World Cup 2026

[BARCELONASAINT]

I tend to watch a lot of Argentinas games and watched most of their qualifiers in their South American group. I honestly was not impressed with them or the overall quality of South American football, in fact i think they have gone backwards.

Obviously i have watched every one of their games so far in this World Cup and i still maintain they are bang average and rely heavily still on Leo to produce moments of magic, which to be fair he has done but the opposition haven't been up too much. If we stop Messi we stop Argentina.

The one thing I would ask from our supporters is to stop making excuses before a ball has yet been kicked and adding fuel to the fire of these ridiculous conspiracy theories that FIFA have rigged the tournament for Argentina to get to the final. If we want to go down that route then we may as well admit FIFA have rigged it for England to get this far!

[LiberalCommunist]

What they lack in talent they make up for in shithousery. This will be difficult to overcome. 

Probably the biggest danger is us scoring first, sitting back encouraging them on to us while the ref tries to even things up. No place for hiding this time.  

[East Kent Saint]

26 minutes ago, BARCELONASAINT said:

I tend to watch a lot of Argentinas games and watched most of their qualifiers in their South American group. I honestly was not impressed with them or the overall quality of South American football, in fact i think they have gone backwards.

Obviously i have watched every one of their games so far in this World Cup and i still maintain they are bang average and rely heavily still on Leo to produce moments of magic, which to be fair he has done but the opposition haven't been up too much. If we stop Messi we stop Argentina.

The one thing I would ask from our supporters is to stop making excuses before a ball has yet been kicked and adding fuel to the fire of these ridiculous conspiracy theories that FIFA have rigged the tournament for Argentina to get to the final. If we want to go down that route then we may as well admit FIFA have rigged it for England to get this far!

No that was 1966 , England’s turn ……

[Wade Garrett]

32 minutes ago, BARCELONASAINT said:

I tend to watch a lot of Argentinas games and watched most of their qualifiers in their South American group. I honestly was not impressed with them or the overall quality of South American football, in fact i think they have gone backwards.

Obviously i have watched every one of their games so far in this World Cup and i still maintain they are bang average and rely heavily still on Leo to produce moments of magic, which to be fair he has done but the opposition haven't been up too much. If we stop Messi we stop Argentina.

The one thing I would ask from our supporters is to stop making excuses before a ball has yet been kicked and adding fuel to the fire of these ridiculous conspiracy theories that FIFA have rigged the tournament for Argentina to get to the final. If we want to go down that route then we may as well admit FIFA have rigged it for England to get this far!

Agreed, particularly on your last paragraph.  Commercially, Bellingham is the big marketing attraction for future World Cups, not Messi.

Mind you, I’ll be spitting feathers over the cheating Argies and bent FIFA if we lose.

A bit like the Norwegians at the moment.  Fucking whining Nordic twats.

[Patrick Bateman]

Just now, Wade Garrett said:

Agreed, particularly on your last paragraph.  Commercially, Bellingham is the big marketing attraction for future World Cups, not Messi.

Mind you, I’ll be spitting feathers over the cheating Argies and bent FIFA if we lose.

A bit like the Norwegians at the moment.  Fucking whining Nordic twats.

I mean, I like Norwegians, but Haaland Snr ... bloody hell, pipe down son. Amused me that Roy Keane said his view was blinkered as he likes drinking too much during a match 😂

[Osvaldorama]

Genuinely no idea how Norway can complain. 

The push was fairly soft, but he pushed him with two hands. If that was ruled out for us then I’d understand it.  
Then VAR overturned a stonewall penalty for us so it evened itself out anyway. Don’t understand what they’re upset about 

[East Kent Saint]

33 minutes ago, Osvaldorama said:

Genuinely no idea how Norway can complain. 

The push was fairly soft, but he pushed him with two hands. If that was ruled out for us then I’d understand it.  
Then VAR overturned a stonewall penalty for us so it evened itself out anyway. Don’t understand what they’re upset about 

Because they lost ! Imagine the outcry if we lost due to a VAR intervention! Better for Refs to make mistakes in real time in the moment. 

[Whitey Grandad]

1 hour ago, Osvaldorama said:

Genuinely no idea how Norway can complain. 

