World Cup 2026

Footballers banned, officials banned, fans banned. Teams facing travel disruption. Crazy ticket prices, crazy transport prices. All the indications are that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be a disaster. FIFA has sold the soul of football by giving the tournament to the United States and allowing it to be a tool in Trump's sportswashing.

The last two World Cups were in Russia, which had already invaded Crimea by then, and Qatar, which used slave labor to build the stadiums, so FIFA has always been short on ethics. That said, the 2022 tournament was one of the best in terms of football, maybe because it was played mid-season and in the end, people concentrated on the football.

I've always been enthralled by the World Cup; my earliest memory was Northern Ireland v Brazil in 1986, England v Paraguay on the same evening as the Rovers Return fire in Coronation Street, and of course, Maradona. I wasn't too emotionally involved, but I remember it.

By 1990, I was obsessed by the tournament. Ireland had qualified, with their first game v England. Subsequent tournaments I've been excited by each one but a little less than the one before.  



For what it's worth, here are my World Cup predictions:

Scotland to come second in their group

England to come second in theirs.

Iran to eliminate the USA in Texas on 3rd July

Spain to take home the teophy.



I'm not expecting much from this World Cup. Afternoon games played at walking pace in near empty stadiums.  But anyway, lets sit back and see what happens

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