To be underwhelmed by the World Cup so far

[Glasgew1770]

This is obviously aimed at those, like me, who are football fans. So please no unoriginal comments about overpaid players, kicking a bag of air about, etc.

I’m a football fan and I just can’t get into the World Cup. Usually it feels like a big event but whilst I’ve watched some I’m not really getting into the vibe.

I’ve got a school meeting tomorrow at the same time as the England game and I was surprisingly unconcerned. Like I didn’t give a shit.

Just me? Or are others finding this too?

I’m only interested in my club team. I’ve never really liked international football. I’ve only watch three matches this World Cup. I won’t be watching England tmw. Not quite sure why I feel this way, I think it’s because I see my club team as MY players but England for example are other teams players

From your username, sounds like you are a scot.

Oh no, I think there’s been some very watchable matches. Have there been more goals than normal? Feels like it.

Also some upsets which adds to the interest. Always fun to watch an underdog do well.

And the golden boot having several (4?) contenders. And Ronaldo being rubbish and then …… not.

England matches can be a bit of a snore fest if you’re not an England supporter. The second half of the Croatia match was an aberration 😄.

I agree, it's all felt a bit flat this time round. I like Cape Verde's story but overall it's just been a bit meh.

Agree it’s dull!!

im all about my club and now the Netherlands are out… well what to do!!

I am at a show tomorrow and couldn’t care less I will miss the England game!! DH on the other hand is going on a boys holiday (middle age men) to watch it!!

I’m well into it but then I live in New York, have been to some matches and obviously the timings are better for watching over here. The supporters have been brilliant.

Seeing Mbappe score goals in person was one of the highlights of my entire life (ok, I am getting a bit carried away)

watching France V Sweden. I am not at all underwhelmed.

This match - France v Sweden - has been good. However, having 48 teams start has just been too many and added to the overall dullness.

But Mbappe. Is never dull.

The Americans have ruined it with the ridiculous ad breaks every quarter. And the games are all so late its no fun watching it either at home or in the pub.

I think it’s because so many of the games happen in the middle of the night. Rather than watching games, we’re getting up in the morning and seeing what the scores were. It’s hard to connect with a tournament in which so many games take place when we’re asleep.

I have been feeling the same. Too many teams so not much jeopody in the group games when it's possible to get through with one win out of three against a weak team. I'm feeling a bit more excited now that we're into the knockout games.

I'm enjoying it. I think it has been well supported (locally). I like seeing the lesser known team having a go...ive watched all of the games ( apart from the post midnight games).

It's going to get more exciting!

I've fallen out of love with the World Cup, due to the series of problematic hosts, and the FIFA peace prize was enough to make me decide not to watch it this time...even though some of it is being hosted down the road from me.

Not having watched it, I'd suspect the bloated number of teams and the low-jeapordy group stage (with most of the 3rd place teams still qualifying) would make for a less entertaining tournament.

Really is all about lining FIFA's pockets, these days.

Probably the timing. I can work flexibly and I love football, so I've been staying up really late and caught almost all the games so far and I'm hugely in to it. The race for the golden boot is incredible this year and France are playing like they have been blessed by Dieu Deschamps. Unsure how far England will go but I already really don't want it to end.

I think it's probably the times of the matches

I haven't watched a single game because of the times. Whole thing feels pretty abstract

It's been an absolute laugh for us tartan army in Boston and Miami but the fanzones were a bit of a joke, not at all like europe and the locals have been totally bemused and confused by it all everywhere we've visited (we've toured the US after the initial Scotland games), I knew we were in trouble when a Boston journalist said to one of us, oh you're here without a ticket for the game, why is that?? They had no clue what the fan scene is like. None the less they have been incredibly warm and welcoming and whilst noone was getting terribly political there was a definite undercurrent of relief from folks that we've all made the journey to the USA and weren't put off and had a great time, I think many day to day Americans worry about how they are perceived and I'm glad I went against my instincts and came. There's always a risk in having a world cup in countries that are not big into football, it's also a case of any port in a storm and when the time difference doesn't suit your own country it's hard, this things are getting harder and harder for countries to stage tho so we are forced to not be picky. It was fun the totally novelty for the Americans, they were completely astonished by the tartan army, I can verify the media is true. We've got the Euros next in the UK so that should be fun

Germany have already been knocked out!

