# FIFA World Cup 2026 - discussion etc **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-soccer-fifa\ **Created:** [October 14, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962 "2025-10-14T15:43:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 120
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2381 "2026-07-01T01:45:01Z")
Mexico-Ecuador has been delayed for an hour due to Thunderstorms. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2382 "2026-07-01T01:56:13Z")
Is Azteca not the most rocking-est stadium on Planet Earth? ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2383 "2026-07-01T02:11:03Z")
Quite a-ways back, the niftiest Mexico little tiny diagonal towards the endline that was wieghted _just perfectly_ for the recipient to run to, just before the endline, to make a quick cross. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2384 "2026-07-01T02:18:51Z")
Great deke and off the post. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2385 "2026-07-01T02:22:57Z")
Fine run and strike to put Mexico up 1-0. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2386 "2026-07-01T02:24:22Z")
See what a home crowd should get? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2387 "2026-07-01T02:27:26Z")
Not the same as Round of Sixteen, but this could be the first knockout-stage game Mexico wins in several decades. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2388 "2026-07-01T02:36:09Z")
Looks like I missed Mexico’s second goal. (at hydration break, switched over to Wimbledon, then forgot). Blaming beer. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2389 "2026-07-01T03:03:15Z")
The Mexico team looks sharp. The Ecuador team looks pretty off. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2390 "2026-07-01T03:45:04Z")
Beber una cerveza; hará falta un milagro para que Ecuador gane. (Drink a beer, it will take a miracle for Ecuador to win (I know little about futbol, other than I loved playing it as a kid)) ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2391 "2026-07-01T03:58:32Z")
What just happened? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2392 "2026-07-01T03:59:04Z")
Why the red card? ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2393 "2026-07-01T03:59:53Z")
Do you mean the red card? The Ecuadorian player covered his mouth while talking to the Mexican player. That seems to have been declared an automatic red card in this tournament. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2394 "2026-07-01T04:04:03Z")
A potential Mexico and England match could be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2395 "2026-07-01T04:06:24Z")
Only if it’s “confrontational.” Because even more ambiguity is good… ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2396 "2026-07-01T04:08:33Z")
Hehe, it seems that any covering your mouth while talking to the opposing team is likely to be judged “confrontational”. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2397 "2026-07-01T07:14:08Z")
There’s no real other reason to cover your mouth while speaking to someone on the other team. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2398 "2026-07-01T07:27:09Z")
While that may be true, I’ve noticed that at least in the Premiership, players wandering around the pitch post-match usually cover their mouths no matter if they’re talking to opponents or teammates, so I wonder if some of them may just do it out of habit. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2399 "2026-07-01T07:46:57Z")
There may be no other reason, but it happens. I`ve been described as “worst case of whining” for **[this post](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1765)** describing just that situation, but I stand by it. Bellingham should habe been red carded. The referee decided on a whim that it was cordial. How did he know that Bellingham was smiling cordially when he covered his mouth? In case you are too lazy to click the link, here is the picture again: [![](https://estaticos-cdn.prensaiberica.es/clip/b307a71a-db17-42e9-a33e-4f931c80200d_16-9-discover-aspect-ratio_default_0_x600y225.webp) ](https://estaticos-cdn.prensaiberica.es/clip/b307a71a-db17-42e9-a33e-4f931c80200d_16-9-discover-aspect-ratio_default_0_x600y225.webp) ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2400 "2026-07-01T09:03:24Z")
It does seem daft to add a layer of ambiguity/uncertainty to the law. Just make it an automatic red card regardless of whether it is good natured/cordial. But if that is the current law, and the referee saw no animosity (in his opinion), then it’s correct that Jude wasn’t sent off. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=119) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=121)