Long-run patterns in football — World Cup data, referees, home advantage, stoppage time — and what the evidence actually shows.
World Cup
Ask a crowd to name the heaviest rivalry among the world's 20 best, and they'll reach for Europe. The map says Mexico-USA, seven meetings, more than any glamour tie on the board — and the continents barely touch beyond it.
World Cup
Germany win 75% from the spot, England win 33%, and both numbers sit comfortably inside the range a coin flip would produce. Across 677 shootouts and 230 nations, only 4 of 96 can be told apart from luck at all.
World Cup
Hosting is worth +17.3 points a game above neutral ground, one of the biggest repeatable edges in the sport. The half nobody checks is whether it rubs off on the neighbours, and across 964 matches the continent gets −3.4 — a confidence interval that crosses zero, meaning nothing at all.
World Cup
The favourite wins barely half the time, and the league everyone calls unpredictable is the most orderly of all. Across 16,110 matches the Premier League denies the favourite in 46.0% of games; Ligue 1 does it in 49.1%. The richest clubs buy the least drama.