Yeah its incredibly bloated and while that is bad for the quality of games (I am not joking when I see I may only make a point of watching 4 group stage games other than England’s), it also adds an unwanted extra game for the players and produces a tournament that is increasingly difficult to host from a logistics perspective.
Then look at what the teams and fans have to go through. Group B looks like its a West Coast group with games scheduled for LA, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver, but Canada vs Bosnia is being played in Toronto on the other side of the country, 2,500 miles and 4 time zones away. I get they wanted to maximize the availability of the Canadian team to the home fans, and in smaller countries you can justify that. But this is putting the sporting element way down and the value of this is lost when you lose that.
Yup, for many it was an attempt to look better and outward, I’ve been reading Jonathan Wilson’s world cup book (really is interesting and goes beyond the tournaments themselves which is good as books like that have been dull). I wouldn’t say welcoming but more an attempt to show a sign of strength in the world. Problem is the USA believe that about themselves at the same time thinking they have no power.
Yeah, the disconnect is that other sports washing regimes understood they were doing shit that was viewed unfavourably and needed to use sport to present a more positive side to the world. This regime could bomb the hotel the Iran side are staying in then declare it was a win for the good guys and expect high fives. The ugly side they are exposing to the world with this tournament is something they think should be considered as a selling point.
Once Curacao kick off against Germany on Sunday, Dick Advocat will become the oldest manager to take charge of a world cup game. Yet the current record held by Otto Rehhagel will have already been broken twice already in the tournament by South Africa’s Hugo Broos and then again later that evening by Czechia’s Miroslav Koubek
People attending World Cup games in the US and Canada will now be allowed to bring their own bottles of water into stadiums after New York mayor Zohran Mamdani joined fans in criticising the policy.
Fifa last week announced fans would no longer be allowed to carry reusable water bottles into games due to safety concerns, sparking anger as critics said it put people at risk of dehydration amid forecasted high temperatures.
The move would have forced fans to pay for water, often at high prices, at stadium concessions stands.
“I’m glad that Fifa decided to reverse this policy and allow water bottles to be brought into World Cup games,” Mamdani said on X over the weekend. “No one should have to fear being priced out of being hydrated, especially fans who are often waiting for hours before a game in extreme heat.”
Speaking to the Athletic earlier in the week, Mamdani called the policy “concerning” and said his team would “follow up” to understand the rationale. “We don’t want anyone to be skimping on water because of the cost of the water at the stadium if they otherwise would be drinking it.”
Fifa later issued what it described as a “clarification”, saying: “All fans will be permitted to bring in one soft, plastic, 20-ounce (590ml), factory-sealed disposable water bottle into any Fifa World Cup 2026 match in the USA and Canada. Fans will not be permitted to bring in hard-sided, reusable water bottles due to safety and security reasons”.
It did not mention the water policy for games in Mexico.
Apparently, Uzbekistan coaching staffs and players were scanned / checked before entering the stadium for their friendly with the Netherlands. Sniffer dog was also used. This is embarrassing.
