# 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:** 240
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4781 "2026-07-18T23:04:39Z")
World cup scorigami as far as I can tell ---
**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 18, 2026, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4782 "2026-07-18T23:04:44Z")
Ten freaking goals… ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4783 "2026-07-18T23:04:59Z")
Cool that Bellingham got the goal right at the end. By letting Saka take the penalty kick to get a hat trick, Bellingham passed up the chance to have the most goals scored in a World Cup for England. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4784 "2026-07-18T23:06:43Z")
I’m watching my son play tennis instead of watching this game. I see England won the first set 6-4. Wait, what? ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4785 "2026-07-18T23:09:40Z")
Sparing a thought for Didier Deschamps, the French manager in his final game in charge. He’s been incredible for them. ---
**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 18, 2026, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4786 "2026-07-18T23:11:38Z")
Mbappe got the all time record. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow, but it’s possible that never gets broken except by him extending the record next time. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4787 "2026-07-18T23:12:49Z")
At least it finished as a crazy memorable game of football and not in the state it was at half time. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4788 "2026-07-18T23:14:28Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > We’ll see how it goes tomorrow, but it’s possible that never gets broken except by him extending the record next time. Possible but I think sports science is giving players more longevity and FIFA seems determined to expand the World Cup again. ---
**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 18, 2026, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4789 "2026-07-18T23:17:30Z")
Maybe, but at the end of this WC, he’s going to be 14 goals ahead of the next closest active player. 14!! That’d be good for 5th all time on its own. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4790 "2026-07-18T23:23:21Z")
You know, maybe THIS is the essence of football/soccer: two really good teams just having fun playing a game they love. How often does that happen? ---
**Author:** ![Manlob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Manlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manlob)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4791 "2026-07-18T23:32:11Z")
Why do goals scored in the consolation game count toward the Golden Boot, when the teams are not playing serious defense, and there isn’t even much incentive to win the game. It is an easy change to pile on goals compared to the other games. The announcers were very excited to see a game with plenty of scoring, with some calling it the game of the tournament, even though England had the lead for about 90 minutes and France never even tied the game. Non-fans of the game are often criticized for complaining about little scoring, yet when there are many scores, the commentators think it is great. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4792 "2026-07-18T23:47:31Z")
It’s the other kind of fun, it happens normally in friendlies or in amateur football and it’s great. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2026, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4793 "2026-07-19T00:35:53Z")
You do get high scoring games in competitive club football. There have been some very fun Champions League games, even in the latter stages between the big teams. Today we saw two teams who prefer to attack rather than defend, and neither team wanted to work too hard when they didn’t have the ball at the end of a long season and intense tournament. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2026, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4794 "2026-07-19T00:46:07Z")
The first Bayern - PSG match from the most recent Champions’ League was a barn-burner. Even if the wrong team won. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2026, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4795 "2026-07-19T01:01:32Z")
Yeah, that’s the game I was also thinking of, a 5-4 score in a game that really matters, a CL semi-final, so you can’t judge today’s game as just being the result of a game that means nothing in the end. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2026, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4796 "2026-07-19T01:07:33Z")
That was possibly the defining “game of two halves”. First half, France looked like they didn’t care. Second half, it looked like Dechamps threatened at the half to cut off their nuts if they didn’t go out and play like professionals. IMO, at times it looked like an old fashioned testimonial match! ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2026, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4797 "2026-07-19T01:09:39Z")
As noted Mbappé now has the record for the most goals ever, but Messi could equalize or pull ahead in the final; however, Mbappé is 27 so will likely play in at least one more World Cup and add to that total. On the other hand Olise passed Pele in the number of assists at a world cup, though of course playing one more game. Maybe the match should not have counted and the records that were broken with it, but at least as of right now, they do. `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2026, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4798 "2026-07-19T01:54:54Z")
My train of thought, some minutes ago: “Damn this water is cold… wait, it’s not so cold as the other times, temperatures are on the rise… should I add some ice cubes to… FRODO DAMNIT, GET IT TOGETHER DO NOT GO OVERBOARD WITH THIS CABALA SHIT” So I just used cold water, no rolitos. [![](https://rolito.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/bannerrr.gif) ](https://rolito.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/bannerrr.gif) I’m mentally incapable at this moment of thinking of any time in the future past tomorrow 4 PM Buenos Aires time, The Singularity. “La final del mundo” we say, and as I said in other thread it can be translated as “The World Cup Final” and, with somewhat tortured grammar to “The End of The World”, it’s both. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2026, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4799 "2026-07-19T01:57:57Z")
[![](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/q_70,fl_lossy,dpr_3,h_300,w_300,c_fill/v200/gxea4ec8epcvwnt72sfx) ](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/q_70,fl_lossy,dpr_3,h_300,w_300,c_fill/v200/gxea4ec8epcvwnt72sfx) ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2026, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/4800 "2026-07-19T02:01:26Z")
I wish it were so, I would be so calm right now. Anyway I hope this time we found enough money to pay for the whole game, this schtick of paying only for the last 10 minutes is REALLY getting in my nerves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=239) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=241)