World Cup mania has gripped the globe. We have stories on the psychology of rowdy, touchy or fickle football fans, on how music helps footballers get ready to play, and on sexism in British punditry. There are also pieces that look at how the tournament is causing change, including one on the Virtual Assessment Referee system and the digitalisation of the support, and another on the ‘other World Cup’, CONFIA, which hosts international games for regions and communities not under FIFA membership.

Finally, all African teams have been knocked out of the tournament - which leads to some questions. Chuka Onwumechili assesses whether the money being spent on African teams is managed wisely and what could be done to make better use of it.