FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 - commentary and banter thread

I asked permission to post this in the General Forum; so I will.

Opening Ceremony

Thursday 11th June
• A spectacular 90-minute pre-match show featuring Mexican culture, global artists, including reports of Shakira, Burna Boy, J Balvin, and Maná; fireworks, and performances celebrating the three host nations.

Opening Match
• Mexico vs South Africa (Group A)
• Kick-off: 3:00 PM local time (Mexico City) / 8:00 PM UK time / 2:00 PM ET

• England vs Croatia — Wednesday, 17 June 2026, 9:00 PM UK time at Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium), Arlington, Texas. [acknowledged England bias by poster]

Build up in the UK/England has been somewhat muted and there has been much controversy about ticket prices.

England squad:

Goalkeepers
• Jordan Pickford (Everton) – No. 1
• Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace) – No. 13
• James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defenders
• Dan Burn (Newcastle United) – No. 15
• Marc Guéhi (Manchester City) – No. 6
• Reece James (Chelsea)
• Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa) – No. 2
• Tino Livramento (Newcastle United) – No. 12
• Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City) – No. 3
• Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen)
• Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur)
• John Stones (Manchester City) – No. 5

Midfielders
• Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest) – No. 8
• Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) – No. 10
• Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
• Jordan Henderson (Brentford) – No. 14
• Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United) – No. 16
• Declan Rice (Arsenal) – No. 4
• Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa) – No. 17

Forwards
• Anthony Gordon (Barcelona) – No. 18
• Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, captain) – No. 9
• Noni Madueke (Arsenal) – No. 20
• Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, on loan from Manchester United) – No. 11
• Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – No. 7
• Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli)
• Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) – No. 19

Countries competing:

Hosts (automatic qualification)
• Canada
• Mexico
• United States

AFC (Asia) – 9 teams
• Australia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Japan
• Jordan
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• South Korea
• Uzbekistan

CAF (Africa) – 10 teams
• Algeria
• Cabo Verde (Cape Verde)
• DR Congo (Congo DR)
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Egypt
• Ghana
• Morocco
• Senegal
• South Africa
• Tunisia

CONCACAF (North/Central America & Caribbean) – 6 teams
• Curaçao
• Haiti
• Panama (plus the 3 hosts above)

(South America) – 6 teams
• Argentina
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Paraguay
• Uruguay

OFC (Oceania) – 1 team
• New Zealand

UEFA (Europe) – 16 teams
• Austria
• Belgium
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Croatia
• Czechia
• England
• France
• Germany
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• Scotland
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Türkiye

Good luck to all involved and let’s enjoy this spectacle

@diver said
England squad:

Goalkeepers
• Jordan Pickford (Everton) – No. 1
• Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace) – No. 13
• James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defenders
• Dan Burn (Newcastle United) – No. 15
• Marc Guéhi (Manchester City) – No. 6
• Reece James (Chelsea)
• Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa) – No. 2
• Tino Livramento (Newcastle United) – No. 12
• Nico O’Reill ...[text shortened]...
• Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – No. 7
• Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli)
• Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) – No. 19

@diver said
No Liverpool players in the England World Cup squad for the first time since 1986.

@The-only-Mr-T said

how many liverpoo players made the squad in 94?

@The-only-Mr-T said

94 was the first wc that i can remember, was playing football at butlins during the final... good times.

@diver said
The first one I got really engaged with was Italia 90

England 1990 World Cup Squad

• 1. Peter Shilton (Derby County, aged 40) - oldest player to play at a World Cup
• 13. Chris Woods (Rangers, aged 31)
• 22. Dave Beasant (Chelsea, aged 31)
Defenders
• 2. Gary Stevens (Rangers, aged 27) – Right-back
• 3. Stuart Pearce (Nottingham Forest, aged 28) – Left-ba ...[text shortened]... 10. Gary Lineker (Tottenham Hotspur, aged 29)
• 21. Steve Bull (Wolverhampton Wanderers, aged 25)

I just went to see what game is being played in Foxborough, Massachusetts (Gillette Stadium)
and I was surprised to see we are hosting 7 games. Cool. Scotland will have 2 scheduled games
v. Haiti, Morocco, while England is scheduled for one game v. Ghana. Both may get more games, if they win.

Cabo Verde to pull of the first shock of the tournament by beating Spain

best team England had at a tournament was the 1996 euros, that was a crazy summer, that night we kicked the Netherlands arse and we actually managed to win a penalty shoot out against Spain, and Gazzas goal

@Wycombe-Al said
best team England had at a tournament was the 1996 euros, that was a crazy summer, that night we kicked the Netherlands arse and we actually managed to win a penalty shoot out against Spain, and Gazzas goal

@diver said
Opening Ceremony

Thursday 11th June
• A spectacular 90-minute pre-match show featuring Mexican culture, global artists, including reports of Shakira, Burna Boy, J Balvin, and Maná; fireworks, and performances celebrating the three host nations.

Opening Match
• Mexico vs South Africa (Group A)
• Kick-off: 3:00 PM local time (Mexico City) / 8:00 PM UK time / 2:00 PM ET

@diver said
No Liverpool players in the England World Cup squad for the first time since 1986.