World Cup 2026

For what it’s worth Zimbabwe are FIFA ranked 129th

And yeah reading the match saw that one of the Egyptian players got booked for diving

Baze and co will need to remind their players not to get frustrated and sucked in by such antics. And maybe make some pre game media statements to remind the officials to watch out for that stuff

We are due some decent refs in the big games. That UAE guy against Costa Rica was poor

Zimbabwe really let themselves done against Egypt. They really missed the experience of their captain Marshall Munetsi (Wolves player, former Orlando Pirates) to slow the pace down, keep position in the final minutes of the game. Instead they rushed the game for no reason. 

In South Africa they not really happy with Bafana performance even though they scored 3 goals (1 disallowed for offside) and hit the crossbar from long distance. Against Egypt it's going to be 50/50

All whites definitely have a good chances against Egypt but the WC will see a different Egypt for 1 main reason. There is huge pressure on Egypt to win it for Mo Salah. Kind of a little Messi situation. WC Egypt will play with a lot more freedom.

Pro tip on AFCON winner:
There is a very strong correlation on hosts winning AFCON however AFCON has always been a bit of a hoodoo for Morocco 😂 

 

MY take on referees is that the best referees get the big games between big teams, which is inderstandable. However we tend to get the dregs. The refs who are quite capable of making dumb decisions that have a big impact on the outcome of the game. If we muscle up against a team of divers with the wrong ref we will be whistled off the park. Cross your fingers for a ref from somewhere like Scotland

reubee

What are peoples thoughts on the Premier v Standard v Supporter Tickets?  I remember for the Womens World Cup getting the cheapest tickets and then not enjoying the view but is it worth 2x, 2.5x the price to get better view but potentially less atmosphere.

What is the fine print if you get some tickets in the draw and then decide that it all fits into the too hard basket, and decide not to use the tickets.

Not sure if you've seen the map of BC Place, but here it is:

BC Place map-updated.jpg 223.23 KB

I don't think there's a good answer to your question. I would say Supporters Standard in 253 is a better ticket than Supporters Premium in 249. But you just have no idea where you might be sat. In Qatar I had Category 3s for all of the matches I went to as a neutral. I was in the first row, at the end line near the six yard box one night. The next night, I was in the last row of the stadium in the corner. Same price, same category, wildly different tickets. I can tell you that BC Place has quite a gradual slope for the seating, particularly in the lower bowl. Most of the American stadiums are quite steep and I think get steeper the higher up you go. If that's helpful. I usually stand in 202 or 203 in Vancouver, so those seats behind the goal towards the corner are pretty good. Even in the first few rows, the view is decent.

If you have buyer's remorse, I think your only recourse is to sell them on the resale platform through FIFA. 

BC Place is a top stadium, super comfortable. Didn't feel steep to me though.

Cannot go wrong with the food options at North American stadiums, it's just the prices that I hate

Saffa

BC Place is a top stadium, super comfortable. Didn't feel steep to me though.

Cannot go wrong with the food options at North American stadiums, it's just the prices that I hate

Sorry that's what I was trying to say. BC Place is really not steep. Unusually so. But it's a nice stadium. Nothing special, but a good size, and great location.

The Egyptian FA has publicly called for the celebrations to be cancelled and for Fifa - which has no official involvement in the plans - to intervene.

Egypt beat Sth Africa 1-0 at AFCON.
Salah from the penalty spot.

Pharaohs first win over Bafana Bafana in 19 years.

3rd & last pool game for Egypt is Angola, who drew 1-1 with Zimbabwe.
Egypt and through to the R16 knockouts.

Brief match highlights
https://youtu.be/2go9C887s-A?si=aLNy26PXNFUFl3nt

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/egypt-south-africa-live-stream-score-result-afcon-b2890589.html

A controversial Mohamed Salah penalty sent Egypt through to the last-16 of the Africa Cup of Nations despite being down to 10 men for the whole of the second half against South Africa, who were denied a penalty of their own right at the death.

