# ­xkcd thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [May 28, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574 "2020-05-28T00:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 301
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6003 "2026-06-17T23:56:28Z")
I don’t know anything about soccer. Is there some meaning to the non-integral number of goals in 2006, 2014 and 2018? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6004 "2026-06-18T00:00:52Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Is there some meaning to the non-integral number of goals in 2006, 2014 and 2018? He played multiple games in each of those World Cups. I expect the numbers are averages over those games. He’s only played one so far this year and scored three goals in that one. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6005 "2026-06-18T00:02:05Z")
I don’t know that much either, but I hazard a guess this means Messi doesn’t score a goal in every game. And so far in 2026 he’s scored an _average_ of 3 goals per World Cup game, probably a statistical outlier for the moment that is almost guaranteed to drop, not continue ever-upward. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6006 "2026-06-18T00:21:39Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > The other day I watched an interesting YouTube on [how the Fibonacci series was extended](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBupt2Db3Xg) as a function to first the real numbers (specifically Pi) and then the complex plain. Y’know, now that you mention it, this comic does appear to be about a function that starts off oscillatory on the left and then goes exponential on the right… ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6007 "2026-06-18T01:23:15Z")
Ah, I didn’t realize that the World Cup is multiple games. That makes sense now. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6008 "2026-06-18T04:55:31Z")
32 teams run onto the field at once! Last man alive wins! 🤣 ---
**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:** [June 18, 2026, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6009 "2026-06-18T11:54:48Z")
🙀 ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6010 "2026-06-18T12:38:01Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > 32 teams run onto the field at once! And it still ends in a nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil/nil tie half of the time ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6011 "2026-06-18T18:00:25Z")
Hey, I said I don’t know anything about soccer! I guess I thought it was like the Superbowl, where all but two teams have been eliminated earlier. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6012 "2026-06-18T18:33:22Z")
If you want an analogy to (American) football, think of it as a season in five weeks. There are 12 divisions (soccer: groups), each of four teams each of which plays every other team in its group, and the top two teams in each division move on to the playoffs (soccer: knockout rounds) along with the top eight third-place teams, sort of like wildcards. Then, it’s a 32-team single-elimination tournament. ---
**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:** [June 18, 2026, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6013 "2026-06-18T18:57:49Z")
All those teams and games = FIFA money. No different from professional leagues in any major sport. All about the Benjamins. ---
**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:** [June 19, 2026, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6014 "2026-06-19T13:49:19Z")
To be fair, the minnows are having a surprisingly good cup so far and have given us interesting games and even upsets (for example Cape Verde holding favorites Spain to a draw) Add to that the happiness of the countries’ populations at just the very fact of _being_ in the World Cup at all and I have to say it wasn’t a bad idea. ---
**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:** [June 19, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6015 "2026-06-19T13:52:07Z")
Check this guide if you are interested in the Greatest Event in the Word\[1\]: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kFpC3PNDLyY/maxresdefault.jpg "The World Cup Explained") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFpC3PNDLyY) * * * 1. Sporting Event you mean? NO, the Greatest, period. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6016 "2026-06-20T02:47:55Z")
> **[Side Effect](https://xkcd.com/3261/)** [![](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/side_effect.png) ](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/side_effect.png) “Brace yourself–the chirp gets pretty weird.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6017 "2026-06-20T12:25:05Z")
Where can I get a prescription for that? Asking for a friend. ---
**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:** [June 22, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6018 "2026-06-22T15:58:30Z")
Yep, the thrills of quadrupole radiation. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6019 "2026-06-22T17:30:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Where can I get a prescription for that? Asking for a friend One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small — ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6020 "2026-06-23T01:07:38Z")
But the ones with quadropole modulation don’t do anything at all - go ask Einstein ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6021 "2026-06-23T03:51:49Z")
> **[Sports Commentary](https://xkcd.com/3262/)** [![](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/sports_commentary.png) ](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/sports_commentary.png) “The plural of anecdote may not be data, but the singular of data is anecdote.” ---
**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:** [June 23, 2026, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6022 "2026-06-23T04:28:39Z")
For a reminder of “p-hacking”: [![](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/significant.png) ](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/significant.png) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=300) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=302)