Preface: This will be a serial piece, reporting on noteworthy events as they happen over the next few weeks through July 19.

The most prestigious international sporting event after the Olympics is the FIFA World Cup. Politics always plays a part in the World Cup, and the money involved is immense. Because of this, the World Cup organically invites & breeds corruption.

For the USMNT, it’s about advancing out of group play and finally winning a match in the knockout round. Note that there is a possibility the US could play Iran in Dallas, if both teams finish second in their groups, so watch for that. Iran has had issues getting visas for support personnel for their national team. Also, ticket allotments to Iranian national team fans have been reduced by FIFA. It must be understood that Donald Trump is closely allied with FIFA president Gianni Infantino for any of what’s going on to make any sense in this World Cup.

The game on the field matters less than ever, and that’s a shame. The USMNT has been handed a comfortable draw with Paraguay, Australia & Turkey in Group D. They didn’t have to qualify being a host nation, and that’s what kept the USMNT out of the World Cup 2018 in Russia. That year, 2018 was probably the lowest point for US men’s soccer since it came onto the international scene after hosting the 1994 World Cup and advancing out of group play for the first time.

The USMNT needs to advance to the round-of-32 and win at least one game for this World Cup to be successful for them. A problem with US men’s soccer is that there isn’t enough pressure on them to perform. No one who knows anything about futbol/football expects this team to do much, and it probably won’t. But the hype is there, that’s for sure.

By contrast, the US women’s national team has won the World Cup 4 times: 1991 (inaugural), 1999, 2015 & 2019. The US men haven’t been able to put any kind of competitive team on the World Cup stage ever, and 2026 represents a crossroads for men’s professional soccer in America. With all the advantages the US enjoys, not the least of which is having US imperialism literally destroy much of the global competition for the USMNT. Colombia, and much of Latin America can’t field a competitive team due to US-led violence unleashed on these impoverished nations. Iran surely has been diminished by US imperialism since Feb 28, 2026. Russia and it’s allies aren’t even allowed to compete, due to cynical US-led sanctions. Rotten politics permeate World Cup 2026.

The tournament has been expanded to 48 teams, from 32. This makes winning in the first knockout round (now a round-of-32, not 16) much easier for the USMNT, and it strangely feels like that was a primary reason for the expansion of the World Cup field. Anyway, more nations than ever are in the World Cup, but there has perhaps never been a greater disparity between the true contenders and the pretenders who are mostly just happy to be there.

Of course, every team wants to win, but the difference in quality between the world class teams and the rest will typically be made clear by the round-of-16. The US play Paraguay in its opener, just an hour away as of this publication. The US is playing in Los Angeles and should win easily, as they are better and have every advantage. The problem is, this is when the USMNT has historically spit the bit and laid an egg. Those are the storylines going in. It’s now time to let the players & teams decide the matter, as much as they are allowed. More on all this when the game is over.

Fri 12 Jun 2026 10:10 PM CDT

Mandatory hydration breaks by FIFA this World Cup have turned these games from two halves into four quarters, more resembling American sports. It’s an acknowledgement of global warming, and the need for player safety especially after Qatar 2022, Brazil 2014 & South Africa 2010 where world class athletes were being broken by the heat. I believe it helps the USMNT to play with this rule. Of course, the real purpose of this FIFA rule is to insert another round of commercials during each half, similar to when NASCAR went to stage racing a decade ago.

Coincidentally, a US player finally scored after the first hydration break in its opening match against Paraguay on their way to a 3-0 lead at halftime. Not much of a match, with Paraguay unable to clear the ball out their zone, repeatedly turning the ball over, giving the US multiple resets in the box, barely mounting a serious attack of their own, while tallying an own goal in the process. Hardly a game, and an illustrative example of how far away from competing these small & impoverished nations are in the World Cup.

The US has definitely improved from its disastrous setbacks of the 2010’s, where they completely lost their direction. The USMNT made the quarterfinals in Japan 2002, which is their best result ever in a World Cup, but have flopped since. The USMNT is definitely better organized, and there is finally some real talent on the team that can put the ball in the net, but I’m not convinced they can hold up against serious competition, which they probably won’t face until the round-of-16 at the earliest. Therefore I don’t get too excited over the USMNT dismantling Paraguay 4-1. The result virtually ensures the US will go on to the knockout stage, especially with their goal differential, so it’s a nice start but not much of a test.

