Tag: world-cup

World Cup 2026: A Mixed Bag of American Influence

 have to hold my hands up and say I was one of the people who thought that having 48 teams in the World Cup would be too much. I am happy to set the record straight and say I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a footballing spectacle, it was good, but the American influence on the tournament was too obvious and, in the end, unnecessary. These are the things that need looking at before the next tournament.

1. The countdown to kick-off was very annoying and completely unnecessary. Can you see the crowds in the Premier League joining in with that?

2. The rehydration breaks that FIFA insisted were not commercial, when we all knew they were. It came up on the big screens: “And now, the rehydration break, brought to you by Powerade!” Apparently, in the States, those breaks alone brought in $250 million. The Americans are used to in-play ad breaks. Let’s face it, a one-hour American football game takes at least three hours! But for us Europeans, it was totally alien and definitely broke up the flow of the game.

3. Why did we have to cut to FIFA president Gianni Infantino acting like the Godfather within 10 minutes of every game he attended?

4. Probably the most controversial thing was Trump calling Infantino to overturn the red card shown to American forward Folarin Balogun. We’re not arguing whether it was a red card or not, but the fact that Trump had the nerve to call Infantino in the first place, and then Infantino overturning it, stunk of a stitch-up.

5. I have never liked famous singers performing the national anthem. I prefer to hear the players singing out of tune and the crowd singing together, as that creates a great atmosphere. Step forward Jennifer Hudson, who was tasked with singing The Star-Spangled Banner. Now, I know she’s a star in her own right and can certainly sing, but she definitely spangled this one. Why do these singers always try to perform an anthem differently when the standard tune will suffice? Then they try to hit notes that, to be honest, just aren’t achievable.

6. And now let’s talk about the half-time show. Take a deep breath here because I’m coming in with a long run-up.

We started with a clearly pre-recorded and mimed performance from Madonna, who was flanked by what looked like overweight lookalikes of Ronaldinho and R9 Ronaldo—until I found out they were actually the real ones! They were driving a car that looked like they’d nicked it from The Banana Splits(remember them?), and I was half expecting them to break into “Tra La La, La La La La”.

This moved on to more miming from K-pop stars BTS, who were obviously thrown in for the youngsters. Then it was, of course, time for a substitute, but who thought Justin Bieber—who looked like he’d arrived straight from a busking stint at Grand Central Station—was a good idea? Especially when he broke into the most morose song he could find.

The only bright spark was Shakira, along with Burna Boy (no, me neither), but even that fell a little flat. I’m told the creative direction was put together by Coldplay’s Chris Martin. Surely he’d have been more successful bringing out his own band for 25 minutes?

Wayne Rooney mumbled his way through six weeks of football punditry, but his finest moment came when Gabby Logan asked him what he thought of the half-time show.

“Crap,” came his reply.

Well said, Wazza!

7. Finally, the trophy presentation. We all knew Trump would try to get himself into the celebrations, as he had previous at the Club World Cup. Infantino did his best to lead him away like a son would an errant grandad, but he couldn’t resist one final shuffle into the spotlight. The best thing FIFA did was airbrush him out of the final photos.

All in all, it was a good competition that was slightly spoiled by the Americanisms. Let’s see what happens in four years’ time in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

Spain’s World Cup Victory: A Call for a National Trophy Tour

It was great to see Spain’s players celebrating in Madrid in front of over 2 million people after returning home from their win over Argentina. However, I think it would have been a good idea for them to visit a few other cities to give everyone in the country a chance to celebrate their heroes. Even a trip to Mallorca would have been nice! While I appreciate that they are tired and want to spend time with their families, a little trophy tour would have added to the feel-good factor around the country.

For the 26-man squad, nothing will quite match the euphoria of adding a second star above their nation’s badge.

However, each player is set to receive a gross payout of €754,701.92 (£640,500) for winning the World Cup. The sum aligns with the agreement reached with the RFEF, under which the players were to receive 45% of the prize money FIFA awards to the governing body for winning the tournament—a total of around €44 million (£37.3 million).

As a result, around €19.8 million (£16.8 million) will go to the players, after they reportedly agreed to collect major bonuses only if they reached the latter stages of the tournament.

However, the players will immediately have to part with a significant chunk of that money in income tax. Depending, of course, on where they play their club football, the Spanish players’ personal income tax rate is around 45%, meaning each player could lose as much as €370,000 (£314,000) to tax.

I also think the players, the governing body, and even the Government have missed a trick here. Let’s face it: while €44 million is a significant amount of money to most of us, in the football world it’s a drop in the ocean. The Government could have declared these payments tax-free, while the players and the governing body could have pledged that the money saved would be invested in grassroots football, helping to ensure that another generation of players can one day add a third star to that famous red shirt.

