World Cup 2026

[Free Agent]

Bored of it already and it hasn’t even started

[TheRam]

Englands run after the group stages is brutal even if we win our group.

Mexico at the Azteca in the last 16 is horrible and we most likely have to get past either Norway or France before that stage.

I’m not sure there much value in chasing top of the group for us and think we might take second or even third and save our legs.

[Shogun]

48 matches for the first couple of group games and then I'll sat 12 matches for the final group games as 2 matches are at the same time so it's not really 24 matches. 60 matches or 72 matches of football depending on how you look at it.

I reckon I'll end up watching about 25 of them live, not much incentive to stay up and be knackered with most of those fixtures whilst the matches I'm watching are only due to convenience. I couldn't care less about Germany v Curacao but it is 6pm on a Sunday, so I will end up sticking it on.

Thurs 20:00 Mexico v South Africa
Fri 03:00 South Korea v Czechia

Fri 20:00 Canada v Bosnia
Sat 02:00 USA v Paraguay

Sat 20:00 Qatar v Switzerland
Sat 23:00 Brazil v Morocco
Sun 02:00 Haiti v Scotland
Sun 05:00 Australia v Türkiye

Sun 18:00 Germany v Curacao
Sun 21:00 Netherlands v Japan
Mon 00:00 Ivory Coast v Ecuador
Mon 03:00 Sweden v Tunisia

Mon 17:00 Spain v Cabo Verde
Mon 20:00 Belgium v Egypt
Mon 23:00 Saudi v Uruguay
Tue 02:00 Iran v New Zealand

Tue 20:00 France v Senegal
Tue 23:00 Iraq v Norway
Wed 02:00 Argentina v Algeria
Wed 05:00 Austria v Jordan

Wed 18:00 Portugal v DR Congo
Wed 21:00 England v Croatia
Thu 00:00 Ghana v Panama
Thu 03:00 Uzbekistan v Colombia

Thu 17:00 Czechia v South Africa
Thu 20:00 Switzerland v Bosnia
Thu 23:00 Canada v Qatar
Fri 02:00 Mexico v South Korea

Fri 20:00 USA v Australia
Fri 23:00 Scotland v Morocco
Sat 01:30 Brazil v Haiti
Sat 04:00 Türkiye v Paraguay

Sat 18:00 Netherlands v Sweden
Sat 21:00 Germany v Ivory Coast
Sun 01:00 Ecuador v Curacao
Sun 05:00 Tunisia v Japan

Sun 17:00 Spain v Saudi Arabia
Sun 20:00 Belgium v Iran
Sun 23:00 Uruguay v Cape Verde
Mon 02:00 New Zealand v Egypt

Mon 18:00 Argentina v Austria
Mon 22:00 France v Iraq
Tue 01:00 Norway v Senegal
Tue 04:00 Jordan v Algeria

Tue 18:00 Portugal v Uzbekistan
Tue 21:00 England v Ghana
Wed 00:00 Panama v Croatia
Wed 03:00 Colombia v DR Congo

Wed 20:00 Switzerland v Canada
Wed 20:00 Bosnia v Qatar
Wed 23:00 Morocco v Haiti
Wed 23:00 Scotland v Brazil
Thu 02:00 South Africa v South Korea
Thu 02:00 Czechia v Mexico

Thu 21:00 Curacao v Ivory Coast
Thu 21:00 Ecuador v Germany
Fri 00:00 Tunisia v Netherlands
Fri 00:00 Japan v Sweden
Fri 03:00 Türkiye v USA
Fri 03:00 Paraguay v Australia

Fri 20:00 Norway v France
Fri 20:00 Senegal v Iraq
Sat 01:00 Cape Verde v Saudi Arabia
Sat 01:00 Uruguay v Spain
Sat 04:00 New Zealand v Belgium
Sat 04:00 Egypt v Iran

Sat 22:00 England v Panama
Sat 22:00 Croatia v Ghana
Sun 00:30 Colombia v Portugal
Sun 00:30 DR Congo v Uzbekistan
Sun 03:00 Algeria v Austria
Sun 03:00 Jordan v Argentina

[velimski]

Somali ref barred from entry.

Iran fans had their tickets revoked.

Great world cup lads.

[Free Agent]

You forgot:
FIFA cancelling free tickets
Ban on bringing your own bottled water
Institutionalised price gouging for tickets

[Audrey Horne]

is this all true? Its insane.

