billsportsmaps.com

April 28, 2026

1979 NASL map: the 24 teams of the 1979 North American Soccer League, with attendances; plus 1979 NASL All-Stars (1st and 2nd Teams).

Filed under: NASL- 1979,Retro maps,Soccer (USA & Canada) - - NASL/MLS/NASL(II)/USL/NWSL — admin @ 10:06 pm

1979 NASL map

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By Bill Turianski on 28 April 2026; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-1979 North American Soccer League season (en.wikipedia.org).
-NASLjerseys.com. {Recommended.}

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Note: This is the third in a series…
1977 NASL post is here: 1977 NASL map: the 18 teams of the 1977 North American Soccer League, with attendances; plus 1977 NASL All-Stars (1st and 2nd Teams).
1978 NASL post is here: 1978 NASL map: the 24 teams of the 1978 North American Soccer League, with attendances; plus 1978 NASL All-Stars (1st and 2nd Teams).

The map is a location-map of the 24 teams of the 1979 North American Soccer League.
To the right of the map is a chart of 1979 NASL Home Average Attendance, by team. Teams’ regular-season-points totals and playoffs results are listed. Next to that is a section that shows thumbnail team profiles (years the team existed [including franchise-shift information], NASL titles, venue & capacity, location, 1979 average attendance & percent-capacity, and 1979 playoff results). In the upper-right corner are the 1979 NASL standings, and the 24 team logos. And below that, at the lower-right-hand side, is a section for Soccer Bowl ’79 (Vancouver Whitecaps 3, Tampa Bay Rowdies 1, in front of 50,699 at Giants Stadium, on September 8, 1979).

1979 NASL All-Stars, First Team & Second Team (22 players shown, with brief player-profiles). At the foot of the map-page is a long horizontal chart showing the 1st- and the 2nd-team All-Stars. Players are shown in their 1979 NASL-team-kit, if possible (for some players there are very few color images available online). Thumbnail bios, and stand-out honors and statistics are included.

At the center of the top banner there is listed the 1979 NASL post-season awards. Most Valuable Player: the Amsterdam, Netherlands-born Johan Cruyff, of the Los Angeles Aztecs. Coach of the year: the Helsinki, Finland-born Timo Liekoski, of the Houston Hurricane. Rookie of the year: the St. Louis, Missouri-born Larry Hulcer, of the Los Angeles Aztecs. North American Player of the Year: the Denver, Colorado-born Rick Davis, of the New York Cosmos. Playoff MVP: the Bolton, Lancashire-born Alan Ball, of the Vancouver Whitecaps (and formerly of the 1966 World Cup-winning English squad).
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Soccer Bowl ’79 image credits…-4 screenshots from 1979-09-08 Vancouver Whitecaps vs Tampa Bay Rowdies Soccer Bowl, uploaded by NASL 1968-1984 Soccer History at youtube.com. -Trevor Whymark (FW), photo unattributed at nasljerseys.com/[Whymark, Trevor]. -Alan Ball (MF), photo unattributed at nasljerseys.com/[Ball, Alan]. -Some of the Whitecaps fans who travelled 2,400 miles to cheer on their team in Soccer Bowl ’79 in New Jersey, photo unattributed at bcsportshall.com. -Whitecaps DF Roger Kenyon holds trophy aloft after the game, photo unattributed at whitecapsfc.com/news.
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Photo credits of 1979 NASL All-Stars…
First Team…
-Phil Parkes, Vancouver Whitecaps (GK), photo unattributed at nasljerseys.com/Parkes, Phil via fynasl.tumblr.com.
-Carlos Alberto, New York Cosmos (DF), photo unattributed at nasljerseys.com.
-Bruce Wilson, Chicago Sting (DF), photo unattributed at nasljerseys.com/[Wilson, Bruce].
-Wim Rijsbergen, New York Cosmos (DF), photo unattributed at www.nasljerseys.com/[Rijsbergen, Wim].
-Mike Connell, Tampa Bay Rowdies (DF), photo unattributed at nasljerseys.com/[Connell, Mike].
-Franz Beckenbauer, New York Cosmos (MF/DF), photo by Bob Thomas Sports Photography via dailymail.co.uk/sport.
-Johan Neeskens, New York Cosmos (MF), photo unattributed at nasljerseys.com/[Neeskens, Johan].
-Ace Ntsoelengoe, Minnesota Kicks (MF), photo unattributed at nasljerseys.com/[Ntsoelengoe, Ace].
-Johan Cruyff, Los Angeles Aztecs (AMF/FW), photo by Richard Mackson /Sports Illustrated via gettyimages.co.nz.
-Trevor Francis, Detroit Express (FW), photo unattributed at fynasl.tumblr.com/page/7.
1979 NASL All-Stars 2nd Team…
-Giorgio Chinaglia, New York Cosmos (FW), photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images via gettyimages.co.nz.
Photo credits of 1979 NASL All-Stars…
Second Team…
-Paul Hammond, Houston Hurricane (GK), photo unattributed at nasljerseys.com/[Hammond, Paul].
-Marinho Chagas, New York Cosmos (DF), photo unattributed at nasljerseys.com/[Marinho, Francisco].
-John Gorman, Tampa Bay Rowdies (DF), photo unattributed at mytampabayrowdies.blogspot.com.
-Bob Lenarduzzi, Vancouver Whitecaps (DF), image from cover of Kick magazine [1979] via nasljerseys.com.
-Mihalj Keri, Los Angeles Aztecs (DF), photo unattributed at nasljerseys.com/[Keri, Mihalj].
-Alan Ball, Vancouver Whitecaps (MF), photo unattributed at nasljerseys.com/
-Teófilo Cubillas, Fort Lauderdale Strikers (MF), photo from corbis.com via nasljerseys.com/[Cubillas, Teofilo].
-Vladislav Bogićević, New York Cosmos (MF), photo unattributed at nasljerseys.com/[Bogicevic, Vladislav].
-Óscar Fabbiani, Tampa Bay Rowdies (FW), image from Estadio magazine [1979, Chile] via nasljerseys.com/[Fabbiani, Oscar].
-Gerd Müller, Fort Lauderdale Strikers (FW), photo unattributed at nasljerseys.com/[Mueller, Gerd].
-Karl-Heinz Granitza, Chicago Sting (FW), image from Kick magazine [1979] via nasljerseys.com/Granitza, Karl-Heinz.

