World Cup 2026

[N1985]

They have held numerous successful Olympics over the years and the 1994 World Cup was one of the best.

Too much USA bashing going on for my liking, the majority of those doing it have never visited or worked there, I have.

It is their country and it is up to them who they let in and who they do not.

Hi Donald

 

[super_city_si]

They have held numerous successful Olympics over the years and the 1994 World Cup was one of the best.

Too much USA bashing going on for my liking, the majority of those doing it have never visited or worked there, I have.

It is their country and it is up to them who they let in and who they do not.

Lol 94 was fucking shit

 

[WiganBlue1986]

Lol 94 was fucking shit

First World Cup I remember that and outside of England not qualifying, Ray Houghton worldie against Italy, the Brazilian baby celebration, Baggio missing and some poor Colombian being shot dead after his own goal, not a lot really happened

 

[Middedon]

I have thought a lot of this because I am generally embarrassed by 95% of what goes on in my country right now. But the World Cup is what made me interested in football and eventually made me a City fan. My youngest was born during the WC and now I’m taking him to a game.

So even though I feel sheepish about it, I’m excited. And with all the terrible things in the world right now, I’m trying to lean into that joy.

I hope any fans that come to the US and all the players have personal experiences here that are joyful and welcoming (even if our govt is not).

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

I have thought a lot of this because I am generally embarrassed by 95% of what goes on in my country right now. But the World Cup is what made me interested in football and eventually made me a City fan. My youngest was born during the WC and now I’m taking him to a game.

So even though I feel sheepish about it, I’m excited. And with all the terrible things in the world right now, I’m trying to lean into that joy.

I hope any fans that come to the US and all the players have personal experiences here that are joyful and welcoming (even if our govt is not).

I wouldn't say I know the States well, but I have been in Massachusetts — Hopkinton, as it happens, maybe you know it — Connecticut, California, and Georgia. Four different trips. Very different regions. I enjoyed all my trips. I have no problems with the Americans having the World Cup, I hope they enjoy it, but a basic principle of the World Cup is being ridden over roughshod by the American administration. You do not refuse a FIFA-accredited referee, whose papers and visa are apparently all in order, on no other basis than that you have declared his or her country a rogue state. You do not refuse entry to fans of another country, Iran, who are in no way responsible for their regime, (who probably detest it in fact), because you happen to have decided that you dislike that regime and want it toppled. This is a basic principle of being awarded these events in the first place. Your duty as a country is to welcome the world, unless you have active and firm grounds for considering someone a terrorist or a criminal.
That's it, there's no other basis. No country should be awarded these events — the World Cup, the Euros, the Olympics — unless this basic contract of honour is respected.
I fell in love with football precisely because of the World Cup. I do not come from a footballing family at all, nobody in my family was a supporter of anyone (still less, City), it was the fever of 1966 and winning it that woke me up to football. Never in my life have I seen any World Cup treated in this way. It's off to an incredibly bad start, and that's without talking about unbridled capitalism scamming ordinary match-going people mercilessly. Which is a different issue, but still pretty revolting. Homosexuality is, I believe, against the law in Qatar, but even there I did not hear of people being refused entry to the World Cup because they'd been identified by the secret services of Qatar as gay or lesbian.
As so often, and it's something I've noticed again and again and again in my lifetime: the American government and administration, and to some extent the American people, seem to just consider that there is one law for them, and another for the rest of the world. Just fuck the rest of the world, in fact.
I'm sick of it. I've had good American friends all my life, but I'm just fed up to the back teeth with that attitude. I cannot separate all that from the football, as if football takes place in a bubble, and that is why I shall be occupying my summer in other ways. Because I listen to the radio, and keep myself informed about the news, I will be told, I suppose, who won. But it is a matter of total indifference to me — and yes, that includes whether England win it.

 

[super_city_si]

First World Cup I remember that and outside of England not qualifying, Ray Houghton worldie against Italy, the Brazilian baby celebration, Baggio missing and some poor Colombian being shot dead after his own goal, not a lot really happened

I pretty much remember the shit baby celebration, pasty Irish players nearly burning to death in New York and some bald geezer for Bulgaria scoring as they beat Germany. Oh and one of the worst finals ive ever seen

Thankfully i was in Tenerife for most of it

 

[RobMCFC]

I pretty much remember the shit baby celebration, pasty Irish players nearly burning to death in New York and some bald geezer for Bulgaria scoring as they beat Germany. Oh and one of the worst finals ive ever seen

Thankfully i was in Tenerife for most of it

I agree. 78, 82, 86, 90 and 98 were all far better.

Having said that, there was a superb moment when the highly-fancied Colombians farted around with the ball for ages, Romania nicked it off them and Hagi scored an incredible goal. Definitely one of my favourite World Cop moments.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

I pretty much remember the shit baby celebration, pasty Irish players nearly burning to death in New York and some bald geezer for Bulgaria scoring as they beat Germany. Oh and one of the worst finals ive ever seen

Thankfully i was in Tenerife for most of it

My favourite moment of WC94 was being in a bar in Germany the night they lost to Bulgaria.

That was a fun night. :-)

 

[super_city_si]

My favourite moment of WC94 was being in a bar in Germany the night they lost to Bulgaria.

