World Cup 2026

[AlterEgo]

This treatment of African people is being done to make a point.

Absolutely. It is a disgrace.

 

[Forty29]

Never been so disinterested in a World Cup as this one. Probably won't watch much of it unless England reach the later stages.
I hear when the England manager was asked to name his World Cup team he said Spain!!

 

[thenorthern]

I wouldn't say the build up controversy has been more than at previous World Cups.

South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 has a lot of controversy in the build-up. In my opinion the last "great" World Cup was Germany 2006.

In my opinion, the worst thing about the 2026 World Cup is the 48 team World Cup. Sure I am a very big football fan and I like watching football but 48 teams is far too many in my opinion. The United Kingdom let alone England would struggle to have a 48 team World Cup.

The good thing about the United States hosting events like the World Cup is you have the stadia already there, you have the infustructure like airports already there and most of all you have the fans willing to pay to watch it.

 

[najaB]

The United Kingdom let alone England would struggle to have a 48 team World Cup.

Which is why this World Cup is actually being hosted in Canada and Mexico, in addition to the USA.

The good thing about the United States hosting events like the World Cup is you have the stadia already there, you have the infustructure like airports already there and most of all you have the fans willing to pay to watch it.

Normally, I would agree, but the ticket prices have put a lot of people off. For example, top-tier tickets for the the finals in Qatar were $1,600, for the final this year they are over $30,000.

And then there's the fact that many (most?) of the avid fans in the USA will be immigrants (legal or undocumented) and ICE have said that they will be in attendance at stadia...

 

[thenorthern]

Which is why this World Cup is actually being hosted in Canada and Mexico, in addition to the USA.

Normally, I would agree, but the ticket prices have put a lot of people off. For example, top-tier tickets for the the finals in Qatar were $1,600, for the final this year they are over $30,000.

And then there's the fact that many (most?) of the avid fans in the USA will be immigrants (legal or undocumented) and ICE have said that they will be in attendance at stadia...

Kind of sad, really. The 2002 World Cup was of course in Korea Japan which was largely due to the fact that FIFA wanted the World Cup in Asia but having multiple hosts is sad really.

While the United States is not known for being a big fan of association football and it being one of the few countries where assiciation football is the most popular sport there is still a sizable amount of American-born football fans there. If anything I would say association football is more popular in the United States than Canada. Of the 3 host nations however, Association Football is most popular in Mexico no question.

 

[najaB]

While the United States is not known for being a big fan of association football and it being one of the few countries where assiciation football is the most popular sport there is still a sizable amount of American-born football fans there. If anything I would say association football is more popular in the United States than Canada. Of the 3 host nations however, Association Football is most popular in Mexico no question.

I did make a mistake there - I meant to say "immigrant (legal or undocumented) and the descendants of recent immigrants".

There is a lot of evidence to say that most of those American-born fans are first or second-generation citizens. While a lot of suburban children of long-standing families play soccer, sports like American football, ice hockey, and baseball have a much greater cultural advantage which means that soccer has struggled to maintain interest into adulthood. Just look at the Superbowl and NFL finals and compare the level of interest that the MLS finals gets.

 

[Darandio]

If you're a fan of piss poor officiating then this is the World Cup for you.

 

[thenorthern]

I did make a mistake there - I meant to say "immigrant (legal or undocumented) and the descendants of recent immigrants".

There is a lot of evidence to say that most of those American-born fans are first or second-generation citizens. While a lot of suburban children of long-standing families play soccer, sports like American football, ice hockey, and baseball have a much greater cultural advantage which means that soccer has struggled to maintain interest into adulthood. Just look at the Superbowl and NFL finals and compare the level of interest that the MLS finals gets.

As a percentage yes but overall I would not be so sure. Association Football is growing massively in popularity in the USA. It is nowhere near as popular as it is in Europe but it's massively more popular than it was 30 years ago.

If you're a fan of piss poor officiating then this is the World Cup for you.

I wouldn't say it's just the officiating the World Cup and international football does not have the prestige as it used to. This will be controversial but I would say the UEFA Champions League final probably now generates more interest now than the World Cup does.

It's not just international football when I was a kid the FA Cup final generated a massive amount of interest from everyone. Now though if you think about it the FA Cup final generates nowhere near as much interest as it used to.

 

[AlterEgo]

If you're a fan of piss poor officiating then this is the World Cup for you.

Dreadful game ruined even further by three red cards, two of which were soft as hell. South Africa were appalling.

We even get a referee head cam that nobody asked for ever. Vile game and a fitting start to a stinky tournament.

 

[DarloRich]

We are in trouble. 3 red cards in a match without a foul.

Sigh. Games gone.

 

[AlterEgo]

ITV have a refereeing expert in the commentary box who helpfully tells us exactly by what method the referee is ruining the spectacle, another new innovation. Can we stop hearing from these people please?