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April 8, 2026

MLB: Paid-Attendance Map for 2025 season (home/regular season average tickets-sold), including: Change from 2024, and Percent-Capacity figures./+ The 4 teams with the largest Attendance Increases in 2025 (Mets, Tigers, Giants, Blue Jays).

Filed under: Baseball,Baseball >paid-attendance — admin @ 12:13 am

MLB: Paid-Attendance Map for 2025 season
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By Bill Turianski on the 8th of April 2025; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-Official site…mlb.com.
-Teams, etc…Major League Baseball (en.wikipedia.org).
-Attendance figures (2025 home regular season tickets sold), baseball-reference.com/2026-misc.

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The map…
The map shows the 30 MLB teams. The larger the team’s average attendance, the larger their circle is on the map. The circles on the map contain each MLB teams’ 2025 home cap logo. That is, except with respect to Baltimore’s cap-logo, which is of their all-black road cap, because the Orioles wear their white-paneled cap at home, and I wanted to maintain a uniformity to all 30 of the circular-cap-logos on the map.

The circles-with-cap-logos were then sized to reflect crowd size, utilizing a constant gradient. If you are unsure about the term “paid-attendance”, my post on MLB paid-attendance from 2015 can clear that up for you {here, 2014 MLB paid-attendance map}.

The chart at the right-hand-side of the map page shows 5 things: 2025 Attendance-Rank, 2025 Average Paid-Attendance, Numerical Change in Average Paid-Attendance from Previous Season [2024], Venue Capacity [2025 season], 2025 Percent-Capacity.

At the top of the chart is a new list i put together, showing 2 things: MLB overall attendance for the last 10 years (2016-2025), and the top-3 highest drawing teams in each of those years.
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In 2025, MLB as a whole drew 29,386 per game, a slight increase over 2024, and a figure that would have been higher without the stadium situations of the Athletics and of the Tampa Bay Rays {see Notes, at the foot of the attendance chart at the bottom-right-hand-side of the map page}. Major League Baseball has still not gotten back to their most recent attendance peak in the 2016 season, when the league averaged 30,131. But every season since the COVID-impacted years of 2020 and 2021 have seen more fans at MLB ballparks. (In the 150 years that Major League Baseball has existed, there have been only 15 years when the league drew higher than 30-K-per-game, and all of those highest-drawing seasons occurred between 1993 and 2016 {source: baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/misc}.)
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Top 4 highest-drawing MLB teams in 2025

(All teams that drew above 40,000 per game.)…

1. The Los Angeles Dodgers drew 49,537 per game, with an increase of 880 per game from 2024. In 2025, the Dodgers played to 88.4-percent-capacity at Dodger Stadium in Chavez Ravine. It needs to be pointed out that Dodger Stadium, the largest venue in the Major Leagues, is simply a beautiful, stunning, and fan-friendly ballpark. And the Dodgers have been consistently competitive for several decades now. So it is not a real surprise that the Dodgers have had the highest attendance in MLB now for 12 straight seasons (2013 to 2025, w/ the COVID-affected 2020 season excluded). And in 2025, the Dodgers repeated as World Series champions, winning their 9th title (and their 8th WS title in Los Angeles, following a 36-year title drought).

