The World Cup

[Inter_blade83]

Since 1982, I have loved the world cup. It's brilliant, a world festival of football.

Obviously as you get older, as it becomes less exotic, more corporate, more corrupt, and more exploitative, the shine comes off a bit. The state of the exploitation in this yank one is off the scale.

That said, an opportunity arose for me to attend england v ghana in Boston and I'm going!

I'm as excited as the 8 year old boy in 1982 watching his 1st world cup on telly, actually attending an England match at a world cup is bucket list stuff for me.

The yanks know how to put on a show, and when you're there it all feels a lot less dangerous than it looks from the outside.

So I'm looking forward to it.

Seeing them walk out in Doha with the wife and then smash Iran for 6 is one of my favourite memories.

USA game was more forgettable

Wales was great

Senegal was good

I'll be lucky to ever see them at a tournament again if the prices continue in this fashion.

 

[mattbianco1]

Can't believe that no-one has mentioned the 1974 World Cup in West Germany. I was only 14 at the time but I was mesmerised by the "total football" played by the Dutch team, particularly the fabulous Johann Cruyff. A lot of people say that that best team never to win the World Cup was Brazil in 1982 but in my opinion, it was Holland in 1974. Absolute class they were.

Selles Ball!

 

[Blacksea]

Check out this video, "ladislav petras" https://share.google/dADY4vm5zFuhd5qZp

Apart from the WCF 1966,this was the goal that sticks in my mind as it was the first time I saw a celebration like that,also it was on live at breakfast time.

 

[bramptonblade]

1978 for me, late nights, great football and a bit of scandal chucked in too

 

[SwissBlade]

Bit of a Blades link - Nice to see Georgios Donis as one of the managers there. Only played 7 games for us and I was a young kid, but seemed to be excited by him at the time.

I remember when he moved to the Blades and my dad was working in Athens at the time he told me the AEK fans called him "the train", because he was rapid.

He'd already been at Blackburn and looked decent for them, but for some reason went back to AEK before we brought him in. My dad always said he looked good in the Greek league at the time (which wasn't a bad league in terms of competition). Never saw him over there myself as we'd go and watch Olympiakos on my insistance as they played in red and white.

Donis was alright for us from what I remember, just not on the Borbokis and Dellas impact levels of the Greek players we had.
And of course more recently the Star-boy George Baldock

 

[Cheeky Blade]

All sorts of stories about fans, referees and players from different countries being denied entry into America but this one probably takes the biscuit ( nee cookie)

‘Iran's Fifa World Cup 2026 football team have landed in Mexico amid an ongoing row over visas and access to the stadiums in the US where they are to play.

All three of Iran's group games are in the US, but the players and support staff have been told they have to fly in and out of the country on match day.

Iran says 15 other officials and support staff have been denied visas altogether, which an official has described as political interference in sport in its worst form.

The World Cup, jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, begins on 11 June, with Iran securing their place by finishing top of their qualification group in March 2025, almost a year before the US and Israel began attacks on the country.’

Fifa World Cup 2026: Iran's team lands in Mexico amid US visa row

All of Iran's group games are in the US, but players and support staff will have to fly in and out of the country on match day.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[SwissBlade]

All sorts of stories about fans, referees and players from different countries being denied entry into America but this one probably takes the biscuit ( nee cookie)

‘Iran's Fifa World Cup 2026 football team have landed in Mexico amid an ongoing row over visas and access to the stadiums in the US where they are to play.

All three of Iran's group games are in the US, but the players and support staff have been told they have to fly in and out of the country on match day.

Iran says 15 other officials and support staff have been denied visas altogether, which an official has described as political interference in sport in its worst form.

The World Cup, jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, begins on 11 June, with Iran securing their place by finishing top of their qualification group in March 2025, almost a year before the US and Israel began attacks on the country.’

Fifa World Cup 2026: Iran's team lands in Mexico amid US visa row

All of Iran's group games are in the US, but players and support staff will have to fly in and out of the country on match day.

www.bbc.co.uk

Absolute shambles.

 

[Inter_blade83]

All sorts of stories about fans, referees and players from different countries being denied entry into America but this one probably takes the biscuit ( nee cookie)

‘Iran's Fifa World Cup 2026 football team have landed in Mexico amid an ongoing row over visas and access to the stadiums in the US where they are to play.

All three of Iran's group games are in the US, but the players and support staff have been told they have to fly in and out of the country on match day.

Iran says 15 other officials and support staff have been denied visas altogether, which an official has described as political interference in sport in its worst form.