As much as we are all excited for the World Cup there is a real dark side to this one that just leaves a bad taste in the mouth and completely goes against everything the tournament has always meant to the world
There was always a concern that the USA were going to ruin it for everyone - and those fears are becoming a reality quite quickly
Africa’s top referee Omar Artan detained and deported at the airport, despite having a working visa, purely because he comes from a country the American’s dear leader doesn’t like in Somalia. Nothing less than pure discrimination and racism, that wouldn’t be accepted anywhere else
The Senegal squad strip searched and treated like criminals on the runway after their plane landed, held on the runway for hours as all their bags were emptied and forced to take off their shoes and socks to be searched
Iraq’s star striker held for SEVEN hours by immigration enforcement, with his phone confiscated, thrown in a cell and questioned repeatedly about what he thinks of his government and the US government, with the insistence on him saying nice things about Trump before finally being allowed to join the rest of the squad
Iraq’s official camera man, hired to document their historic World Cup campaign, detained for 12 hours before being deported and denied entry to the US for no other reason that immigration enforcement officers deciding he wasn’t an important part of the travelling squad
Iran forced to stay in Mexico, despite their 3 group games being in the US, and told they have to travel in and out on the day of the game and wouldn’t be permitted to train or stay overnight in the US
Iran's official ticket allocation ​cancelled at last minute - leaving supporters who ​had ⁠already made ⁠travel plans unable to attend ‌their team's matches
Uzbekistan players and coaching staff held, searched and their bags searched by sniffer dogs after getting off their team bus
Fans from all countries having their visas or estas cancelled if any posts critical of Donald Trump are found on their social media accounts
A mass shooting took place just a stones throw from England’s training camp - heightening fears of potential gun crime at or around the games
Extortionate pricing on everything from tickets, accommodation, transport, beer, food and water
Ridiculous walking bans at or near stadiums so it’s literally against the law to walk to some games (something that has always been a tradition for fans and created some great scenes)
Some of the pitches in recent friendlies held in America would get a junior game cancelled and make Livi’s pitch look world class
And it’s not even started yet….
The World Cup has always been about the world coming together, nations have literally halted wars in the past during the World Cup. Race, religion, political beliefs and national disputes put to one side for the world to enjoy its favourite obsession as one… but all of that now seems to be expendable in the name of keeping Trump happy
Just all quite sad to see really
Contrast that to a real footballing country like Mexico who have put on a big show of greeting all team arrivals with traditional music and the kind of fanfare the World Cup is known and loved for

[Escalator]

is this all true? Its insane.

As much as we are all excited for the World Cup there is a real dark side to this one that just leaves a bad taste in the mouth and completely goes against everything the tournament has always meant to the world
There was always a concern that the USA were going to ruin it for everyone - and those fears are becoming a reality quite quickly
Africa’s top referee Omar Artan detained and deported at the airport, despite having a working visa, purely because he comes from a country the American’s dear leader doesn’t like in Somalia. Nothing less than pure discrimination and racism, that wouldn’t be accepted anywhere else
The Senegal squad strip searched and treated like criminals on the runway after their plane landed, held on the runway for hours as all their bags were emptied and forced to take off their shoes and socks to be searched
Iraq’s star striker held for SEVEN hours by immigration enforcement, with his phone confiscated, thrown in a cell and questioned repeatedly about what he thinks of his government and the US government, with the insistence on him saying nice things about Trump before finally being allowed to join the rest of the squad
Iraq’s official camera man, hired to document their historic World Cup campaign, detained for 12 hours before being deported and denied entry to the US for no other reason that immigration enforcement officers deciding he wasn’t an important part of the travelling squad
Iran forced to stay in Mexico, despite their 3 group games being in the US, and told they have to travel in and out on the day of the game and wouldn’t be permitted to train or stay overnight in the US
Iran's official ticket allocation ​cancelled at last minute - leaving supporters who ​had ⁠already made ⁠travel plans unable to attend ‌their team's matches
Uzbekistan players and coaching staff held, searched and their bags searched by sniffer dogs after getting off their team bus
Fans from all countries having their visas or estas cancelled if any posts critical of Donald Trump are found on their social media accounts
A mass shooting took place just a stones throw from England’s training camp - heightening fears of potential gun crime at or around the games
Extortionate pricing on everything from tickets, accommodation, transport, beer, food and water
Ridiculous walking bans at or near stadiums so it’s literally against the law to walk to some games (something that has always been a tradition for fans and created some great scenes)
Some of the pitches in recent friendlies held in America would get a junior game cancelled and make Livi’s pitch look world class
And it’s not even started yet….
The World Cup has always been about the world coming together, nations have literally halted wars in the past during the World Cup. Race, religion, political beliefs and national disputes put to one side for the world to enjoy its favourite obsession as one… but all of that now seems to be expendable in the name of keeping Trump happy
Just all quite sad to see really
Contrast that to a real footballing country like Mexico who have put on a big show of greeting all team arrivals with traditional music and the kind of fanfare the World Cup is known and loved for

