World(ish) Cup
The sport with 2 names
Whereas it is mostly known as football, in 2 of the 3 host nations of the World Cup, it is known as soccer. The history of both terms predates English snobbery of the 1980s about the North American use of the term football. The best historic context is from Stefan Szymanski, Professor of Sports Management at the University of Michigan and former Professor of Economics and MBA Dean at Cass Business School, part of the University of London. One of the most pre-eminent sports economists took to researching the "strange" football versus soccer debate.
When the Football Association was founded in 1863 by Oxford graduates, football was perceived as a posh sport. It began as association football to differentiate it from another popular (and new) sport: rugby football. The emergence of the word soccer is potentially from Szymanski's theory that "soc" came from the middle of "association" with "er" added. While this is not completely certain, Szymanski is certain that soccer originates from Oxford as well, where it appeared in print from 1885 onwards.
The term football in North America is more about what others call American Football. According to Szymanski, it evolved from rugby while also containing elements of soccer. They amount to cousin sports, and American Football becoming popular coincides with the coining of the word soccer in the 1880s and 1890s. "Football" became the dominant term in the 1980s in the UK, encouraging "soccer" to become obsolete, also enabled by defensive snobbery. According to Szymanski, the two terms come up when he teaches classes at university: "Something Americans tend to do is apologise when they use the word 'soccer' and say, 'Sorry, I meant football,' because they think the British are sensitive about it. They're right - some are. I think it's very polite of them to apologise, but I tell them: 'It's an English word - feel free to use it.'"
The tournament with 3 official hosts
Whereas the 2002 World Cup was jointly hosted by Japan and Korea, this is the first time it has been jointly hosted by 3 nations. Matches in Mexico took place in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey whereas those in Canada were in Toronto and Vancouver. Meanwhile, matches in the USA were in East Rutherford, New Jersey; Arlington and Houston in Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Inglewood and Santa Clara in California; Seattle, Washington; Kansas City, Missouri; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Boston, Massachusetts; and Miami, Florida. How jointly hosted was it really, aside from the disparity in the location of the stadiums used for the tournament?
There was potential for the World Cup to have become a political own goal for President Trump. Whereas the World Cup is often a 'soft power supercharger' for host nations, sport or football diplomacy can bring collateral benefits such as better relations, improved investment and global prestige. The Trumpian interpretation of the term soft power differs from that of the term's inventor, Harvard political scientist Joseph Nye Jr. Some suggested that the spectacle of the 2026 World Cup would be to highlight power, and not the soft side of it. Nye himself has acknowledged that soft power can be gamed, misread or turned inward so that it can undermine the openness it appears to depend on.
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| 'The Donald' & 2 stage props |
While the World Cup had an expanded format of 48 teams playing a record 104 matches in 16 cities across 3 countries (11+2+3, precisely) which FIFA President Gianni Infantino labelled as the "greatest event that mankind has ever seen", he had been subtly instrumental in President Trump glossing over the tensions he had spent a while (or years) creating. This included tensions created by imposition of 25% tariffs on goods from the cohosts. They actually made the World Cup more exciting due to the Trumpian insistence that "tension's a good thing." The cohosts greeted this with silence, including Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum not even going to the opening match in Mexico City.
"Football Unites the World" seemed to only apply partially with a surreal opt-out clause appearing out of nowhere. Many supporters of nations that qualified from Africa and the Middle East and team support staff had visas rejected without explanation. Even Somalian referee, Omar Artan, was refused entry in Miami. President Infantino said it was "unfortunate" that he was denied entry then added, "sometimes it's good to just chill, relax." Maybe he was too busy chilling out when the Iranian team's training base was abruptly moved from the US across the border to Mexico and the fans' tickets were revoked by FIFA at the last minute so he could only respond that he would drive the team on a bus himself from Iran to ensure they could play. He might as well have driven the US team home from their 4-1 defeat to Belgium.
Those who amount to junior partners differ from the primary host in more ways than just the characteristics of Domineering Donald, although Canadian fans and officials are attempting to have divergent vibes from his rhetoric.
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau going to the US opening match in LA rather than Canada's own opening match in Toronto received a backlash from Canadians fans. His reason was that he was supporting his pop star girlfriend Katy Perry was really an excuse. He was unable to face the reality that his term in office had made him a domestic pariah. When Canada beat Qatar 6-0, it was much the result of head coach Jesse Marsch having instilled a new mentality in the squad and fans. Doing away with the stereotype of politeness did not prevent the World Cup representing an opportunity for Canadians to underline their country's multicultural diversity as a contrast to their noisy southern neighbour, making it as far as the last 16, losing to Morocco. However, it was still Canada's best World Cup by far, having lost every single match in their previous 2 tournaments.
