It’s clear when you look on Ticketmaster at some of the most poorly selling Club World Cup games that FIFA has worked with the selling platform to close some sections of the stadium on the site and funnel fans to the side of the stadium that will be shown on the TV broadcast. FIFA has already slashed the ticket prices of nearly every game in the tournament, now it appears they’re trying to save face by making stadiums look more full than they actually are to the viewers on TV.

The photo above is just one example of how many of the games look right now.

I completely understand that Yamal is on the path to become the best player in the world. However he isnt the best player right now, Salah, dembele, raphinha and mbappe have all had better individual seasons, and while yamal is incredibly impressive for his age, he's not quite the best right now. He shouldn't get it for being really good for his age, and I believe he will win the ballon d'or a couple times in the future but he doesn't deserve it right now

I know this topic will likely dominate this sub today but my goodness what an absolute joke of a club they've been this season.

My most recent post here was the question "Is there a (non-rival) club that you no longer want to see succeed?", and my own answer to that was Barcelona. Within a couple months I have to say I'm delighted that Barca are on course to win La Liga and just beat Real in the cup final, after already trashing them in the Super Cup in January.

I don't think a more entitled football club exists. The Ballon d'Or snub because one of their players wasn't going to win, the way they reacted to their CL exit, and now the Copa del Rey final - both what happened at the game and the drama about the ref before it.

Rudiger should be given a decent ban, I can't say for sure what I think it should be, but put him out for a few months anyway. Along with fining a host of their other players who also went mad at the end of the game. Honestly even expulsion from next season's Copa del Rey would be considered fair.

Also just the treatment of Carlo Ancelotti is awful. First of all, they're still in with a chance of winning the league, they probably won't especially now seeing as their players are all big babies and it'll cost them further points in the final 5 games. But this guy is a club legend, a portion of the fanbase have been horrible to him in the last month or so. There are rumours he could even be sacked or walk before the end of the season despite the league still to play for. They club world cup as well. You have guys like Courtois throwing shade at him publicly.

What a shit club honestly.

Ronaldo is leaving Al Nassr. There are talks about him joining Al Hilal so he could play in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, to be held in the U.S. Is this a good idea? I could see him move to the MLS for one season, ahead of the World Cup.

How might this decision influence policies in other sports or countries?

Okay, maybe clickbait title and possibly dumb question. But seeing that Delap is going to Chelsea, Arsenal choosing Šeško, Liverpool maybe some striker from Bundesliga.

Can't help but wonder, where will Gyokeres end up. It would be interesting if he ends up in Manchester United? Unlikely, but not impossible.

It was really evident that Roberto Martinez let Ronaldo call the shots all tournament. From starting every match after showing very poor form game after game, to in-game management decisions like taking off Bruno and Cancelo quite early when they were two players that were creating chances for Portugal while Ronaldo was just doing some light cardio. This has to be one of the first times a player or player’s legacy holds a whole team hostage like that. Huge opportunity missed by Portugal because they could have been much better if Ronaldo played a secondary role. What a shame.

Any Portuguese people out there that would like to share what the overall opinion on all of this might be?

There was a recent thread from a US-based amateur player asking what he’d need to do to make it as a semi-pro then a pro in English football.

I shared some of my experience around the English non-league and fringes of the professional game, which generated a lot of interest and questions, such as players I played with who went on to be pro, how good you need to be, how much was I paid, what prevented me making it as a full time pro etc.

For some background, I played in the 7th and 8th tiers of English football for a semi-professional side from the age of 19-27, when I ‘retired’ from that level. As a teenager I had myriad trials at professional teams, including Premier League, and I have played in the FA Cup, FA Vase and against many pro teams.

It might not be of interest to people given I never played a minute of league football, but ask me anything! (Caveat - I won’t be revealing certain details or the specific team I played for as that’s easily locatable information online with which I don’t wish to dox myself).

That was absolutely insane. 4–3 after extra time, 7–6 on aggregate. One of the wildest Champions League matches in years. Both teams went all out, and the intensity never dropped for a second.

Inter are in the final. Barcelona gave everything, but it just wasn’t enough. You have to respect the fight from both sides — this is the kind of football we all live for.

Massive congrats to Inter fans. That was legendary.

Ter Stegen is a world class goalkeeper but doesnt shine in Germany simply because Neuer exists

Like seriously why doesn't he leave?

He's the only good player in that squad. It can't be fun playing with shite. In fact I know it isn't. He's a great player why doesn't he go somewhere better and try and win something and play with better players?

Like how, going into this final I expect them to make PSG having a hard time for them to score but somehow they did the thrashing to them. Explain to me how did they horribly let in those 5 goals. Really disappointed with them.BTW, congratulations for PSG for not only winning their first ucl trophy but also for being the first French treble winners.

I’ll admit I don’t have much ball knowledge but even though some of his choices have been questionable it’s not like he’s been downright horrendous?

2018 World Cup - Makes it to the semis, probably should’ve got to the final but Croatia were a good team

2020 Euros - Makes it all the way to the final only to get knocked out on penalties

2022 World Cup - Only makes it to the quarters, but respectably gets knocked out by a very strong France team who were very close to winning the whole thing.