2. The San Diego Padres drew 42,435 per game, with an increase of 1,317 per game. In 2025, the playoff-bound Padres were again able to draw in excess of their seated capacity (of 39.8-K). The Padres played to a rather impressive, league-leading 106.4-percent-capacity. How? Well their ballpark, Petco Park, is awesome, and the Padres are very competitive. And thanks to the vast lawn seating behind the center field fence at Petco Park, they can just pack them in there. It also helps that, Major-league-wise, the Padres are the only game in town. Because the city of San Diego, after losing their NFL team to LA a few years back, has now become the only city in the USA (and Canada) which only has an MLB team, but not an NFL or an NBA or an NHL team. So you can see why San Diego sports fans have so strongly gravitated to Petco Park.

4. The New York Yankees drew 41,885 per game (at 90-percent-capacity). The Yankees drew their highest since 2018. But as the playoff-bound reigning AL champions (2024 AL pennant winners), and as the all-time most successful MLB ball club, in the biggest city in the country, the Yankees really should be drawing higher. I mean, OK, the Yankees had an attendance increase of 1,023 per game in 2025 – but as a team that had just made it to the World Series for the first time in 15 years, that 1.0-K-per-game attendance increase doesn’t seem like much {see the Phillies, next paragraph, who drew 9.5-K more following a recent WS appearance}. And last season the Yanks were still playing to 4,500 empty seats every game (and they drew 8-K per-game less than the Dodgers). At that overblown and fan-unfriendly monolith of a stadium in the Bronx.

4. The Philadelphia Phillies drew 41,672 per game. For the second straight season the playoff-bound Phillies played to 97-percent-capacity at Citizens Bank Park. In 2022, the Phillies had drawn 28-K-per-game en route to an NL pennant and a World Series defeat to the Astros. The next season (2023), the playoff-bound Phils had a 9.5-K-per-game crowd increase (drawing 37.6-K-per-game). And the next season (2024), the playoff-bound Phils had a 3.9-K-per-game crowd increase (drawing 45.1-K-per-game). And last season, the playoff-bound Phillies had a 135-per-game attendance increase. So unless the Phillies stop their winning ways, it looks like they will continue to inch towards full-time/full-capacity crowds at Citizens Bank Park.

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The 4 Largest Attendance Increases in MLB in 2025…

1. New York Mets, attendance up 10,559 per game. The Mets drew 39.3-K per game (which was 5th-best in 2025). And they set a record for attendance in their ballpark, Citi Field (which opened in 2009). In 2025, the Mets had the second-highest payroll in MLB. At the end of April, the Mets were 11 games above .500. And they had the best record in baseball by mid-June. But…the hapless, offense-heavy/mediocre-pitching/abysmal-defense Mets of 2025 had an epic late season collapse. In the end, the Mets barely broke .500, and on the final day of the season, they were eliminated from the playoffs {see second photo below}.

Photos above – Getty Images via sportsbusinessjournal.com; Lynne Sladky at psu.edu/story/mlb-new-york-mets-2025-collapse.

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2. Detroit Tigers, attendance up 6,854 per game. The Tigers drew 29.7-K per game at Comerica Park (15th-best). This is the second straight season that Detroit has had a large attendance increase: in 2024, they saw a 3,000-per-game attendance increase {see my 2024 MLB map & post}. In 2025, although the Tigers made the playoffs (as the lowest [6th] seed), Detroit had totally choked down the stretch, giving up a 9½-game September lead in the AL Central (to Cleveland). But then in the post-season, the Tigers recovered, and beat Cleveland in the ALWCS, 2-1. But Detroit then fell to the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS, 3-2. In game 4 vs Seattle, there were 4,000 empty seats for a playoff game at Comerica Park {see second photo below}. Many blamed MLB, and its penchant for scheduling work-week postseason day-games on short notice. But Tigers fans’ disaffection following the team’s late-season collapse should also be factored in to account for the no-shows.

Photos above – unattributed at mlive.com/tigers/2025/10[/8]; Robin Buckson, The Detroit News at detroitnews.com/picture-gallery.

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3. San Francisco Giants, attendance up 3,433 per game. The Giants drew 36.1-K per game (7th-best). In 2025, it was the 25th season of the Giants’ home Oracle Park, and there were several renovations in the ballpark that attracted more fans. Then the Giants started out very strong (winning 8 of their first 9 games). And by mid-June, the Giants were 11 games above .500, and they had just acquired slugger Raphael Devers, and they were regularly pulling in 40,000 on weekend games. It looked like the Giants were on course for the playoffs for the first time since 2021. But the Giants played below .500 ball for the rest of the season, and ended up finishing at 81-81.

Photo above – unattributed at sftravel.com/article/your-guide-to-san-francisco-giants-baseball-oracle-park.

