World Cup 2026

Before I begin a disclaimer. I do not hate soccer/football. I was a season ticket holder for our local professional team for a number of years. I watched many of the World Cup games and was excited by our Canadian national team as well as the women’s national team over past competitions.

As the 2026 World Cup is now over, it is time for reflection on “The Beautiful Game”. To begin with, some of the hairs on my back go up a little when I constantly hear this reference. It is as though soccer, yes I said soccer, not football, since I live in North America, is more beautiful than any other sport. Just because it has more exposure worldwide than other sports does not make it more beautiful, just less costly to play equipment wise. While I am a casual fan of our local team, The Vancouver Whitecaps FC, I only focus on the game more every four years. There is nothing beautiful about players rolling on the “pitch” because they were touched. To be fair, soccer does have a ghost player that sneaks around walloping players. I saw one fellow writhing in pain, clutching his head. He was down for quite some time. I was sure he would carted off to the hospital. Replays showed that the nearest player to him had an elbow up, but never less than several inches from his head, so only a ghost could have hit him. Fortunately, after seeing whether there would be a foul called, he was up and running again. Phew! Other players look like they have a broken leg when someone brushes them with the top of their shoe. This is NOT entertainment! I won’t even mention players kicking the ball back and forth when near the opposition goal and then working it back again to their own goalie on the other side of the “pitch”.

One senior who loved soccer years ago argued that soccer was continuous action. The clock never stops. True. But this is the 21st century, how hard would it be to add a ‘pause button’ to the clock? While nothing is going on for several minutes because of some guy dying on the ”pitch”, the clock continues to run. Then, before the end of the half, it is announced that there is X amount of added time to be played. How arbitrary is this extra time? Not only that, but you can not rely on it. If 5 minutes is added, it could be 5 minutes, it could be 5 minutes and 20 seconds, or even it could be 8 minutes if a goal was scored or there was down time for battered heads. No one really knows when the half will end until the referee blows a whistle. So to say there is continuous action is a gross exaggeration. Why does soccer rely on the integrity of the referee for keeping time, when that integrity is often not earned?

As I may have spouted on about years ago, soccer is one of the few sports where, if you are not indoctrinated into the sport, you may have no idea who the teams playing are. How many European teams are called “Fly Emirates”? Oh, there might be a little logo on the left shoulder with a team name on it, but a corporate name is what is prominent. Our own team was “Bell”. Now their jersey says “Telus”. I have a team jersey from the old North American Soccer League days in the 1070’s that said “Whitecaps”. Personally, I don’t care if the Bell or the Telus play soccer, I want to support the Whitecaps.

And why is it that everyone in soccer wants to pretend they are British. Here in North America, we have the MSL, Major League Soccer. So why do so many teams now call themselves FC, which stands for Football Club. Go join a football league. You league name is Soccer. We do not refer to our NHL hockey team as Vancouver Canucks HC, or Canadian football’s BC Lions FC, so why do we do this for soccer? Are fans so gullible that a UK reference makes them think they are watching higher caliber team? An why is there at least one member of the broadcast crew who has a heavy British accent? Must you be born in the UK to know this game? Canadians and Americans are just too dumb to be experts in this game? And the BC Lions play on a field in BC Place stadium. The Whitecaps play on the same field but it is a “pitch”.

What I found most entertaining about the World Cup coverage were the commentators. The accents were distinctly British. When I think of British football fans I often think of the many hooligans that make up this crowd. Over the years they have been banned from some countries and stadiums because of their random violence. I can just see them using the language I hear on the TV while roaming the streets. One hooligan says to another one, “England may well be the side that fancies going on to win this game.” Or they may object to a move by a Swiss player by saying “It’s a bit naughty from the Swiss captain.” Yes, I took the liberty of writing down some of the comments I heard. All of the statements below are more or less quotes I heard during the World Cup with modifications for Canada's beautiful game. 

My favourite sport is football, Canadian style over NFL style. It made me think of what a broadcast might sound like if done with this British flare covering a summer game in BC Place:

“The heat is penetrating down hard on the pitch as the Lions kick off to Calgary for the opening of the second half. Calgary is showing interest as they converge on the ball. The front boy on the cover team has frozen feet. The returner is running lively to catch the football. BC hit him with intent and he remains down after the tackle. The referee is not at all interested. BC must stage a massive comeback. On Calgary’s last two drives, BC was brutally punished.

Adams drops back to pass. Philpot makes himself available. Brookes is loitering with intent on the 20 yard line. Both teams are trying to win this. For the BC quarterback it’s less about working behind and more about working at his rank. For the defense it is less about the touchdowns conceded and more about dismantling future touchdowns.

Adams hands the ball off to Mills. He drives it in like a salmon intervention. BC as a club is losing its collective heads. They are looking for a moment of class, a bit of craft maybe. They are the team asking the majority of the questions.

The Lions are now first down on Calgary’s one yard line. Butler dives forward. The earth shook but BC could not score.

Calgary is set to go after the penalty. Betts has stepped off his line to engage with Calgary’s Offensive line and to increase the jeopardy and ramp up the drama. This is the biggest saga ever, isn’t it, after a major penalty, if indeed it is. (After Betts misses the quarterback sack) Betts is denied. It was limp and was very reachable.

(As Calgary fans sing and chant) Calgary fans came wrapped up in it as they did in Hamilton. It’s hard to be alive if you are a supporter in that cityright now. Literally never had it so good.

Sean White will now try a 50 yard field goal. Its up and its through! Irrepressible! He insisted on his moment. The Calgary lads are less than happy.

Calgary defense gets the holding penalty. It was less than tidy to say the least.

(Meanwhile, Edmonton scored a touchdown in their playoff  game.) Edmonton is heading for the finals! A touchdown of precision and certainty. A team of Togetherness, a city of the highest expectation.

(Finally, after Nathan Rouke is lying down after another quarterback sack)  They stopped it because the main man is having a lie down. ”

But it was a brilliant time.