 

[JD2168]

That wasn’t the dirtiest game I have ever seen & 3 red cards seemed a bit harsh.

Good to see Raul Jimenez score for Mexico, his first World Cup goal & at the Azteca as well after what happened when he had his head injury

 

[SuspectUsual]

First red - no argument

Second one - really?

Third one - not in a million years

 

[brad465]

The referee who gives the first red card to the US team is so getting deported straight after.

 

[Edsmith]

First red - no argument

Second one - really?

Third one - not in a million years

I thought they were all correct decisions although the second and third could be put in the debatable category.

 

[DarloRich]

I thought they were all correct decisions although the second and third could be put in the debatable category.

They were "correct" decisions in the football world of 2026 but none were actual red cards in any sensible football world.

The first was a clumsy bundleage
The second was a joke. Two players battling for a ball with a slight hand contact. The Mexican player should have been booked for rolling around.
The third was a defenders "take one for the team" challenge of the sort you see every week and wasn't a red card

You used to have to , you know, foul someone to get sent off.

If that is the standard of officiating at the W/C we will end up playing 7 v 7 !

 

[Peterthegreat]

For the first time in 60 years I have no interest this year.
Trump and Fifa have wrecked the tournament.

 

[SuspectUsual]

They were "correct" decisions in the football world of 2026 but none were actual red cards in any sensible football world.

The first was a clumsy bundleage
The second was a joke. Two players battling for a ball with a slight hand contact. The Mexican player should have been booked for rolling around.
The third was a defenders "take one for the team" challenge of the sort you see every week and wasn't a red card

You used to have to , you know, foul someone to get sent off.

If that is the standard of officiating at the W/C we will end up playing 7 v 7 !

1/3 correct for me

The first one has been a red card for the last 30 years, you'd be furious if a Darlo player was brought down like that and the opponent not sent off. It's a red card in a Sunday league match. The attacker didn't do any of the stuff that in our house is known as "the Anthony Gordons" - stuff like suddenly slowing down or moving sideways to initiate contact. Absolutely there was no intent, but that's not a consideration. Strict liability and all that

The second one was initially a foul by the Mexico player and the ref made it tough for himself by trying to play advantage, and then the VAR went full Mike Dean and tried to make it all about him, and the ref didn't have the cojones as they say in Mexico and didn't tell him to shut up

Third one is a bog standard yellow card. If they're considering DOGSO when they're on the corner of the penalty area it's going to be a long and tedious world cup. Well, its going to be that anyway, but you know what I mean

 

[Ivor]

For the first time in 60 years I have no interest this year.
Trump and Fifa have wrecked the tournament.

With you on that one although I’ll still be drawn in to watch England plus it could be quite a laugh watching the Final Presentation as surely Trump will be presented with the trophy? He must have arranged that.

Even retail, properties, vehicles & the like don’t seem to be decorated with flags, posters etc as much as previous World Cups.

 

[Giugiaro]

This will be controversial but I would say the UEFA Champions League final probably now generates more interest now than the World Cup does.

It really depends on the teams that reach the final. I was told that the AS Monaco v. FC Porto match in 2004 was the Champions League final with the lowest viewership rates since the new format was introduced in 1998.

That wasn’t the dirtiest game I have ever seen & 3 red cards seemed a bit harsh.

The 2006 Battle of Nuremberg. The referee was so trigger happy that the match devolved into an absolute free-for-all.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

There is a lot of evidence to say that most of those American-born fans are first or second-generation citizens. While a lot of suburban children of long-standing families play soccer, sports like American football, ice hockey, and baseball have a much greater cultural advantage which means that soccer has struggled to maintain interest into adulthood. Just look at the Superbowl and NFL finals and compare the level of interest that the MLS finals gets.

I have followed baseball for nearly 30 years and have been aware of many US-based discussions about the relative popularity of the different team sports. You may be surprised by the generally accepted rankings: NFL is easily the most popular followed by NBA. MLB is third but in a gradual long-term decline. Ice hockey is declining even more quickly so that "soccer" has just about overtaken NHL now and will likely surpass MLB at some point. A different story in Canada where ice hockey remains the national sport.

It is difficult to assign cultural influences to these rankings though the willingness of schoiols and colleges to support particular sports is a significant factor. Just as likely it's down to the relative willingness of the different sports' decision makers to make their sports easily available to watch on tv (and streaming too nowadays)

 

[najaB]

I have followed baseball for nearly 30 years and have been aware of many US-based discussions about the relative popularity of the different team sports. You may be surprised by the generally accepted rankings: NFL is easily the most popular followed by NBA. MLB is third but in a gradual long-term decline. Ice hockey is declining even more quickly so that "soccer" has just about overtaken NHL now and will likely surpass MLB at some point. A different story in Canada where ice hockey remains the national sport.