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4.Toronto Blue Jays, attendance up 2,082 per game. After two straight playoff seasons (in 2022 and ’23) with solid 37-K-per-game attendance, Toronto’s sub-par 2024 season saw them lose 4,000-paying-customers per-game. In 2025, the Blue Jays reclaimed back half of that number, drawing 35.1-K (9th best). Why the attendance rebound? Because in 2025, the Blue Jays improved by 20 wins. They went 94-68, and beat out the Yankees for the AL East title, winning it on the last day of the season {see photo below}. In the playoffs, the Blue Jays were the #1-seed, with a 1st round bye. In the ALDS, they beat the Yankees, 3-1. Then in the ALCS they beat Seattle 4-3, winning the Toronto Blue Jays’ 3rd AL pennant. But in the 2025 World Series, the Blue Jays came close, but ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 7 games.

Photo above – Andrew Osmond, City News at toronto.citynews.ca
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Thanks to NuclearVacuum for the blank map, File:BlankMap-North America-Subdivisions.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
Thanks to Baseball-Reference.com for attendances, baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/2025-misc.
Thanks to Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos.net, for several (~17) of the cap logo images, sportslogos.net.
Thanks to the contributors at en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball#Current_teams.

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March 15, 2026

2026 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness) – Location-map (68 teams).

Filed under: NCAA Men's Basketball — admin @ 8:23 pm

2026 March Madness map
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By Bill Turianski on the 15th of March 2026; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-Teams, etc…2026 NCAA Men’s Division I men’s Basketball Tournament (en.wikipedia.org).
-Scores…Div I college bk scores (espn.go.com).

The 68 Teams which qualified for the 2026 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament [aka March Madness]

Listed by: Name. Conference. Location of arena(s)…
-Akron Zips. Mid-American (MAC). Akron, OH.
-Alabama Crimson Tide. SEC. Tuscaloosa, AL.
-Arizona Wildcats. Big 12. Tucson, AZ.
-Arkansas Razorbacks. SEC. Fayetteville, AK.
-BYU [Brigham Young Univ.] Cougars. Big 12. Provo, UT.
-California Baptist Lancers. Western (WAC). Riverside, CA.
-Clemson Tigers. ACC. Clemson, SC.
-Duke Blue Devils. ACC. Durham, NC.
-Florida Gators. SEC. Gainesville, FL.
-Furman Paladins. Southern. Greenville, SC.
-Georgia Bulldogs. SEC. Athens, GA.
-Gonzaga Bulldogs. West Coast (WCC). Spokane, WA.
-Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors. Big West. Honolulu, HI.
-High Point Panthers. Big South. High Point, NC.
-Hofstra Pride. Coastal (CAA). Hempstead, LI, NY.
-Houston Cougars. Big 12. Houston, TX.
-Howard Bison. Mid-Eastern (MEAC). Washington, DC.
-Idaho Vandals. Big Sky. Moscow, ID.
-Illinois Fighting Illini. Big Ten. Champaign, IL.
-Iowa Hawkeyes. Big Ten. Ames, IA.
-Iowa State Cyclones. Big 12. Ames, IA.
-Kansas Jayhawks. Big 12. Lawrence, KS.
-Kentucky Wildcats. SEC. Lexington, KY.
-Kennesaw State Owls. Conference USA (CUSA). Kennesaw (Greater Atlanta), GA.
-Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Patriot. Bethlehem, PA.
-LIU [Long Island Univ.] Sharks. Northeast (NEC). Brooklyn, NYC, NY.
-Louisville Cardinals. ACC. Louisville, KY.
-McNeese State Cowboys. Southland. Lake Charles, LA.
-Miami (FL) Hurricanes. ACC. Coral Gables, FL.
-Miami (OH) RedHawks. Mid-American (MAC). Oxford, OH.
-Michigan Wolverines. Big Ten. Ann Arbor, MI.
-Michigan State Spartans. Big Ten. East Lansing, MI.
-Missouri Tigers. SEC. Columbia, MO.
-Nebraska Cornhuskers. Big 12. Lincoln, NE.
-North Carolina Tar Heels. ACC. Chapel Hill, NC.
-North Carolina State Wolfpack. ACC. Raleigh, NC.
-North Dakota State Bison. Summit. Fargo, ND.
-Northern Iowa Panthers. Missouri Valley. Cedar Falls, IA.
-Ohio State Buckeyes. Big Ten. Columbus, OH.
-Penn Quakers. Ivy League. Philadelphia, PA.
-Prairie View A&M Panthers. Southwestern (SWAC). Prairie View, TX.
-Purdue Boilermakers. Big Ten. West Lafayette, IN.
-Queens Royals. Atlantic Sun (ASUN). Charlotte, NC.
-Saint Louis Billikins. Atlantic-10. St. Louis, MO.
-Saint Mary’s Gaels. West Coast (WCC). Moraga, CA.
-Santa Clara Broncos. West Coast (WCC). Santa Clara, CA.
-Siena Saints. Metro Atlantic (MAAC). Albany, NY.
-SMU [Southern Methodist Univ.] Mustangs. ACC. University Park, TX.
-South Florida Bulls. American. Tampa, FL.
-St. John’s Red Storm. Big East. Queens, NYC, NY / Manhattan, NYC, NY.
-TCU [Texas Christian Univ.] Horned Frogs. Fort Worth, TX.
-Tennessee Volunteers. SEC. Knoxville, TN.
-Tennessee State Tigers. Ohio Valley. Nashville, TN.
-Texas Longhorns. Big 12. Austin, TX.
-Texas A&M Aggies. SEC. College Station, TX.
-Troy Trojans. Sun Belt. Troy, AL.
-Texas Tech Red Raiders. Big 12. Lubbock, TX.
-UCLA Bruins. Big Ten. Los Angeles, CA.
-UConn [Univ. Connecticut] Huskies. Big East. Storrs, CT / Hartford, CT.
-UCF [Univ. Central Florida] Knights. Big 12. Orange Co., FL (Greater Orlando, FL).
-UMBC Retrievers. America East. Catonsville (Greater Baltimore), MD.
-Utah State Aggies. Mountain West. Logan, UT.
-Vanderbilt Commodores. SEC. Nashville, TN.
-VCU [Virginia Commonwealth Univ.] Rams. Atlantic 10. Richmond, VA.
-Villanova Wildcats. Big East. Villanova, PA / Philadelphia, PA.
-Virginia Cavaliers. ACC. Charlottesville, VA.
-Wisconsin Badgers. Big Ten. Madison, WI.
-Wright State Raiders. Horizon. Fairborn (Greater Dayton), OH.

