# 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:** 83
**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:** [June 23, 2026, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1641 "2026-06-23T13:35:40Z")
> [@Thumper668](#): > > Tyur-ki-yeh Hmm, that’s not how I think of pronouncing the umlaut in German, isn’t Turkish the same? ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1642 "2026-06-23T13:38:52Z")
For the most part. I perhaps made a bad representation in spelling out the pronunciation. Tuer-ki-yeh works too. The part that annoys me is that English speakers say the last syllable with a long A. It makes no sense. We don’t say Indie-yay for India. We don’t say Russ-ee-yay for Russia. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2026, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1643 "2026-06-23T13:38:57Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Hmm, that’s not how I think of pronouncing the umlaut in German, isn’t Turkish the same? I’m quite sure that ‘Ü’ is pronounced the same in German and Turkish. I think they even adapted that German umlaut when Atatürk ordered the use of the Latin script. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2026, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1644 "2026-06-23T13:49:06Z")
> [@Thumper668](#): > > The part that annoys me is that English speakers say the last syllable with a long A. It makes no sense. We don’t say Indie-yay for India. We don’t say Russ-ee-yay for Russia. Ah, I see. I didn’t watch a Tuerkiye match, so I didn’t catch any of that. That would indeed be annoying. > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I think they even adapted that German umlaut when Atatürk ordered the use of the Latin script. Interesting! When I was there for a couple of weeks I appreciated how pervasive German was due to so many returned _Gastarbeiter_, but I hadn’t considered other language affinities like that. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2026, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1645 "2026-06-23T14:08:27Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Interesting! When I was there for a couple of weeks I appreciated how pervasive German was due to so many returned _Gastarbeiter_, but I hadn’t considered other language affinities like that. I have to admit that it’s just my guess, but a very probable one. Germany and Turkey have had special and close relations since the Kaiser regime and the late days of the Osman Empire and were allies in WW I. After the fall of both these empires, these relations were kept up between now democratic states, and Germany often was a model for the massive reforms Atatürk initiated. The phoneme ‘Ü’ in the Turkish language is very common, much more than even in German, so I think they just took the already existing German umlaut for their own Latin script (and also ‘Ö’, which is common in Turkish, too). ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1646 "2026-06-23T14:32:51Z")
A quick glance at Wikipedia confirms that the Turkish “ü” is pronounced like the German “ü”, specifically the long German “ü” like in “über” (/y/ in IPA). I don’t think there’s a short version (like in “müller”: /Y/ in IPA) in Turkish. ---
**Author:** ![Pheoinix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7993a0/32.png) [@Pheoinix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pheoinix)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1647 "2026-06-23T14:32:58Z")
When I said favourites, I meant with the bookies. FIFA rankings aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on ---
**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:** [June 23, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1648 "2026-06-23T14:39:08Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > I don’t think there’s a short version (like in “müller”: /Y/ in IPA) in Turkish. I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t know any Turkish, not even the most basic words, but I’m quite sure there’s a short ‘Ü’ sound in Turkish, I hear people speaking it practically every day. ETA: I remembered one of the few Turkish expressions I know, 'gülle gülle", which means “bye bye”, and this definitely has a short vowel like in “Müller”. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1649 "2026-06-23T14:47:00Z")
With the caveat that any language is going to have any number of dialectic variations, it appears that standard “academic” Turkish has eight vowel sounds, including /y/ and /ɯ/, the latter of which can sound a lot like /Y/. Also, further investigation suggests that /y/ is often lowered to /Y/ in final syllables, but it’s not one of the “official” eight. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1650 "2026-06-23T14:54:18Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > ETA: I remembered one of the few Turkish expressions I know, 'gülle gülle", which means “bye bye”, and this definitely has a short vowel. This literally popped into my head when I read your comment (it’s _güle güle_), one of the hundred or so words or phrases I learned when we were there. ( _Üç_, the number 3, is another example) ETA: a diversion into linguistics in the middle of a World Cup discussion is exactly why this site is so good. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1651 "2026-06-23T15:00:16Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > a diversion into linguistics in the middle of a World Cup discussion is exactly why this site is so good. Precisely so. I came for the discussion. I stay for the tangents. 🙂 ---
**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:** [June 23, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1652 "2026-06-23T15:07:24Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > ETA: a diversion into linguistics in the middle of a World Cup discussion is exactly why this site is so good. Well, what can we do, still two hours to go until the next game. 😉 ---
**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:** [June 23, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1653 "2026-06-23T15:23:41Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Well, what can we do, still two hours to go until the next game. 😉 Well SOME of us are on the FIFA resale site occasionally clicking (but not so often that we trigger it, which happens easily) to see if we can get a last-minute deal on England - Ghana down the street. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1654 "2026-06-23T15:45:35Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > ETA: I remembered one of the few Turkish expressions I know, 'gülle gülle", which means “bye bye”, and this definitely has a short vowel like in “Müller”. There’s some variation, but most of the recordings I can find of “güle güle” sound long to me (and the one transcription I can find transcribes it thus). But again, I’m talking about “textbook” Turkish, what I would teach if I were teaching someone to sing in Turkish, kind of like regarding received pronunciation as the official British English dialect or Midwestern “newscaster” as the official American English dialect. I defer to your expertise on actual use. Not a lot of Turkish in St. Louis. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2026, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1655 "2026-06-23T15:46:22Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Well SOME of us are on the FIFA resale site occasionally clicking (but not so often that we trigger it, which happens easily) to see if we can get a last-minute deal on England - Ghana down the street. Just sayin’. Well, I wish you good luck, but I’m worrying about your budget. Please don’t sell your house for these cards! ---
**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:** [June 23, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1656 "2026-06-23T15:48:03Z")
Hahaha no. But I already got lucky once (we’re going to Germany next week), so it does pay to keep poking the bear, so to speak. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1657 "2026-06-23T16:34:52Z")
I’m thrilled beyond words that the USA will win 1st place in group (OK, so there’s a mathematical possibility that we could finish 2nd, but let’s not quibble). But I have to admit, I do feel absolutely terrible for the people who purchased tickets to the USA - Turkiye match. They bought tickets for what they thought would be an exciting, make-or-break game for the US, instead they’re getting a glorified friendly. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1658 "2026-06-23T16:38:01Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Well SOME of us are on the FIFA resale site occasionally clicking (but not so often that we trigger it, which happens easily) to see if we can get a last-minute deal on England - Ghana down the street. Just sayin’. Even if you can score a ticket, you’d still have to get there. The news this morning was showing people showing up for their assigned check-in times at South Station to board trains to the game. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2026, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1659 "2026-06-23T16:43:11Z")
I live in town and we have a secret entrance. ETA: well, it’s not actually secret. The town PD and the Kraft Group have arranged access to Gillette via a town road that is only accessible to people 1) with a ticket, and 2) with a driver’s license showing a local address. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/1660 "2026-06-23T16:44:44Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > OK, so there’s a mathematical possibility that we could finish 2nd, but let’s not quibble) No there isn’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=82) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=84)