Yup, all true, plus Mexico v USA- in the event of a free kick American players to form a “bigly beautiful wall” the Mexican wave to be called “The wave of America” , RUSSIA V UKRAINE - Russia to kick off but Trump to insist that Ukraine started it, Russia to be allowed to keep possession of the ball. Texas to host the “Group of death penalty” including China, Saudi Arabia and Iran. All pitch invasions to be blamed on Ukraine. European teams to pay a 25% tariff on all goals scored in the U.S.A.
In the event of an American loss President Trump will not accept the result and will demand a recount of the goals. The referee will be sent to Prisono Maximo in El Salvador. ITS GUNNA BE THE BIGGEST MOS BEAUTIFULL WORLD CUP EVER AND TRUMP IS GUNNA TAKE THE BEAUTIFULL GOLD WORLD CUP HOME AND PUT IT IN HIS TOILET.

[TheRam]

is this all true? Its insane.

As much as we are all excited for the World Cup there is a real dark side to this one that just leaves a bad taste in the mouth and completely goes against everything the tournament has always meant to the world
There was always a concern that the USA were going to ruin it for everyone - and those fears are becoming a reality quite quickly
Africa’s top referee Omar Artan detained and deported at the airport, despite having a working visa, purely because he comes from a country the American’s dear leader doesn’t like in Somalia. Nothing less than pure discrimination and racism, that wouldn’t be accepted anywhere else
The Senegal squad strip searched and treated like criminals on the runway after their plane landed, held on the runway for hours as all their bags were emptied and forced to take off their shoes and socks to be searched
Iraq’s star striker held for SEVEN hours by immigration enforcement, with his phone confiscated, thrown in a cell and questioned repeatedly about what he thinks of his government and the US government, with the insistence on him saying nice things about Trump before finally being allowed to join the rest of the squad
Iraq’s official camera man, hired to document their historic World Cup campaign, detained for 12 hours before being deported and denied entry to the US for no other reason that immigration enforcement officers deciding he wasn’t an important part of the travelling squad
Iran forced to stay in Mexico, despite their 3 group games being in the US, and told they have to travel in and out on the day of the game and wouldn’t be permitted to train or stay overnight in the US
Iran's official ticket allocation ​cancelled at last minute - leaving supporters who ​had ⁠already made ⁠travel plans unable to attend ‌their team's matches
Uzbekistan players and coaching staff held, searched and their bags searched by sniffer dogs after getting off their team bus
Fans from all countries having their visas or estas cancelled if any posts critical of Donald Trump are found on their social media accounts
A mass shooting took place just a stones throw from England’s training camp - heightening fears of potential gun crime at or around the games
Extortionate pricing on everything from tickets, accommodation, transport, beer, food and water
Ridiculous walking bans at or near stadiums so it’s literally against the law to walk to some games (something that has always been a tradition for fans and created some great scenes)
Some of the pitches in recent friendlies held in America would get a junior game cancelled and make Livi’s pitch look world class
And it’s not even started yet….
The World Cup has always been about the world coming together, nations have literally halted wars in the past during the World Cup. Race, religion, political beliefs and national disputes put to one side for the world to enjoy its favourite obsession as one… but all of that now seems to be expendable in the name of keeping Trump happy
Just all quite sad to see really
Contrast that to a real footballing country like Mexico who have put on a big show of greeting all team arrivals with traditional music and the kind of fanfare the World Cup is known and loved for

I’d say this is mostly a load of rubbish tbh

The shooting was five miles from englands base, for example, and the friendlies have mostly been in stadiums that won’t be used.

The paragraph about the World Cup being a uniting force to bring everyone together setting aside political beliefs isn’t true either.