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-Thanks to AMK1211 for blank map of USA, ‘File:Blank US Map with borders.svg”>File:Blank US Map with borders.svg‘ (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org, ‘2026 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament’.
-Thanks to the Bracket Matrix site for bracket forecasting, bracketmatrix.com; twitter.com/@bracketproject.

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February 13, 2026

2025-26 FA Cup, 4th Round (the 32 clubs): Location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances. Plus, an illustration for: Biggest upset in the FA Cup 3rd Round (and the biggest Cup-upset ever) – 6th tier side Macclesfield beats Cup-holders Crystal Palace.

Filed under: >2025-26 FA Cup — admin @ 12:00 am

2025-26 FA Cup, 4th Round (the 32 clubs): Location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances
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By Bill Turianski on the 13th of February 2026; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-2025-26 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-BBC’s page on the competition…bbc.com/fa-cup.

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Biggest upset in the FA Cup 3rd Round (and the biggest Cup-upset ever) – 6th tier side Macclesfield beats Cup-holders Crystal Palace

Macclesﬁeld FC are from Macclesfield, Cheshire, a town 20 miles south of Manchester, with a population of 52,000. Macclesfield FC are the Phoenix-club of Macclesﬁeld Town FC (who existed from 1874 to 2020, and who played 17 seasons in the Football League between 1997 and 2020). The re-born club started out in the 9th level of the National League system, in 2021–22. Macclesfield then won promotion 3 times in 4 years, including last season, when they won the 7th-tier Northern League. So in 2025-26, Macclesfield are a 6th-level team in the National League North.

Macclesfield play at Moss Rose (aka Leasing.com Stadium), which opened in 1891, and which has a capacity of 5,350 (2,095 seated), and has a 4G pitch {see photo and caption below}. Macclesfield has maintained solid support since their re-formation, and were drawing well over a couple thousand-per-game right from their re-start, and are now drawing a bit over 3,000-per-game. Macclesfield are currently [13 Feb 2026] in the play-off places in the National League North, in 6th place with games in hand. Macclesfield’s manager is John Rooney, age 35 (who is the younger brother of former England captain Wayne Rooney). John Rooney was a journeyman MF who got his pro start with the then-4th-division Macclesfield Town in 2008, and finished his playing career and eased into the coaching role with 2 seasons at Macclesfield FC (from 2023 to ’25 with 26 goals in 67 appearances), taking over the managerial role from former player Robbie Savage, in July 2025.

(Macclesfield had not qualified for the FA Cup 1st Round in their four previous seasons.) In the 2025-26 FA Cup 2nd qualifying round, Macclesfield defeated 9th-tier side Atherton Laburnam Rovers 3-0 at Moss Rose in front of 1,364. Then in the 3rd qualifying round, Macclesfield defeated 8th-tier side Nantwich Town 2-0 at Moss Rose in front of 1,387. And then in the 4th qualifying round, Macclesfield defeated 7th-tier side Stamford 1-0 at Moss Rose in front of 1,605.