The inaugural World Cup was in 1930, with 1942 & 1946 cancelled due to World War II. Brazil (5) has won it the most, with Germany & Italy (4 apiece), Argentina (3), and France & Uruguay (2 apiece) as the only multiple World Cup winners. England (1966) & Spain (2010) also won it. That’s the list. France is considered the favorite in 2026. Spain, England, Brazil & Argentina (2022 winner) all have strong teams and can win it. Beyond that there is a tier of 4-6 teams that can be dangerous. The USMNT isn’t considered to be on that list.

Early impressions: With FIFA expanding the field to 48 teams, the World Cup has been severely diluted, and the ramifications should be understood. Normally in the traditional 32-team World Cup field, there are 3-4 teams that have a poor showings and don’t win or draw a game in group play. They have a hard time even scoring a goal, and are sent home early in ignominy.

This time there will be ~20 teams that really don’t belong in the World Cup– ~40% of the field. Increasing the field by 50% only dilutes the quality of play, as FIFA has allowed too many third-rate national teams into World Cup 2026. Qualifying has traditionally been the method of ensuring only the best make this tournament. Now it’s a much lower bar to qualify, which doesn’t help the game.

This aggressive expansion will lead to many tedious games that will be sparsely attended & hardly watched. High ticket prices aren’t helping either. On average, ticket prices for World Cup 2026 are 5x higher than Qatar 2022. Who in America is interested in the Ivory Coast v Curacao match? Saudi Arabia v Uruguay, etc? Who will win Brazil v Haiti? Mismatches, along with boring match-ups are the story of group play in World Cup 2026. It was all done so FIFA could extract more money from fans & sponsors.

There are now 12 groups instead of 8, with some having 2-3 teams/group that aren’t internationally competitive. See Groups E, G, H & J, and decide for yourself. These ‘also-rans’ will win a few games, because they are playing opponents (40% of the field) who are at their level, but they aren’t World Cup teams in any traditional sense. The ‘group of death’ moniker no longer applies, as all the best teams are alone at top of their groups with a bunch of cupcakes below them.

Travel restrictions have also become an issue, as many foreign fans have decided to not attend the World Cup in North America for these reasons discussed above. Being detained by ICE is a very real risk, and who wants to pay inflated prices for inferior competition, while exposing yourself to the danger of being detained by the American gestapo?

The vastness of North America is also an issue, as the distance between the stadium venues is hundreds, if not thousands of miles. That’s too much travel, in an era of high gas prices along with the soaring costs of attending major sporting events. Watching the World Cup on television is simply a more sensible option for the vast majority of football/soccer fans in 2026.

Sat 13 Jun 2026 03:20 PM CDT

Video Assisted Replay (VAR): Switzerland v Qatar had an event which illustrates the corruption that is FIFA. At 17 minutes into the first half, after a Swiss buildup, the ball is played deep into the Qatar box, resulting in a violent collision between the goalkeeper and a Swiss attacker. A penalty kick was correctly awarded by the referee. All of these calls are reviewed by VAR these days. We the TV viewers get one quick look at what appears to be the Swiss attacker being offside. A VAR ruling of offside would nullify the penalty kick. We the viewers never got a VAR look of the play, even though Fox had “VAR check” on the screen and everyone is waiting for a decision. Why weren’t we given a VAR look at that play? Thierry Henry asked that same question at halftime after he analyzed the play. Clearly, the reason was the Swiss player was indeed offside, but FIFA wanted Switzerland to have the PK. Switzerland leads 1-0 at halftime. They outclass Qatar, but that is blatant VAR prejudice from FIFA. This is what fans mean when they say it’s less about the game on the field than ever. Click.

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Automated Balls & Strikes (ABS) has come to MLB in 2026, and it was long overdue. What really annoys sports fans are players who spend an inordinate amount of time complaining about calls to the umps, refs, and officials. ABS has elegantly taken care of much of that in MLB. My favorite ABS moment so far was a game a week or so ago when a hitter challenged strike 1, and strike 3 in a single at-bat– and lost them both as it wasn’t even close on either call. He foolishly & arrogantly exhausted his team’s challenges in the middle-innings, on a low-leverage plate appearance, and hurt his team while making himself look really bad. It was quite a feat to behold. I was so glad I finally saw something like that happen. As a neutral fan watching the game, I’m on my feet in front of the TV saying, “STFU & hit!” I’m guessing his manager & teammates also said something similar to him after the game, out of earshot of the media.