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| Banished? |
Aside from Trump's Mexico-focused rhetoric about drugs, crime, walls, and tariffs in addition to serving as a dumping ground for Iran's team and fans, their main collective concern was ticket prices. It led to apathy from those who weren't wealthy to feel excluded from the event. Although barely noticed, there were protests about significant funding going into World Cup construction projects and security which many groups claim neglected domestic issues/crises. Winning their first 2 matches without conceding a single goal undoubtedly went a long way to easing the concerns of the notoriously football-crazy nation. After resisting Ecuador in Mexico City, they took on England there too, unsuccessfully, with the Latino temporament unable to make up for conceding 2 goals in 2 minutes in the first half.
The Usual Suspects, Minus One, plus Miscellaneous Unclassified Oddballs
At most World Cups, pundits usually pick a favourite or a group of likely contenders who will win the tournament. One of them was 2022 victor, Argentina, despite a flat-footed start and being a one-man team somewhat dominated by Lionel Messi. In the last 32, he scored their first goal against relative minnows Cape Verde, seeing their goalkeeper, Vozinha, save a one-on-one shot and two of his free kicks, and Lionel just couldn't believe it. Argentina ended up prevailing 3-2 in Extra Time. How effective was this kind-of wake up call? Only very slightly, scraping past Egypt 3-2, followed by 3-1 against Switzerland only achieved in extra time due to a Swiss player receiving a second yellow card and therefore a red card through VAR intervention.
Many among their semi-final opponents, England, would have preferred VAR to have existed at the time of their 1986 quarter-final, which would have ruled out Diego Maradona's so-called 'Hand of God' goal. It didn't need VAR to show how they caught England napping to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win to earn them a chance to defend their title.
The team could face disciplinary action from FIFA after they celebrated using a banner regarding a territorial dispute with the UK. The Malvinas are also known as the Falkland Islands to those who live there. Following an Argentine invasion of the islands on April 2 1982, there was a conflict until June 14 in which 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen were killed, along with 3 islanders.
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| "The Malvinas (a.k.a. Falkland Islands) are Argentine" |
The tip of many, France, began ideally, ably led by captain Kylian Mbappé with 58 goals in 99 matches in l'équipe nationale. Their dynamism meant they didn't have the oversupply of flaws of the other Usual Suspects, reinforced by beating Norway 4-1, Sweden 3-0, and overcoming Paraguay's attempt to frustrate them just like they had with Germany. Morocco's highly defensive tactics plus hitting on the break had managed to defeat Canada, however France managed to wear them out. Spain then managed to wear France too. Bizarrely, France were misfiring even more than England during the Bronze Final, formerly known as '3rd place play-off'. Having been favoured to win the World Cup outright, they could only turn their half time 4-0 deficit into 6-4 at full time.
Previously solitary victors Spain (2010) and current holders of the European Championship began with a grinding and misfiring scoreless draw against newcomers Cape Verde. Their 3-0 win against Austria was their first knockout victory since they last won the World Cup, on the way to squeezing past Portugal in the last minute. They were helped by Belgium's goalkeeper a little too much on the way to a semi-final against France which ended up with them not underperforming for the first time in the World Cup, especially after their dubiously awarded penalty. When it came to the final against the defending champions Argentina, Spain had 20 shots on goal, winning in extra time after 106 minutes.
Having won it the most, 5 times, Brazil usually gets mentioned. However, they began with a 1-1 against Morocco. Their sluggishness had many pundits describe them as "Brazil not playing like Brazil." In the last 32, they avoided having to go to extra time against Japan at the last minute. Their last-16 match was the best of the tournament, with the Norwegian goalkeeper saving a Brazilian penalty early in the first half. Neymar converting a penalty in 90+10 minutes was insufficient, Erling Haaland having already putting two past them to ensure their early exit.
The most bewildering of the Usual Suspects by far was (and still is) four-time winner, Italy. The last time that Italy even qualified for the World Cup was 2014 (!).
They failed to qualify for the third time in a row by finishing runner-up in their qualifying group to Norway, then losing the UEFA playoff final against Bosnia-Herzegovina at a penalty shootout.
Having most recently failed to qualify for the World Cup when the USA hosted in 1994, an ongoing ad nauseum reference for England is their sole victory in 1966.