The World Cup, jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, begins on 11 June, with Iran securing their place by finishing top of their qualification group in March 2025, almost a year before the US and Israel began attacks on the country.’

Fifa World Cup 2026: Iran's team lands in Mexico amid US visa row

All of Iran's group games are in the US, but players and support staff will have to fly in and out of the country on match day.

www.bbc.co.uk

One would think FIFA would do something about this. Either force their hand or let them play in Mexico.

 

[relish]

One would think FIFA would do something about this. Either force their hand or let them play in Mexico.

I wouldn't hold your breath... FIFA's main concern is to ingratiate themselves with Trump and other wealthy autocrats around the world. They're not going to challenge him, and they care little about how it affects the football. FIFA is just a self-sustaining corruption machine and has been for many years now.

 

[SwissBlade]

I wouldn't hold your breath... FIFA's main concern is to ingratiate themselves with Trump and other wealthy autocrats around the world. They're not going to challenge him, and they care little about how it affects the football. FIFA is just a self-sustaining corruption machine and has been for many years now.

And to think getting rid of Blatter was supposed to kill the corruption

 

[mattbianco1]

All sorts of stories about fans, referees and players from different countries being denied entry into America but this one probably takes the biscuit ( nee cookie)

‘Iran's Fifa World Cup 2026 football team have landed in Mexico amid an ongoing row over visas and access to the stadiums in the US where they are to play.

All three of Iran's group games are in the US, but the players and support staff have been told they have to fly in and out of the country on match day.

Iran says 15 other officials and support staff have been denied visas altogether, which an official has described as political interference in sport in its worst form.

The World Cup, jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, begins on 11 June, with Iran securing their place by finishing top of their qualification group in March 2025, almost a year before the US and Israel began attacks on the country.’

Fifa World Cup 2026: Iran's team lands in Mexico amid US visa row

All of Iran's group games are in the US, but players and support staff will have to fly in and out of the country on match day.

www.bbc.co.uk

Qatar knew they had to lapse rules if they wanted to host.
US are inflicting political rules on the players, let alone the fans

 

[Guesty]

1994 gets a bad rep because the semis and final weren't especially up to snuff. Before that it was great, with Romania, Sweden, Bulgaria and Nigeria surprising everyone.

 

[Richeee]

I wouldn't hold your breath... FIFA's main concern is to ingratiate themselves with Trump and other wealthy autocrats around the world. They're not going to challenge him, and they care little about how it affects the football. FIFA is just a self-sustaining corruption machine and has been for many years now.

FIFA = football in fascist america...(pinched off another site)....

 

[Sportbilly /Detroit Blade]

And to think getting rid of Blatter was supposed to kill the corruption

He was too busy ploughing all those Haitian prostitutes to be involved in anything untoward!

 

[Houston_Blade]

All sorts of stories about fans, referees and players from different countries being denied entry into America but this one probably takes the biscuit ( nee cookie)

‘Iran's Fifa World Cup 2026 football team have landed in Mexico amid an ongoing row over visas and access to the stadiums in the US where they are to play.

All three of Iran's group games are in the US, but the players and support staff have been told they have to fly in and out of the country on match day.

Iran says 15 other officials and support staff have been denied visas altogether, which an official has described as political interference in sport in its worst form.

The World Cup, jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, begins on 11 June, with Iran securing their place by finishing top of their qualification group in March 2025, almost a year before the US and Israel began attacks on the country.’

Fifa World Cup 2026: Iran's team lands in Mexico amid US visa row

All of Iran's group games are in the US, but players and support staff will have to fly in and out of the country on match day.

www.bbc.co.uk

We know 2 families who are mates with my kids at school, both are British passport holders but originally from Iran. Both families went home at Christmas for a visa renewal and both were denied and then never allowed back.

They have good jobs in Oil & Gas and were paying taxes, one of the families owns property here and his wife owns a small consulting business. Kids were all in the British School and loving life.

They’ve not been allowed back to sell the house or to complete their work assignments. Luckily both families have been offered relocation packages to the UAE. They’re having to sell their house remotely, this has other implications as they’re no longer residents here.

Trump is a proper tit.

 

[FatPaul]

Spain v Cape Verde should be interesting.
10 nil anybody?

A bit unfair to be honest, I'm sure Spain will score at least 1

 

[Blacksea]

What has happened at the 2026 World Cup over the last 48 hours:

• Swiss footballer Embolo's visa was put under review and he was only able to join his team days later.

• Iraqi national team player Aymen Hussein was held for questioning for nearly 7 hours upon entering the United States.