Having had two sons progress through the Spanish youth football system, I have no doubt that investment made now will have a significant impact on the future success of football here in Spain.

England World Cup Journey: Memories from Mallorca

This week I wanted to talk about my England World Cup experiences since I arrived in Mallorca.

Italy 1990

My first ever season in Mallorca, and England, after a slow start, were playing out of their skin. It was the emergence of Paul Gascoigne, and I can distinctly remember Punta Ballena going completely mad when David Platt scored a dramatic late winner against Belgium in the last 16. That was followed by a nervy 3–2 win over Cameroon, before a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to our old foes, Germany.

United States of America 1994

This was an easy one, as England didn’t even qualify! It was the tournament where Graham Taylor, the then England manager, famously said, “Do I not like that!”

France 1998

I can still see Michael Owen waltzing through the Argentinian defence as a young 18-year-old to score one of the World Cup’s greatest goals. That was tempered by David Beckham kicking out at the wily Diego Simeone, leaving England with 10 men. They hung on gallantly, only to lose on penalties again.

South Korea and Japan 2002

This was a World Cup much like the one we are experiencing now, with some strange kick-off times. I remember watching Beckham’s revenge over Argentina over breakfast! This World Cup, though, will be remembered for Ronaldinho lobbing David Seaman from 40 yards. Was it a fluke or an act of genius? Nobody really knows, but it meant England were saying Sayonara to Japan.

Germany 2006

England were sweating on the fitness of a young Wayne Rooney, who had a broken foot and was deemed to be the man to lead them to glory. He did go but was disappointing and failed to score a single goal. They eventually lost to Portugal in the quarter-finals on, yes, you’ve guessed it… penalties! Scoring just one of the four they took.

South Africa 2010

Remembered for those damned vuvuzelas! I remember being back home in the UK for a family celebration and watching the Germany game with my brother-in-law, Anthony. It was the game that produced the “goal” that never was. Frank Lampard hit a shot that clearly crossed the line, but the referee didn’t give it. England were outclassed, went on to lose the game, and were out. That incident led to the introduction of VAR.

Brazil 2014

A tournament to forget. Losing to Italy and Uruguay, and drawing with Costa Rica, meant we were home before the 14-day return period on my new England shirt was up!

Russia 2018

The first of Sir Gareth Southgate’s tournaments, and the one where we finally broke our penalty shootout hoodoo against Colombia. Hands up if you had no faith in Eric Dier scoring the winning penalty! Unfortunately, we couldn’t maintain that momentum and lost in the semi-finals to Croatia.

Qatar 2022

I would have put my house on Harry Kane scoring from the penalty spot. However, against France in the quarter-finals, he managed to hit a guy in Row Z, and we were out.

USA, Mexico and Canada 2026

From my first World Cup in Mallorca in 1990, standing on Punta Ballena, to now, I’m at the stage where my boys are sending me videos of themselves celebrating in the very same street while I’m in bed! Regardless of where I was, this was honestly one of the greatest football matches I have ever seen England play.

I was born in 1966, so it’s sixty years of hurt…Never stop me dreaming! 

World Cup 2026: Surprising Performances from Small Teams

Quite a lot of people thought that the increase in teams at the World Cup would mean more boring games and that the smaller nations would struggle to get results. Happily, I’m pleased to say that, so far, that has not been the case. Granted, Germany thrashed Curaçao 7-1, but when the minnows equalised in the 21st minute to make the score 1-1, I was jumping off my sofa.

Probably the best example so far of a smaller team holding their own against a larger nation was Spain v Cape Verde last Monday. Remember, I picked Spain as my favourites to win the competition last week. I should have said that they are slow starters and normally grow into a tournament. Let’s hope I’m not wrong!

Cape Verde, or Cabo Verde, is located 500km off Africa’s west coast and is a ten-island archipelago with an estimated population of 520,500 residing on nine of those islands. People talk more about it as a holiday destination than as a hotbed of football, so in reality they shouldn’t have stood a chance.

Spain are the current European champions, with 15 members of their squad having won a trophy this past season, and in Lamine Yamal they have a possible Player of the Tournament.

In the game itself, Spain unsurprisingly dominated, completing over 800 passes and registering 27 shots at goal. Unfortunately for La Roja, they came up against a goalkeeper who had an absolute worldie.

I guarantee that nobody out there had heard of the Cape Verde goalkeeper, Josimar José Évora Dias, widely known by his nickname, Vozinha, before the game. But you can be sure millions do now. He is 40 years of age and plays in the Portuguese second division for a team called Chaves. His performance saw him pull off a string of outstanding saves that totally frustrated the Spanish team. Before the game, as I said above, he was a complete unknown with 20,000 followers on Instagram. At the time of writing, just three days later, he now has 13 million followers! Luckily for Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, who are in the same group, drew their game too, so it’s all to play for. I still expect Spain to come through as group winners. Next up for Spain is Saudi Arabia on Sunday at 18:00.