In the FA Cup 1st Round, Macclesﬁeld beat 6th-tier side AFC Totten 6-3, in front of 2,197 at Moss Rose. In the 2nd Round, Macclesfield beat another 6th-tier side, Slough Town, away, 1-3 in aet. Then for the 3rd Round, Macclesfield were drawn to host the reigning Cup champions, Crystal Palace, on 10 January 2026.

In the match, following a scoreless first half, there was a second-half goal right away. In the 46th minute, Macclesfield MF and captain Paul Dawson (with a bandaged head) headed in a goal from a free kick by MF Luke Duffy, putting the non-Leaguers in the lead {see photo below}. And then 17 minutes later, in the 60th minute, Manchester-born Macclesfield MF Isaac Buckley-Ricketts deftly side-volleyed a deﬂected shot into the net {see screenshot below}. So it was 2-nil to Macclesﬁeld. Crystal Palace threatened all through the last third of the match, but they appeared to be rattled. Palace did score in the 90th minute, from a free kick by Yeremy Pino. But Macclesfield held on, and at the final whistle, there was a jubilant pitch invasion by the Macclesfield faithful, and captain and goal-scorer Paul Dawson was carried off the pitch. In the match, Macclesfield had only 29% possession…yet they outshot Palace 13-12. In other words, this was no fluke win.

6th-tier Macclesfield were ranked 117 places below Premier League side Crystal Palace, making this the biggest upset in FA Cup history. Also, it was the first time ever that a team won an FA Cup match against a team 5 levels above them. And no non-League team had beaten the Cup Holders since 1909…when none other than a non-League Crystal Palace (then of the Southern League), defeated 1908 Cup winners Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Macclesfield will now play Premier League side Brentford in the 4th Round, on Monday night (16 February). It will be at Moss Rose, and of course it is sold out, and of course it will be televised.

-Video: Macclesfield STUN the holders ???? | Macclesfield FC (2-1) Crystal Palace | Emirates FA Cup 2025-26
(6:00 video uploaded by The Emirates FA Cup at youtube.com).

-Macclesfield pull off FA Cup’s greatest shock by knocking out holders Crystal Palace (by Dominic Booth at theguardian.com/football).

-Sat 10 Jan 2026, FA Cup – 3rd Round: Macclesfield 2-1 Crystal Palace (by Barry Rose at bbc.com/sport).

Photo and Image credits above – Macclesfield town centre, photo from cheshire-live.co.uk; Macclesfield-born Ian Curtis [Joy Division] mural, photo segment from onward-living.co.uk/living-in-macclesfield-area-guide. Moss Rose (aka Leasing.com Stadium), photo by Non League Football at facebook.com/photo. Paul Dawson goal, photo by Martin Rickett/PA via theguardian.com/football. Isaac Buckley-Ricketts goal, screenshot from video uploaded by Crystal Palace FC at youtube.com. Manager John Rooney celebrates at the final whistle, screenshot from video uploaded by Crystal Palace FC at youtube.com. Macclesfield players and fans celebrate the historic win, photo by AFP via firstpost.com/sports.
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Sources…
Thanks to all, at the links below…
-Blank relief map of England (and Wales), by Nilfanion, at File:England relief location map.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of West Midlands, by Nilfanion, at File:West Midlands UK relief location map.jpg.
-Fixtures list: screenshot from bbc.com/fa-cup.
-FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
Attendance figures…
-transfermarkt.com/[leagueone] ; transfermarkt.us/[league-two] (current average attendances for the 1st through the 4th division).
-nonleaguematters.co.uk (current average attendances for non-League football).

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February 1, 2026

2026 Copa Libertadores Map (47 teams), with club histories (Libertadores appearances & titles listed).

Filed under: Copa Libertadores — admin @ 1:28 am

2026 Copa Libertadores Map (47 teams), with club histories (Libertadores appearances & titles listed)
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By Bill Turianski on 1 February 2026; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2026 Copa Libertadores (en.wikipedia.org).
-Summary: results, fixtures, standings (flashscore.co.uk).
-espn.com/[Libertadores].
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The 67th edition of the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious football tournament in South America.

The 2026 tournament is the 10th since it was expanded in 2017, from 38 to 47 teams. And it wasn’t just an expansion of teams in the tournament, it was also an expansion of the tournament’s length. 10 years ago, the Libetadores’ schedule was expanded from a 6 month-time-frame to a whopping and roster-depleting 11 month-long tournament (to the detriment of smaller clubs).

Since then, no team from a country other than Brazil or Argentina has won the title. Brazilian teams have won it 8 times since the tournament-expansion, and an Argentinian team has won it once since then.

And Brazilian sides have won the last 7 titles. (Copa Libertadores winner in 2025 was Flamengo, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; it was the club’s 4th Libertadores title. Copa Sudamericana winner in 2025 was Lanús, a club from the southern suburbs of Buenos Aires, Argentina.)

