The 2026 World Cup is on the horizon. That means five weeks of non-stop football in the scorching North American heat, where ICE will be disappearing any spectators who look or sound foreign, while everyone else endures the ramblings of an egocentric fascist dictator… or those of his friend Donald. I’m sure you’re excited too.
And although there are 48 teams in this year’s king-sized event, there are realistically only a handful who might actually win it. Argentina are the holders after beating France in the 2022 Final, Spain are the European champions, and then you have the perennial contenders like Brazil, Germany and the Netherlands… but it’s hard to see anyone else going all the way. Maybe Scotland, at a push.
But what if the World Cup was more competitive – fairer, even?
Over the course of this series, I will use Football Manager 2024 to find out what would happen if all players could only play for the WORST nation they were eligible to play for. How would England cope without many of their biggest stars? Could Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice turn the Republic of Ireland into serious contenders? Do France and Germany have enough depth to survive their teams being decimated as well?
Maybe Raheem Sterling can lead Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz to glory? Could we even see a first African winner of the World Cup – with the likes of Nigeria, Ghana and DR Congo all benefitting from their huge diaspora in western Europe?
I will seek to answer all those questions – and more – over the coming weeks. Let the Fairer World Cup begin… Continue reading “Fairer World Cup: Introduction & OFC Qualifying”
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