From Spain’s frustration we move to England’s exhilaration. Sixty years of hurt, and every tournament we hope it’s going to be our turn. My whole lifetime, as I was born in 1966, we’ve suffered countless heartbreaks. That’s why I said last week that my heart says the winners will be England, while my head says it will be Spain. But in Thomas Tuchel, England have a ruthless winner who has, without doubt, been brought in to win the competition. Croatia have delivered some of those heartbreaks in the past. In 2007 they knocked us out in the qualifiers for the European Championships, and in 2018 they beat us in the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia.

The first half on Wednesday night was a mirror image of how England normally perform. There were flashes of great attacking ability, with Kane scoring twice, but they were let down by some poor defending. It was a great game for the neutral, but for us England fans, as usual, it was nerve-racking. We went into half-time all square at 2-2.

Without doubt, Tuchel gave the team a rocket at half-time, and they produced a stunning second-half performance. Jude Bellingham silenced his critics with a barnstorming run and finish to make it 3-2. Then, in the closing moments, substitutes Saka and Rashford combined to make it 4-2 and complete a very satisfying second-half performance.

A great start for England, but let’s keep a lid on the celebrations and simply be happy that we’ve started well. There’s a long way to go yet, but it’s certainly a promising start.

Next up for England is Ghana next Tuesday at 22.00.

World Cup 2026 Predictions: Who Will Win?

There are 48 countries competing in this year’s World Cup finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico, so trying to find a winner has become more difficult than ever. Although only eight nations have ever lifted the Trophy: Brazil (5), Italy (4), Germany (4), Argentina (3), France (2), Uruguay (2), England (1) and Spain (1).

You would probably deduce that the winner will come from one of these teams. However, I’m going to add one dark horse that may have a chance, and that is Portugal.

Italy, somewhat surprisingly, did not qualify, so that rules them out. I can’t make a case for Uruguay and, although they always seem to do well in tournament football, I’m ruling out Germany as well. Brazil have a coach in Carlo Ancelotti who is widely considered to be one of the most successful and decorated football managers in history, holding several unmatched milestones across European and international football. However, I don’t think his team is good enough.

That leaves Argentina, France, England and Spain. Interestingly, if the results go the way the experts predict, these will be the four semi-finalists.

My heart will always say England and, in Thomas Tuchel, we have an elite manager. But after 60 years of hurt, I still can’t see us getting over the line.

Argentina are the holders, and their coach, Luis Scaloni, lives in Mallorca. However, Messi is well past his best and I can’t see them retaining their crown.

So that leaves France and Spain. It’s very difficult to separate these two, but if I really had to choose, I’m going for my adopted country, Spain.

The current European champions have a team full of winners who, importantly, won’t be fazed by the heat. When I say winners, I mean players who have been successful in their domestic leagues this season and should be bringing that form into the World Cup.

Raya, Merino and Zubimendi all won the Premier League with Arsenal. García, Torres, Gavi, Olmo, Yamal, Pedri and Cubarsí all won La Liga with Barcelona. Ruiz won Ligue 1 and the Champions League with PSG. Rodri won the League Cup and FA Cup with Manchester City. Oyarzabal won the Copa del Rey with Real Sociedad, and finally, Pino won the Conference League with Crystal Palace.

That’s 15 players out of a squad of 26 who have already won something this season.

The most surprising thing about the Spanish team is that there is not one player from Real Madrid. You can understand why, as they haven’t won anything in the last two seasons.

The goalkeeping position will be interesting, as all three goalkeepers are world-class and it’s difficult to separate them. However, Spanish head coach Luis de la Fuente heavily favours Unai Simón as his undisputed first-choice goalkeeper. Despite stellar seasons and Golden Glove awards for David Raya (Arsenal) and Joan García (Barcelona), De la Fuente has consistently backed Simón, the starter from Spain’s UEFA Euro 2024 triumph.

The defence could well be their weak link, in my opinion, but their midfield and attack are outstanding. In Lamine Yamal, Barcelona have a genuine star who could become the player of the tournament.

Barring injuries, I expect them to line up in a 4-3-3 formation:

Goalkeeper: Unai Simón (Athletic Bilbao)

Defence: Marcos Llorente (Atlético Madrid), Aymeric Laporte (Al Nassr), Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona) and Marc Cucurella (Chelsea)

Midfield: Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona) and Fabián Ruiz (PSG)

Forwards: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad) and Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao)

Whilst I would love the Three Lions to roar again, my tip is for La Roja to be triumphant on the 19th of July.