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World Cup 2026

Are any of you guys watching the World Cup this year?

I've not been a big fan of soccer/football/futbol but I've always appreciated the World Cup. Nothing better than the hunt for the most prized trophy in the worlds biggest game.

Not gonna lie though. I wish it, along with the Olympics, were being held elsewhere or at a later year.

Besides your own countries, what teams should I be on the lookout for?

Still feeling Poland's loss to qualify, ouch.

Years ago, I had planned on visiting with wife and son and doing a massive tour of North America to show them where I grew up. Now I want to stay as far away from the States as possible. Shame.

That said, it's coming home.

France and Spain are the juggernauts. A few SA countries are in the mix. I think Tuchel knows what he's doing. Kane is such a cool lad and great role model despite all the fuckheads in the sport. Cheering for him to do well.

Have a friend from here in Austria going for all of their matches. Look forward to hearing his stories.

Really hope a country no one expects to do well does well.

The temporary seating looked pretty janky from the highway. I too wish it was held elsewhere

so i guess im gonna have to go to hard rock at least once when it comes to miami, cause thats kinda history and i live right here so what am i gonna say later, oh yeah i watched it on tv 20 mins from my house :p

i don't even care what teams it is :p that sounds fake but its real.

Spain and France are the obvious favourites. Portugal have probably the best squad after those two, although they're critically hampered by the presence of a carved wooden idol of Cristiano Ronaldo up front. I expect England to underperform in this one - I don't think we'll cope very well with the heat.

I personally don't think any of the South American teams look that strong this time around. Messi is surely too old to drag Argentina deep into another tournament these days, and Brazil have been so bad they almost didn't qualify. But then, these teams tend to benefit from big travelling support when the tournament is in the Americas and they'll be better adapted to the temperatures. I wouldn't be entirely surprised if, say, Uruguay, ended up having a good tournament.

The key detail that it's the first time the World Cup has been expanded to 48 teams, which means it's bloated with clogger nations like Haiti, Cape Verde and Scotland who would never have qualified in the old format. This means there's no real tough group stages this time round, and the big nations are really going to have to be actively terrible to not at least qualify for the knockout stages. So don't expect too many shocks early on, and also don't expect a great deal of drama.

Based on everyone's feedback, it sounds like the first round of matches are lame.

France vs Senegal
Spain vs Cape Verde (i didn't even this country existed)
Germany vs Curacao
Portugal vs DR Congo

and so forth.

How is the US team looking? Lame as usual?

I live in one of the host cities, and they're doing a lot to try to hype it up like its the 2010 Winter Olympics again. Organizers are starting to sober to the reality that no one can afford the ridiculous ticket prices for a bunch of scrub games, much less the global travel costs even getting here now.

Still not as bad as the games hosted in the States tho'.

The top 5 favourites according to the voices in my head:

1. The Netherlands: My dark orange horse. I don't care what anyone but Joachim Klement says. If he says the Oranje have a shot, I might as well get a two-stripe tattoo down my arms and pray that the ghosts of Cruijff past bless the team. If there's a team whose World Cup victory is long overdue, it's Holland.
   
2. South Korea: Am I biased? Yes. Did they avenge us by beating Germany at the following World Cup, which both explains why I'm biased and why everything is possible? Also yes. Do they have Seoul? Also yes. I rest my case, even if I know these lads won't give my old heart any rest.
   
3. Brazil: Hear me out. I know we're probably the weakest team out of the whole lot here because we staggered through qualifying with all the elegance of a fridge being pushed uphill (I'm not that delusional), but there is a strange pattern in Brazilian football history. And that is, when qualifying looks suspiciously cursed, the World Cup sometimes goes weirdly well. It happened in 2002, and 1994 was not exactly a serene Buddhist meditation either (Thanks, Baggio!). So, do I think we'll win? No. Am I asking way too many rhetorical questions in this post? Yes. Does that make us favourites by default? Also yes. Delulu is our only solulu.
   
4. France: It's not just that I believe France have what it takes to reach a third final in a row. That would be nice. It's not even that I want France to have as many World Cup trophies as Argentina. That would be nicer. It's because I want Macron to descend upon MetLife Stadium, greet the winning team, and then squeeze Trump's tiny little hand in another passive-aggressive handshake. That would be nicest.
   
5. Portugal: I admit this one is personal. Italy already have seven World Cup wins (four as Italy, three disguised as Argentina) and I'm a little sour. Since the whole Portuguese nation is basically Ronaldo and a Brazilian in a trench coat, I feel we can sort of enjoy a vicarious happiness for our brethren across the ocean.

1. Spain: I don't make the rules. The top favourite by betting houses and FIFA Rankings has never won a World Cup somehow, except for Spain in 2010. So they're good, but apparently one can be too good, and they've already pulled it off once. Twice? That's a K-Pop group.
   
2. Argentina: Sure, a team can win back-to-back World Cups. Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962. But we had the world's greatest footballer back then. And, we also had Pel�, not just Garrincha at that.
   
