NZME’s football writers answer all the big questions ahead of the Fifa World Cup which kicked off this morning
Qatar? December? Ethics? Are you treating this World Cup any differently?
There are so many reasons to be negative and it feels like Fifa’s still inexplicable decision to award the event to Qatar has put fans in an insidious position. But I’ll still be watching. There is something magical about a World Cup that tends to grab you and there is no reason why the football won’t be enthralling, even if everything around the event might not be quite the same.
Even more than ever, it will be a physical battle of attrition, which will open the way for more contenders than normal. I’m hoping we will see a South American team break the 20-year European stranglehold on the event.
Even though I detest the backdrop to this World Cup — the way in which it was awarded, the political ethos of its hosts and the tragedy of those who have perished in its preparation — football is a habit which is too hard for me to break. I can’t help but love the beautiful game, even when it’s played in the ugliest of theatres.
No. I’ve been slightly less interested in the build-up, but that’s mostly to do with this edition landing smack bang in the middle of the busiest sporting month of the decade. I made my peace with Fifa’s totally ridiculous and corrupt decision to give the World Cup to Qatar a long time ago.
Initially, I thought the football would sweep other issues aside, but the players are not allowing this to happen, from what can be made out.
England, for instance, are travelling to Qatar in a Gay Pride plane in protest at the host country’s homophobic regime. Germany will jet in on a Diversity Wins aircraft, with a massive logo on the side. Denmark are using “toned down” uniforms as a mark of respect to the migrant workers who have died in Qatar. Australian players have also protested.
Cramming the World Cup into the major domestic seasons may also become more of an issue as the tournament progresses.
I feel that player power is turning against Fifa in some respects, and may start to have more of an influence if the world game has not truly reformed since the fall of dodgy old Sepp Blatter.
It is comforting to hope that it might lead to some changes in Qatari society.
Nah, not really, which is why countries like Qatar go to such extravagant and expensive lengths to host tournaments such as the World Cup. There has been an admirable amount of attention paid to the country’s myriad off-field issues, and hopefully Fifa learns its lesson (lol), but once the games start, it will be business as usual. The December thing is odd, though.
Most anticipated match?
Definitely New Zealand’s opening game against Spain . . . oh, that’s right . . . United States versus Iran should be spicy, while England taking on Wales will be fun. Germany against Spain is the must-watch group game, while the possibility of Argentina and Brazil meeting in the semifinals would stop the football world.
Group E has thrown up a cracker with Spain and Germany to meet in their second pool match. Should be an absolute doozy.
Qatar v Ecuador — lols. That’s got to be the least appetising World Cup opener of all time, right? England v the US on a Saturday morning will be a belter. And I’m not mad about a 5am start either, which means I can watch in peace and quiet before the toddlers wake up.
Spain-Germany is a standout in the group stages. The World Cup will throw up some thrillers, and England are invariably in the thick of the action/heartache. So I’ll go for England v Wales — a chance for little brother to add to England’s endless World Cup heartache.
Uruguay-Ghana on December 3, aka the Suarez Bowl. This will be the first time the nations have met since their quarter-final clash at the 2010 World Cup — a match this humble writer attended — when Luis Suarez made the canniest and/or dirtiest play of the tournament. The cannibalistic striker produced the second-most famous hand ball in World Cup history to prevent an extra-time winner; Suarez was sent off but Ghana missed the subsequent penalty and then lost the shootout. He’s back in the Uruguay squad and the Black Stars have been waiting.
Golden ball winner?
Lionel Messi.
Kylian Mbappe. The stage seems set for him to run riot for a French team that should go deep into the tournament.
Jude Bellingham. Don’t roll your eyes, hear me out. England have a squad capable of going deep in this tournament — and if they do, they’ll need a breakout star. The 19-year old is widely regarded as a generational talent for England, he’ll anchor the midfield in every game and can score goals. Also, a Kiwi coach I respect once coached 12-yearold Jude at an English academy. He told me “he will become the best player England has ever produced”, so I’m basically just banking on him not talking crap.
