Six complaints about 2026 World Cup, and why it mi...
Key takeaways
- Travel concerns, climate issues and a bloated schedule have all been floated as things dampening global enthusiasm for soccer's biggest tournament.
- However, each of the bigger arguments has a clear counter as to why this might end up being a successful summer -- on the pitch, at least -- by the time a winner is crowned on July 19...
- What fun is it watching teams you don't care about, with players you've never heard of and will likely never see again?
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Travel concerns, climate issues and a bloated schedule have all been floated as things dampening global enthusiasm for soccer's biggest tournament.
However, each of the bigger arguments has a clear counter as to why this might end up being a successful summer -- on the pitch, at least -- by the time a winner is crowned on July 19...
This means the quality will be diluted, the format will be clunky (there are 72 games -- more than the entire Qatar World Cup! -- just to go from 48 nations to 32), there's no real jeopardy in the group stage (win just one game and you're probably going through to the knockout rounds) and we're going to be force-fed four games a day for the first two-and-a-half weeks of the tournament.