The push was fairly soft, but he pushed him with two hands. If that was ruled out for us then I’d understand it.  
Then VAR overturned a stonewall penalty for us so it evened itself out anyway. Don’t understand what they’re upset about 

Stonewall penalties are always the ones that are the least convincing. That was one of the most obvious attempts to cheat that you will ever see. Which leg do you think was tripped?

Edited yesterday at 11:39 by Whitey Grandad

[Chez]

3 hours ago, macca155 said:

Not taking Gibbs White was a poor decision, he would have been a good back up for Rice.

 

Not sure about that. Gibbs White is an attacking midfielder. He'd be back up for Bellingham, who is playing a a second striker) and Eze got the nod instead. Eze is a quality player, so not sure that was a poor choice.

[Osvaldorama]

7 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

Stonewall penalties are always the ones that are the least convincing. That was one of the most obvious attempts to cheat that you will ever see. Which leg do you think was tripped?

I mean your own post proves me correct 

 

Big contact with Spence, nowhere near the ball. Most obvious penalty in history and yet they overturned it. Mental. 

[aintforever]

I think VAR got both decisions correct. The only issue I have with VAR in this tournament is the lack of consistency on when it decides to intervene and when it doesn't. At the start it was used sparingly which worked well then Argentina concede an important goal and all of a sudden that goes out of the window. Overall though I think it has been used better than in the Prem, I like the way it overturns the wrong calls for corners - they are the sort of calls where the big clubs usually get the benefit of the doubt and can lead to a goal - hopefully they will bring that in over here.

Edited yesterday at 11:55 by aintforever

[dsrdorset]

On 12/07/2026 at 12:30, East Kent Saint said:

The commentators fail to mention in detail the affect of the climate change excess heat on the players . Temperature is part of the equation but humidity plays a big part . They were playing in 33 C heat but the humidity made it 45 C 

 I have experienced it in USA and it is totally disabilitating , you could see the England players pulling their shirts off their body to try and get some relief but nothing happens due to humidity.  

You could have just said, the hot conditions of peak summer season in Miami, without mentioning "climate change". 

[Lord Duckhunter]

6 minutes ago, dsrdorset said:

You could have just said, the hot conditions of peak summer season in Miami, without mentioning "climate change". 

Well said. I worked there for a few years in the 80’s and it was bastard hot & humid in July….

[macca155]

43 minutes ago, Chez said:

Not sure about that. Gibbs White is an attacking midfielder. He'd be back up for Bellingham, who is playing a a second striker) and Eze got the nod instead. Eze is a quality player, so not sure that was a poor choice.

Good point but I thought GW could drop deeper when necessary. I think that was his role at Wolves, but been moved into a more forward position at Forest. Seems an adaptable player.

I guess Henderson was Rice's back up but he's crocked himself.

I'm sure Rice will be ok, he'll not want to miss the SF or worst play and be shit.

[Chez]

5 minutes ago, macca155 said:

Good point but I thought GW could drop deeper when necessary. I think that was his role at Wolves, but been moved into a more forward position at Forest. Seems an adaptable player.

I guess Henderson was Rice's back up but he's crocked himself.

I'm sure Rice will be ok, he'll not want to miss the SF or worst play and be shit.

Mainoo is the obvious back up, but Tuchel didnt use him last time when that looked the obvious move.

Got to ask, do players that are ill ever perform? It's tough enough playing in the Miami heat, but to do so after an energy sapping illness is asking a lot. The gamble on Rice certainly didnt pay off. 

Edited yesterday at 12:34 by Chez

[Chez]

40 minutes ago, aintforever said:

I think VAR got both decisions correct. The only issue I have with VAR in this tournament is the lack of consistency on when it decides to intervene and when it doesn't. At the start it was used sparingly which worked well then Argentina concede an important goal and all of a sudden that goes out of the window. Overall though I think it has been used better than in the Prem, I like the way it overturns the wrong calls for corners - they are the sort of calls where the big clubs usually get the benefit of the doubt and can lead to a goal - hopefully they will bring that in over here.

Not sure I have watched enough games closely enough to come this conclusion, but hasn't VAR been a fair bit faster most of the time?

[Whitey Grandad]

1 hour ago, Osvaldorama said:

I mean your own post proves me correct 

 

Big contact with Spence, nowhere near the ball. Most obvious penalty in history and yet they overturned it. Mental. 

