FIFA World Cup 2026 in the U.S., Canada and Mexiko

porco_rosso

Hey guys,

Are you watching the Men’s World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico?

As a European, I grew up with ~~soccer~~ football and was raised on it, and I was a huge fan for a long time myself. I really enjoy watching the World Cup and European Championships, and that always reignites my old passion.

My parents are from Croatia, so I’m always rooting for them. In the last two World Cups, in 2018 and 2022, they sensationally finished in second and third place, respectively. Maybe this time they’ll take first place...

Some of you live in the U.S. - are you following the tournament?

HZPiano

porco_rosso Are you watching the Men’s World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico?

...No 🙂.

And: Croatia for the win it is, then!

Cheers,

PS If not Croatia, then at least Krakozhia 😉.

CyberGene

I’m a huge tennis fan and watch tennis on daily basis. However, the most popular sport in Bulgaria is of course football (soccer for the US readers 😉), so I occasionally enjoy watching it too, especially the World Cup and the European Cup.

Unfortunately, Bulgarian football team has been on a serious decline after 1994 when we reached the semifinals and finished fourth. I was 15 at the time and the whole country was celebrating it and we were united and proud for once. But we haven’t been able to even qualify for another World Cup ever since if I’m not mistaken 😕 (P.S. seems we also qualified for the 1998 World Cup but lost all three group matches which is why I have forgotten it, no further participation ever since)

I watched Germany vs Curaçao yesterday. I didn’t even know that was a country 🤣 ( and I don’t mean Germany! 🤣). I thought it was a (radioactive) blue liqueur. I immediately rooted for them! But they lost 1:7. Now I will have to find a new favorite. I’m an Italophile but it seems they didn’t qualify either and that’s a surprise 😮 I thought Italians were good at football. So, next closest thing is to choose a Balkan country perhaps: Serbia, Greece? Do they compete? I’ll have to check. Or Croatia after all 🙂

porco_rosso

Serbia and Greece are not qualified, so you should support Croatia! They play today their first match against England.

No one else following the World cup? You are a funny folk.

Johnstaf

I'm following what's happening, but I haven't watched any matches yet.

CyberGene

porco_rosso No one else following the World cup? You are a funny folk.

That's also surprising to me. I thought football was ubiquitous across Europe but I guess it's the forum slowing down during the summer. And also, old folks obsessed with pianos are apparently not hardcore football fans. And then, Americans don't watch soccer too much, I think it's mostly American football and baseball that are popular there?

Johnstaf

CyberGene I thought football was ubiquitous across Europe but I guess it's the forum slowing down during the summer.

I know hardly any football fans. My friend's son plays, but I can't think of anyone else who's particularly interested in it.

CyberGene

Johnstaf that's even weirder! Isn't football popular in Ireland? I lived in Dublin for a few months in 2004 and remember that hurling was some popular local sport that I had never heard before. Is it actually more popular than football in Ireland?

Johnstaf

CyberGene that's even weirder! Isn't football popular in Ireland? I lived in Dublin for a few months in 2004 and remember that hurling was some popular local sport that I had never heard before. Is it actually more popular than football in Ireland?

Hurling is very popular and Gaelic football (a bit like rugby). I don't know anything about either.

I think football is very popular, but maybe it's not the all-consuming religion it seems to be in some countries. If Ireland made it to the World Cup the place would go insane. 1990 was incredible.

I will hear the matches from neighbours' houses, so maybe I'm just odd. 🤣

MacMacMac

When I was young the only time I played soccer was for about two weeks during gym class in the 7th grade.
Decades later when my kids were in school it seemed that soccer was mostly for girls.
Soccer just isn't that big in the US.

American football dominates sports in the US.
Basketball also has a huge following, as does ice hockey.
Baseball a bit less.

Pete14

CyberGene And also, old folks obsessed with pianos are apparently not hardcore football fans…

How dare you!

That being said, yes, I am an old fart obsessed with pianos, and yes, I hate sports; however, come “Wolrd-Cup” season, and suddenly I’m “a fan”……don’t ask me why, but that’s what happens………

Now, I’ve never understood this obsession most males have with sports, especially “American” football; which is no more than a bunch of gorillas running after a ball, kicking the shit out of each other, and then, years later, losing their minds (from all them beatings); so yes, sir, I’d rather be obsessed with the sublime, intellectual, and even spiritual; rather than this barbaric activity called sports (except for a temporary lapse in judgment, come World Cup)….IMHO!

CyberGene

MacMacMac Basketball also has a huge following

Ahh, I forgot about that. Actually basketball is pretty popular in high schools here too, or at least it used to be when I was in high school. It's funny how I had forgotten about this, but in high-school my free time was split almost equally between the piano and basketball, this was in the 90-s and in the Michael Jordan era, we were all obsessed with NBA and there were tournaments between the high schools, and I can't remember having equivalent soccer tournaments. However, I remember that from time to time I would bump my finger (not sure what the proper verb/phrase in English is when the ball hits your finger longitudinally) and that would then hamper my piano playing for weeks and at some point I decided that I prefer the piano 🙂

QuasiUnaFantasia

Growing up in Denmark I watched football (the European sort), because that was what you did, growing up in Denmark (well, for us boys anyway). Later, as I developed my own independence, I realized that football was completely irrelevant. My silver jubilee as a non-watcher of football has probably already come around. I did enjoy the World Cup back in 1986, however (the European Cup in 1992 was also somewhat interesting, but for me the magic in football had at that time already begun to wilt.