World Cup 2026

[zuricity]

I wont be watching it.

I hope it is a disaster.

Infantino needs to be removed.

Who took the petals off your edelweiss FFS

Harry, i have not got a clue, what on earth are you crapping on about ? Edelweiss ? A spring flower in the lowlands

[CTID Hants]

It's rumoured that both the beeb and itv are going to ignore half time shows and follow normal half time analysis.

The yanks pushed for game to be split into 4, like the pansies version of rugby, fifa have spun it apparently, there will be 3 minute water breaks each half, about the same as an advert break....

[Nickyboy]

It's rumoured that both the beeb and itv are going to ignore half time shows and follow normal half time analysis.

The yanks pushed for game to be split into 4, like the pansies version of rugby, fifa have spun it apparently, there will be 3 minute water breaks each half, about the same as an advert break....

That's not the yanks pushing for quarters. It's worldwide protocol when playing football at high temps now. Had the water breaks in Qatar as well.

[CTID Hants]

It's rumoured that both the beeb and itv are going to ignore half time shows and follow normal half time analysis.

The yanks pushed for game to be split into 4, like the pansies version of rugby, fifa have spun it apparently, there will be 3 minute water breaks each half, about the same as an advert break....

That's not the yanks pushing for quarters. It's worldwide protocol when playing football at high temps now. Had the water breaks in Qatar as well.

Fair play, but why are FIFA picking countries to the detriment of the players? Rhetorical question, we all fucking know why!

[zuricity]

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/arti ... yrzl46d4ro


It's what the us does all the time ! The Attorneys General of NY and NJ have subpoenaed FIFA for ticket irregularities and practises.

[stevefromdonny]

17 of our players are going, our pre season again will be fucked, but atleast quite a few other teams have quite a few players going so there pre season will be fucked

[Slim]

17 of our players are going, our pre season again will be fucked, but atleast quite a few other teams have quite a few players going so there pre season will be fucked

Depends on how many of those 17 go deep in the competition, so English players should be on the plane home before it has a chance to refuel.

[BlueinBosnia]

I've got very, very little interest in this. I struggle with CL kick-off times, so won't be staying up to watch international football that kicks off in the same (or a later) time slot. If there's an interesting game in one of the afternoon/evening slots, I might watch it and stay tuned for later games, but can't see myself staying awake after 23:30 CET for anything. As we don't have a TV, it's pubs/outdoor screenings, friend's house or phone/laptop for this, none of which I do late at night.

On the other side, checking the scores will probably be one of the first things I do when I wake up. And the attendances. And I'll be interested to see the potential logistical/organizational chaos of what will probably be the Germany v France game in Philadelphia on 4 July, what with all the 250th anniversary celebrations going on that day, as well as Infantino's attempts at spin for everything that goes wrong. I honestly reckon that at least one match won't go ahead at all, whether it's due to border chaos, various kinds of protests, or the weather.

Overall, it's the anthropologist in me that's interested in this World Cup, rather than the football (or 'soccer', as we're going to hear it called on our screens for the next 6 weeks) fan.

[CBEM]

I'm trying to muster an interest in this but it's just now happening for me, maybe we as fans need a break from football as much as footballers do because it's wall to wall saturation.

When they removed pride for your country they removed the pride you can feel for your national team, might as well care or not care because the money men and politicians have ripped the soul out of it.

You can be a nationalistic flag shagger but only on the days we say you can, any other day your a white pale bigot.

[nottsblue]

2026
Premier League clubs
Use the column header buttons to sort columns by ascending or descending orderCurrently not sorted


Man City
19

Newcastle
8

Arsenal
16

Fulham
7

Man Utd
13

Wolves
7

C Palace
12

Bournemouth
6

Chelsea
11

Nott'm F
6

Liverpool
11

Burnley
5

Sunderland
11

West Ham
5

Aston Villa
10

Brentford
4

Tottenham
9

Everton
4

Brighton
8

Leeds
4


We have the most players away at the World Cup of any world wide club with 19, representing 19 countries

And we’ve probably got near enough another dozen former alumni there as well

[BlueinBosnia]

Another downside of the World Cup is that it's looking increasingly likely our new manager will only have 1 pre-season friendly with the team (1 August in Hong Kong, although we'll likely play a couple of behind-closed-doors games at Carrington, too).

[sheblue]

Maybe its me getting old and grumpy, but the WC for me has lost a lot of its appeal, for many tournaments now.

I looked at the list of first round games, and there's countries there I have cant remember even hearing about.
And this stuff having it in 3 countries, thats a bit muck.

Too commercial now, too much greed, too much lust for money over football.

As pointed out by many it will only have a negative affect on the start of the next season.

[BlueinBosnia]

I looked at the list of first round games, and there's countries there I have cant remember even hearing about.
And this stuff having it in 3 countries, thats a bit muck.

