FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 - DISCUSSION AND WATCHALONG THREAD ⚽️. Part 8

[placemats]

Let's continue the discussion.

There is still the golden boot up for grabs. Mbappé on 8, Kane and Bellingham on 6.

So interested to know. Would you rather England a third place win in the World Cup or be runners-up?

Golden boot still up for grabs.

Runners-up

I was so delighted when Manchester United came third in the Premier League this year. So maybe I'm biased.

Third for me. Because it's a win and not a loss.

Defo 3rd esp against France !
Sets us up nicely for the euros

But runners-up means they made the final.

Holland were runners-up three times (1974, 1978 and 2010) and came third in 2014. Runners-up hurt but is better than 3rd

Can understand then why runners-up. Though so frustrating - was a big fan of Marco Van Basten and the Netherlands. Gorgeous looking man.

To be fair, they are ranked 4th in the world and they are playing for 3rd/4th place so I think they performed to the level expected.

We won the Euros with van Basten

My favourite player is Bergkamp and the goal he scored against Argentina in 98 was sublime.

3rd place deserves a bank holiday. A chance for Andy Burnham to set off on a good footing.

France are one place above England in the FIFA rankings. C'mon England.

I was reading about M'bappé giving away his earnings from playing for his national side to charity. Fair play to him. He did it in 2018 also.

He comes across as a great guy

Omg yes!!! Bergkamp was dreamy and that goal!!!

I loved the Netherlands team so much - especially in Euro 2000 under Rijakard where they missed 5 penalties against Italy - 2(!) of those in the game itself!! They played SO BEAUTIFULLY

I thought players didn't get paid much (or anything) to play for their national teams?

The England players get a 'match fee' of about £2000 per game which they've all donated to charity for many years now. It's a nice gesture but 'earnings' from WC appearances are piddling compared to what top footballers get from club football. They do it more for the honour of playing for their country, and also it's a good 'shop window' for many of them too.

No it's not a token amount from what I read about Mbappe.
He seems to give a lot to charity, but fairly quietly. It's more than a token donation. I know he's not the only player to do things like that, but I didn't know much about him.
Just a couple of examples.
In 2018 his World Cup bonus of around 350,000 euros went to a charity for sport for children with disabilities. He gives a percentage of his sponsorship income to charity also. It adds up to quite a substantial amount, but he doesn't seem to boast about it.
Edited to add a link.
Beyond the Billions: The Inspiring Charity Work Behind Mbappé’s Sponsorships

I would love it to be a really high scoring game tonight to ensure Messi doesn’t get the Golden Boot 🤣

Yes, players have long donated their earnings when playing for England. Apparently it started in 2007 with Beckham, Neville, Gerard and Terry formed the EFF (England Football Foundation) to donate all England earnings and bonuses to various charities.

Does anyone else play the FIFA Fantasy Football game? The problem with it, at this stage, is most people probably have almost identical teams.

No wonder none of them ever performed in an England shirt 🤪

😂

It always makes me chuckle when one of the 5 main channels puts on a 'woman's' film at the same time as the footie - assuming we are desperate for something else to watch. Tonight's offering is Wicked Little Letters on C4.

@dapsnotplimsolls agree but that is a great film .

How inspiring from Mbappe. That's so wonderful to hear.

I haven't seen it. I might watch it until the football starts!

I've set my alarm for 9.50pm, just in case I fall asleep. Woke up about 6am this morning and couldn't get back to sleep.

I'm recording it.