2026 World Cup - General Discussion & Non-USA teams thread
- Thread starter Tom McAndrew
- Start date
Tom, any video floating around of my Spurs Romero and Pedro Porro congratulating/consoling one another after the match?
thought Fox already did that- just not Messi
I kind of avoid the victory or consoling videos from the end of matches. So there could be videos of what you’re seeking — I just haven’t been looking for them. Sorry
FIFA to investigate violent clash between Spain and Argentina after World Cup final
FIFA has opened a disciplinary investigation into the ugly scenes that marred the end of Sunday's World Cup final involving several Argentina players and coaches physically attacking members of the Spain team.
www.espn.com
Historic Golden Boot Race, Missed Penalties, and Oldies: What the 2026 World Cup Will Be Remembered For | Opta Analyst
After the conclusion of a memorable 2026 World Cup, we look at four key themes for which the tournament will be remembered.
theanalyst.com
An excellent article from all the BBC journalists. I did get a chuckle from this part of the Biggest Disappointment section:
"Neil Johnston, BBC Sport journalist
The final being held at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Yes, it is huge but it is not fan-friendly and it is an expensive pain to get to and get away from. Philadelphia would have been my pick. A stadium on the outskirts of the city in a sports complex. The MetLife is a giant bowl in the middle of nowhere."
www.bbc.com
"Neil Johnston, BBC Sport journalist
The final being held at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Yes, it is huge but it is not fan-friendly and it is an expensive pain to get to and get away from. Philadelphia would have been my pick. A stadium on the outskirts of the city in a sports complex. The MetLife is a giant bowl in the middle of nowhere."
World Cup 2026: Best goal, player, fans and moments - vote for yours
BBC Sport reporters pick their best moments of the tournament - and you can vote for yours.
www.bbc.com
World Cup final a sorry end to a great tournament, will Messi bow out and why half-time show was so long
The 2026 World Cup was incredible right up until the final, though not through the final itself. In his Football Extra column, Pat Nevin reflects on why the showpiece fell flat and whether it will be Lionel Messi's last match on the grandest stage.
www.bbc.com
So it looks like the biggest position changes in the top 20 were Norway, which rowed its way to a +12 and Uruguay with a -4. Italy -3 without participating.
Norway’s +12 was the largest gain overall
Tunisia dropped the most at -12.
Mexico +4
USA +1
Canada no change
Grading the 2026 World Cup from Spain's A to Infantino's F
The World Cup is officially over, and it's time to provide some final grades to some of the teams and people who became household names in North America.
www.espn.com
Good article. England, oof.Grading the 2026 World Cup from Spain's A to Infantino's F
The World Cup is officially over, and it's time to provide some final grades to some of the teams and people who became household names in North America.
And hence why many think that it could be coming back as soon as 2038.
Were there not more games at this WC then another?
That would most likely lead to more goal, attendees, etc.
Gianni Little Child has talked of expanding it to 64 teams. For f*ck’s sake.
That is 64 associations that can be shook down.
$$$$$, only 6 have ever won it and really about about 12 are really capable of doing so. More Cape Verde type stories...sure, but those owners of big clubs in Europe are probably fuming over this as they should. It's a great event, but watering it down with those other teams isn't going to raise the level of play. The nations do not pay nearly what the clubs do in terms of a players salary...it's a pride thing and a great event as we just saw. Those clubs that had players go down with ACL's and Achilles tears this tournament aren't going to get compensated by FIFA for them. Adding more rounds isn't going to make the tournament better, just longer.
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| Year | Host | Matches | Total Attendance | Average per Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | USA | 52 | 3,587,538 | 68,991 |
| 1998 | France | 64 | 2,785,100 | 43,517 |
| 2002 | Korea/Japan | 64 | 2,705,197 | 42,269 |
| 2006 | Germany | 64 | 3,359,439 | 52,491 |
| 2010 | South Africa | 64 | 3,178,856 | 49,670 |
| 2014 | Brazil | 64 | 3,429,876 | 53,592 |
| 2018 | Russia | 64 | 3,031,768 | 47,371 |
| 2022 | Qatar | 64 | 3,404,252 | 53,191 |
| 2026 | USA/Mexico/Canada | 104 | 6,810,966 | 65,490 |
I believe 8 countries have won the WC (Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, England). But I agree with your point that a competition like the WC or March Madness reach a point of diminishing returns once the field expands beyond a certain point.
Furthermore, there aren’t many countries or even regions with enough large stadiums to host over 100 WC matches once the field expands beyond where it is today. This year’s WC is about as far as it needs to go.
To expand further...I can't find where I read it now, but I had read that the average price of a ticket across the entire tournament was around $445. 445 x 6810966 = $3.03 Billion dollars.
I’m used to the EPL and only the EPL. The World Cup seemed to be a different game.
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JMO here, but you don't count goals in the golden boot during a 3rd place match. Once you are officially gone, you can't pad your match in a friendly.
If I recall correctly Diego Forlan did the same thing in 2010.