The next one is in 6 countries on 3 continents! After that, it's off to Saudi Arabia, where it's yet to be determined whether it will be held in summer or winter. However, in 2034, Ramadan runs from mid November to mid December, so, considering it's Saudi, I have no idea how they'd plan to pull a winter WC off, considering eating and drinking in public are illegal, and most of those working at and around the matches would be fasting... My best guess is that the rules will be relaxed around designated fan zones, so you can only eat and drink in those (with FIFA and the hosts setting the prices) or inside hotels during daylight hours.

[carl_feedthegoat]

I'm trying to muster an interest in this but it's just now happening for me, maybe we as fans need a break from football as much as footballers do because it's wall to wall saturation.

When they removed pride for your country they removed the pride you can feel for your national team, might as well care or not care because the money men and politicians have ripped the soul out of it.

You can be a nationalistic flag shagger but only on the days we say you can, any other day your a white pale bigot.

I'm not far off where you stand.
I despise this government and its cabal of total and utter cunts with a passion. They're destroying what's left of our once proud nation. Because of that, I won't be fully invested in the World Cup and I won't go out of my way to watch it either.
It's a sad state of affairs — going from a fanatical England supporter in every sense to someone who couldn't really give two fucks.
P.S. My Earl Grey still tastes great though.

[CBEM]

The first world cup I can remember was 1966 and it doesn't get any better than that, bunting street parties everyone cheering the national side on. The 1970's world cup was exceptional too but for the exotic reasons watching players you'd never heard of play football you've never seen before.

Busy cunts have ruined the game.

[CTID Hants]

2026
Premier League clubs
Use the column header buttons to sort columns by ascending or descending orderCurrently not sorted


Man City
19

Newcastle
8

Arsenal
16

Fulham
7

Man Utd
13

Wolves
7

C Palace
12

Bournemouth
6

Chelsea
11

Nott'm F
6

Liverpool
11

Burnley
5

Sunderland
11

West Ham
5

Aston Villa
10

Brentford
4

Tottenham
9

Everton
4

Brighton
8

Leeds
4


We have the most players away at the World Cup of any world wide club with 19, representing 19 countries

And we’ve probably got near enough another dozen former alumni there as well

Saw a video yesterday ridiculing gooners for coming 2nd AGAIN

[Im_Spartacus]

I looked at the list of first round games, and there's countries there I have cant remember even hearing about.
And this stuff having it in 3 countries, thats a bit muck.

The next one is in 6 countries on 3 continents! After that, it's off to Saudi Arabia, where it's yet to be determined whether it will be held in summer or winter. However, in 2034, Ramadan runs from mid November to mid December, so, considering it's Saudi, I have no idea how they'd plan to pull a winter WC off, considering eating and drinking in public are illegal, and most of those working at and around the matches would be fasting... My best guess is that the rules will be relaxed around designated fan zones, so you can only eat and drink in those (with FIFA and the hosts setting the prices) or inside hotels during daylight hours.

In recent years the rules around Ramadan have been relaxed significantly in the gulf. Erosion of these traditions is well underway....in UAE for example, in the last 5 years ramadan is like any other day, while even in the more conservative countries like KSA, coffee shops and restaurants are open but screened/windows covered. Saudi will be the same - it's necessary for the country to attract the international talent to it's financial center in Riyadh and tourists to the red sea resorts.

It will have to be a winter tournament in Saudi, in which case Ifthar will be around 530-6pm local, and I think we can expect games to be 8-10-12pm local time, which would be 5-7-9pm in UK

All that aside, Fifa can go fuck themselves - what's funny in all this is that everyone talks about the bribery of Russia, Qatar, Saudi, but nobody questions how USA got the nod - wheras current situations perhaps might shine a light to the world that the Americans involved in the World Cup bid are just as bent and corrupt than any of those previously accused.

Given the temperatures in most of the football playing world being tricky in summer, I think the argument moving forwards should perhaps be more centred on whether the world cup should be in the winter unless it's well south of the equator - the world didn't stop turning in european leagues.

[nottsblue]

My own Give-A-Fuck-Ometer regarding International football long ago ran out of 50p’s.

Be very surprised if I sat down and watched any of it. In fact, when the wife is watching England I shall purposefully go out of the room and avoid like the plague

My interest will be in hoping our boys come home as early as possible and unscathed

[nottsblue]

https://news.sky.com/story/fifa-bans-fa ... s-13550708

Defies belief

[Harry Dowd scored]

Have to admit I have very little interest in World Cup, years ago yes, not now. Loads of reasons posters have highlighted like the erosion of the country, however the final turd in the water pipe was when the players started taking the knee. Bad enough in the PL, but the English national team urggggghhhhn.
So it’s a massive no from me.