This was effectively lampooned in the song '1966 And All That' by English rock band Half Man Half Biscuit - "Six months ago I returned your brown anorak, but you keep forgetting and it's far too upsetting." Fittingly, another song of theirs is 'National Shite Day'.
Before this World Cup, head coach Thomas Tuchel had his contract extended by 2 years. The FA (Football Association) chief executive Mark Bullingham was criticised for extending the contract without knowing the outcome of his initial mission to win the World Cup, the FA preferred continuity towards Euro 2028, to be hosted by the UK. He emphasized that the FA needs to avoid the uncertainty of the manager's future overshadowing the World Cup, "you never really want that hanging over you when you go into a tournament. It was more about looking to 2028."
When (needlessly) asked whether the FA is protected if it decides England's performance meant that it wouldn't want Tuchel to lead the team at Euro 2028, "there's performance clauses in every single contract at the FA, but I'm not going into any detail of what they are." Was there was a break clause in the deal that Tuchel could activate? "We can hold him to the contract," Bullingham answered.
2-2 at halftime against Croatia becoming 4-2 was reason for optimism. Therefore, the probable but not completely definite certainty did not hang over them for the rest of the World Cup. This led to defeating Mexico in Mexico City despite Quansah being sent off for a crunching tackle. England battled past Norway 2-1 in Extra Time, withstanding their tactics which had previously defeated Brazil. Could England lay the ghost of their 1986 2-1 loss to Argentina, with many in still smarting from Diego Maradona's so-called 'Hand of God' goal?
It turned out that taking the lead after 55 minutes was a false dawn. Precautionary defensive substitutions backfired poorly, turning a lead turned into a loss in the final 7 minutes. During the Bronze Final against France, they managed to not repeat that tactical flaw by preserving their half time lead ending up with 3rd place, their best result since 1966. How will England build on this in the future, and will there be a less satirical song from a reformed Half Man Half Biscuit?
A contradiction to England's pre-2026 World Cup situation, and markedly unique on its own is the novel pantomime surrounding the head coach of Tunisia, Sabri Lamouchi. His career began just before the World Cup with a 1-0 victory over Haiti, his only win in that role. While Haiti's 2 matches before the World Cup, their first since 1974, were 1 win and a narrow defeat against Peru, Tunisia lost 1-0 to Austria and a 5-0 thrashing by Belgium. Tunisia's first match of this World Cup was a 5-1 defeat to Sweden. According to Lamouchi, Tunisia "made too many mistakes."
The Tunisian Football Association seems to have agreed with Lamouchi's assessment to the extent that Lamouchi himself was held solely responsible.
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| Immediately fired/sacked/canned/axed/dumped/given the boot |
Former Morocco and Saudi Arabia manager Hervé Renard was appointed head coach until the end of the tournament. The last time Tunisia fired a coach/manager was in 1998, when Henryk Kasperczak failed to have them win either of their first 2 matches. At the same tournament, Cha Bum-kun was dismissed by South Korea after defeats in their first 2 matches.
20 years later, Julen Lopetegui was fired as Spain's manager 2 days before the 2018 World Cup began. When the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) discovered he had negotiated and agreed to become the manager of Real Madrid without informing them, RFEF stated it had no choice but to terminate Lopetegui's contract as a matter of principle to protect their own integrity and authority. Because of poor results at Real Madrid, Julen Lopetegui only lasted 4 months there anyway.
Sabri Lamouchi was only appointed head coach of Tunisia in January, replacing former head coach Sami Trabelsi who had been sacked after a last-16 defeat by Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations. This is the 1st time a manager has lost his job after 1 World Cup match.
Tunisia's remaining matches were a 4-0 loss to Japan and a 4-1 loss to Holland. Hervé Renard's tenure was merely 2 matches. Could the Tunisia head coach role have been a poisoned chalice all along?
Unknown Underdogs
Every tournament, especially the World Cup, features teams that either no-one has ever heard of, or those with a vaguely familiar name that are still otherwise completely unknown. This World Cup featured both varieties from whom nothing was expected, however they were still glad to be taking part.
Uzbekistan is the first Central Asian nation, as well as the third republic of the former Soviet Union after Russia and Ukraine to qualify for the World Cup. While 2026 was Uzbekistan's first ever World Cup, Ukraine didn't qualify, having lost a play-off match against Sweden. Of course, Russia did not compete in this World Cup, still banned from all international competitions due to the ongoing geopolitical sanctions resulting from their invasion of Ukraine. Despite that invasion quickly bogging down, the conflict is still ongoing.
