OT: The 2026 World Cup Thread

[Triumph]

Spain gave up 1 goal the whole tournament - probably over 800 minutes of play

Seemed like SP had 20 players on the field yesterday.

 

[bormio]

Seemed like SP had 20 players on the field yesterday.

Argentina did not just stand around and watch them, they were pressuring the ball. But there is always an open spot and Spain always had someone moving into it - there was always a place to pass the ball. And the guy making the pass always knows where it is. It is not just talent, it is practice - and it is impressive. Hard to score when you never have the ball.

 

[A Defiant Goose]

Biggest hurdles for me getting into this sport:

(1). The constant moving backward to move forward.

(2). The flopping.

(3). Except for goalkeeper and "head," hands/arms/upper body aren't used. I assume enthusiasts will emphasize the subtle maneuvering allegedly requiring an upper-body skillset, but sorry ...

A smaller field would make things more interesting. I remember an indoor soccer league from quite a few years ago that was great fun to watch.

Personally the sport itself isnt a problem to me, its the format in which they play. The teams dont belong to a particular "league" they are just a club and play in a bunch of different leagues and tournaments with relegations and promotions on the line. I'm going to try and make a concerted effort to understand that a bit more this time around, because I badly need a sport other than football to care about. But I hardly ever know when the team is playing a game that matters nor the repercussions of it

 

[bormio]

Personally the sport itself isnt a problem to me, its the format in which they play. The teams dont belong to a particular "league" they are just a club and play in a bunch of different leagues and tournaments with relegations and promotions on the line. I'm going to try and make a concerted effort to understand that a bit more this time around, because I badly need a sport other than football to care about. But I hardly ever know when the team is playing a game that matters nor the repercussions of it

The relegation/promotion thing is fascinating. No longer do you get to be the Browns or Pirates and field crappy teams with no consequences. And if you are a 2nd division team, your fans can dream of the day you’ll play with the big boys. Obviously there has to be a viable 2nd, 3rd and 4th divisions. Never gonna happen in football. But baseball and basketball could do it (but they won’t). I also like a sport that emphasizes the regular season. No finishing near .500 and getting hot to win.

 

[A Defiant Goose]

The relegation/promotion thing is fascinating. No longer do you get to be the Browns or Pirates and field crappy teams with no consequences. And if you are a 2nd division team, your fans can dream of the day you’ll play with the big boys. Obviously there has to be a viable 2nd, 3rd and 4th divisions. Never gonna happen in football. But baseball and basketball could do it (but they won’t). I also like a sport that emphasizes the regular season. No finishing near .500 and getting hot to win.

Your final point is ok but if I understand correctly they don't even have playoffs right? Its just the team with the most points "wins"? I cant imagine being 75% through with a season and already mathematically knowing who the champion is. But maybe with all the relegations and changes theres good parity and that hardly ever happens

 

[Triumph]

Argentina did not just stand around and watch them, they were pressuring the ball. But there is always an open spot and Spain always had someone moving into it - there was always a place to pass the ball. And the guy making the pass always knows where it is. It is not just talent, it is practice - and it is impressive. Hard to score when you never have the ball.

SP would work the ball down to the ARG goal and maybe take a shot and then SP would kick the ball all the way back to the SP goalie and repeat the sequence. There were sometimes 2 - 3 SP players open when SP kicked the ball out of trouble if ARG tried to pressure.

The stats are sick. Google Search

 

[PatsFan2]

It could have been 10 Zip Spain: Argentina should erect a statue to their Goalie. He saved them a possible embarrassment: glad the Yankees of Soccer didn't win.

 

[Triumph]

Hard to score when you never have the ball.

SP passed @ a 90% success rate.

It was a giant game of keep away from Messi and ARG.

 

[Triumph]

Personally the sport itself isnt a problem to me, its the format in which they play. The teams dont belong to a particular "league" they are just a club and play in a bunch of different leagues and tournaments with relegations and promotions on the line. I'm going to try and make a concerted effort to understand that a bit more this time around, because I badly need a sport other than football to care about. But I hardly ever know when the team is playing a game that matters nor the repercussions of it

Soccer needs improvement.

