Well, that is the group stage of the 2026 World Cup done with.
It has taken 72 matches to eliminate 16 of the 48 participants.
A ludicrous format which has meant the first two and a half weeks has been something of a snooze fest.
England won their group, that second half performance against Croatia possibly ranking as one of the best passages of play in these opening exchanges. Well, it certainly was for me, because I haven’t tuned in to an awful lot of it.
The opening fixture in the Azteca was dreadful, Mexico winning easily and yet, the side they swatted aside with such ease, South Africa, still managing to progress from Group A, Canada awaits them on Sunday night in the so-called round of 32.
Beyond that, I have tried to watch Bruno Guimaraes twice, but succumbed to sleep on both occasions. Too much alcohol imbibed prior to their match against the Moroccans, whilst needing to be up less than five hours after the full time whistle in their match against Scotland put paid to any genuine attempt from me to stay up into the small hours.
Weirdly, those two Newcastle United flops from last season seem to be doing okay, Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa both instrumental in getting Sweden and the DR Congo to progress, five goals between them so far.
And what of two of our former players?
Anthony Gordon not impressing and it appears Marcus Rashford is now fancied down England’s left flank.
Meanwhile, Miggy Almiron became the first player to be red carded due to the offence of feeling the need to obscure his mouth with his hand whilst speaking to an opponent. At least the little Paraguayan will be back for their encounter with Germany in the next round, and he’s likely to start, unlike Newcastle United’s Malik Thiaw and Nick Woltemade who between them have only played for 30 minutes at this World Cup.
As for how the tournament is playing out in a broader sense, I’ve seen nothing to suggest it’s about anything but greed and excess.
Whilst the venues have been largely packed out, fans that are making the effort are paying a hefty price. The commercialisation of the hydration breaks has sparked outrage, a clever marketing ploy hidden behind so-called player welfare.
And with FIFA pocketing all of the ticket receipts, host cities are being left to pick up the tab, the short-term gain from an influx of tourists ahead of matches is one thing, outlay required for structural changes to stadia together with huge operating costs in the form of security and public transportation leaving many cities short changed, a bullet that Chicago dodged when their former Mayor rejected FIFA’s generous offer to let them stage games.
Notwithstanding, as we head to the so-called business end of the tournament, my interest is likely to pick up.
England need to up their game if they’re to go much further, being in the half of the draw where you avoid the top European sides is definitely a good thing, until you suppose that Mexico at altitude in the Azteca, Brazil and Argentina is their likely route to the final, and that’s assuming they can dispatch Wissa’s charges on Wednesday in Atlanta.