Good grief. It's the most obvious dive you could ever wish to see. Just ask yourself "Who is fouling whom?"

Bobb is closer to the ball than Spence, Spence's right leg is thrust in between Bobb's legs from behind and on his left. Spence's left leg has given up completely and is always the dressing room. It should gave been a foul to  Norway and a tellow card for Spence.

I ask again, was Spence tripped?  

 

[Osvaldorama]

18 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

Good grief. It's the most obvious dive you could ever wish to see. Just ask yourself "Who is fouling whom?"

Bobb is closer to the ball than Spence, Spence's right leg is thrust in between Bobb's legs from behind and on his left. Spence's left leg has given up completely and is always the dressing room. It should gave been a foul to  Norway and a tellow card for Spence.

I ask again, was Spence tripped?  

 

Yes, Spence was tripped. He beat his man, was running, and got clattered from behind.

It wasn’t like the Kane one that got overturned where he manufactured the contact from the first game. It was a blatant penalty and it’s ridiculous it was overturned. 
 

We will just have to disagree here because I will never change my mind. Even if it was us giving it away, I’d still think the same. Penalty all fucking day. It certainly wasn’t a clear and obvious error. Not least because Argentina were given a penalty for the same thing just a few days before against Egypt. 

Edited yesterday at 13:59 by Osvaldorama

[sockeye]

Starting to feel a bit real now…

2 sleeps until Argentine tears

[Thripp87]

19 hours ago, skintsaint said:

Sooner this guy goes the better, only after more $$$

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cj9gm31jwg8o

Far better than the shambles of 48 and third place crap. 64 is better.

Might need to remortgage though to do the sticker album in 2030.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

1 hour ago, Thripp87 said:

Far better than the shambles of 48 and third place crap. 64 is better.

Might need to remortgage though to do the sticker album in 2030.

Rumour has it that Infantino is in the pocket of Panini.

[Lighthouse]

14 minutes ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

Rumour has it that Infantino is in the pocket of Panini.

It’s no use trying to take on big sticker. They’ve got people in the White House, the media, the FBI, the CIA, the RSPB… everywhere.

[The Kraken]

17 minutes ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

Rumour has it that Infantino is in the pocket of Panini.

Panini have actually lost the future contract, they got one more World Cup. Topps are set to take over after the 2030 tournament.

Sad times.

[Whitey Grandad]

3 hours ago, Osvaldorama said:

Yes, Spence was tripped. He beat his man, was running, and got clattered from behind.

It wasn’t like the Kane one that got overturned where he manufactured the contact from the first game. It was a blatant penalty and it’s ridiculous it was overturned. 
 

We will just have to disagree here because I will never change my mind. Even if it was us giving it away, I’d still think the same. Penalty all fucking day. It certainly wasn’t a clear and obvious error. Not least because Argentina were given a penalty for the same thing just a few days before against Egypt. 

Spence never got in front of his man. That's where he went wrong. 

[Window Cleaner]

5 hours ago, macca155 said:

Good point but I thought GW could drop deeper when necessary. I think that was his role at Wolves, but been moved into a more forward position at Forest. Seems an adaptable player.

I guess Henderson was Rice's back up but he's crocked himself.

I'm sure Rice will be ok, he'll not want to miss the SF or worst play and be shit.

England's sélection is a mystery. Good players were left behind and others, who have played no or very little part in the competition so far, are part of the squad. Think Tuchel would have been ok with an 18 man group, the rest are just there to make up the number as far as he's concerned so if it's alpha or omega it makes no difference to him.

[East Kent Saint]

5 hours ago, dsrdorset said:

You could have just said, the hot conditions of peak summer season in Miami, without mentioning "climate change". 

I could have but all the record breaking temperatures and slow but sure warming of the planet shown by weather records means it is worth thinking about . If you remember Quatar was too hot so the WC was moved ! This is happening it's not made up , yes Miami is hot in the summer months but it is even hotter now.

 

[Osvaldorama]

14 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

Spence never got in front of his man. That's where he went wrong. 

Then how did he get taken out? 😂

[Weston Super Saint]

33 minutes ago, The Kraken said:

Panini have actually lost the future contract, they got one more World Cup. Topps are set to take over after the 2030 tournament.

