Our route to the final as outlined by sky: Monday November 21st - England vs Iran (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 1pm) Friday November 25th - England vs USA (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm) Tuesday November 29th - Wales vs England (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 7pm) What is England's potential route to the final?* If England/Wales win Group B.... Sunday December 4th - Last 16: England vs Ecuador (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm) Saturday December 10th - Quarter-final: England vs France (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm) Wednesday December 14th - Semi-final: England vs Belgium (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm) Sunday December 18th - Final: England vs Netherlands (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 3pm) If England/Wales finish second in Group B... Saturday December 3rd - Last 16: Netherlands vs England (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm) Friday December 9th - Quarter-final: England vs Argentina (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; 7pm) Tuesday December 13th - Semi-final: England vs Brazil (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm) Sunday December 18th - Final: England vs France (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 3pm) *Based on highest FIFA world ranking finishing top of respective groups and winning knock-out games
While I have lived in The Middle East for three years, in my youth, I have no experience at all of the weather in Iran. But I assume that Qatar is broadly similar to Aden or Sharjah. So, a 1pm kick off time, even in what passes for 'The Cool Season', is likely to have a greater effect on England Players than on those from Iran. Tamam
I feel sorry for any 11yr old watching his first World Cup. There's been very little talk about football. It's all about corruption, migrant workers and rainbow laces. Even the horrible ghostly face of Sepp 'one for the register' Blatter has made an appearance ... ... so much for the innocent joy of the beautiful game. At that age I was watching Geoff Hurst, who I met as an adult, playing his best, beating the Germans and lifting the cup. All I knew about him was that he was a football player for West Ham and England. The World Cup ... the perfect example of ruing something by 'improving it'
I'm retired a few years back and thought I'd be looking forward to a month of football, watching the England games with my mates in the Bell... not sure at the moment, it's lost its sparkle, even if I'm still an 11 year old at heart
The biggest football tournament has been tarnished forever due to corruption , if we aren’t careful it will be the same for European cups and our own leagues - Money is the root of all evil ,Sky and the corporate sector is taking the game off the working man .
I've always said sky were the worst thing to happen to football. What's going on down the road tarnishes the game further... sportswashing ffs. The Liar needs to hang his head in shame
Why care about the 30/40/50k who really care about their club? Not when you can sell the TV rights worldwide and a million shirts to Africans and Asians ... ... money that's given away to football players who come here to play. And owners who use clubs to improve their image. I still manage to pretend there's still something good and decent about it all but it's a struggle.
According to the athletic Iran score goals... https://theathletic.com/3741859/2022/11/08/iran-2022-world-cup-squad-news/
2 players scored 7 goals in two separate qualification games, mind you we are talking of the likes of Cambodia
Need to look no further than this world cup and sports washing. It is well known Fifa were ****ing corrupt in awarding it, you have migrant workers dead all to build the stadiums without even looking in to the country itself! Is the media in uproar, are players, ex,-players speaking out about it? Are they ****, Beckham even took a huge payout to pretend it's all rosy over there. The same Beckham who, iirc, was one of those pushing for England to host this world cup before Qatar won it (sorry i mean bought it!). How much money does he need like? Then by some media reports there are fans being paid to look happy. If it was ever in doubt that football sold its soul!
Normally right up for it but really not feeling it. Think it's the time of the year, host country and England's form going into it.
That's the thing I hate those bent bassas most for. They do it blatantly, and they have stolen the World Cup from us. From awarding it to an appalling, Islamic desert hell hole, to messing about with the rules to accommodate VAR, to restricting the amount of European teams in it. Never been uninterested in it before in my life, but I am this time, and with the team he's took there, its just as well!
He'll be wailing about being in a Qatari prison soon enough. It's not like the west where you can go out looking for trouble on these issues with no consequences. You don't have any human rights over there and if you work yourself you'll be in real bother. Although having said that I'm a bit annoyed about the appropriation of the rainbow by a fringe group, a bit like I'm annoyed about right wing nutters appropriating the union jack.
What a ****ing idiot! As he even thought it through, does he understand where he is going, does he realise they have paid a lot of money for this sportwashing exercise and people wearing rainbow colours in support of LGBTQ is not what they want over there during this spectacle where they are supposedly paying fans to look happy!