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Qualified teams by country:
•Brazil has 8 teams (7 + Copa Libertadores holder).
•Argentina has 7 teams (6 + Copa Sudamericana holder).
•The eight other countries all have 4 teams each (Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela).

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This map includes the Preliminary-Stage teams:
There are 19 preliminary-stage teams…and only four of those 19 teams advance to the Group Stage. (Note: on the map-page, on the teams-by-country lists that flank the map, the 19 preliminary clubs are shown in italics).

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Schedule:
-The first of three Preliminary stages starts on 3-to-5 February {2026 Copa Libertadores Qualifying stages}.
-The Group Stage starts on 7-to-9 April. The draw for the Group Stage is on the 18th of March.
-The Final will be played on 28 November 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay at Estadio Centenario.
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Thanks to all at the links below…
-Globe-map of South America by Luan at: File:South America (orthographic projection).svg (en.wikipedia.org/[South America]).
-Relief map of South America by Uwe Dedering at: File:South_America_laea_relief_location_map.jpg (en.wikipedia.org).
-Greater Buenos Aires, map by NordNordWest at: File:Argentina Greater Buenos Aires location map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Copa Libertadores 1960-2019 Club Histories (rsssf.com).
-Libertadores titles list {en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_Libertadores#Performances_by_club}.
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January 2, 2026

2025-26 FA Cup, 3rd Round (the 64 clubs): Location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances.

Filed under: >2025-26 FA Cup — admin @ 7:48 pm

2025-26 FA Cup, 3rd Round (the 64 clubs): Location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances
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By Bill Turianski on the 2nd of January 2026; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-2025-26 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-BBC’s page on the competition…bbc.com/fa-cup.

The FA Cup – the oldest football tournament in the world – begins the 3rd Round of its 145th edition on Friday the 9th of January 2026, with a televised match: Wrexham (2) v Nottingham Forest (1).

The 3 matches to be televised on Saturday the 10th are: phoenix-club Macclesfield (6) v Crystal Palace (1); Tottenham Hotspur (1) v Aston Villa (1); Charlton Athletic (2) v Chelsea (1).

The 3 matches to be televised on Sunday the 11th are: Derby County (2) v Leeds United (1); Portsmouth (2) v Arsenal (1); Manchester United (1) v Brighton & Hove Albion (1).

The sole match on Monday the 12th will also be televised: Liverpool (1) v Barnsley (3).

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Sources…
Thanks to all, at the links below…
-Blank relief map of England (and Wales), by Nilfanion, at File:England relief location map.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of West Midlands, by Nilfanion, at File:West Midlands UK relief location map.jpg.
-Fixtures list: screenshot from bbc.com/fa-cup.
-FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
Attendance figures…
-transfermarkt.com/[leagueone] ; transfermarkt.us/[league-two] (current average attendances for the 3rd division and the 4th division).
-nonleaguematters.co.uk (current average attendances for the 5th division, and the 6th level).
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December 16, 2025

Italy: 2025-26 Serie A map.

Filed under: Italy — admin @ 1:32 pm

Italy: 2025-26 Serie A map
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By Bill Turianski on the 16th of December 2025; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-2025-26 Serie A (en.wikipedia.org).
-Table, fixtures, results, stats, etc…Serie A page at WorldFootball.net.
-English-speaking coverage of Italian football…Forza Italian football.com.
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Thanks to all at the following links…
-Blank map of Italy by TUBS, at File:Italy provincial location map.svg.
-Globe-map of Italy by Rob984 at commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EU-Italy_(orthographic_projection).svg.
-Populations of Italian cities’ metro-areas from Metropolitan cities of Italy (en.wikipedia.org).
-Attendance figures, transfermarkt.com.
-Seasons in Italian 1st division, from it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serie_A#Le_squadre.
-General info, crests, kit illustrations, from 2025-26 Serie A (en.wikipedia.org).

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November 24, 2025

2025-26 FA Cup, 2nd Round (the 40 clubs): Location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances.

Filed under: >2025-26 FA Cup — admin @ 8:54 pm

2025-26 FA Cup, 2nd Round (the 40 clubs): Location-map
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By Bill Turianski on the 24th of November 2025; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-2025-26 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-BBC’s page on the competition…bbc.com/fa-cup.

The FA Cup – the oldest football tournament in the world – begins the 2nd Round of its 145th edition on Friday the 5th of December 2025, with a televised match: 4th tier side Salford City (of Greater Manchester) versus 3rd tier side Leyton Orient (of East London).

The 2 televised matches on Saturday the 6th of December are: Sutton United (5) (of South London) v Shrewsbury Town (4) (of Shropshire); and Chesterfield (4) (of North Derbyshire) v Doncaster Rovers (3) (of South Yorkshire).