It is difficult to assign cultural influences to these rankings though the willingness of schoiols and colleges to support particular sports is a significant factor. Just as likely it's down to the relative willingness of the different sports' decision makers to make their sports easily available to watch on tv (and streaming too nowadays)

Oh, there's no doubt that the sports landscape is changing. Just look at the fact that NASCAR used to easily pull >100K people to events and now they often struggle to get even half of that - to the extent that they've downsized some venues to avoid the optics of empty stands.

But soccer is still seen as somewhat of a niche sport in much of the heartlands.

 

[Trackman]

Even retail, properties, vehicles & the like don’t seem to be decorated with flags, posters etc as much as previous World Cups.

I've noticed that, maybe because of problems at home and abroad and Trump; people don't seem to have an appetite for this world cup.

I'll still watch it when I can as I enjoy football.

 

[The exile]

There have been at least two prominent sporting events in the past used by dictatorships, the top two being Berlin 1936 Olympics and the Russia 2018 World Cup.

Let’s add in Moscow 1980!

 

[Tetchytyke]

ITV have a refereeing expert in the commentary box who helpfully tells us exactly by what method the referee is ruining the spectacle, another new innovation. Can we stop hearing from these people please?

I saw that ITV had dragged Christina Unkel out again for this tournament. They had her in 2024 too and she's absolutely awful, a 10W light bulb in a 100W fitting, the human equivalent of smashing yourself in the face with an iron skillet. She makes Mike Riley sound like a MENSA genius.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Jun 2026 ==

The Canadians have now decided to join the celebration and have banned Thomas Partey from their country. He’s been charged with rape but not been convicted, but the Canadians have still not let him in.

Weirdly, they’ve not been quite so firm in the past against lots of white men who’ve actually been convicted of rape.

 

[SuspectUsual]

He’s been charged with rape but not been convicted, but the Canadians have still not let him in.

According to the BBC the Canadian policy is "if you have committed or been convicted of a crime, you may not be allowed into Canada"

I'm sure there's some small print somewhere that excuses their decision though

 

[thenorthern]

There have been at least two prominent sporting events in the past used by dictatorships, the top two being Berlin 1936 Olympics and the Russia 2018 World Cup. In both of these events the regime went out of its way to appear tolerant and try and promote a positive image to quell concerns about their human rights, etc. Therefore, it's quite astonishing that Trump's regime isn't even bothering to do a "Potemkin tournament", they are just showing the brutal truth; if anything they are being even more brutal than if the World Cup wasn't on.

Let’s add in Moscow 1980!

Also the 1934 World Cup in Italy and the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.

The 2018 World Cup was an odd one, unlike Qatar there is a relatively big footballing history in Russia and they have a decent national team which until 2022 would normally qualify for international tournaments. Most football fans have heard of CSKA Moscow, Spartak Moscow and Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Given the Russian annexation of Crimea and given the questionable nature of how Russia was awarded the World Cup it of course became very conroversial

 

[najaB]

According to the BBC the Canadian policy is "if you have committed or been convicted of a crime, you may not be allowed into Canada"

The exact wording under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act is:

Serious criminality

• 36(1) A permanent resident or a foreign national is inadmissible on grounds of serious criminality for
  • (a) having been convicted in Canada of an offence under an Act of Parliament punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of at least 10 years, or of an offence under an Act of Parliament for which a term of imprisonment of more than six months has been imposed;
  • (b) having been convicted of an offence outside Canada that, if committed in Canada, would constitute an offence under an Act of Parliament punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of at least 10 years; or
  • (c) committing an act outside Canada that is an offence in the place where it was committed and that, if committed in Canada, would constitute an offence under an Act of Parliament punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of at least 10 years

Criminality

(2) A foreign national is inadmissible on grounds of criminality for

• (a) having been convicted in Canada of an offence under an Act of Parliament punishable by way of indictment, or of two offences under any Act of Parliament not arising out of a single occurrence;
• (b) having been convicted outside Canada of an offence that, if committed in Canada, would constitute an indictable offence under an Act of Parliament, or of two offences not arising out of a single occurrence that, if committed in Canada, would constitute offences under an Act of Parliament; or
• (c) committing an act outside Canada that is an offence in the place where it was committed and that, if committed in Canada, would constitute an indictable offence under an Act of Parliament.

It's notable that they specifically list "having been convicted of an offence" and "committing an act" which means that the presumption of innocence doesn't apply to immigration decisions.

 

[Broucek]

When I was travelling a great deal (before COVID) my personal experience of Canadian immigration is that it was much more tricky than US. (I'm white British and was travelling on business

 

[najaB]

When I was travelling a great deal (before COVID) my personal experience of Canadian immigration is that it was much more tricky than US. (I'm white British and was travelling on business

The impression that I've formed (rightly or wrongly) is that Canadian immigration are more strict but also more consistent, where the US system seems to be much more based on the whim of the officer on the day.