1. Keep time like the NFL where it decreases. 45 minutes per half.
2. Each team should have 3 timeouts and 2 challenges per half.
3. All goals are reviewed by VAR.
4. Identify who is playing who better for new fans of the sport.
5. Still add time at the conclusion of each half per referees discretion.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The relegation/promotion thing is fascinating. No longer do you get to be the Browns or Pirates and field crappy teams with no consequences. And if you are a 2nd division team, your fans can dream of the day you’ll play with the big boys. Obviously there has to be a viable 2nd, 3rd and 4th divisions. Never gonna happen in football. But baseball and basketball could do it (but they won’t). I also like a sport that emphasizes the regular season. No finishing near .500 and getting hot to win.

If the NFL really wants to expand beyond 32 teams, one thing they could do would be an 18-team championship division and an 18-team relegation division, with, say, the top 4 relegation teams replacing the bottom 4 championship teams each year.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Soccer needs improvement.

1. Keep time like the NFL where it decreases. 45 minutes per half.
2. Each team should have 3 timeouts and 2 challenges per half.
3. All goals are reviewed by VAR.
4. Identify who is playing who better for new fans of the sport.
5. Still add time at the conclusion of each half per referees discretion.

The clock should be tied to the referee's timepiece, and should be visible to all, which would make (5) unnecessary (since the idea is the time should stop automatically during goal celebrations, injury stoppages, etc.).

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I mean, you don't go 11 on 10 if your entire team doesn't bother playing the ball the entire game. Argentina legitimately could have had 3 guys sent off during this game.

Spain put Messi in jail, and Argentina had to resort to CONCACAF ball.

VARgentina got what they deserved.

That said, if I were in charge of FIFA, Paredes would be banned from the 2030 World Cup (since VARgentina already qualified as a host country). That BS has absolutely no place in sports.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

 

[mosi's man]

At the risk of sounding dismissive, you guys are fun to read with the changes you recommend. Soccer is arguably the worlds oldest team sport and the overwhelmingly most popular (I don't think the simplicity and the popularity are unrelated). Anyone can play, even the poorest of the poor because you don't need any equipment other than the ball. From a rules perspective, it's also the simplest by a mile. The rules of soccer are limited to the the minimum, with offsides being the only "artificial" rule. Otherwise, you go on the field with eleven players and you play. If the ball goes out of bounds you throw it back in and continue to play. You're not allowed to attack your opponent, especially from behind. No punching, tripping, elbowing, etc. If you continue to do it, the ref kicks you out. Otherwise, you play continuously 'til the end. Until recently, you were only allowed to sub two players per team (really only due to injury. Also, one sub was always saved in case the goalie was injured. Len Chalmers, a British player, played for 81 minutes in an FA Cup Final with a huge gash in his leg as his team "saved" the substitute just in case). The clock ran, and aside from half time, there were no stoppages. There were a few minutes added to the end of the game for unforeseen events occurring during play. It's amazingly simple and the beauty is largely in it's simplicity. Recently, largely due to money, rules have been added. "hydration breaks" for more commercials, more substitutes (so that the players are fresher and the number of games can be increased), VAR, etc.. Most of the rule changes, one could argue, have negatively impacted the game. I don't think further changes are needed. I think the game is fantastic as it is. Like all sports, as a viewer understands more about the nuances of the game, the opportunity to fully appreciate the game increases. Just like the NFL. Understanding the Patriots era of dominance despite the changes in the schedule and the changes made by the league to make dynasties more challenging to persist allows us all to appreciate the Brady/Belichick era more completely. Same with soccer. This World Cup gave lots of Americans their first real taste of how great the game can be. Welcome to the club!

By the way, all sports should have relegation. It's awesome and makes every league that has it better, makes owners more accountable, and gives fans more reason to be hopeful. It will never happen in the U.S. as the pigs at the trough (the owners) would never give up their cost certainty.

 

[Triumph]

The clock should be tied to the referee's timepiece, and should be visible to all, which would make (5) unnecessary (since the idea is the time should stop automatically during goal celebrations, injury stoppages, etc.).

After 1 WC goal, a few of that teams players were up in the stands celebrating with loved ones while the clock kept going. WTF? Meanwhile, the Referee was trying to get the game going again. To me it had a WWE type vibe to it.

Sure, they eventually added more time.