The other former, and uninvaded former Soviet republic is 448,978 km² / 173,351 square miles, the 56th largest country with the 40th largest population. Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country, with the only other being Liechtenstein - a microstate in the Alps between Switzerland and Austria. Uzbekistan is also bordered by 4 former Soviet republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikstan, and Turkmenistan. An additional neighbour is Afghanistan to the south.
It is the most populous Central Asian republic, with more than 38.2 million. After Uzbek, a significant minority language is Russian, with the former lingua franca from the Soviet era inevitably declining. The name Uzbekistan first appears in 16th century literature, and was partially conquered by Russia 3 centuries later. A second, less intensive phase of control by 'the Bear' followed Red October. Despite some early resistance to the Bolsheviks, Uzbekistan and the other 4 became part of the USSR. During World War II, 1.4 million Uzbekistanis fought in the Red Army. Casualties of Uzbeks on the Eastern Front were over 1/4 of a million, with over 32,000 MIA.
About 65,000 Uzbek troops fought in the Soviet-Afghan war (1979-1989), with several thousand casualties. Just like the other 14 member states, Uzbekistan inevitably became fed up with being a Soviet state, declaring state sovereignty in 1990 and independence in 1991 just months before the USSR dissolved.
Coached by former Italian international and 2006 World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro, the first World Cup match of The White Wolves was a 3-1 loss to Columbia which was a somewhat flattering score for Los Cafeteros, along with having a goal slightly unfairly ruled out against Portugal.
Despite their final group match against Congo being a 'dead rubber' - the 10th minute saw Eldor Shomurodov's sensational chipped lob.
Curaçao, is known to very few at all, frequently confused with nearby Aruba. It is a 444 km2 island country in the southern Caribbean Sea about 65km (40 miles) north of Venezuela consisting of 2 islands - one of which is uninhabited. Curaçao's 158,000 residents make it the smallest country by population to ever have qualified for the World Cup. The next smallest is 2018 qualifier Iceland, whose population is more than double that of Curaçao.
Curaçao's first World Cup match against Germany was deemed it the biggest mismatch of the tournament and a probable thrashing. When Felix Nmecha scored Germany's first after just 6 minutes, most assumed there would be many more without reply. However, the team with the nickname Blue Wave turned 1-0 into 1-1 after 21 minutes when Livano Comenencia's medium-distance shot got past German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
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| Livano Comenencia is somewhere underneath them |
Thereafter, Curaçao made several enterprising forward runs which left them too open at the back, defeated 7-1. They were the first debutants in 72 years to lose by six goals in their first match since Hungary defeated South Korea 9-0 in 1954. Curaçao's veteran coach and former boss of he Netherlands, Dick Advocaat who at 78 is the oldest coach in World Cup history, praised the team and fans afterwards.
He was certainly pleased when they held Ecuador to 0-0. They had clearly learned from the match against Germany, leaving themselves less open. Man-of-the-match was undoubtedly their goalkeeper Eloy Room. Despite going down 2-0 to Ivory Coast, the team whose nation's entire population was only double the capacity of the biggest stadium were simply delighted to have been there at all.
The least well known of all is Cape Verde, an archipelagic country in the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of the westernmost point of Africa. 10 volcanic islands of 4,033 km2, about 600 kilometres (373 miles) from continental Africa, independent from Portugal since 1975, has a population of just under half a million. Although football is the nation's favourite sport, the Cape Verdean Football Federation only has seven full-time staff. Tickets for international home matches are sold in local bakeries and gas stations.
This most sparsely populated African nation, 67th in FIFA's latest rankings started the World Cup against second-ranked and reigning European champions Spain. The favourite of many to win the World Cup outright were expected to sweep Cape Verde aside easily. The debutants managed to hold Spain to a goalless draw, a complete contradiction to an old slang phrase still used in England: "Bore Draw". Despite numerous long spells of attack, their goalkeeper Vozinha frustrated them with numerous fine saves. The defence in front of Vozinha was very rigid, comfortably dealing with Spain's build-up play, so only 7 of Spain's 27 shots were on target.
One of Cape Verde's defenders, centre-back Roberto Lopes, was born in Dublin to a Cape Verdean father and Irish mother, started playing football part-time for Bohemians in the League of Ireland. He was also a qualified mortgage advisor until 2017 when Shamrock Rovers approached him, and he then began a full-time football career. He was soon recruited on LinkedIn to play for Cape Verde by their coach, Rui Aguas who had discovered that Lopes' father, Carlos, was from Cape Verde. Having initially believed the first message was spam, he Google Translated the follow-up from Portuguese, and first played for Cape Verde in 2019. His key role in the notable draw against Spain meant that almost as many in Dublin celebrated the result as in Cape Verde itself.