Sad times.

Does that mean Panini are toast?

[egg]

2 hours ago, Thripp87 said:

Far better than the shambles of 48 and third place crap. 64 is better.

Might need to remortgage though to do the sticker album in 2030.

I've enjoyed the 48/3rd place - so many countries had something to play for in the final group game. We had 3rd place teams go through in 86, 90 and 94. When it went back to 2 through from 98, the group stages lost a bit of something for me. 

64 is nonsense imo - just too big and it'll be a bit like the Olympic with some appalling mismatches.

The world cup is meant to be the best of the world, not crap teams making up the numbers. 

[skintsaint]

Lack of fan segregation could be interesting this Wednesday...

https://www.reddit.com/r/soccermemes/s/Co3iEtXxLX

[RedArmy]

2 hours ago, East Kent Saint said:

If you remember Quatar was too hot so the WC was moved ! This is happening it's not made up 

 

What the fuck has that got to do with it? 
 

Qatar was too hot to play football in June and July 100 years ago and it’s still too hot today, got bigger all to do with climate change. 
 

Miami’s hottest day ever was in 1942 btw. 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

3 hours ago, The Kraken said:

Panini have actually lost the future contract, they got one more World Cup. Topps are set to take over after the 2030 tournament.

Sad times.

End of an era 😭

[vectraman]

Bye bye Norway - you’ve been fun…

 

 

 

[Stripey McStripe Shirt]

Got a feeling Bellingham is going to get wound up and have his very own Gazza / Beckham/ Rooney type moment.

Hopefully I'm wrong...

[East Kent Saint]

9 hours ago, RedArmy said:

What the fuck has that got to do with it? 
 

Qatar was too hot to play football in June and July 100 years ago and it’s still too hot today, got bigger all to do with climate change. 
 

Miami’s hottest day ever was in 1942 btw. 

Yes, Miami is getting significantly hotter due to climate change. The city now experiences over 40 more days per year with above-normal summer temperatures than it did in 1970, with heat index values frequently soaring into the triple digits. 

Yes, Qatar is heating up much faster than most of the world. Because the country is a peninsula surrounded by rapidly warming seas, its average temperatures have already jumped more than 2° C above pre-industrial levels. etc etc quotes from Google

[dsrdorset]

15 hours ago, East Kent Saint said:

I could have but all the record breaking temperatures and slow but sure warming of the planet shown by weather records means it is worth thinking about . If you remember Quatar was too hot so the WC was moved ! This is happening it's not made up , yes Miami is hot in the summer months but it is even hotter now.

 

It's always too hot in Qatar!!! Which is why it should never have been chosen as a host country, even playing in the winter. And Miami's hottest recored temperature was back in 1942, so please excuse me if I pay no attention to all the media hyped hysteria. Enjoy the summer 😊☀️ Come on England!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[Saint Pete]

19 hours ago, Osvaldorama said:

Yes, Spence was tripped. He beat his man, was running, and got clattered from behind.

 

He beat his man, but he then stopped "running" in my view, watch the way he positions his right foot, cannot be described as a normal way for anyone to run. He intentionally pushes his right leg backwards between the defender's legs rather than continuing to drive towards goal. The defender then has no way to avoid contact and Spence's body position is already on the way down anyway! Spence's only intention there is to go down and get a penalty and it would have been wrong for him to be rewarded for that.

It seems to be becoming more common that pundits and fans are arguing "he has every right to go down" once a player beats a man in the box and that pushing your leg into a defender and then falling over is the same as being "tripped". This narrative should be resisted in my opinion if we don't want even more cheating in the game. 

[East Kent Saint]

34 minutes ago, dsrdorset said:

It's always too hot in Qatar!!! Which is why it should never have been chosen as a host country, even playing in the winter. And Miami's hottest recored temperature was back in 1942, so please excuse me if I pay no attention to all the media hyped hysteria. Enjoy the summer 😊☀️ Come on England!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

You can't bury your head in the sand , climate change is real and has got worse during my 71 years . I could say WC should be in Europe but it has been over 40C in Spain , France etc 

Yes, Miami is getting significantly hotter due to climate change. The city now experiences over 40 more days per year with above-normal summer temperatures than it did in 1970, with heat index values frequently soaring into the triple digits. This is from Google .