Flopping is the soccer equivalent of arguing balls & strikes in baseball. FIFA uses VAR to review all fouls, questionable offside, touchline in/out, and will even advise the referee to issue a card. VAR is an advance, but only if it is used fairly. Flopping is the biggest competitive issue on the field in football/soccer. Kids are taught at a young age to flop, so by the time they’ve reached the professional levels they’re experts. Each flopper has their own style, an individual reflection of their need for attention & special consideration, channeled into team sports tactics. It’s not only how you flop, it’s also when & where you flop. If you flop in front of a home crowd, during an important moment in a match when emotions are running high, this can often induce a desired whistle from the referee, along with a friendly nod & wink from FIFA VAR. This could win the World Cup for your country someday, so every flopper out there is trying their hardest at this. Click.

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FIFA Men’s Rankings are linked here. Sponsored by Coke. There are 211 teams ranked, with San Marino currently last on their list. The lowest-ranked 2026 World Cup qualifiers (FIFA rank in parenthesis) are: New Zealand (85), Haiti (83), Curacao (82), Ghana (73), Cabo Verde (67), Jordan (64), Bosnia and Herzegovina (63), South Africa (61), Saudi Arabia (60), Iraq (57), Uzbekistan (51), Qatar (50), Congo DR (46), Tunisia (45), Czechia (43) & Paraguay (42); all of whom sit outside the FIFA top-40. These are all teams that shouldn’t be there, and wouldn’t be there with a traditional 32-team field. If you’ve seen any of these overmatched teams play already, and objectively watched their level of play, then you know.

Only an outlier or two outside the FIFA top-40 (at the most) traditionally qualifies for a World Cup. Sixteen are listed above. I sense a form of gerrymandering is going on behind the scenes as far as these qualifying groups go. This is where things get murky murky with FIFA.

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Alexi Lalas was a defender on the 1994 USMNT. Their success in that tournament springboarded soccer in America by establishing the MLS, and boosting the USWNT who finally broke through in 1999. Alexi Lalas was best known for his red afro with corresponding facial hair, and being an original MLS name player for the New England Revolution. “If you want American soccer players to stay in America, then you need to pay them,” was the quote I remember best from him after the USMNT was eliminated by Brazil in World Cup 1994. I remember it sounding more like a plea, than a threat to leave for Europe.

Alexi Lalas wasn’t coveted by the top teams in Europe. On the other hand, Colombian defender Andrés Escobar was. When asked to speak about his 1994 experience as a Fox analyst in 2026, Alexi Lalas didn’t mention Andrés Escobar.

The 1994 World Cup was won by Brazil over Italy in a shootout. The player who made the biggest impression on me was Hristo Stoichkov, the Bulgarian striker. The event I will never forget from World Cup 1994 was Andrés Escobar scoring a devastating own goal for the US in group play that virtually eliminated pre-tournament favorite Colombia. Andrés Escobar was murdered by drug-gang hooligans in Medellín, Colombia less than a week after Colombia was eliminated from the World Cup.

The dirty, US-led drug wars of the 1980’s & 1990’s devastated futbol in South America, Colombia in particular. Two Escobars (2010) tells this tragic story well. Any discussion of World Cup 1994 that fails to mention the tragedy of Andrés Escobar is disrespectful on every level.

Final thoughts on 1994: To be fair, it’s organically impossible for Alexi Lalas (or any other member of that USMNT) to say the truth about that World Cup– the first hosted by the US. The big money involved created a viable soccer league in the US when MLS was inaugurated in 1996. If he could be honest, Alexi Lalas would say, “We benefited greatly, more than most fans could ever know, by the destruction of Colombian soccer by the US government & military. It was probably the biggest reason the USMNT made the knockout round in 1994. US imperialism not only destroyed soccer in Latin America, it wrecked all of its societies with violence that maintained inequality, meaning poverty for the masses & soaring profits for American capitalists. We were used as a propaganda tool by FIFA, US imperialism & its corporate interests. I am proud of our team’s performance in 1994, but deeply ashamed of the cost that went into our achievements. That is why it is important to remember Andrés Escobar.”