Notably, when Cape Verde played Uruguay, they went on to score their first international tournament goal, defending well again to produce a thrilling 2-2 draw. They were superior against Saudi Arabia, which a last minute miss would have turned into a win. However, they rightfully earned a place in the last 32 to face Argentina. What many expected to be a walkover for the reigning world champions was anything but that. Messi scored first, then Deroy Duarte equalized in the second half. Cape Verdi's goalkeeper Vozinha saved a one-on-one shot and two free kicks from Messi. Martinez restored the lead at the beginning of Extra Time. When Sidny Cabral equalized for Cape Verde at officially 103 minutes, Lionel was somewhat bewildered.
After scoring the equalizer against Argentina, Sidny Lopes Cabral sprinted to the stands to celebrate with a loved one. When he got there, they weren’t in the front row, making them difficult to find. Stewards tried to usher him back onto the pitch, but Cabral refused to leave until he found them.
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| Sidny Lopes Cabral |
It ended up 3-2 to Argentina after full time of extra time which was completely unexpected. It truly was a fitting end for a country almost no-one had ever been to, or even heard of.
Hollywoodization of The Internationale
This World Cup was more than just a sporting tournament. Each individual match began with an impressive flamboyant display similar to that of the opening ceremony.
It just happens to be that of the 48 nations participating in the World Cup, I have been to 13 of them, am a citizen of 2, have met and know many from countless others. More than many, I have consistently been reflecting on each of them individually, as well as assessing the linguistic nature of them mainly reflected in the TV commentator's use/ overuse / misuse of each nation's the official title. What's in a name? When it comes to matches involving Korea, TV commentators frequently stumble through saying 'Korean Republic', whereas the official title is 'Republic of Korea', known to many/most as South Korea.
Then again, some official names correctly pronounced as the state requests/ demands narrowly borders on comic absurdity.
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| This is not a nation |
The most absurd use of an official name by commentators as well as FIFA (and even the UN) is that of Iran. Historically known as Persia, and bordering many former Soviet republics, the official title is Islamic Republic of Iran. It is understandable to use that when announcing forthcoming play of a national anthem. However, commentators frequently made a meal out of frequently blathering the entire title all at once. It merely gives even further legitimacy to a theological dictatorship which has been a moral void both domestically and internationally since its foundation in 1979. The Mullahocracy has always been and still is as absolutist as possible in order to maintain the ultimate form of despotism.
The World Cup at least enabled some respite for the fans, especially from the appalling morality police, tasked with enforcing the state's extremely strict Islamic dress codes and public behaviour.
With freedom to not wear the ridiculously restrictive burka, Iranian women were actually able to be women.
As long as some of this window dressing could be ignored, this particular World Cup was capable of putting on a good show.
There were many sights to behold among visiting fans, with many creative endeavours.
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| Dress up extends to being charming eye candy |
Some fans' creative skills enabled them to visually embody their countries.
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| In terms 10 pin bowling-themed metaphors, this is a strike. |
Despite not trying to get noticed, previous World Cup winners as spectators were still spotted. TV cameras quickly spotted French legend Zinedine Zidane.
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| Zizou |
To me personally, he is greatest footballer ever, able to control the ball with a unique form of elegance which is beyond nearly everyone else and frequently baffled most teammates and opponents.
A couple of World Cup winning Brazilians were spotted, both concurrently disappointed with present day Brazil having become relatively substandard. The main side-effect of Ronaldo's hypothyroidism was still as visible as it had been for years.
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| Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, scorer of the best free kick ever |
FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development since 2019, Arsène Wenger, kept on showing up. For anyone from England, spotting the former Arsenal manager of 1996 to 2018 was easy peasy. "Le Professeur" kept on showing up, almost as much as his nominal Swiss boss without a nickname, and more than almost any fan.
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| Wenger's ultimate reappearing act |
Other celebrities in plain sight were footballers famous for other things, along with those who are generally famous. While fame has a half life of 15 minutes, infamy lasts somewhat longer. As such, they become camera magnets.
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| The Scientologist, The Spice Boy, and an MS Nerd looking at a distant lawn |
Some bald bloke who may or may not have briefly been a form of butler to The Donald, was at every single match to the extent that TV cameras seemed to have been programmed to display him.