My point is about playing sport in adverse conditions , remember the Australian tennis open where players were retiring due to the heat ? 

To continue with WC it may be necessary to reschedule from the summer months , it may be that all stadiums have to be covered and air conditioned ! 

As you say , come on England  , let's hope they stay the course .

 

[dsrdorset]

1 hour ago, East Kent Saint said:

You can't bury your head in the sand , climate change is real and has got worse during my 71 years . I could say WC should be in Europe but it has been over 40C in Spain , France etc 

Yes, Miami is getting significantly hotter due to climate change. The city now experiences over 40 more days per year with above-normal summer temperatures than it did in 1970, with heat index values frequently soaring into the triple digits. This is from Google .

My point is about playing sport in adverse conditions , remember the Australian tennis open where players were retiring due to the heat ? 

To continue with WC it may be necessary to reschedule from the summer months , it may be that all stadiums have to be covered and air conditioned ! 

As you say , come on England  , let's hope they stay the course .

 

I do take your point, something is shifting. But I detest the media meltdown (excuse the pun) when the weather is either too hot in summer, or too cold & wet in winter, as if we are all going to die!! Scaremongering is off the scale. And I don't see how the UK reducing its carbon emissions to "net zero" will make any difference whatsoever to extreme weather conditions, here or across the globe. To believe that it complete & utter madness. It really is. 

Anyway, we must stick to footballing matters, otherwise we'll be told off! 🤭

All the best, and stay out of the midday sun ☀️

[LiberalCommunist]

Can the Spanish bore France into submission tonight? I hope so, as we are far better suited to beating them.

 

[Saint NL]

43 minutes ago, LiberalCommunist said:

Can the Spanish bore France into submission tonight? I hope so, as we are far better suited to beating them.

 

Yeah agreed, extra time to tire them out would also be handy

[East Kent Saint]

1 hour ago, dsrdorset said:

I do take your point, something is shifting. But I detest the media meltdown (excuse the pun) when the weather is either too hot in summer, or too cold & wet in winter, as if we are all going to die!! Scaremongering is off the scale. And I don't see how the UK reducing its carbon emissions to "net zero" will make any difference whatsoever to extreme weather conditions, here or across the globe. To believe that it complete & utter madness. It really is. 

Anyway, we must stick to footballing matters, otherwise we'll be told off! 🤭

All the best, and stay out of the midday sun ☀️

Thanks , I have to stay out of the sun , apart from fair skin , because I can’t function at 30 C plus ! My concern is mainly for the players at any sport in 40 C such as tennis and Tour de France , but a winter game such as football or rugby is a bit bonkers . 
Being 71 I remember 1962 / 63 winter where the ice floes piled up on camber sands , 1976 when the pavement was almost too hot to walk on ! but mainly the 4 seasons that we used to have in the UK .

so lets hope we get 2 semi finals to remember and perhaps a decent final .

[ChristopheVAFC]

2 hours ago, LiberalCommunist said:

Can the Spanish bore France into submission tonight? I hope so, as we are far better suited to beating them.

 

Tonight's match promises to be a tense, close affair. 😈

For us in France, there’s a sense of wanting revenge, as we haven't often beaten the Spanish in recent years. 😏

We really believe in our chances here—and in our attacking quartet of Dembélé, Olise, Mbappé, and Barcola. 🔥

Our players say they are "on a mission," determined to put in a great performance. 😎

Tell you what: we beat Spain and handle Yamal, and you guys retire Messi tomorrow—deal? 😉

[Holmes_and_Watson]

23 minutes ago, ChristopheVAFC said:

Tonight's match promises to be a tense, close affair. 😈

For us in France, there’s a sense of wanting revenge, as we haven't often beaten the Spanish in recent years. 😏

We really believe in our chances here—and in our attacking quartet of Dembélé, Olise, Mbappé, and Barcola. 🔥

Our players say they are "on a mission," determined to put in a great performance. 😎

Tell you what: we beat Spain and handle Yamal, and you guys retire Messi tomorrow—deal? 😉

Best of luck. Looking forward to a France v England final. Possibly not the best time to have transferred that tapestry... 🙂