, Mexico City. World Cup QF: Argentina vs England. Political tensions are at an ATH after the 1982 Falklands war. The atmosphere is FROSTY.
Game tied at 0-0. The ball is played into the box 6 minutes after half-time. Enter the stage: the great Diego Maradona, with… his hand?
The resulting goal — that the ref clearly had his eyes closed for — has since been known across the world as the “Hand of God”. Argentina won the game 2-1, with the other goal Maradona scored 4 minutes later, funnily enough, being dubbed the “Goal of the Century”.
An iconic player doing iconic things. And yes, England are still salty about it.
World Cup Greats - Gianluigi Buffon 🇮🇹
Ah Buffon, you beautiful bastard.
One of the greatest goalkeepers to ever play the game, Buffon won the 2006 World Cup with Italy, conceding just 2 goals all tournament — one was an own goal, the other a penalty.
Known for his longevity as much as his talent, Buffon played until he was FORTY-FIVE, retiring in 2023. Like a fine wine, Gianluigi.
📝 Trivia Answer:
The great Pelé banging in a Telstar against Italy in the 1970 World Cup Final in a 4-1 win.
1970.
Adidas' iconic World Cup ball was named after the Telstar satellite as testament to 1970 being the first full World Cup to be broadcast on global television.
Stellar stuff.
👋 Until Next Time…
Thanks for stopping by The Tap-Inn.
If you enjoyed this, forward it to that friend who knows nothing about soccer and help spread the good word.
I’ll be behind the bar every week, Monday and Friday, serving up soccer. Sláinte.
— Joe