The 2 televised matches on Sunday 7th of December are: Slough Town (6, South) (of Berkshire, just west of Greater London) v Macclesfield (6, North) (of Cheshire); and Boreham Wood (5) (of Hertfordshire, just north of Greater London) v Newport County (4) (of South Wales).

And the televised match on Monday the 8th of December is Brackley Town (5) (of Northamptonshire) v Burton Albion (3) (of Staffordshire).
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Sources…
Thanks to all, at the links below…
-Blank relief map of England (and Wales), by Nilfanion, at File:England relief location map.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Fixtures list: screenshot from bbc.com/fa-cup.
-FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
Attendance figures…
-transfermarkt.com/[leagueone] ; transfermarkt.us/[league-two] (current average attendances for the 3rd division and the 4th division).
-nonleaguematters.co.uk (current average attendances for the 5th division, and the 6th level).
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October 26, 2025

2025-26 FA Cup, 1st Round (the 80 clubs): Location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances.

Filed under: >2025-26 FA Cup — admin @ 5:22 pm

2025-26 FA Cup 1st Round map (80 teams)
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By Bill Turianski on the 26th of October 2025; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-2025-26 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-BBC’s page on the competition…bbc.com/fa-cup.

The FA Cup – the oldest football tournament in the world – begins its 145th edition on Friday the 31st of October 2025, with a televised match: 3rd tier side Luton Town versus 5th division side Forest Green Rovers.

The 2 televised matches on Saturday are: Chelmsford City (6) v Braintree Town (5), and Brackley Town (5) v Notts County (4).

The 4 televised matches on Sunday are: South Shields (6) v Shrewsbury Town (4), Eastleigh (5) v Walsall (4), Port Vale (3) v Maldon & Tiptree (8), and Gainsborough Trinity (7) v Accrington Stanley (4).

And the televised match on Monday the 3rd of November is Tamworth (5) v Leyton Orient (3).
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Sources…
Thanks to all, at the links below…
-Blank relief map of England (and Wales), by Nilfanion, at File:England relief location map.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Fixtures list: screenshot from bbc.com/fa-cup.
-FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
Attendance figures…
-worldfootball.net (current average attendances for the 3rd division and the 4th division).
-nonleaguematters.co.uk (current average attendances for the 5th division, and the 6th and the 7th levels).
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October 4, 2025

Scotland: Premiership, 2025-26 – Location-map, including the country’s 25 largest Metropolitan areas & Localities; with: Seasons-in-1st-Level & Scottish Titles listed.

Filed under: Scotland — admin @ 9:11 pm

Scotland: Premiership, 2025-26 – Location-map
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By Bill Turianski on the 4th of October 2025; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2025-26 Scottish Premiership (en.wikipedia.org).
-Premiership table, fixtures, results, attendance, teams, etc… Scotland – Premiership (worldfootball.net).
-BBC/Sport, bbc.com/Scottish Football.
-BBC Radio Scotland podcast, Off the Ball. ['The most petty and ill-informed football show on radio!', hosted by Stuart Cosgrove (journalist & St Johnstone supporter) and Tam Cowan (journalist & Motherwell supporter).]

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Scotland

The map shows the locations of the 12 clubs which are currently in the SPFL Premiership [2025-26]. The map itself is a relief map (topographical). {Source: File:Scotland relief location map.jpg (by Eric Gaba and NordNordWest at en.wikipedia.org).}

Included on the map are the locations of the two recently-relegated sides (Ross County, and St Johnstone), and the two recently-promoted sides (Livingston, and Falkirk, who have now won back-to-back promotions).

The 25 largest metro-areas and localities in Scotland are shown on the map. And in a chart flanking the map, their populations are listed. All SPFL clubs (SPFL Premiership [1], SPFL Championship [2], SPFL League One [3], SPFL League Two [4]), from those 25 localities, are also listed there (see below, C.).

The 3 accompanying charts on the map page show…
A). Seasons spent in Scottish 1st Level for the twelve current top-flight clubs. 2025-26 is the 129 season of the Scottish top flight (1890-91 to 1938-39; 1946-47 to 2025-26). With consecutive seasons in the Scottish top-flight noted. {Source: Scotland – All-Time Table (since 1890/91) [and ending at 2012-13] (rsssf.com).}
B). Scottish football titles list (1890-91 to 1938-39; 1946-47 to 2024-25). {Source: List of Scottish football champions/Total titles won (en.wikipedia.org).}
C). Scotland (UK): Population Figures – Largest 25 Metropolitan Areas & Localities (with SPFL Football Clubs in those locations shown). In Scotland, a Locality is defined as a populated area composed of contiguous postcodes with populations of at least 500. {Sources: List of metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom (ipfs.io). List of towns and cities in Scotland by population [by Locality] (en.wikipedia.org).}
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