• The Iranian national team spent days dealing with visa procedures at the U.S. Consulate in Türkiye. The U.S. only allowed them entry on match days. Fifteen members of the delegation were denied visas.

• Omar Abdulkadir Artan, named CAF's Best African Referee of 2025, was denied a visa. Despite travelling to the U.S. with a diplomatic passport, he was refused entry and sent back. FIFA announced that he will not be able to officiate at the tournament.

• The South African national team arrived in the United States much later than planned because part of the delegation was not granted visas.

• Members of the Senegal national team staff were forced to remove their shoes and subjected to lengthy searches, sparking accusations of racism.

• The Uzbekistan national team was searched with bomb-sniffing dogs and the footage went viral in international media.

• Some Scottish supporters, despite being eligible to enter the U.S. visa-free under the ESTA programme, had their travel authorisations revoked just days before departure.

• Many supporters who had already bought tickets and booked accommodation had their visa applications rejected, resulting in financial losses.

@ultras_antifaa

 

[SwissBlade]

We know 2 families who are mates with my kids at school, both are British passport holders but originally from Iran. Both families went home at Christmas for a visa renewal and both were denied and then never allowed back.

They have good jobs in Oil & Gas and were paying taxes, one of the families owns property here and his wife owns a small consulting business. Kids were all in the British School and loving life.

They’ve not been allowed back to sell the house or to complete their work assignments. Luckily both families have been offered relocation packages to the UAE. They’re having to sell their house remotely, this has other implications as they’re no longer residents here.

Trump is a proper tit.

Land of the free and all that

 

[Rochdaleblade]

Espn are reporting that the ref was denied entry due to "association with suspected members of terror organisations ".

Espn

 

[GymClassHero]

Unpopular opinion; I love the blades, but if I had to choose between us winning a cup and England winning the World Cup, I'm picking the World Cup. It would be seismic.

The whole country would come together as one to celebrate. It would be unforgettable.

That said, the US have conduct themselves disgracefully, I'd reports are to be believed. If a country is unwilling to allow all participants entry without issues, they should never have been awarded it.

Unfortunately FIFA is as corrupt and organization as any.

 

[djbaldken]

A bit unfair to be honest, I'm sure Spain will score at least 1

I do tend to exaggerate at times. Mrs DJ must have told me that ten million times.

 

[jimmymuir]

Not sure if this is of interest to anyone, but I've started a Substack for the tournament called World Cup Diaries.

The idea is simple: I'll be documenting every single match of the tournament in exactly 100 words. Whether it's a 5am kick-off or Cape Verde vs South Arabia, there'll be an entry for all 104 games.

No tactical deep dives, no xG charts, no 3,000-word essays. Just a short, informal diary of the game and the story behind it. The sort of thing you can read in 30 seconds with a coffee the morning after.

If that sounds like your kind of thing, subscribe for free. Any support would be greatly appreciated

World Cup Diaries | Substack

Every 2026 World Cup match documented in exactly 100 words. Goals, red cards, controversy, upsets, standout performances and everything in between. Each game condensed into a concise, entertaining snapshot. Click to read World Cup Diaries, a Substack publication. Launched a day ago.

worldcupdiaries.substack.com

 

[jimmymuir]

Not sure if this is of interest to anyone, but I've started a Substack for the tournament called World Cup Diaries.

The idea is simple: I'll be documenting every single match of the tournament in exactly 100 words. Whether it's a 5am kick-off or Cape Verde vs South Arabia, there'll be an entry for all 104 games.

No tactical deep dives, no xG charts, no 3,000-word essays. Just a short, informal diary of the game and the story behind it. The sort of thing you can read in 30 seconds with a coffee the morning after.

If that sounds like your kind of thing, subscribe for free. Any support would be greatly appreciated

World Cup Diaries | Substack

Every 2026 World Cup match documented in exactly 100 words. Goals, red cards, controversy, upsets, standout performances and everything in between. Each game condensed into a concise, entertaining snapshot. Click to read World Cup Diaries, a Substack publication. Launched a day ago.

worldcupdiaries.substack.com

FYI if the link is just taking you to the homepage, try this instead:

Subscribe to World Cup Diaries

Every World Cup match documented in exactly 100 words. Goals, red cards, controversy, upsets, standout performances and everything in between. Each game condensed into a concise, entertaining snapshot. Click to read World Cup Diaries, a Substack publication. Launched a day ago.

worldcupdiaries.substack.com

 

[Blade In Flame]

Seeing them walk out in Doha with the wife and then smash Iran for 6 is one of my favourite memories.

Cool. Was she one of the mascots?