3. Jamaica: The reason I say this is very simple - I made you look, didn't I? You actually had to check whether Jamaica were playing because, if DR Congo and Uzbekistan both made it, why wouldn't Jamaica have joined them, right? But no. They lost the play-off. Football giveth, Axel Tuanzebe taketh away.
   
4. Brazil:Yes, I know I mentioned us among the top five contenders, but all we've got this year is Schr�dinger's Sele��o - we're terrible unless we aren't. Besides, I mocked our hermanos out of sheer unfounded sibling rivalry, so it would feel dishonest not to make fun of ourselves too, given our recent record. Might as well pretend we're Colombia for better results.
   
5. England: It's not that I don't believe England have what it takes to reach the final. I believe they do. It's not even that I don't want England to match France in World Cup wins and keep the rivalry alive. I sort of hope they do. It's just that they've broken my heart too many times whenever I think they have a shot. It's obvious they always do. Besides, there's a chance they'll melt somewhere between Arlington, Boston and New Jersey like a tactical plan left on a Mini Austin dashboard. I can only hope the air-conditioning is elite. Otherwise, I don't think it's going home this time either, unfortunately.

Center holds it! Holds it!! HOLDS IT!!

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.
Unlikely by far - what if Iran win gold?

everything will still be okay

Eat your heart out, Nate Silver! Through the noble scientific method the Romans would've called Codingus Vibeo, I've devised a football model until the numbers stopped screaming, and now I can play with a World Cup prediction spreadsheet based mostly on Elo ratings and simulated tournament paths. Same Elo obsession as ever, but on 'roids.

Unfortunately, I don't know how to simulate strained hamstrings, Adagio for Strings, Neymar's ankle, and this sort of things, but it's fun.

According to my number crunching Delphi Oracle, Spain really are the favourites, with a 19.5% chance of winning the whole thing, reason my heart has eliminated them already. Argentina follow with 14.8%. France lurk at 10.4%, blah, blah, blah, and Brazil (my beloved fridge being pushed uphill) sit at 4.8%. I haven't updated the Elo ratings after our victory over the land of the Tahiti Brown gods, but this is what matters to me:

South Korea have a 75.3% chance of reaching the Round of 32. Then a 37.5% chance of advancing to the next round. Then 14.2%. Then 4.3%. Then 1.3%. And finally, there is a 0.4% chance of Son Heung-min lifting the World Cup.

It is not a large timeline. It is not a sensible timeline. It is probably held together with duct tape, stoppage-time chaos, and a suspicious number of 1�0 wins. But it exists.

We're in the timeline in which Trump became president. So why the hell not? It is not zero.

quote:

Originally posted by Lira The Netherlands: My dark orange horse. I don't care what anyone but Joachim Klement says. If he says the Oranje have a shot, I might as well get a two-stripe tattoo down my arms and pray that the ghosts of Cruijff past bless the team. If there's a team whose World Cup victory is long overdue, it's Holland.

Lira are you on glue? Overdue is right but that team they barely manage to locate the opposite side of the pitch against Uzbekistan, they're not even going to make the quarters.

quote:

Originally posted by Midlothian Lira are you on glue? Overdue is right but that team they barely manage to locate the opposite side of the pitch against Uzbekistan, they're not even going to make the quarters.

Hey, you let me enjoy my stroopwafel-induced sugar high in peace!

Look, I'm already bracing myself for disappointment after pinning nearly all my hopes on South Korea and Brazil. Even according to my model, there's only a 6% chance that one of these teams might win, and the distribution is kind of skewed, to say the least. Do you really want to break my heart when even my model gives a Dutch triumph roughly half that percentage? Do you want to shatter my dreams when my dusty orange jersey is always ready for brief bouts of world exploration every four years, only to be shoved back into the drawer without being replaced by a newer, more starred successor?

The Netherlands have conquered the sea. The Netherlands have conquered whatever makes Gouda cheese that damn good. Dare to dream that this is your shot at conquering the world! 🧡

quote:

Originally posted by Lira Hey, you let me enjoy my stroopwafel-induced sugar high in peace! Look, I'm already bracing myself for disappointment after pinning nearly all my hopes on South Korea and Brazil. Even according to my model, there's only a 6% chance that one of these teams might win, and the distribution is kind of skewed, to say the least. Do you really want to break my heart when even my model gives a Dutch triumph roughly half that percentage? Do you want to shatter my dreams when my dusty orange jersey is always ready for brief bouts of world exploration every four years, only to be shoved back into the drawer without being replaced by a newer, more starred successor? The Netherlands have conquered the sea. The Netherlands have conquered whatever makes Gouda cheese that damn good. Dare to dream that this is your shot at conquering the world! 🧡

quote:

Originally posted by Midlothian Lira are you on glue? Overdue is right but that team they barely manage to locate the opposite side of the pitch against Uzbekistan, they're not even going to make the quarters.