Response to this statement from Fox would be swift & clear, “Alexi Lalas, you’re fired. You will never work in television again.”

Sun 14 Jun 2026 02:23 PM CDT

There’s not much left to say at this point. Football/futbol/soccer is the world game. The US was simply the last country to embrace that concept. Drunk Americans who incessantly chant, “U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A,” expect a miracle from the USMNT– like Lake Placid in 1980. Of course, US hockey gold in 1980 wasn’t a miracle. Of Miracles and Men (2015) tells the rest of that story– which most Americans don’t want to hear either.

All this is why I don’t believe the hype on this USMNT. They need to beat a good team in the knockout round of the World Cup for me (& the rest of the world) to be a believer. Historically, the USMNT’s best players have been their goalies– Kasey Keller & Tim Howard. That speaks volumes about the level of football in the US. Today, the USMNT finally has some scoring talent on the pitch. They’re at least dangerous now, when before they were pushovers. In 1994 the USMNT packed everyone into their own box and held on for dear life against Brazil. Obviously you can’t win like that in the World Cup, so things had to change for the US to become respectable in international football. We won’t find out the answers to the USMNT until probably the round-of-16– due to this diluted field.

The stadiums are still full, despite massive price-gouging, visa issues & rising inflation. FIFA is still corrupt, with murky politics everywhere. Expansion of the field fits the interest of FIFA, so it’s here to stay. So are mandatory hydration breaks.  Fifty percent expansion has turned group play into a warm-up exercise for the best teams. They no longer have to worry about being eliminated in group play.

The best group play match-up was Brazil-Morocco- which ended in a 1-1 draw. Both teams played not-to-lose in the 3rd & 4th quarters. It was a gentleman’s draw, as the rest of their group are cupcakes. That was the best match-up in group play. The rest is an exercise in evaluating the best teams for when the knockout stage begins, or teams playing that absolutely won’t make the knockout round. This is day 4 of the World Cup and I’ve seen enough for now. I’ll check in on a few matches of interest as they arrive, but mostly this story is already written until there is a possibility that a good team could be eliminated from the World Cup.

Dilution means more product that is weaker. Also, just like the Olympics, many of these small nations have only a few players (if any) who were born or live in the nations they are playing for in the World Cup. Many have NCAA experience, and almost all have played professionally in Europe, the US, or South America. What this means is there isn’t really a Curacao national team. It’s a bunch of guys who have ancestral ties and can use that to become part of the World Cup. It helps their careers, and provides FIFA with cheap labor from which they profit handsomely. The few millions FIFA sends these impoverished nations for participating in the World Cup are pennies compared to the wealth they rake in broadcasting these diluted games. Germany over Curacao, 7-1. Alexi Lalas on Fox post-game refers to those criticizing this expanded World Cup field as “cynics.” Click.

Mon 15 Jun 2026 12:39 PM CDT

Late last week US president Donald Trump suddenly began pushing hard for a ceasefire deal with Iran. It seemingly came out-of-the-blue, for no apparent reason, as many things do with him. Trump never honestly explains why he does anything, so it’s left to people with functioning brains & integrity to figure it out and explain it to others who would like to know.

Trump’s reasons for signing a 60-day ceasefire agreement with Iran (terms of which are murky and to which Zionist Israel still hasn’t agreed) are: 1) this war was never popular, hasn’t achieved any of its stated objectives, and is hurting Trump & his party; 2) oil prices were about to spike dramatically as US reserves have nearly been exhausted; and 3) the World Cup match featuring Iran today in Los Angeles is expected to bring massive protests, which Trump wanted to blunt with this agreement. That explains his sudden rush to get a deal (any deal) done. All this is cynical public relations & optics– nothing more. Trump will renew hostilities with Iran whenever he pleases, with full approval of the Democrats. The entire world knows it, so don’t expect this worthless agreement to diminish any planned protests.

Iran plays New Zealand today at 6:00 PM PDT. The Iranian national team and its coaches have had to answer endless questions from the media that have nothing to do with New Zealand. They have been placed in an impossible situation, and therefore deserve every serious sports fan’s support.

