How excited are you about the World Cup?

[HookedOnAPhelan]

Not excited at all tbh. But I'm not sure if that's because it's in Qatar (which is wrong), or because it's in the winter (which just feels wrong).

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Bollox. Didn’t know there was a dedicated forum for it. Feel free to move thread.

 

[ants7]

Feel quite indifferent. I'm much more invested into the league and with the way we have been playing in the last few days, I'm finally again looking forward to our games. Also, it's just weird having this tournament just before winter. Will probably still watch few matches but it's just not the same..

 

[Gio]

Normally I'm completely hard about a World Cup. They only come along once every four years, they usually have lots of fun, attacking football, and they are comparatively untouched by the capitalist inequalities that have split the club game in two.

But this one is hard to love. The death toll means, however good the football is, this World Cup will always be a stain on the history of the game. World Cups are usually energised by their location, especially in traditional football countries where the fans, stadia and culture give each one a unique sense of identity. And there is no natural build-up owing to the mid-season timing with it starting just 7 days after the club game pauses for the tournament.

 

[Newtonius]

Really couldn't give less of a shit a world cup is supposed to be a summer thing and ultimately bribery, corruption and slave labour was involved in making it happen.

 

[Jc1988]

As a Welshman this one will be pretty special for me having never seen Wales at a world cup. I just wish it wasn't in Qatar.

 

[Rista]

Going to watch only some games but manly due to my interest in football waning. Nothing to do with the Qatar outrage.

 

[The Cat]

I will watch the Wales games in the pub and the England games at home.

Probably watch other big matches when I am able. It's still a World Cup and one with Wales included so it's must watch for us lot.

 

[Utd heap]

Loads of games, England in with a chance. Chance to see sides I don't normally see much of, what's not to like?

*Other than the slave labor and terrible laws on minorities. There is that.

 

[Shai-Hulud]

I can't get excited about it. When I think of it, some disgust comes up. It should never be taking place in Qatar. Bribery and ruthless slavery has brought it about. The corrupt have gotten away with it, when they really shouldn't have.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Nothing (in sports) beats World cup

 

[Jed I. Knight]

Can’t be arsed.

 

[Freak]

Can't be arsed.

 

[duffer]

Can't wait, I love the World Cup.

I've even booked time off work to watch tons of games.

 

[mctrials23]

Strangely not that bothered. England won't do anything of note and the corruption involved in every level of it makes it somewhat sour in my eyes.

 

[Himannv]

I'm too invested in the season to really be interested in this. I'd be more interested if it happened between seasons the way it usually does.

 

[Borys]

Pretty excited I must say. I really like national football, and because I work with people around the world and my boss is Mexican (Poland plays Mexico in first game), it will be fun from the very beginning. I'm not even excited for Poland games, probably will watch first and last, but I just like the World Cup atmosphere in general.

I think compared to other top clubs, our players will not play that much what might be beneficial, or a problem, I can't decide. But they should be fresh for December games.
It's also beneficial as hopefully Martial and Varane can get over injuries, and Ten Hag will have a decent sample of games to examine and identify improvements.

 

[Grylte]

Not going to watch a single game.
Might check some scores or watch highlights on youtube.
Shit country that has no history in football, clearly bought it, slavery and deaths, also wrong time of the year.

 

[Parma Dewol]

Can't wait, I love the World Cup.

Same. And though I usually love the summer aspect of it, I'm intrigued to see how it plays out over the winter. If it works well, who knows, it may open the door for other countries deemed too hot to host during the summer. A winter India World Cup would be something.

Terrific kick off times for us, too. Never say no to a marathon of football. Very much looking forward to it.

 

[al.gabiru]

WC is always great

There should be one every two years. One year for the world cup, another for the continental cups (Euro, Copa America) qualifying for the World Cup. So no more meaningless friendlies, leagues of nations etc. More high-level football, better.

 

[Bertie Wooster]

I don't really get as excited as I used to by the international tournaments. They used to be a rare chance to see players from other countries / continents. Players and nations I was eager to see for the novelty, and contrast in styles. But now I see most of those players regularly - and mostly playing for PL or CL/EL rivals of ours - so my association with them is negative and I find it hard to enjoy watching them.

It just feels like I'm watching an amalgamation of City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, etc, players play against each other. Whereas, in my first few world cups, it was exciting to see these new players from South America or Africa for the first time.

Usually, there's at least the 'bonus feel' of it being plenty of football in the summer. This time, it's very annoying that it's interrupting the domestic season.

I'll still watch a good number of the games, no doubt, but I'll be impatient for our season to continue, and my main area of interest / concern during it will be that none of our players pick up injuries.

 

[RuudTom83]

Best part about the WC is you get to watch some Football in the summer.

But this one is just terrible timing and is nothing more than an unwanted distraction.

I'd have treated it like the African Cup and just carried on with the League, the games/results would be x10 more random and all over the place haha.

 

[redcucumber]

Anyone who actually likes football is normally giddy about the World Cup, but there is no denying that this one is different for all the wrong reasons. Came across this the other day;

Migrant workers in Qatar left in debt after being ordered home before World Cup starts
https://www.theguardian.com/global-...er-being-ordered-home-before-world-cup-starts

It's not really the freewheeling, celebratory backdrop you typically associate with a World Cup.

 

[ROFLUTION]

WC is always great

There should be one every two years. One year for the world cup, another for the continental cups (Euro, Copa America) qualifying for the World Cup. So no more meaningless friendlies, leagues of nations etc. More high-level football, better.

Gianni Infantino, is that you?

