***** Official 2018 World Cup Thread *****

17,044 Views | 246 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by Bryan98
jeffk
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Figured I'd go ahead and get this set-up while I'm enjoying my delicious lunch at my desk.

In past World Cups, we had one tournament thread to discuss general information, news, etc and then created separate threads for the different groups during the group stage and then subsequent threads for each knockout round (round of 16, quarters, semis, final). This keeps the board from getting *too* cluttered with game threads as the tournament goes on. If anyone has any objections to that plan or alternate ideas, feel free to throw them out.

World Cup resources:

FIFA 2018 WC homepage - https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/

FIFA 2018 WC match schedule and results (TV info and times matched your location automatically) - https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/

Here's a few links to other WC-related threads we already have going:

WC Bracket Challenge - https://texags.com/forums/51/topics/2952593/replies

WC predictions - https://texags.com/forums/51/topics/2942124/replies

Who are you supporting? - https://texags.com/forums/51/topics/2941638/replies

As an aside, I don't have a regular cable subscription, but I experimented around with several of the streaming services and was really impressed with Youtube TV. Price is a little high at $40 a month, but they have all the Fox networks that will be carrying the games and their interface and DVR was really easy to navigate and use. It's pay per month and they have a free 7 day trial running which is what convinced me to use it for my WC viewing this summer.
jeffk
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538 and ESPN are breaking down each group one a day for the next several days.

Group A - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/uruguay-got-the-world-cups-ultimate-prize-russias-group/

Group B - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/can-morocco-squeeze-past-spain-or-portugal/

Group C - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/frances-group-stage-tuneup-will-tell-us-whether-its-a-contender/

Group D - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/argentina-is-the-team-to-beat-in-group-d-but-can-messi-finally-win-the-tournament/

Group E - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/brazil-got-a-lot-better-since-the-last-world-cup/

Mr. F - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/mexico-may-need-to-beat-germany-to-have-hope-good-luck-with-that/

Group G - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/belgium-and-england-headline-the-world-cups-most-lopsided-group/?ex_cid=story-twitter

Group H - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a-world-cup-sleeper-may-be-lurking-in-group-h/
jeffk
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Rog answers soccer n00b questions about the WC for the New York Times.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/08/style/world-cup-guide-hottest-players.html
gambochaman
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Well!!! World cup week is finally here! 3 days away from the opening match....2 days away from 2026 award
gig them
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I swear on all that is holy, if we miss hosting 2026 the day before we have to watch a WC devoid of U.S Soccer, I'm giving it all up and becoming a dancer.
jeffk
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I wonder how many people across America will turn on the TV this weekend only to discover for the first time that the US didn't make the tournament field.
wangus12
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But Hope Solo would be happy.

I'm preparing myself for the inevitable FIFA dip**** move of giving the tournament to a place that has no business hosting it.
eiggA2002
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C'mon back to back World Cups in the desert makes perfect sense!!
Mathguy64
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I'm preparing myself for a month of listening to Fox announcers butcher calling games.
Furlock Bones
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I think Stu Holden does a damned good job and is only getting better.
MookieBlaylock
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torn between rooting for the Holland or the Netherlands
AG@RICE
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MookieBlaylock said:

torn between rooting for the Holland or the Netherlands


Fyi, neither of those teams actually qualified for the world cup.
Mathguy64
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AG@RICE said:

MookieBlaylock said:

torn between rooting for the Holland or the Netherlands


Fyi, neither of those teams actually qualified for the world cup.


Not to mention Holland = The Netherlands.
PatAg
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Furlock Bones said:

I think Stu Holden does a damned good job and is only getting better.
Followill is working the World Cup too, I believe. I wasn't sure how he would do when he started doing FC Dallas games, but I think he has done a pretty great job with soccer.
Furlock Bones
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i think part of the problem is that we are accustomed to hearing Brits call matches at top tier leagues and tournaments. so, its almost an automatic reflex to downgrade American broadcasters despite their skill and knowledge of the game.
MB19
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My concern about the World Cup is that Russia may very well be given a penalty in an effort to keep them in the tournament. They aren't very good right now. Other than that, I think you can bank on Germany, Brazil, France or Spain to retain/win the Cup.