 

[Triumph]

At the risk of sounding dismissive, you guys are fun to read with the changes you recommend. Soccer is arguably the worlds oldest team sport and the overwhelmingly most popular (I don't think the simplicity and the popularity are unrelated). Anyone can play, even the poorest of the poor because you don't need any equipment other than the ball. From a rules perspective, it's also the simplest by a mile. The rules of soccer are limited to the the minimum, with offsides being the only "artificial" rule. Otherwise, you go on the field with eleven players and you play. If the ball goes out of bounds you throw it back in and continue to play. You're not allowed to attack your opponent, especially from behind. No punching, tripping, elbowing, etc. If you continue to do it, the ref kicks you out. Otherwise, you play continuously 'til the end. Until recently, you were only allowed to sub two players per team (really only due to injury. Also, one sub was always saved in case the goalie was injured. Len Chalmers, a British player, played for 81 minutes in an FA Cup Final with a huge gash in his leg as his team "saved" the substitute just in case). The clock ran, and aside from half time, there were no stoppages. There were a few minutes added to the end of the game for unforeseen events occurring during play. It's amazingly simple and the beauty is largely in it's simplicity. Recently, largely due to money, rules have been added. "hydration breaks" for more commercials, more substitutes (so that the players are fresher and the number of games can be increased), VAR, etc.. Most of the rule changes, one could argue, have negatively impacted the game. I don't think further changes are needed. I think the game is fantastic as it is. Like all sports, as a viewer understands more about the nuances of the game, the opportunity to fully appreciate the game increases. Just like the NFL. Understanding the Patriots era of dominance despite the changes in the schedule and the changes made by the league to make dynasties more challenging to persist allows us all to appreciate the Brady/Belichick era more completely. Same with soccer. This World Cup gave lots of Americans their first real taste of how great the game can be. Welcome to the club!

By the way, all sports should have relegation. It's awesome and makes every league that has it better, makes owners more accountable, and gives fans more reason to be hopeful. It will never happen in the U.S. as the pigs at the trough (the owners) would never give up their cost certainty.

The improvements recommended are valid.

The ball hitting a wire on a goal and a players hand touching the ball on a goal are inexcusable. In a sport with so little scoring you'd surmise that they would strive to get it right. Nope, oh well. See ya in 4 years.

In some of the games, I could not tell who was playing who. It wasn't just me either. Friends didnt know what country was in what jersey. Morocco is abbreviated MAR. Clear as mud. I do not wish to be on my phone googling everything, about a game that I am trying to watch.

The NFL cleaned up its act. It used to be half axx like soccer, but no more.

 

[mosi's man]

So it's different in other sports? How about holding on Shaun O'hare against Seymour on the David Tyree play? Inexcusable? How about non call pass interference on Saints vs. Rams at the goal line. I could go on.....

 

[ctpatsfan77]

In some of the games, I could not tell who was playing who. It wasn't just me either. Friends didnt know what country was in what jersey. Morocco is abbreviated MAR. Clear as mud. I do not wish to be on my phone googling everything, about a game that I am trying to watch.

In other countries, there was a dot next to the country code indicating their uniform color. Here on Fox you had to realize it was the stripe under their name.

Also, either MAR [from the French] or MOR is something of an insult to the country, since the actual name for the country in Arabic, their official language, is Maghreb. [Egypt is even worse, as they're Masr.] Plus FIFA doesn't produce chyrons in non-Latin alphabet languages, so a lot of other countries have to do extra work, too.

 

[upstater1]

Argentina had no intent to try and play soccer/football. Their goal was to get to penalties. Pathetic way to play, and throw in the thuggery and you get the worst final we’ve seen.

? I thought it was a fantastic final.

Spain showed their pedigree throughout, the inferior team clawed and scratched, which is also enjoyable. AND then we had the ultimate drama. The inferior team, down a man and desperate, turned to the best soccer player in history and he once again took over by making play after play and almost equalizing, which would have been improbable. If not for a Spanish defender's smashed face, we go to penalty kicks.

Shades of 2015 Denver versus Patriots.

 

[upstater1]

I mean, you don't go 11 on 10 if your entire team doesn't bother playing the ball the entire game. Argentina legitimately could have had 3 guys sent off during this game.

Spain put Messi in jail, and Argentina had to resort to CONCACAF ball.

But Messi really came on once again at the end. Made multiple plays that could've easily been goals, even a mand down, and he also smashed a ball off someone's face. That was ticketed for the net.