At this time of year I’d usually be leaning over the fence at KGV in Glenorchy watching Tasmanian football teams duke it out in the NPL. Or indeed in the Lakoseljac Cup, which came to a cracking conclusion last week and anointed our Tasmanian representative for the Australia Cup, most likely debuting at the end of July.
But this year, as it happens, I’m lucky enough to be heading to Mexico to see five matches at the 2026 Football World Cup.
Football! Tacos! Salsa dancing! Frida Kahlo psychedelia! More football to fill the gaps!
I’m going with my two Colombian brothers-in-law, Diego and Miguel, neither of whom have ever travelled outside their home country. That was partly why we chose Mexico, as it makes everything a bit simpler. It was also the case that when this craziness was being plotted in September last year, the prospects of getting USA/Canada visas seemed like a huge bucket o’ trouble I didn’t need.
So while we touch down in Monterrey a bit later on and then spin through Guadalajara and Mexico City, I’ll be doing a daily blog of football observations: the colour, the play, the view from the sidelines, the Fanfests and furores, the glory chase in all its guts and glitz. I hope you’ll tune in and come with me on the adventure.
Actually it’s not my first rodeo. With my son Afif and I went to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, all the way from the opening day game in Cape Town to the final on a chilly night in Johannesburg when Andres Iniesta sank the Netherlands late in extra time.
The Epstein Cup 🙂
2026 feels very different already. A different continent (or two), a 48-team format that is frankly a divisive topic among football supporters, an incredible stench around the antics of FIFA (football’s world governing body) President Gianni Infantino that has culminated in a ‘class action’ complaint, and various bits of news coming out of the USA that ticket sales and hotel bookings have been underwhelming.
While co-hosts Mexico and Canada have flown under the radar, the USA has been grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons. Immigration appear to have been taking a hard line with quite a few countries, while it’s the first ever World Cup where a host nation (USA) has been at war with one of the participants (Iran). The Persian side are not allowed to stay overnight in the USA so will have to fly-in fly-out for their three scheduled games in Los Angeles and Seattle from a training base in…Mexico.
Then there’s the case of a tournament referee from Somalia being sent packing after an 11-hour grilling at the border. Apparently having a valid visa, being African Referee of the Year and being appointed by FIFA didn’t count for much. While FIFA should hang their heads in shame for not uttering a squeak of protest, at least publicly, the Somalis responded pretty darn loudly.
Politics apart, for an organisation that is – perhaps unavoidably these days – largely about money, the commercial success of the event for international body FIFA is paramount. Who cares if minnows like Curacao, New Zealand (sorry cuz!), Cabo Verde, Haiti and Jordan* play like heroes or are thumped mightily; their inclusion has ‘expanded the market’ for football to new parts of the globe.
Plus the expanded format means 104 games in total, compared to 64 with the 32-team format that has been in use for the last seven World Cups from France 1998 through to Qatar 2022. Think more broadcasts, bigger TV rights sales, and frankly more countries to sell them to.
There also appear to be new ways to try to engage fleece fans. Having downloaded the FIFA app, I have been bombarded with promotional messages for FIFA Collect. Collect what? I’m still not sure. Unlike Panini cards, bobble-heads of your favourite players or maybe team scarves, FIFA Collect is promising…something…else:
“Open digital packs to discover official football moments, limited-edition cards and exciting rewards from FIFA and Clubs. Own and showcase the collectibles you love or trade with other fans worldwide on FIFA Collect. Redeem your rewards and unlock exclusive perks and unique experiences, including access to FIFA World Cup 2026TM.”
I’ve read all that several times and am still a bit baffled. At best it sounds like non-fungible tokens drenched up in marketese, at worst an AI word salad of FIFA buzz-words aimed at gamers who buy tokens to ‘level up’, etc. What appears fairly clear to me is that I am not the target market so I can safely ignore this slop and move on.
And so the football! The big event kicks off with co-hosts Mexico facing South Africa at home in Mexico City. It’s a rerun of the 2010 opener when SA hosted and the two sides shared a 1-1 draw in Johannesburg.
I remember the hour before the kick-off was thrilling. In our base of Cape Town it seemed like the whole city was on the streets: suddenly South Africa was a starlet in the spotlight on the world’s stage and not the cat with ringworms in a decrepit backwater. This was a moment to celebrate, and dance and sing and chant and blow vuvuzelas they did. And when Steven Tshabalala equalised in the second half for the Bafana Bafana, the entire city literally shook euphorically with the noise and vibration.
If the opening match of this World Cup is even half the occasion, we’re in for a treat. A bit later the Korea Republic take on Czechia and frankly the timeslot of 11:00 in Tasmania might be more amenable to some than the 04:00 of the opener.
I hope you enjoy the games and I’ll catch you tomorrow.
*the five countries I have listed as ‘minnows’ are the lowest ranked of the 48 teams who qualified.
Alan Whykes is a Tasmania-based writer and an ex- too many things to list.
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