The People's Forum: Re: FIFA 2026 World Cup trial run going badly

I have an unpleasant feeling that we’re going into similar era of darkness as were the years 1976-84, when it seemed hardly anybody could stop them (although Forest and Villa had some temporary success).

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My biggest worry about this year's (haven't watched a second of it) is that both City and Chelsea are going to be knackered mid season giving our beloved neighbours a free run at the title.

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The Club World Cup is serving that purpose and like the World Cup itself chose to use a high proportion of outdoor stadia (roughly 2/3rds for the 26 WC) with mainly temporary grass surfaces.

It always looked risky given the potential health issues from extreme heat, their summer lightning season (which really is dangerous) and unstable temporary grass playing surfaces. The Club World Cup is confirming all these risks are real.

Unless FIFA decides to reallocate some venues and insist pitches are laid earlier they might be in trouble. At some point their continuing preference to put profit ahead of performance criteria in host and venue selection will backfire badly. Hopefully not calamitously.