What on Earth has happened to Dutch football, Mid? Where have all the players gone?

quote:

Originally posted by Midlothian

Footage of Netherlands 2 x 1 Japan, Saturday, colourised

Edit: Turns out my model isn't as bullish as I am. Well, I'm not one to let reality hamper my optimism when it comes to football. NED 1 x 0 JAP, apparently is the most likely result, but I stand by what I said.

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J What on Earth has happened to Dutch football, Mid? Where have all the players gone?

Inclined to say the academies are mostly producing weaklings; it's no coincidence e.g. almost everyone who leaves Ajax for abroad at top leagues fails. Bastards are too spoiled to work hard and maybe it is just bad luck there's no new Sneijder or Robben let alone a Bergkamp or Vd Sar. Does Frenkie do anything but pass the ball back to someone behind him over at Barcelona? But former top players who become managers seem to mostly fail as well since they don't have what it takes, except one or two who weren't top players but end up managing teams like Liverpool for a few seasons. So few good strong players, fewer strong managers, lousy policy at the top clubs. Everything goes to fuck!

Dutch academies were always some of the best in the world, though. The tactical intelligence of Dutch players was second to none, not to mention the technique. Something seems to have happened though in the last decade. How can the nation that gave us Cruyff, Van Basten, Bergkamp, Sneijder, Van Persie and Robben be going into a World Cup with a carthorse like Wout Weghorst anywhere near the first team?

quote:

Originally posted by Lira Footage of Netherlands 2 x 1 Japan, Saturday, colourised Edit: Turns out my model isn't as bullish as I am. Well, I'm not one to let reality hamper my optimism when it comes to football. NED 1 x 0 JAP, apparently is the most likely result, but I stand by what I said.

I'm just waiting for whatever crazy shit might happen in the US, or in Mexico at the opening.

quote:

Originally posted by Midlothian I'm just waiting for whatever crazy shit might happen in the US, or in Mexico at the opening.

My money is on angry Mexicans sacrificing Gianni Infantino to appease the mythical Aztec citrus gods. My model gives it a 6% shot of happening in our timeline.

Which, come to think of it, is sort of almost twice as much as I gave to the Dutch victory. Make of it what you will.

I just convinced our Office Manager to hook up the projector in the break room to broadcast todays match (Mexico vs Elon).

Viva Mexico!!!

Hear ye, hear ye! I have updated my model, and I hereby bring you the most accurate predictions that will be proven wrong in the next few hours:

1. Spain: A 1 in 5 chance of winning. According to the Excel gods, they will presumably win the tournament by completing 43,000 passes in midfield until the opposition full-back forgets why he is even there and lets them through. S�, pasar�n.
   
2. Argentina: Knicks in 7. Lionel Messi may be elderly by football standards but is still apparently classified by my model as a weather event, although I'm not sure the 14% makes much sense. Either way, not my call, so.
   
3. France: A 1 in 10 shot at victory, lurking in the background like a luxury car with military applications. Sort of Lupin if France cast Idris Elba as James Bond. Should anyone steal my dreams, let it be France.
   
4. The late United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves: A 1 in 10 chance of triumph. Actually 1 in 20 for either Brazil or Portugal, but I'm making these victories interchangeable because I want to give us a bump up the list.
   
5. Colombia: 1 in 20, with a little rounding up of the percentages. They used to be so fun to watch in the good old Higuita days that I kind of hope Colombia will go down in football history for something other than Shakira's "Waka Waka Eh Eh".
   
6. England: A 7.2% probability of ultimate success, which means the model has boldly predicted three weeks of national euphoria followed by frantic revisions to chants about World Wars and World Cups. Doo dah, doo dah.
   
7. The Netherlands: 3.4%. Roughly the same as the heavyweights Germany and Ecuador, who have, on average, two World Cups each. Am I torturing the figures so they say what I want? Kind of. Am I doing it now just to annoy Mid? Kind of also yes. Do I really hope the world will finally be painted orange? Definitely yes. The dream begins, Dutchly putting the "van" in mild statistical vandalism, a dusty orange jersey, and Hup Hup Holland!
   
8. Japan or South Korea: A 2.7% probability that either might win, which is wonderfully dangerous. Fine, Japan is actually doing the heavy lifting here, but please let me dream. I know South Korea still have just a 0.4% chance of pulling off their greatest upset since 2002 and their win over Germany. But this is, mathematically, a number. A tiny number. A number that looks like it should be printed on the side effects leaflet for a medication. But it is not zero, and therefore it is legally binding emotional evidence that Son Heung-min might lift the World Cup. I refuse to let this go.

Happy for Jimenez to score his first goal for Mexico at 35. He's had quite an up and down career in the EPL because of an awful head inury he suffered years ago. Was so good for the Wolves in his early career. Has done decent enough for Fulham after a long recovery process.

quote:

Originally posted by Lira Hear ye, hear ye!

I am now thinking you may have eaten a funny fish in Korea and haven't been yourself since.
Nice start though, three red cards.
https://www.boston.com/news/local-n...orld-cup-games/ this is how you do a clean invasion well

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