World cup 2026

What's the point. So many shite teams and you end up having attack v defence in every game, then you have "we finally forced soccer to have quarters for commercials" "water breaks"

It's not football is it
 
I was thinking, maybe the overriding story of top level football in this century is the gradual increase in mismatched games. There was a stat a few years ago that a record number of premier league games had ended with over 65% possession for one side. You can't have that unless the other team is parking the bus, trying to not to take the game on. It reflects the increasing and irreversible gaps between the haves and the have nots. Such an approach never used to be acceptable. People wanted to see a proper game, not attack v defence. Now it's commonplace.

Anyway, international football is like that but more so. The qualification games are largely disinteresting strolls, albeit through treacle. Then tournament football is often the most mismatched of all. So much so that it's like some sort of tour of exhibition games, where winning the group with 7 points is barely worthy of comment. Instead, it's all about whether the biggest teams have entertained, or clicked, or whatever.

That's not sport. It's so boring, so devoid of the actual fundamental spark of tough, evenly matched competition. Whether it's the money grabbing expansion of the world cup or the same thing happening in European club competitions, more and more uneven games are being created, at a time when even the weakest teams are perfectly able to get fit and defensively organised, and kill a game.

I know there's always a Cape Verde story to warm the heart, but how many of us would have fallen in love with football if it was in this form when we first encountered it?
 
TheBigToePunt said:
I was thinking, maybe the overriding story of top level football in this century is the gradual increase in mismatched games. There was a stat a few years ago that a record number of premier league games had ended with over 65% possession for one side. You can't have that unless the other team is parking the bus, trying to not to take the game on. It reflects the increasing and irreversible gaps between the haves and the have nots. Such an approach never used to be acceptable. People wanted to see a proper game, not attack v defence. Now it's commonplace.

Anyway, international football is like that but more so. The qualification games are largely disinteresting strolls, albeit through treacle. Then tournament football is often the most mismatched of all. So much so that it's like some sort of tour of exhibition games, where winning the group with 7 points is barely worthy of comment. Instead, it's all about whether the biggest teams have entertained, or clicked, or whatever.

That's not sport. It's so boring, so devoid of the actual fundamental spark of tough, evenly matched competition. Whether it's the money grabbing expansion of the world cup or the same thing happening in European club competitions, more and more uneven games are being created, at a time when even the weakest teams are perfectly able to get fit and defensively organised, and kill a game.

I know there's always a Cape Verde story to warm the heart, but how many of us would have fallen in love with football if it was in this form when we first encountered it?
Click to expand...
that was a few years ago. last season no team averaged less than 42.5%. 2024/25 there were 4 and in 2023/24 6
 
Tough luck on Iran but that Austria v Algeria ending was bonkers. Glad Senegal squeaked in: they are better than several teams that finished second

Of Palace players, I'd say Munoz and Lerma have the best chance of playing in the quarters, but either Richards or Sarr have a good shot and Riad's Morocco have avoided any of the top teams. Including Henderson, Palace might have five players in the quarters - four as starters
 
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Choose life. Choose giving it the big'un that you qualified for a tournament now there are extra teams in it. Choose not getting as far as Cape Verde. Choose your manager declaring you're out before it happened. Choose him walking out because it did happen. Choose taking down England flags from bunting. Choose wearing a skirt to a wedding. Choose to stay in the union with the people you despise. Choose life.
 
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