A lot of world cups have been held in authoritarian states in the past. Players have been killed for making mistakes, dictators have gone down to the pitch before games to fix matches, players have been threatened with death if they don’t perform.

The last two world cups have been held in states where being gay is illegal.

You can’t mention the issues in the states without mentioning the violence in Mexico which sees thousands of people disappear each year at the hands of the drug cartels.

It’s shite that it’s taking part in America in the current state it is in, but if people could stomach a World Cup in Qatar and Russia then they can stomach one in America.

See Argentina 78 for a World Cup overshadowed by an authoritarian regime

Once the football starts it will all mostly be forgotten about.

[Shogun]

I think the difference was that Qatar and Russia bent backwards to sportswash as hard as they could, whereas the USA doesn't give a shit how bad they look hence all the negative press.

[Escalator]

I’d say this is mostly a load of rubbish tbh

The shooting was five miles from englands base, for example, and the friendlies have mostly been in stadiums that won’t be used.

The paragraph about the World Cup being a uniting force to bring everyone together setting aside political beliefs isn’t true either.

A lot of world cups have been held in authoritarian states in the past. Players have been killed for making mistakes, dictators have gone down to the pitch before games to fix matches, players have been threatened with death if they don’t perform.

The last two world cups have been held in states where being gay is illegal.

You can’t mention the issues in the states without mentioning the violence in Mexico which sees thousands of people disappear each year at the hands of the drug cartels.

It’s shite that it’s taking part in America in the current state it is in, but if people could stomach a World Cup in Qatar and Russia then they can stomach one in America.

See Argentina 78 for a World Cup overshadowed by an authoritarian regime

Once the football starts it will all mostly be forgotten about.

75% of it verifiably truths.

[TheRam]

75% of it verifiably truths.

I’d say there’s a lot of embellishment to facts to add that extra layer of fear.

[TheRam]

I think the difference was that Qatar and Russia bent backwards to sportswash as hard as they could, whereas the USA doesn't give a shit how bad they look hence all the negative press.

That is true.

They seemed to let go of a lot of things.

Whereas the states just don’t care.

The stuff on African and Asian people entering the country is grim.

[blueToffee]

Was doing the Guardian World Cup bracket, ooof England have a tough run. Didn't realise quite how bad it was potentially after the group stage.

Looks like the opposite of Southgate's fixture list.

[Bluedylan1]

It's a complicated question isn't it, the morality of sportswashing and glossing over horrendous politics for sporting events? I'm not sure there's a right answer really.

Like this World Cup was granted to the US in 2018, and the only other bid was Morocco. Obviously FIFA is wildly corrupt, but nobody could've known the political landscape and how the world would've changed in those 8 years. In theory a joint World Cup between the US, Canada and Mexico could've been a really joyous idea, uniting the North American continent in one giant celebration. From FIFA's POV it was probably viewed as a ''safe pair of hands'' type of WC, after Russia and Qatar and then global geopolitics have take things in a different direction.

Barring some giant war involving lots of countries, or saying the US invading Greenland, they weren't going to take it away from the US at this late stage.

For me, this World Cup now feels grubbier and dirtier than the ones in Russia and Qatar overall. I could be wrong but I don't recall a World Cup taking place where the hosts have launched an illegal military attack against one of the participants in the tournament in the months leading upto it. Not to mention abducting the President of Venezuela or supporting the extermination of Palestinians. World Cup hosts are usually on their best behaviour as part of the propaganda. The US is operating outside of international law consistently. If Russia invaded Ukraine just before the 2018 WC, there's absolutely no way the tournament would've stayed in Russia. Not a chance.

So as with many other things, there's different rules for the US than everybody else, even Putin's Russia.

A Somali referee and the entire Iranian team have been denied entry to the country. An Iraqi player has been interrogated for hours at customs, other teams have been subjected to intense security searches. Who knows what ICE will do during the tournament? The worst could be yet to come. This is all hanging over the tournament, and we're meant to just watch the togger and pretend everything's ok? As problematic as they were for different reasons, at least Russia and Qatar were open and welcoming to all competitors and supporters.

And then clearly the entire thing is going to be used as a pro-Trump, pro-MAGA propaganda exercise, which is nauseating. So yeah, it feels pretty horrible.

[Audrey Horne]

Yeah I don't agree with Ram that this is fabrication or over dramatic by the media etc.

This is really horrible.

One or two are bad enough jesus Christ. What a shit world.