 

[Cantona_7_]

Like many others I nomally love the WC and are hyped for like a year earlier but thisone im not yet thinking about even if its a few weeks away.

Im gonna watch games and hope it will be great, but not hyped at all, feels totaly wrong having a world cup this time a year and still think its a scandal FIFA let it happend, money really ruined the charm of football for me

 

[Strelok]

Not at all. In fact I really hate it we're on a good form and for me club football is simply much better. Feck Fifa.

 

[Spaghetti]

Very much so! It’ll be different, and that’s not always bad.

“it interrupts the season” is a lazy, ignorant, selfish complaint. World Cups always interrupt seasons; we are in a minority having August to May seasons, so it’s quite nice for the rest of the world to have an appropriately timed World Cup.

“They had to buy the World Cup!!!” - well maybe if the system was fairer, the less fashionable nations wouldn’t have to pay for it.

“Human rights!!!” - this is based off a factually incorrect article in the Daily Mail - folk will believe anything if they want to (especially when it’s negative about something they don’t like, because it interrupts their season). I assume these people also didn’t watch the World Cup in Russia or South Africa. And bad news for those protectors of human rights… the next one is in the USA.

It’s football, not politics. Qatar gets some coverage, we learn about them, and we watch the biggest event in the sporting world.

 

[Ragnar123]

I'm not excited about a tournament with only one purpose to whitewash Qatar, so they can live off tourism in the future when oil runs out. When football is being used for propaganda, I'm out. The same reason I didn't watch the last one in russia.

 

[Bertie Wooster]

Very much so! It’ll be different, and that’s not always bad.

“it interrupts the season” is a lazy, ignorant, selfish complaint. World Cups always interrupt seasons; we are in a minority having August to May seasons, so it’s quite nice for the rest of the world to have an appropriately timed World Cup.

“They had to buy the World Cup!!!” - well maybe if the system was fairer, the less fashionable nations wouldn’t have to pay for it.

“Human rights!!!” - this is based off a factually incorrect article in the Daily Mail - folk will believe anything if they want to (especially when it’s negative about something they don’t like, because it interrupts their season). I assume these people also didn’t watch the World Cup in Russia or South Africa. And bad news for those protectors of human rights… the next one is in the USA.

It’s football, not politics. Qatar gets some coverage, we learn about them, and we watch the biggest event in the sporting world.

You say "we're in a minority having August to May seasons" so it's an "appropriate" time of world cup for the majority - how do those figures stack up for the players involved?

I would have thought a majority, far from a minority, of the players at the world cup are playing in European leagues - mostly with a season along the lines of August to May. So, therefore, the world cup is indeed occuring during (and, as a result, interrupting) the domestic seasons of the majority of players involved, rather than just a 'minority' of them.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

“Human rights!!!” - this is based off a factually incorrect article in the Daily Mail - folk will believe anything if they want to (especially when it’s negative about something they don’t like, because it interrupts their season). I assume these people also didn’t watch the World Cup in Russia or South Africa. And bad news for those protectors of human rights… the next one is in the USA.

It’s football, not politics. Qatar gets some coverage, we learn about them, and we watch the biggest event in the sporting world.

Yeah, er, no…

 

[tomaldinho1]

Minimal. Keep forgetting it’s happening which might mean I watch less tv/consume less media these days but I swear there has been sweet F all advertising.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Very - I feckin' love the World Cup.

It's still shit that it's in Qatar, and I worry about the atmosphere... but the actual football? bring it on.

 

[Spaghetti]

You say "we're in a minority having August to May seasons" so it's an "appropriate" time of world cup for the majority - how do those figures stack up for the players involved?

I would have thought a majority, far from a minority, of the players at the world cup are playing in European leagues - mostly with a season along the lines of August to May. So, therefore, the world cup is indeed occuring during the domestic seasons of most players involved, rather than just a 'minority' of them.

I don’t know for sure, but I think most leagues stop when the World Cup is on and their country is involved. I know the Swedish league does for sure, and I can’t imagine the South American leagues continue while the World Cup is on.

Asian leagues are calendar years, I’d imagine they stop.

If we are talking specifically about players, then a very very small percentage of football players actually play in the World Cup. I was talking about leagues being paused.

 

[Spaghetti]

Yeah, er, no…

What, er, does that, er, even mean, er.

 

[Utd heap]

What, er, does that, er, even mean, er.

I think it was politely pointing out that on a forum full of bad takes - that was a particularly bad take.

 

[iammemphis]

Doesn't feel at all like a World Cup is 4 weeks away. I suspect I won't actually be hyped up for it until the first game. I won't be boycotting it or anything despite the human rights issue, it just leaves a sour taste in the mouth. If England had stood up and said we're not participating in it because of what's happened i would have been all for it, and would have boycotted it then, but that's not happened, so...

 

[WeePat]

Minimal. Keep forgetting it’s happening which might mean I watch less tv/consume less media these days but I swear there has been sweet F all advertising.

I think it's because the actual season is still ongoing and honestly who wants to think/talk about the WC when we have important matches every 3 fecking days. The hype will probably kick into overdrive as soon as the last games before the WC ends and players meet up with their national teams.

I do agree with the general sentiment that I'm less enthused about this WC than previous WCs, possibly because it's still an ongoing season and I don't have enough extra bandwidth leftover to get excited for it yet.

 

[stevoc]

Yeah, er, no…

Actually those death statistics were incorrect, the Qatari government told us so and everything.

 

[KirkDuyt]

Bit less than usual. Weird to watch it on a dark and cold monday night. Once we threaten to do well, I'm all in though.

 

[Zlatan Ibrahomovic]

Boycott the mummers farce