Ridiculous penalty given to Egypt.

Bafana were poor again. All of a sudden they playing "rushing football" instead of passing it around patiently and breaking lines like they normally do. 

Saw a brief interview on Aussie TV with SA’s coach post game. He was livid both with the Egyptian pen (defender brushes Salah’s face by accident) and non pen late for SA, when a clean hand ball in the Egyptian box

Man I hope we get good refs/VAR decisions next year in Nth America 

Saffa

Ridiculous penalty given to Egypt.

Bafana were poor again. All of a sudden they playing "rushing football" instead of passing it around patiently and breaking lines like they normally do. 

I got slaughtered elsewhere for saying that I don't rate Egypt and they are a winnable game. 

Egypt is all up to what Salah is doing at club level, as a Liverpool fan too, fair dinkum if you can predict the next six months for him.

I would love to share your optimism. But how many non Oceania teams have we beaten in the last four years? We will be huge underdogs against Egypt. That does not mean we have no chance. As we know in football upsets can happen.
But what I have seen in AWs games this year is a failure to concentrate for the whole match. You give players like Salah and Marmoush a half chance and they will score.

I think Egypt is a very winnable game.

Egyptians play Angola in their last pool game tomorrow.

Already through to the R16, the may rest Marmoush and Salah.

Egypt changed their entire squad for the game against Angola. According to ESPN FC Angola dominated but just could not score.

Bafana have completely lost form at the worst time and should be out in the next round. South Africa 3 - 2 Zimbabwe 

20 yo Mbokazi (Orlando Pirates) is their best player in the last 3 games. The national coach, Broos, is pissed off that he just signed for Chicago fire (before the tournament started) and is insisting his agent should have waited for a European offer.

Egypt to play Benin in the R16 at AFCON.

Total. Boycott.

The US is now a rogue state which has violated the UN Charter.

This is the same thing that Russia did to Ukraine.

What are you talking about? Trump, the FIFA Peace Prize winner, only stops wars and doesnt start them

Doloras

Total. Boycott.

The US is now a rogue state which has violated the UN Charter.

This is the same thing that Russia did to Ukraine.

Zero comparison to Ukraine.

Maduro stole at least one election, certainly the most recent.

I've spent alot of time in Sth America since late 2017. Met many Venezuelans all over Latin America. From the bottom of Chile (a brave 18 year old who travelled there solo over a week by bus) to Panama. They all want Maduro gone. 
8 million of them have fled their basket case home country.

Often desperate parents who have left their kids behind in Venezuela to have them raised by a grandparent, aunty etc. Knew a guy in Lima who hadn't seen his ninas in 5 years, he just couldn't afford or risk going home.

Maduro has just done the classic dictator thing of making sure the army generals and others close to him are well paid, and/or have open access to the drug trafficking networks. It's the only way how he's kept in power. The jails full of thousands of people who have demonstrated for democracy.

Trump better have this super well planned, so that it's over super quick, and María Machado is quickly installed as the rightful new president, and it doesn't drag on to be a messy civil war. Machado will need to have some of the army very quickly swear loyalty to her.

Doloras

Total. Boycott.

The US is now a rogue state which has violated the UN Charter.

This is the same thing that Russia did to Ukraine.

Holy fudge, a lot can happen in the world in the time it takes to attend a double-header.

Yes, this is totally all about the fact that Maduro is a dictator and nothing to do with the oil.

Wish coochiee would fudge off with his apologia for the USA overthrowing any government that isn't right wing and willing to do whatever the USA wants them to do, like "rightful president Machado" conveniently is

imanixsupporter

Yes, this is all about the fact that Maduro is a dictator and nothing to do with the oil

Trump has stated issues with immigrants, Russia/China/Iran on his back doorstep and drugs coming into the US.

Getting rid of Maduro is a start in dealing with all 3. If (big if) Venezuela can now prosper, many of that 8 million who have left will return. 

Maduro gone is a blow to China. But not that huge, they can still get cheap oil from Russia & Iran. But they do lose a big presence in Latin America, where it is now a clear cold war between them and the US.

