FIFA World Cup 2018

[Aedilred]

I said that after all the dodgy dealings that led us here and the many problems I have with the venue, I wouldn't be able to get too excited about this one.

I was wrong.

The hosts may be a bit lame (notwithstanding that I have them in the office sweepstake) and I still harbour a great dislike for Fake Ronaldo, but today's match between Spain and Portugal was great. Here's hoping it's not an anomaly.

[comicshorse]

I said that after all the dodgy dealings that led us here and the many problems I have with the venue, I wouldn't be able to get too excited about this one.

I was wrong.

The hosts may be a bit lame (notwithstanding that I have them in the office sweepstake) and I still harbour a great dislike for Fake Ronaldo, but today's match between Spain and Portugal was great. Here's hoping it's not an anomaly.

You and me both

[JulieVarnell]

I usually love the world cup, but this year I don't watch it.

[Rogar Demonblud]

For me, it's Iceland and nothing else. They're at least fun to watch.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

The goal from Morocco in their match with Iran was brilliant. World class diving headbutt attack way out of reach of the goalie deep in extra time. Too bad it was their own goal and it cost them the match.

[MikelaC1]

Its the year of the minnow teams. Send all the favourites home in the round robin, that would be great. Bye-bye Germany, so long Brazil.

[Aedilred]

Its the year of the minnow teams. Send all the favourites home in the round robin, that would be great. Bye-bye Germany, so long Brazil.

Honestly, while this is something that people say they would like to see happen, I don't think people actually do want it to happen. We all like it when underdogs win and upsets in the first round add spice, but we also want to see high-quality play and marquee-name matches. The tournaments that get remembered tend to be those where the big beasts clash in the later stages. Euro 2004 was dismal because all the flair teams got knocked out by Greece playing dull possession football. In 02 it felt like we were cheated of epic battles between superstars because of the surprise success of Senegal and South Korea (questionable refereeing in favour of the latter not helping).

This hurts even at the qualification stages, I think. I feel that this World Cup is a slightly sadder place for the absence of the Netherlands, Czechia and Italy. Even if they got knocked out in the first round their presence would add weight.

One - good! - small team going on a bit of a run, up to about the quarter-finals, maybe the semis at a push, is good spectacle. But you need serious teams in the later stages if the competition is going to be meaningful.

[Scarlet Knight]

No one cares about David unless there's a Goliath...

[Cristo Meyers]

It's the issue of needing to balance the sport with the business. Ideally we want the best to rise to the top, no matter who they are, but realistically we also need good matches that frankly put butts in seats. Is a, say, Colombia v Denmark final going to do that the same way Germany v Portugal would?

I lean more towards the sport end, myself, but I recognize the reality that the money to run these things has to come from somewhere.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Considering what happens with a lot of the revenue the Cup generates, cutting back on the cash flow isn't a bad idea.

[Aedilred]

It's the issue of needing to balance the sport with the business. Ideally we want the best to rise to the top, no matter who they are, but realistically we also need good matches that frankly put butts in seats. Is a, say, Colombia v Denmark final going to do that the same way Germany v Portugal would?

I lean more towards the sport end, myself, but I recognize the reality that the money to run these things has to come from somewhere.

I don't think it's just about money/business. (To be honest I couldn't really care less about that side of things). But a large part of what makes the World Cup special is its history and the mythology that goes along with it, that these players are performing on the same stage where Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Pelé et al once strutted their stuff. The big teams are hard-baked into what makes the World Cup the World Cup.

For smaller teams this may also be the only opportunity they get to play against some of these sides. Asian, North American, African and Oceanian teams don't get to play Argentina or Italy often, if ever. Even just stepping onto the same pitch as Brazil's legendary yellow shirts may be the biggest moment in their sporting history - and the biggest moment in their players' careers. Do any of the Chinese team destroyed 5-0 by Cafu, Roberto Carlos and the three Rs in 2002 really have any regrets, I wonder?

I recall at the Rugby World Cup in 07 a couple of minnows rested their first teams against New Zealand for strategic reasons and were widely criticised for depriving their players of the chance to play against the legendary All Blacks, even if they did get hammered or injured. I have a lot of sympathy with that view.

So if those teams go out early, or worse, don't qualify, the World Cup loses some of its sizzle and spectacle.

It still bothers me that FIFA deprived the defending champions of automatic qualification back in 2002. There was lots of pious talk about "nobody having the right to be at the World Cup" but that's rubbish, to my mind (after all, the hosts get top seeding no matter how terrible they are, and terrible hosts seems to be the future).

[mariusz]

What can I say more? Go Croatia!

[Rodin]

Honestly, while this is something that people say they would like to see happen, I don't think people actually do want it to happen. We all like it when underdogs win and upsets in the first round add spice, but we also want to see high-quality play and marquee-name matches. The tournaments that get remembered tend to be those where the big beasts clash in the later stages. Euro 2004 was dismal because all the flair teams got knocked out by Greece playing dull possession football. In 02 it felt like we were cheated of epic battles between superstars because of the surprise success of Senegal and South Korea (questionable refereeing in favour of the latter not helping).

This hurts even at the qualification stages, I think. I feel that this World Cup is a slightly sadder place for the absence of the Netherlands, Czechia and Italy. Even if they got knocked out in the first round their presence would add weight.

One - good! - small team going on a bit of a run, up to about the quarter-finals, maybe the semis at a push, is good spectacle. But you need serious teams in the later stages if the competition is going to be meaningful.

To revisit this post now that we're at the final...

I think that the underdogs have served us well at this tournament. Mexico played scintillating football into the quarter-finals, Belgium and France have been the two best teams of the tournament, and Croatia have stuck it out with dogged determination to get them through 2 penalty shoot-outs and a further ET. England went out a bit poorly, but in all likelihood will be taking the Golden Boot home with them thanks to Kane's 6 goals.

Meanwhile, the various favorites never really took off. Germany slept their way out of the group stages and Portugal's reliance on Ronaldo was laid bare.

The quality has been pretty high, and the potential for a team who has never won it before only makes the final more exciting for me. France as a team who has only won it once and probably deserves it on balance of overall quality means that I'm not upset if they win either.

It's good stuff, and I can't say that the absence of "Oh Dear God I've Been Shot, Ref!" Neymar will harm the entertainment value.