Kevin De Bruyne. It’s up to the Belgium maestro to inspire his country the way Luca Modric did for Croatia in 2018. Around him, Belgium’s finest are probably starting to fade. But De Bruyne remains peerless in midfield.
Lionel Messi. It will be only apt for the man dubbed by the Guardian as “the posterboy for sportwashing” to shine brightest at a tournament that represents the nadir of that particular mix of sport and politics. It will also be apt for Messi — employed at club level by PSG’s Qatari owners while being a brand ambassador for Saudi Arabia — to make everyone forget all that with a brilliant performance in likely his final major tournament.
Golden boot winner?
Kylian Mbappe.
Harry Kane averages a goal a game at World Cups, and given England’s relatively easy pool, he could be clear of his challengers by the time the knockout rounds roll around. Takes penalties, too, which always helps.
Neymar. This Brazil squad is stacked (imagine having a squad of 26 so strong that you can leave out Roberto Firmino). They will score goals galore and Neymar will be at the heart of everything.
Kylian Mbappe.
Harry Kane. A combination of manager Gareth Southgate’s lack of attacking imagination and England’s straightforward path to the quarter-finals will provide Kane plenty of chances to score his usual array of headers, penalties and tapins.
The Tottenham striker trails only the superhuman Erling Haaland in this season’s Premier League scoring charts and needs just three goals in Qatar to overtake Wayne Rooney as his country’s all-time leading scorer.
Best hot take?
The new semi-automated video assistant refereeing, used to decide offside, among other things, will cause some drama in the opening days. There will be 34 different alcohol-related stories from the English press in the first week. Hotel bars will run out of booze.
Cristiano Ronaldo will walk out of the Portugal camp because no-one in the team will talk to him.
Before the tournament ends, New Zealand Football will announce a new All Whites head coach — who will have been a World Cup star for another country.
Lionel Messi will be lauded as the greatest of all time, if he can cast aside his World Cup ‘failure’ tag by leading Argentina to victory.
This tournament, for its many, many, many, many flaws, will eventually be remembered on the pitch as the last great World Cup. That’s because Fifa, in all its rapacious wisdom, will from 2026 expand the tournament to 48 teams, weakening the field, rendering the group stage largely irrelevant and ruining the beautiful simplicity of a 32-team bracket. On the plus side, New Zealand will almost certainly be among that weakened field.
The surprise of the World Cup will be?
Belgium. Fancied by few, they could go all the way to the semifinals.
Australia making it out of a group that contains France and Denmark.
If I can somehow find a way not to fall asleep at halftime in the 11pm and 2am fixtures.
It will be a surprise if people remember this tournament fondly, which isn’t likely. That’s how bad the build-up has been. Fifa is on notice, though — it can’t act with such impunity any more.
Denmark will make the semifinals. Although perhaps that won’t be too surprising, considering they reached the same stage at last year’s Euros. Then, they were inspired by the absence of captain Christian Eriksen, who suffered a near-fatal cardiac arrest during his side’s opening game. Now, they will be inspired by the presence of Eriksen, who’s been in brilliant form since signing for Manchester United. Finalists and winner?
A mid-season World Cup off the back of all the Covid-19 disruption makes this tournament much harder to predict and there are no clear favourites. While there is always a focus on the superstars, traditionally the best defensive team wins the tournament, which should be Brazil or France. But I’ll go for a romantic repeat of 1986, with Argentina to beat Germany in the final.
A repeat of the 1998 final, but without any headbutts and a different winner. Brazil to lift the trophy.
Argentina to beat Brazil in the final 2-1.
Belgium v Brazil. This is the final I’d like to see, being an avowed De Bruyne fan and (like everyone else) always hoping to see a Brazilian team at their best. This tournament really needs Brazil to shine. Brazil to win — they are on a very good run and a lot of their players have European experience.
Brazil and Germany will meet again 20 years since the South Americans triumphed 2-0 with a couple of goals from the superior Ronaldo to win their record fifth and most recent World Cup title. More pertinently, it will be eight years since Germany humiliated Brazil 7-1 in the semifinals of their home tournament, the funniest result in World Cup history. Brazil will get their revenge in Qatar and edge the final 8-1.