Most of the fentanyl problem comes from Mexico. So yeah the narco thing is a bit of a smokescreen for sure.

Yipe Trump wants some of that oil. But the oil industry now in Venezuela is a broken basket case. It's mostly heavy crude. You needs lots of refinery up keep & maintenance. That has fallen so badly away that production is a fraction of what it been in Venezuela's period pre Chavez & Maduro.

Yes Trump wants some of the oil action, but Venezuela also now needs a tonne of foreign (aka USD) investment to get it's economy back where it could be. Machado's job will be selling that to the locals, and just making the average citizen feel like their country has a future. At it's worse a few years ago, many people were almost starving eating out of dumpsters.

imanixsupporter

Yes, this is totally all about the fact that Maduro is a dictator and nothing to do with the oil.

Wish coochiee would fudge off with his apologia for the USA overthrowing any government that isn't right wing and willing to do whatever the USA wants them to do, like "rightful president Machado" conveniently is

Go talk to some actual Venezuelans you ignorant twit.
This isn't derecha verus izquierda. I hate Netanyahu as much as I hate Maduro.
Both dictators who need to be gonski

It isn't Chile 1973 and a democratically elected Allende. Or any of those other undercover CIA Ops (United Fruit Company) throughout Latin America in the bad old days.

This is not overthrowing a "government". It's group of thugs headed by Maduro who don't give a flying fudge about the average Venezuelan. Yipe Machado and friends can't be seen as just Trump puppets - add that to the list of huge challenges they will face.

May not be possible to watch in NZ, but an excellent watch for some background on the situation in Venezuela the last 20 odd years. From ABC Australia, generally perceived as being left of centre politically.
https://iview.abc.net.au/show/if-you-re-listening/series/0/video/NC2520H040S00

If the USA hadnt been strangling Venezuela with crippling sanctions for decades, things might not be so bad there. Maduro is no saint but it doesn't give the USA the right to decide what happens there or anywhere else, certainly not with military means

USA us a rogue country. In thr last few months they have bombed Iran, Nigeria and now Venezuela.
The USA have been cuddling up to brutal sleeze bag dictators for decades....when it suits them.
OK Venezuela is a basket case but the US are no rescuing angels here. Trump wants their assets.
The Guardian reported a major international NGO had wargamed taking the President out. Results suggested extreme destabilisation with waring factions fighting for control .i.e a messy multifaction civil war. As we know from Iraq and Afganistan the USA is good at removing rulers but hopeless at what comes after

I probably should retract ascribing to coochiee an opinion that his thoughts on Venezuela have anything to do with left and right.

But this very much is just as against the UN charter to attempt to militarily overthrow another country's government as Russia's attempt to overthrow Ukraine's. Doesn't matter what Trump or coochiee thinks about the current regime in Venezuela, there are legal processes to follow before it is legal under international law to attempt to overthrow a regime militarily 

Edit: also, Netanyahu isn't really a dictator, he is an extremely capable and cynical politician who has successfully exploited a pretty racist and genocidal population's desires to ensure continued democratic success

We wait to see. There are large sparsely populated areas esp in the south/Amazon where yeah militias close to Maduro could yes fight a civil war for years. Like FARC in Colombia 

It could yipe get messy. From here on it needs to be seen as a domestically Venezuelan lead drive to democracy 

Trump and Rubio are saying the US is done now that they have Maduro

Some of the Venezuelan army will definitely need to move to backing Machado and any other opposition parties. To capture Maduro and his wife there must have been locals on the ground helping the US special forces 

Probably will need amnesties granted for lots of Maduro’s mates so a civil war is mostly averted 

Oh so many things. 

But Trump’s main difference, if you look back at the 20th C and countries that attracted US attention and the second Iraq war, is he just says the quiet part out loud. He has a Department of War. 

There’s no yellow cake or Colin Powell at the UN. There’s no Tony Blair.

