World Cup 2026

[Retro]

Post all things World Cup 2026 here. I'll kick it off with a nice little scandal.

Prices for the final are really expensive, like thousands:

Supporters hoping to attend next year's World Cup final face paying vast prices, with tickets in the 'supporter value tier' starting at £3,119 ($4,185).

Fans' group Football Supporters Europe has said it is "astonished" by Fifa's "extortionate" pricing strategy.

The high prices for group games and the final have been leaking out on Thursday as Fifa informs national associations of their allocations.

It means the price of the cheapest ticket for Fifa's showpiece event has increased almost sevenfold compared with the 2022 World Cup. The lowest-priced tickets on open sale in Qatar were £450.

BBC Sport understands tickets for the 'supporters standard tier' are £4,162 ($5,560), compared with £747 in 2022.

'Supporters premium tier' is £6,615 ($8,860), with the same band £1,197 at the Lusail Stadium three years ago.

FSE has demanded that ticket sales should be halted immediately, adding that tickets not being available in the cheapest category is "a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is".

Isn't that reassuringly expensive? And you thought Apple gear was!

World Cup ticket prices: Fifa's prices a 'monumental betrayal' says Football Supporters Europe

Fans' group Football Supporters Europe says it is "astonished" by Fifa's "extortionate" pricing strategy for World Cup tickets.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Hitcore]

Bloody hell. 4 to 6 grand, in pound sterling. One could buy a decent second hand car for that kind of money.

https://www.cazoo.co.uk/cars-for-sale/76099346/

Personally I like it how Seattle appointed a match at their stadium as a "pride awareness match", and then it turned out the match is going to be between Iran and Egypt. Both aren't exactly happy about this.

Egypt, Iran complain about Seattle 'Pride' match

Egypt and Iran have complained to FIFA over a World Cup match in Seattle that is planned to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride.

www.espn.com

You can't make this up. It's the kind of stuff that makes me just wanna grab a bucket of popcorn and watch all the drama.

 

[Mort]

the orange fart wouldnt let them run it anyway

specially if it means they could threaten to take his fake prize away

I can hardly imagine him being invited to join in...

 

[Retro]

Oh man, I watched some of that presentation and it was beyond nauseating. The way that voiceover was fawning over him made me sick. Fake prize indeed, to stroke his ego.

 

[Hitcore]

Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you, the World Cup 2026 -- MY World Cup, because everything happens during my lifetime, which makes it basically mine -- is going to be incredible. People are already saying it’s going to be the biggest World Cup in the history of World Cups. And I believe them, because they’re very smart people, the smartest. They agree with me on everything.
People tell me, ‘Sir, this will be the biggest World Cup ever,’ and I say, ‘Of course, it’s happening with us!’ The stadiums? Huge. The crowds? Even huger. The trophy? I said make it shinier -- so shiny you’ll need sunscreen at night. The prizes will be the greatest prizes any athletes have ever received, maybe the greatest in history. Even I already have won a big shiny prize. It's the best prize, it's huge.

Get ready: this World Cup is going to WIN the World Cup.

[insert dramatic slightly off-timed horizontal hand gestures and pouting mouth]