In the round of 32 wtf.

We now have a chance :D

I've been enjoying it, especially France and Norway

For me, From a sport/pitch perspective, it has been great. But from an "event"/"spectacle" type perspective, it has been a let down.

What I mean is, on the pitch - you couldn't really ask for more. There have been some great games, lots of goals, the best players amazingly have all turned up and are performing really well, there have been upsets and small teams producing shock results etc. The shift to 48 teams hasn't been the disaster people thought etc.

But off the pitch? I just can't get excited about it as I did for other world cups. Outside of a bit of fun news about the Scottish + Norwegian fans it doesn't feel that special as a cultural event. The time difference, the controversies, the Americanization etc. I'm not sure what exactly it is, but away from the matches, it just doesn't feel like there is a world-cup on. And I do find myself caring a lot less.

It's fun here in Vancouver and I was interested in going to a game until the peace prize 🙄 and once I saw that pandering my interest waned significantly. I've taken the kids out for a few free related things, but am totally over not getting tickets. I don't feel like I've missed out at all. (And apparently, it is costing us $82M p/day to host this here).

For the love of God will you let this lie die. America had nothing to do with the hydration breaks. That was FIFA, and has been in place for WCs that have also been in place in hot environments. Stop blaming America for everything.

I'm in the US. FIFA have buggered up a bunch of things including how they handled the hydration breaks. Everyone's blaming American TV but if you watch the Spanish channel (much better commentary than the English one fwiw) they don't put adverts on during those! They aren't necessary in the domed stadiums really. On the other hand anyone playing in New York this week will need one as it's going to be nearly 40.

Also because of FIFA's demands, some of the best cities took a look and said no thanks to hosting like Chicago and Montreal. But FIFA is a horrendously corrupt organisation and has been for goodness knows how long.

The fans have been largely wonderful and all the stories about Scots in Boston are absolutely true. The English, I am sad to say, have been less popular there.

I'm also American, and I've been loving how many foreigners are loving their experience here. America had loads of problems, but on a whole we are nice and polite and love being great hosts. The Welsh discovered this.

I'm trying to work out how much of a football fan you are @Glasgew1770 -

Yes this World Cup has much to openly deride about it - the ad breaks (sorry, hydration breaks), the timings of the matches for UK viewers etc.

But it also has some of the best 'stories' in football taking place:

• The race for the Golden Boot contains some of the most celebrated generational players of our time. To see Lionel Messi scoring as freely as he does at the age of 39 is insane. And Kylian Mbappe is likely to overtake him not only as the winner of the Boot, but also as the greatest goalscorer in World Cup history

• This France team are extraordinary attacking force. Aside from Mbappe, they have every type of forward attacker you could wish to watch. If as a defender you 'see off' Mbappe, you have to focus on the tricky feet and fast pace of Doué and Dembele. When you're tired and its 70 minutes elapsed, you then have to face Barcola and Cherki. And all of this orchestrated by the wonderful Michael Olise - sit down for 90 minutes and watch what he does to knit together the attack. If you watch him, you see the game.

• African football sides are often derided or undervalued in the run up to World Cups, with the focus on South American and European sides. Yet here we are with 9 out of the 10 African sides making it into the round of 32, and there's some big names still in contention. Africa is showing it's not a joke, and there's some more stories to come.

• Finally, back to the goalscorers, I can't remember a world cup where all the "stars" actually turn up and perform. Messi, Kane, Mbappe, even Ronaldo, have all got on the scoresheet, and there's more to come from all these players.

So yeah -

If you want to focus on atmosphere, politics, football federation stuff, advertising, then sure it's probably not the best World Cup.

If you're only focused on this week and some of the penalty shootout games with big European nations going out, then yeah it might have been a bit of a drag.

However if you want to focus on football stories, quality of output, attacking verve and goalscoring etc... I can't see how anyone would be really that disappointed so far.

whoever i want t o win, ie Japan, never seem to
and England are uninspiring
the inspiration is from Cape Verde, unfortunatley they are now meeting Argentina
i love to watch the african teams, being an early riser i listen to world service which has been bigging up the african teams so i am always excited to see them play.