World Cup - 2026

[zorkan]

https://thesun.my/sports/football/new-world-cup-rules-hydration-breaks-and-var-changes/

VAR means you can be offside by a toenail or even a hair.
Now, every corner will have to be checked.
I can see games lasting for up to 2 hours when the VAR and water breaks are taken into account.
There will be a record number of yellow cards for time wasting.

Fans won't know whether to celebrate a goal or not.
Even if the referee is satisfied with a score, he can still get a message in the ear to consult the dreaded VAR screen.
Almost certainly then the goal will be disallowed.

So, plenty of opportunities now for commercial breaks will please American broadcasters but not Europeans.
I'm old enough to remember when football was an exciting free-flowing game for players and spectators alike.
We should adopt the example of the Swedish league and kick out the VAR.

[Recusant]

This World Cup seems more surreal to me than previous ones because it's taking place mostly within the US, which is currently dysfunctional in a number of ways. This is thanks to the mad king Trump and his goons, but they're just part of it. Multiple organizations issuing a travel warning about going to the goddam USA for the Cup? Just astounding. If you do go though, watch out for the robot dogs. A practiced author of dystopian fiction would be hard put to top all this stuff.

"FIFA to Deploy Robot Dogs to Beef Up World Cup Security" | Daily Beast

Four robot dogs are about to start prowling FIFA World Cup sites in Dallas and New Jersey using cameras for eyes. Hyundai and the robotics firm Boston Dynamics built the four-legged machines to help secure security for the tournament, which kicks off across the U.S., Canada and Mexico on June 11. The manufacturers have named all the anamatronics "Spot," for reasons best known to them. Two will be stationed at the World Cup's International Broadcast Center in Dallas and two at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The bots use onboard cameras to see and will flag potential threats to the officers monitoring them, FIFA says. The rollout has already spooked some online. After a viral clip claimed the dogs scanned fans' faces, Boston Dynamics pushed back. "The robots do not have facial recognition capabilities," a spokesperson said. They are one piece of a vast operation. More than 30 agencies are coordinating on North Texas' security plan, with undercover and uniformed officers and tight FAA drone restrictions on match days.

[billy rubin]

its very clear where this is all going.

[zorkan]

Says video unavailable.

I'm also looking forward to seeing the robodogs.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/39327669/world-cup-robot-security-dog/

Let's hope they don't invade the pitch.
Give them a red card and send them to the naughty corner if they do.

[zorkan]

Some fans and officials have been refused entry into the USA.
What's going to happen if USA have to play Iran?
Will Trump revoke their visas and USA win the game by default?
They could potentially meet in the Round of 32.

Just hours away now from the start of the biggest money grab in sporting history.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/09/world-cup-2026-visa-restrictions-referee-omar-artan-iran-officials