Iranian head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, stated the other day, “We only think about our country. We are not political people.” Unfortunately this is ignorant babble, when clear thought & expression are desperately needed. In fact, countries are political entities by nature. Before capitalism, in the era of feudalism & the Church, nation states (countries) didn’t exist. It’s ridiculous that no one in the corporate media even points out this historical & political fact. If you strongly identify with your country, that defines your politics.

Those who insist politics should be kept separate from the World Cup are naive fools and/or cynical liars. The FIFA World Cup is an international event, which only ramps up the politics because every nation is competing against all others. Money, power & prestige are involved– which is politics. Visas are required to travel, and for that national teams, fans, media, etc, need host government approval. The process of being selected as a host nation by FIFA is highly political. I could go on & on– all politics.

“Diaspora” is a term that has been frequently used during the World Cup. It refers to a nationality that has spread globally, creating a larger pool of players and fans for a particular national team. As briefly discussed above, Curacao has a diaspora that has led to the formation of their national teams, etc. So when Amir Ghalenoei says to the American media, “The Iranian nation, we respect each and every one of the Iranians,” he is referring to the Iranian diaspora here in the US (& everywhere else) as well as the citizens of Iran. He is appealing to reactionary nationalism, as opposed to international solidarity. That’s the ignorance & danger of his words, which only adds fuel to the fire for Trump and his fascist cabal in the White House.

Diaspora means emigration & immigration. To have a diaspora, free movement of the global population needs to be possible. As we all know from bourgeois politicians & ICE on television every day, immigrants aren’t actually welcome in the US– or any other first-world nation. Especially poor immigrants. Yet the Fox announcers at the World Cup keep gushing about “diaspora” influencing the game of football in such a positive way, etc. The hypocrisy & cynicism is staggering, and often leads to the mute button in my World Cup viewing.

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In Group H play, Spain v Cape Verde ended in a 0-0 draw. This was a dud of a match, and another red flag. I watched the first quarter, then switched off at the mandatory hydration break to write & publish the installment above. I finished around the conclusion of this match. From what I saw (and I’m glad I didn’t see most of it), Spain didn’t even look interested in playing hard.

Perhaps it’s somehow to Spain’s advantage if Cape Verde makes the knockout round, or there were diplomatic issues involved, etc? Or maybe Spain just didn’t care to compete in this diluted field. Spain possessed the ball for a staggering 74% of the match time, but showed little energy, with their players being passive with the ball and not really attacking. That’s what I saw at the beginning & the end. I’m sure if I had the sound on, I would have heard Fox announcers hyping the performance of Cape Verde as historic, a boost to their national pride, etc.

How many Cape Verde national team players actually live in Cape Verde? I asked Google AI: one. The rest are diaspora. How can the population of Cape Verde be proud (from a nationalist perspective) of a national team that has only one citizen on it? Will there be a “homecoming” for this national team after the World Cup, so Cape Verdians can celebrate with “their” players– most of whom they have never met & don’t know? Identity is so fluid these days, it’s hard to take any of it seriously. There is a mercenary, free agent quality to many of these lesser-known national teams that outweighs the humanitarian, feel-good narrative.

One thing people who have never played need to realize is that it is very difficult to score a goal in football. It’s probably the hardest thing in major sports, and that’s why most professional matches end 0-0, 1-0, 1-1, etc. If you pack everyone into the box and stay there, it’s difficult for even a very good opponent to find the net. Overmatched teams often employ this strategy because the World Cup is about results. Cape Verde gets their national glory in a 0-0 draw, Maybe someday the Cape Verde national team will score a goal against a good team in the World Cup. Anything is possible. There is an element of nationalist enabling and ‘participation trophyism’ that rings hollow in all this.

Gonzo journalism: I suppose you could call this ‘gonzo journalism’ if you’re reading me here. I was never a huge fan of Hunter Thompson, but he had the right idea in that it’s about a lot more than the game on the field. Other people’s thoughts & ideas matter just as much, if not more. Without fans there is no spectacle, and the World Cup is a massive global spectacle. Gonzo journalism becomes an influential style when it grasps & reveals deeper truths that most participants miss. It means no rules, no bourgeois editors censoring content– in a word, freedom. I prefer to bring a rational, materialist, and yes Trotskyist perspective to my gonzo writings, as opposed to confused, drug-crazed anarchism.