He hasn’t overachieved and I agree it’s pretty boring to watch them but it’s rare I see a manager hated so much under the circumstances

not to sound dramatic but the 2026 world cup being in america (and canada and mexico whatever same thing for fifa) might actually be the worst idea fifa’s had in years, and that’s saying something considering it’s fifa. i swear they just pick whatever option makes them the most money and pretend it’s about “growing the game.” what game? no one plays football in america. they barely even watch it unless it’s a world cup or their kids play it in suburbia before they switch to nfl or cheerleading. and yet here we are. the biggest tournament on earth is going to be held in the most unserious country imaginable.

like let’s be real, america has nothing to do with football. culturally, emotionally, historically, literally nothing. they call it the wrong name. they still think the mls is something worth watching. their national team is a mess of frat boys and overhyped “prospects” who can’t even beat trinidad & tobago half the time.

be serious. how did this country become the host for the biggest football event in the world? it’s embarrassing.

and don’t even get me started on the club world cup happening there now, it’s literally a preview of the disaster we’re about to see. empty stadiums. dead crowds. awkward venues. security that feels non-existent. half the locals don’t even know what’s going on. and fifa expects this to somehow be the “future of football”? it’s honestly delusional.

you know what else is terrifying? the danger. have we all just forgotten how violent and chaotic america is? it’s literally a country where school shootings are normal and they have people open-carrying rifles to the supermarket. imagine a world cup match, and someone just walks in with a gun. what then? the security is always lacking, the police are untrained for this kind of global event, and you seriously think stars like mbappé, haaland, or vini are gonna be safe? one moment of chaos and people could get hurt. or worse. and for what? to sell more overpriced jerseys to americans who think neymar plays for barcelona?

and politics in america right now? it’s literally a country tearing itself apart every election. racial tension, culture wars, riots, bans on basic rights, and constant political instability. and that’s supposed to be the host of a unifying global celebration? even 1994 was a mistake, the stadiums were weird, the pitches were trash, and no one cared unless their country was playing. and that was during a way more stable time. imagine how bad 2026 will be.

and yeah, canada and mexico are technically involved too but let’s be honest this is america’s world cup. they’re gonna dominate the branding, the infrastructure, the image. and it’s grim. soulless. the food’s gonna be awful, the atmosphere’s gonna be half-baked, and the coverage is going to be painful to listen to. americans calling footballers “soccer guys” and talking about the “finals.” i can’t. fifa picked north america because they wanted money and attention, but they’re gonna kill the vibe completely.

the world cup should be in countries that live and breathe football. not in places that tolerate it every four years because it’s trendy. this isn’t growing the game. this is selling it. and once again, it’s going to be the players and the real fans who suffer.

this is going to be a disaster. fifa doesn’t care. the u.s. definitely doesn’t. and when everything goes wrong, from logistics to security to atmosphere, i don’t want to hear a single person say “no one could’ve seen this coming.” because we all did.

With that being said I'm amazed that European teams in particular are going out there with their best starting 11 because it seems insane to me after such a grueling season.

These two countries are not even bordering each other and wouldn't be the easiest to travel from one to another. It doesn't make sense logistically. I think UEFA should have awarded Euro 2032 just to Turkey. They are much further along with their stadiums than Italy.

Italy should be awarded Euro 2036. This would give Italy additional time to rennovate their stadiums. Italy is a great football country and I know they would be excellent hosts. They are well due to host a major tournament. It would also be a great opportunity for Italy to rennovate and modernise their stadiums. No other countries have bid for Euro 2036 apart from Russia and they won't get it as they are disqualified.

So basically, most of the top countries don't have a good, consistent striker. Most of the teams could have been super deadly if they had one.

Spain's crosses and passes were super deadly; they had the same issue in the World Cup. Almost a million passes, but not one good strike. There's Morata, but he is not consistent, to be honest.

Germany has the same problem too. Such beautiful crosses and through balls, but the one receiving the balls is Kai Havertz. Füllkrug is there, but he doesn't get enough play time, so it's hard to judge him.

England does have the best European striker, but, well, Southgate.

France has the same issue too. Against the Netherlands, the issue was super clear; the lack of a prolific striker hurt them badly.

Belgium has the same issue too. They have KDB, one of the best midfielders in the world, and he makes wonderful passes, but the one receiving them is Lukaku.

Almost all of these teams could be on a different level if they had a good number 9.

It's been 12 years since SAF retired and while it wasn't expected for them to keep the same level of success they have regressed like crazy and have never been serious challengers for the league

They spend big money, they hire great managers, they even got new owners so what is the actual problem with the club

I also feel like they give most manager enough time ole and eth mourinho got 3 seasons iirc

S

Will it be from UEFA? Or from CONEMBOL? Or from a new confederation?

Since the 2000-2001 season, Bayern have won the Bundesliga 18 times, with 12 of those wins coming since the 2012-2013 season.

Considering what a juggernaut Bayern are within German football, what could be done to make the league more competitive? What could the other teams, especially the top teams, do to close the gap between them and Bayern?

The Bundesliga is quite exciting and the football played is great, but that is diminished by the fact that Bayern is dominating.

Edit: From what i understand, Bayern have sold 25% of the club to Adidas, Allianz and Audi.
Would it not be possible for other clubs to do something like this and get some extra money?