That was a fun night. :-)

haha that would be pretty epic. The only reason i remember that game is cos we were getting pissed in Las Americas and there were plenty of Germans

 

[willipp]

I pretty much remember the shit baby celebration, pasty Irish players nearly burning to death in New York and some bald geezer for Bulgaria scoring as they beat Germany. Oh and one of the worst finals ive ever seen

Thankfully i was in Tenerife for most of it

It was the first world cup i remember when England didn't qualify and at the time i was mortified and it put a massive dampener on the whole thing. I was 19 and the first world cup i was going to the pubs for, so for England not to be there was just shite. Loved 82, 86 and 90, but for me 94 was so forgettable and maybe for that reason.

As for this world cup there is a long fucking list as to why its absolutely shite. The top of that list for me is how diluted the competition is now. I used to plan my weeks during the group games for which games were absolute must watches and there would be some crackers to look forward to. I went through the fixtures the other day and my god its poor. Out of 70+ group games i bet there aren't more than 10 that you'd remotely get excited about.

 

[heslops barnet]

52 pages and the shit show hasn’t started yet…..

 

[thelegde]

Listening to Tuchel, he's a big fan of Nico. Join the club Tommy.

 

[BlueNomad]

As so often, and it's something I've noticed again and again and again in my lifetime: the American government and administration, and to some extent the American people, seem to just consider that there is one law for them, and another for the rest of the world. Just fuck the rest of the world, in fact.

Having been raised in England, but living my adult life in the U.S., I can honestly say that while many Americans do have the feeling that America is great, is strong, and is possibly the greatest country in the world (“We’re #1” foam fingers are not just for college football games!), it has all become less of a feeling and more of a full-throated, in your face, yell…led by POTUS, and the likes of Hegseth, who helps wield the power behind the sentiment.

America the Beautiful (which it is in so many ways, and places, and people) has been replaced as America the Crass, America the Craven, America the Bully and, in the eyes of many today, and perhaps history itself, America the Stupid.

As we’d have said growing up, with typical British understatement, “it’s not a good look.” The crass, craven, bullying stupidity is not the look a supposed strong and powerful nation should be exhibiting, as it undermines the very traits it wants to project. The more you say you’re strong, the weaker you sound, even if only your mentality.

America is at an inflection point and, when Trump is gone, it is going to have to decide both who and what it wants to be in the world.

Currently, a blunt object, driven by childhood trauma and an excruciating lack of education and worldliness, is beating the world about the head and body with its perceived areagance backed by its military might and ability to print money like no country on earth.

One hopes that when the blunt object is replaced, the American people will have seen enough to know this is not the road down which they want their children, their children’s children, and their children’s children’s children want to go, or the global perspective they want to inherit.

One hopes.

One hopes there are enough people who understand there is a world of collective good and evil beyond our shores and that while we have been aligned with much of the good, and opposed to much of the bad, we cannot retreat to those shores and tell the rest of the world, “We’re alright, Jack! You take care of yourself!”

In my lifetime, we have seen a few pivots, some of them monumental and historical, such as the one made by Obama taking over from Bush. However, the current placeholder passing through is attempting to change America, both mentally and physically, into a country that not only finds it hard to “go back” mentally, but finds it physically impossible, because it has irretrievably ruined the relationships nurtured over the last 85 years.

One hopes that is not the case, and that our REAL friends and allies understand that we are living in anomalous times and that normal service can be resumed, even if our actions have made it impossible to be fully embraced by those friends and allies for many years to come.

To only slightly paraphrase Maya Angelou, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.”

We have shown ourselves to not deserve the trust of many friends and allies, but the hope is that the league of peaceful, economically entwined nations, with whom we once counted ourselves a fully paid up member, will see the current differences for themselves and understand that our young country was just having a tantrum from which we have snapped out, and are ready to resume our long relationships and friendships.

One hopes.

Sadly, the World Cup, and possibly the 2028 Olympics, are illuminating America in the dark light of the present and making the decades of friendship very difficult to hold in balance.

This, too, shall pass…one hopes.

Lastly, I will say that we’ve shared so many good things, from culture to an almost common language (!), but who doesn’t love a good, old American cop show, like Starsky and Hutch? And, as if by magic, who wouldn’t trust one of those guys to take good care of us when things get bad?

In fact, David Soul may have even said it best himself…

 

[East Level 2]

Genuinely think they'd be less fuss hosting this if it was in North Korea. America are showing themselves up on a generational level.

They are showing themselves up on a presidential level.

 

[expatblue]

What will you say will be a mark of success, empty stadiums, sky high ticket prices, $10 for a bottle of water, if success is measured in terms of money then possibly but I’d say it would be packed stadiums of fans from all over the world not a select few.

Football has changed, you have to have a bit of loose wealth to attend games now, it'll be mostly America versions of teams fans that attend anyway. Money has taken over and we can't be surprised that it has.

Maybe football fans should just stop going?

 

[normskih]

First World Cup I remember that and outside of England not qualifying, Ray Houghton worldie against Italy, the Brazilian baby celebration, Baggio missing and some poor Colombian being shot dead after his own goal, not a lot really happened

Oh yes, wasn’t he the Scot who played for Rep of Ireland:)

 

[normskih]

Of course, President Trump would say it’s the Strongest Ever.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

 

[i kne albert davy]

Be Southgates fault.

 

[FLManc]

Ale house, Altamont Springs ?

Horse and Jockey, South Pasadena FL