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Hunter Thompson is a complex figure. I spent one summer in college reading books from the library. I spent a week on Hunter Thompson, William Burroughs, Henry Miller, etc, and didn’t like any of them. I can read them in bits & pieces, but they jump around, drop existing threads to go off on tangents, and generally can’t hold a story together– which frustrates me. I don’t read to be frustrated, so I usually leave them on the shelf, so to say. Hunter Thompson arguably worked best in a magazine format. This allowed installments, which are easier to deliver than a good finished book, which typically takes years.

I don’t like a lot of things Hunter Thompson did & said, but I credit him for contributing a very important concept to modern writing. BTW, this is a good way to negate prejudice towards a flawed person, by crediting them on something important. Also note italics as a gonzo technique. It’s about cutting through the noise and getting directly to a hungry reader with something exciting & important.

Readers always crave enlightening gonzo journalism because the corporate media is all propaganda & lies, as Hunter Thompson recognized. You aren’t allowed to say that on television, even though most people know it. Bourgeois society is afflicted with a severe case of the Emperor’s New Clothes. Gonzo journalism brings free-form humor & humanity to all this madness, which “serious news” people aren’t allowed to present. All they do is selectively recite numbers and lifelessly churn out narratives. If done well today, gonzo journalism easily eclipses all corporate media content, because truth matters foremost.

More than ever we need gonzo, so thank you Hunter Thompson. To all this, I imagine Hunter Thompson would tell me to fuck off, and that’s fine. He has that right & freedom. As long as he doesn’t slander or violently attack me, he can do what he wants. Since Hunter Thompson is long dead, I am addressing his fans who carry on his thoughts & ideas. It’s really hard to find people who respect each other and think this way anymore, and that’s surely what frustrated Hunter Thompson into becoming a gonzo journalist. People aren’t black or white, they are many shades of grey; and therefore people who insist on black-white binary thinking need to be outed as reactionary philistines. That’s the aim of gonzo journalism.

Fri 19 Jun 2026 05:42 PM CDT

For the USMNT, who will easily win their group, it’s going to be a 3rd-place team in the round-of-32 on July 1, a match they should easily win. Then it’s likely to be Belgium (10) in the round-of-16. Portugal (7) or Spain (3) in the quarterfinals are the-most likely match-ups for USMNT, if they advance that far in this World Cup. That’s ambitious and I don’t see the quality for the USMNT to get past a team like Belgium, but stranger things have happened.

Their ugly 2-0 win over Australia today was an own goal and a misplay by the keeper going to the ground when he didn’t need to. That’s not going to happen so much against the top teams. The US defense is shaky at times, and hasn’t really been tested under constant pressure during this World Cup. I still don’t see a magical player for the USMNT. Christian Pulisic is injured, and he can now be rested until the round-of-16, but he isn’t Ronaldo, Messi, or Zidane. The USMNT still doesn’t have that great international player who puts them over the top. That limits how far they can go.

Turning the matches from two halves into four quarters is deeply unpopular with fans & players. That, along with the diluted field are the stories of this World Cup so far. Everyone correctly sees this as a money grab for FIFA. There are a lot of uninteresting games I don’t even bother watching. FIFA and their sponsors are playing to the FOMO crowd which cheers for anything. Those who turn on the World Cup to see consistent quality are seeing far too little of it. We will have to wait until the second week of July for that. I’ve seen far too many good teams going through the motions in the first round of group play. That shouldn’t happen at the World Cup.

Russia once again is prohibited from competing. When Russia hosted the World Cup in 2018, four members of Pussy Riot crashed the final in Moscow. France-Croatia was interrupted in the 52nd minute as political hooligans Veronika Nikulshina, Olga Kurachyova, Olga Pakhtusova, and Pyotr Verzilov staged their pitch invasion. They somehow obtained police uniforms, which they used to disguise themselves and get close to the field. They were quickly hauled off by police, but later sentenced to only 15 days in administrative jail.