He just says and does what he wants. He doesn’t bother with niceties. And I guess we’ll find out how that goes. 

We’ve crossed the Rubicon. Again. Must be a few of them! 

Imagine how great it’d be if Trump decided he wanted to play in goal for the USNMT. Imagine that movie! 

The thing is, Coochie, that what you were just talking about hasn't happened. Machado isn't going to be put in power. Trump openly dissed her at the press conference. Trump *thinks* what is going to happen is that the PSUV regime, under VP Rodriguez, are going to stay in power and "play ball" with him. So your "democratic" justification just doesn't hold water.

(Parenthetically I *think* that the Venezuelan regime literally sold Maduro out because they convinced Fascist Grandpa that they'd cooperate. Doesn't look, right now, like that's going to actually happen.)

And the broader point is you can't be allowed to just fudging invade places and kidnap their president no matter how sharkty their government is. He's saying that Cuba, Colombia, maybe Brazil are next. He might even kidnap the PM of Denmark to force Greenland to surrender.

agreed, sovereign states have to be just that, sovereign. But we all now when oil is involved none of that matters to the US.

There’s no Tony Blair.

Thank god.

FIFA online portal for ticket applications worked out ok with the NZ Football Access Code. It needed to be done by 13 January 2026. So now it's a wait for a few weeks to see how the EOI's (Expression of Interest) for tickets results through the ballot system. Also the news on the All Whites training base(s) announced around then too.

Cameroon 2 - 1 South Africa

As predicted Bafana are out of AFCON. You cannot win a game with a leaking defense. The media are going to demand European/MLS based players that the coach has overlooked in preference for young up and coming future stars.

Egypt to play Benin 5am NZT tomorrow.

Egyptian striker to Barcelona?

https://www.football-espana.net/2025/12/01/barcelona-move-sign-egyptian-forward

Egypt need ET to beat Benin 3-1.
https://us.soccerway.com/game/benin-tKuIoRxU/egypt-bejDn7NN/report/?mid=EwiKzhK6

Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azYwx5cuCL8

5 of Egypt's starting lineup at Cairo & CAF giants Al Ahly. So you would imagine they have strong combinations.

Two of the scorers were from Al Ahly. Salah with the 3rd & final goal post 120 mins.

Benin with a FIFA ranking of 92nd (so similar to the AWs), and like us with a squad nearly all based in Europe. A very quick look says our likely starting 11 at higher levels in Europe on average
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin_national_football_team

The Egyptians with a mostly domestic based group.

The Pharaohs will meet either Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso in the quarters.

Buffon II

There’s no Tony Blair.

Thank god.

Man, it’s difficult to remember just how popular that ‘Cool Brittania’ was. 

People are even nostalgic about Oasis and paying out silly money to see them, but Tony well and truly did his chips, and he was right in the thick of it there. No one will ever remember that now. 

Sorry, off topic.

Ivory Coast beat Burkina Faso 3-0 in R16.
So that leaves a tasty quarter final to monitor, the Egyptians verus Ivory Coast.

Remembering we beat (an understrength) Ivorian side in Toronto, 1-0 last year.

So will be super interesting QF, as we look ahead to the WC.


Edit - with a quick look with Ivory Coast I see only one player started both against us and Burkina Faso. Though 3 guys who came off the pine against us also started against BF. The Ivorians with a large player talent pool, and they are the reigning AFCON champs.

Saffa

Cameroon 2 - 1 South Africa

As predicted Bafana are out of AFCON. You cannot win a game with a leaking defense. The media are going to demand European/MLS based players that the coach has overlooked in preference for young up and coming future stars.

No more off topic than this thread becoming an AFCON score update thread

Opposition watch is important, I like the Salah's tears updates too

Gooner 4 Life

Saffa

Cameroon 2 - 1 South Africa

As predicted Bafana are out of AFCON. You cannot win a game with a leaking defense. The media are going to demand European/MLS based players that the coach has overlooked in preference for young up and coming future stars.

No more off topic than this thread becoming an AFCON score update thread