When are we going to get excited about the World Cup? writes Henry Riley
With the best England team in years, a strong Scotland side, and a record 48 nations competing - this compelling, inevitably chaotic spectacle is a must watch for 2026. Forget David Beckham’s right foot, this is about Bukayo Saka’s left peg.
The soundest thing Donald Trump uttered this year, without a shadow of a doubt, was his view that ‘soccer’ should be correctly renamed as ‘football’.
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England, Scotland (and hopefully Wales) are already one-nil up before kick off with the US President's assertion.
And I, for one, cannot wait for June.
Admittedly, as a Three Lions fan, I’m blessed with the slightly more palatable start times of 9 and 10pm for the group games. Spare a thought, though, for the Tartan Army who have two 11pm kick offs, after their 2am opening fixture against Haiti.
For England, the thought of watching Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice bring it home (apologies for the Arsenal bias) is tantalising and within our reach.
We have a ridiculously strong squad, and the matches in the US, Canada and Mexico will be worth the late nights and inevitable next-day hangovers.
If England win, it’ll be bedlam - a much-needed morale boost. And has anyone told Rachel Reeves that FIFA have increased the prize pot by 50 per cent, to a record £37.4 million?
We saw the bizarre spectacle of President Trump on stage with the Chelsea team during their Club World Cup celebrations in New Jersey earlier this year - with Cole Palmer admitting he was “confused” by the situation. He wasn’t the only one. And I fear we may well see similar, regardless of who lifts the 18-carat gold trophy.
Nevertheless, the tournament promises to be gripping, entertaining and a frankly welcome break from the endless doom-and-gloom of domestic and international politics (though I’m sure we will see some of the latter play out).
The three mascots may be terrible (with Canada's 'Maple the Moose' particularly bad), but how excited must the people of Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan be - all celebrating their first taste of a World Cup competition.
We’re approaching a busy political year comprising leadership shenanigans, unpredictable elections and a tough economic outlook.
But for those five-and-a-half weeks let’s put differences aside, stick Neil Diamond on, support the local pub, get behind the boys and bring it home.
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Henry Riley is a Presenter and Reporter for LBC.
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