World Cup 2026

Ithryn Luin said:
Many said that about the last 4 World Cups for different reasons. All of them turned out to be good.

This one will be no different.
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There’s a difference though - Russia and Qatar both had a vested interest to be seen as modern, global and tolerant hosts. As problematic as they were there was never a scenario where they’d price gouge transport or block officials and players from entering the country. They ultimately did what they could to ensure the smooth running of the event because the reputational aspect was the entire point for them.

The US has no interest in portraying itself favourably. They don’t care for the sport at all and they care even less about what other nations think of them. All they care about is extorting cash and stroking Trump’s ego. That much has becoming incredibly apparent.

It’s easy to say the other referees should be boycotting the event until Omar is permitted entry, much harder for them to do. These referees aren’t millionaires like the players, they rely on these events for their livelihoods. It’s the national associations that should be kicking up a fuss, they have all the leverage. I’m not holding my breath though.
 
SkyBlueFlux said:
There’s a difference though - Russia and Qatar both had a vested interest to be seen as modern, global and tolerant hosts. As problematic as they were there was never a scenario where they’d price gouge transport or block officials and players from entering the country. They ultimately did what they could to ensure the smooth running of the event because the reputational aspect was the entire point for them.

The US has no interest in portraying itself favourably. They don’t care for the sport at all and they care even less about what other nations think of them. All they care about is extorting cash and stroking Trump’s ego. That much has becoming incredibly apparent.

It’s easy to say the other referees should be boycotting the event until Omar is permitted entry, much harder for them to do. These referees aren’t millionaires like the players, they rely on these events for their livelihoods. It’s the national associations that should be kicking up a fuss, they have all the leverage. I’m not holding my breath though.
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Of course but it's the same for all people who pull their services & go on strike.
Sometimes, you just have to do the decent thing in life
 
TFC said:
Its going to be really fucking shit.

I used to love the world cup :(
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Yep - I don't know your age, but certainly, as a kid in the 70s, excited/nervous about playing all these exotic teams with players that you'd only heard about in stories, it was really magical, wasn't it? Especially in 1970 (8 years old), where all the talk around school was about this incredible 'Pee-lee' that all our dads had told us about.

These days, watching opposing players slapping each other on the back and hugging in the tunnel ('Hi Pal - see you at the Adidas photo shoot next week?'), when we could watch every single game they played - if we had the inclination - there's zero mystery or romance any more.

Petty it may be, but I've spent more time in this build-up celebrating the daily embarrassments to trump and FIFA then I have in giving a toss about England or their chances. Genuinely sad - kids today miss out on so much.
 
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Iranian fans now not allowed any tickets FFS.

Iran's allocation of fan tickets for the group stage of the World Cup has been revoked just days before the start of the tournament, says the country's football federation.

The World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, begins on Thursday, with Iran scheduled to play New Zealand on 15 June and Belgium on 21 June - both in Los Angeles - before facing Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.

Iran's governing body says Fifa regulations state each federation involved in the World Cup receives 8% of the tickets for each of their matches, to distribute to supporters.

It added that it had already begun selling tickets but can no longer provide them to fans, some of whom have already made travel arrangements.

"Depriving Iranian supporters of access to their lawful and official allocation of tickets is an action contrary to the spirit of governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries," the FFIRI statement said.

"This development raises serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political considerations in the organisation of the world's biggest football event."

The FFIRI also called on Fifa "to uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations
 
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