Pussy Riot have been declared foreign agents by the Russian government since December 2021. If you are going to try a political stunt like this in front of Vladimir Putin in Moscow, you had better have CIA protection like Pussy Riot does. That’s the lesson of pitch invasions at a World Cup, as Pussy Riot reeks of provocation..

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After the first round of group play, I like France. Germany & Argentina also look strong. I’ve noticed the FIFA bracketing has those teams far from the USMNT. None of this is random chance, as these brackets are intensely scrutinized & planned by FIFA, as are the draws that determine the teams in each group. Sponsors want to know (as much as possible) what they are getting. What I’m saying is much of this World Cup is scripted, and so far everything is going according to FIFA’s script.

I like the intensity & togetherness of the US team so far. It probably is their most talented team ever at the World Cup. The problem is the US is so far behind the rest of the world in football. The US is playing soccer, while the rest of the world is playing football. When you say “football” in North America, sports fans think of the Super Bowl & Rose Bowl. Football is the NFL, CFP & CFL. We have Major League Soccer as the highest level of football in North America.

Note that the rest of the sporting world refers to the game played in the NFL as “American football”, a game that developed in the 20th century. It is presumptive & arrogant to name your sport after a much older & more popular game already existing around the world, but you aren’t going to get NFL owners to give up football. There is a point of pride at the international level on this nomenclature, and to a certain extent it hurts the US in World Cup football.

The first written evidence of a football match came in England in about 1170. When kings heads were publicly guillotined, as the Industrial Revolution swept through Europe during the 18th & 19th centuries, their fleshy skulls were kicked around the streets by the jubilant masses– an early form of football. The game was codified in England during the 19th century. Knowing this rich history helps understand the deep working class roots in the game of football. Many great professional players, of yesteryear & today, grew up poor. Football represents the idea that talent (instead of privilege) rises to the top and always deserves our respect.

Sat 20 Jun 2026 03:50 PM CDT

Rebecca Lowe hosts NBC’s US coverage of the Premiere League. Football fans LOVE her because she’s passionate & knowledgeable about the game. Too many women in sports journalism are there just to be a pretty face. Rebecca Lowe is so much more as she is quick-witted, presents well, and is always spot-on with everything Premiere League football. Rebecca Lowe checks all the boxes.

In case you haven’t noticed, every World Cup team has multiple starting players who are playing in (or have played in) the Premiere League. Football is a tough game, and it doesn’t get any tougher that England’s Premiere League. Having Rebecca Lowe along with multiple teams of former European players as analysts really makes Fox’s broadcast a vast improvement over past US telecasts of the World Cup.

Former USMNT players (Alexi Lalas, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey) don’t add much by comparison. I understand why Fox wants a few of them there– it’s to lend credibility to US soccer by featuring a few voices of their own, but many football fans feel the current US team will best speak for itself– on & off the field. It feels like a lot of bandwagoning from former US players, who never really did anything in the World Cup– or anywhere else.

This entire World Cup tournament needs to be reconsidered as far as what is accomplished and what it means. Forty-eight teams now comprise the field, which will be cut to 32 after group play. What this means is making the knockout stage is no longer a major accomplishment. It’s now the same thing as qualifying for the World Cup used to mean. The round-of-32 now accomplishes what group play used to do–reduce the field to 16. This round is what football fans are waiting for when they watch the World Cup.

Once we get into the round-of-16, it’s important to ask– who is the host nation for this World Cup? Seven of the eight games in the round-of-16 are to be played in the US, as will all the games in the following rounds. Canada & Mexico have been junior partners to the US in hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Notice how this politically mirrors US president Donald Trump’s desire to make Canada the 51st state and renaming the Gulf of Mexico for America.

This expanded field has opened up opportunities for smaller nations to make an impression on the world stage. That is the only benefit to the expanded field. Does that outweigh diluting the World Cup? Many football fans feel the rigorous World Cup qualifying process should narrow the field to the best 32 teams. But how fair is the qualifying process? FIFA has so much murkiness & corruption beneath their surface that it’s hard to berate their decision of expanding the field. There may actually be a few impoverished national teams that deserve more respect than they have gotten and the World Cup is their chance to prove FIFA’s rankings incorrect. That’s the debate here.

At this point, I’ve written all I need to on World Cup 2026, so I’m signing off. The results will confirm or nullify all the narratives.

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