I'm ready for it to kick off.
jeffk
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Another interesting intersection of soccer and politics.

https://www.si.com/soccer/2018/06/11/mohamed-salah-ramzan-kadyrov-egypt-chechnya-world-cup-russia

(I posted another story the other day about how some on Brazil are refusing to wear their yellow jerseys because they have become a sign of support of a coup. These dissidents now wear red Brazil jerseys featuring a hammer and sickle.)
PatAg
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Furlock Bones said:

i think part of the problem is that we are accustomed to hearing Brits call matches at top tier leagues and tournaments. so, its almost an automatic reflex to downgrade American broadcasters despite their skill and knowledge of the game.
I do think a lot of them try to call it like a normal Football or Basketball game, which is a mistake.
gambochaman
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No ray hudson, no care
Mike Elko
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Hala Madrid! (Oops, wrong thread.)

Some great matches Friday... Can't get here soon enough.
gambochaman
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So the vote tomorrow is at 5:30am
Will that be on fs1?
aarjon
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Nos vamos al mundial, nos vamos al mundial!
aznaggiegirl07
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gig them said:

I swear on all that is holy, if we miss hosting 2026 the day before we have to watch a WC devoid of U.S Soccer, I'm giving it all up and becoming a dancer.
if its a joint bid, then do all the teams get an automatic entry?
Juan Solo
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Yes, I believe all teams would also be #1 seed in their groups
nereus
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I think the rule is that if there are multiple hosts, a FIFA committee gets to decide how many automatic hosts to award. The hosts take away slots from the confederation. With the expanded tournament, CONCACAF gets 6 slots. So giving one each to US, Mexico, and Canada isn't probably a big deal as that still leaves three spots for others (and US and Mexico would almost certainly be one of the top 6 anyways).

If three teams from OFC (like New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga) tried a join host bid, only one of those would get the host bid as OFC only gets one slot (I think). Not sure how the committee would pick or if they would make the countries agree before accepting the bid

If Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador put in a joint bid on the other hand (with a decent chance none of those teams would qualify otherwise), I would be less sure the committee is going to award all three a host slot even though there are CONCACAF spots available.
byfLuger41
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2017 World Series Champions - Houston Astros
moneyag7
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If anyone is a podcast fan, I've been listening to Total Soccer Show the past week. They've been doing a wonderful job of breaking down each group. Their group analysis podcasts are on the longer side (~1:35) but they go into an extensive depth about each team that other podcasts haven't covered as much.
BenderRodriguez
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jeffk said:

As an aside, I don't have a regular cable subscription, but I experimented around with several of the streaming services and was really impressed with Youtube TV. Price is a little high at $40 a month, but they have all the Fox networks that will be carrying the games and their interface and DVR was really easy to navigate and use. It's pay per month and they have a free 7 day trial running which is what convinced me to use it for my WC viewing this summer.

I'm using FuboTV. Similar price, has a dvr option as well (30 hours free, 500 hours for and extra $5 a month).

Been using it for several months now and it's been working great. It also gets BienSports so you can get a lot of Liga MX, Serie A, etc games that you usually don't get with other cable options.

Thomas Sowell, PhD
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Deutschland ueber alles in der Welt!
jeffk
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TOMORROW! TOMORROW! IT'S HAPPENING TOMORROW! IT'S ONLY A DAY AWAY!
jeffk
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Who y'all got in the opener tomorrow between the host Russia and Saudi Arabia?

I would love to see a 1-0 SA win, but I think it's more likely Russia escapes with a 2-1 win. Would not be surprised to see some shady crap go the Russian's way either.
moneyag7
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Very bad first half for both teams (great way to open up a World Cup lol). Russia comes out and scores in the second half to win 1-0. I think people are overplaying the Russian fix this tournament. I don't think there will be any.
jeffk
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Have you watched Icarus yet?
gambochaman
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jeffk said:

Have you watched Icarus yet?
JJxvi
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Why exactly do people think it needs to be all about Russia cheating or matches being fixed? I would not be surprised if Russia won that group being at home, and I'm pretty sure KSA is gonna get drubbed tomorrow.
 
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