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| Mr. President came dressed for a wake |
While racism has a long history of being a blight on football, Infantino championed a specific rule change which is effectively judicial overreach. Because of an incident in April in Spain when Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth when arguing with Vinícius Júnior and it couldn't be ascertained what he said exactly, Gianni Infantino insisted such behaviour should have any player sent off. He believed that referees should work from a presumption that players have said "something they shouldn't have"(!). During a match between Paraguay and Turkey, Miguel Almirón became the first player to be sent off for speaking behind his hand to Mert Muldur. Obeying the Infantino's implied principle for maybe saying something he shouldn't have, the referee showed the Paraguay midfielder a red card. Because of this Woke/ politically correct attitude, referees have become licensed to be solo Kangaroo Courts. President Infantino's somber dress reflects that part of the spirit of football is gradually withering away.
Furthermore, there is much about him individually and his management of FIFA which are highly suspect. His executive pay in 2025 was $6 million, about half of which is a variable bonus linked to FIFA's revenue growth. Since he became FIFA President in 2016, his earnings apparently quadrupled. Many critics and advocacy groups claim that expanding the World Cup to 48 teams and its accompanying drive for turnover prioritizes commercial paydays over the sport's traditions. Such leveraging of the distribution of World Cup hosting rights and multibillion development grants to secure political loyalty (except that of The Donald, of course) have created a form of patronage system. Resultant criticism of sky-high ticket prices making 2026 the most expensive in history have been met with Infantino claiming the pricing is necessary to prevent black-market sales. With face-value group stage tickets ranging from $140 to over $1,400 and prime seats for the final being up to $10,900, it is completely illogical that he would be so lacking in economic common sense. Therefore, the financial make up of FIFA and its President are highly sinister.
The above surely forms the background to Gianni Infantino having provided President Trump with a form of diplomatic cover for part of The Donald's geopolitical poker with Iran when fans and players were effectively deported with their training base moving across the border to Mexico and FIFA itself revoking fans' tickets at the last minute. Responding that he would drive the team bus himself to ensure they could play was an amount of word games which he knew would get little attention because of a forthcoming distraction: The World Cup tournament itself.
Entertaining Footballsy initiative, despite the backstage undermining
One unique aspect to this World Cup which also made its debut was the Ref Cam. The first time it was first used anywhere was February 2024 in the Bundesliga (Germany's domestic league). Ref Cam is a specialized, ultra-lightweight (14 grams) point-of-view camera with electronic image stabilization and a wide-angle lens.
The match referee wears it together with an earpiece used to communicate with VAR (video assistant referee). It enhances both decision making and fan engagement as it has a first-person on-pitch perspective of player interactions such as goals and fouls. Right behind the goal scorer replays have become a luxury for TV broadcasters and fans alike.
The Ref Cam enables fans and TV audiences to see players like Messi up close and also view issuing red cards from an angle no-one could have imagined, even at the 2022 World Cup.
It also records pre-kick-off handshakes. Although I couldn't find it online, during pre-kick-off handshakes I saw a Bosnia player look directly at the camera lens and wink as he shook the referee's hand. I record my running races (marathons, etc.) using a GoPro, so this innovation is relatable to me, albeit differently from most other football fans.
Before the tournament began, a variation of a Ref Cam was used when it came to setting the stage for the World Cup. The head of state of the overwhelmingly senior partner was in his first term when hosting the World Cup was assigned to the US and the 'other 2'. He may have planned how something he probably didn't really want would work for him while he was on a break, known to him as the Sleepy Joe Intermission. He also surreptitiously undertook some social engineering, especially of the other (not head of any state) president.
By the opening day, June 11, 2 stages had been set. In addition to the World Cup tournament itself, a quasi-stage had been set for self-glorification by a political leader who frames division and tension as a basis for entertainment. This has long been his bog-standard and run-of-the-mill Modus Operandi for geopolitics and world trade. Thereby, the governing body was/is too invested in commercial gain to be concerned about any social divisions it was/is creating. The Trump + Infantino + mouth-covering-rule formula risked making the "football is always the winner" expression irrelevant. It's unclear how soft the soft power actually was.
However, there was still plenty of spectacle with this World Cup using technological innovations extensively to involve spectators more profoundly than ever. Adding an extra knockout round, Last 32, provided even more entertainment than ever, with many results having AET added to them.
This included the final, which overshadowed the chintzy display before kickoff and at halftime. As always since 1930 at least on match day, this World Cup was able to make football the only important subject. It was done in a style that could at least distract most of us from other human failings.
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