World Cup Musings

 

Image from Pixabay

Anis Albasha

As the cheers faded from the stadiums and the tournament finally came to an end, I found myself thinking about the World Cup from a different perspective. Far from the roar of the crowds, and equally far from the explosions and tensions that continue to haunt many parts of the world, a few reflections came to mind about the biggest sporting event on the planet.

The Annoying American Time Zone

Like hundreds of millions of others, I followed the World Cup with genuine excitement. The tournament, which kicked off in June and stretched over thirty-nine days, became the longest edition in World Cup history.

From the outset, however, one issue dampened the experience for many viewers: the match schedule. For the first time in thirty-one years, the Americas hosted football's greatest celebration again, forcing everyone outside the continent to rearrange their daily lives. Watching the matches meant embracing a rather punishing routine, with kickoffs often falling at one or even three o'clock in the morning.

Every time I forced myself to stay awake deep into the night or wake up before sunrise just to catch a match, I was reminded of a famous saying, often attributed to the renowned Egyptian journalist Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, though I have never found definitive proof that he actually said it: "Our rulers set their watches to American time." This time, however, both rulers and ordinary people found themselves adjusting their clocks to American time, albeit for entirely different reasons.

Pay First... Then Watch

I belong to the generation that grew up watching World Cup qualifiers free of charge on national television, before FIFA decided, in 2002, to turn the tournament into a goose that laid diamonds rather than merely golden eggs.

I still remember the magic of those moments when people from every social class, rich and poor alike, gathered around those bulky box-shaped television sets with their modest cathode-ray screens, long before plasma and LCD displays became household fixtures. Nobody imagined that within just a few years football would evolve into a multibillion-dollar industry, or that watching the World Cup would become a privilege divided along economic lines, reserved largely for those who could afford expensive subscriptions.

Over time the situation became even more complicated. Broadcasting rights turned into a genuine headache for football lovers around the world. Here in Germany, for example, I cannot watch the matches through Arabic broadcasters because of licensing restrictions. Instead, I am limited to European subscription packages. Imagine witnessing a thrilling, emotionally charged match while listening to a commentator whose delivery is so restrained and detached that it feels less like sports commentary and more like the evening news.

Conspiracy or Commerce?

This World Cup generated endless debate. Allegations of favoritism, preferential treatment for certain teams, and attempts to steer particular nations toward the latter stages resurfaced once again. Predictably, conspiracy theories flourished, especially those surrounding the elimination of Arab and African teams.

Personally, I believe the issue is less about conspiracy than about commerce.

Once we recognize that billions of dollars circulate through advertising, sponsorships, betting markets, and the commercial value attached to particular stars and national teams, many of the lingering questions begin to answer themselves. The sense of injustice, the accusations of bias, and even the question of whether there is a conspiracy become less mysterious when viewed through the lens of financial interests.

Perhaps we understood the game too late. Some have only recently begun to realize that these dynamics did not suddenly emerge in the 2026 World Cup but had been developing long before. We simply failed to notice, perhaps because of the remarkable boldness with which some controversial decisions unfolded, especially after the highly disputed Egypt-Argentina match.

This is not, in my view, a conspiracy. It is business. Business driven by enormous financial calculations that pay little attention to the emotions of the billions who wait patiently every four years for football's greatest spectacle.

Reaching the Summit... and Knowing When to Leave

There is an old saying that reaching the top is not the hardest part; staying there is.

True wisdom lies in recognizing not only when one has reached the peak of success, but also when it is time to step away.

Nothing illustrated this better than Lionel Messi's career. After years of extraordinary achievement, he reached what many considered the perfect climax by leading Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title. It was a fitting conclusion, one that could have served as the ideal farewell.

Instead, he chose to continue. The reasons remain his own. Perhaps commercial considerations played a role, perhaps not.

Initially, events appeared to favor both Messi and his team despite the criticism and controversy surrounding them. Yet the final proved to be a different story. Faced with their toughest challenge, Argentina fell short. Messi, who had so often risen to the occasion throughout his career, was unable to impose himself on the match as he once did, and Spain emerged as deserved champions.

The disappointment did not end with the final whistle. Reports of physical confrontations involving members of the Argentine squad only reinforced the negative impression many spectators had already formed.

Success is a beautiful destination. But true greatness lies not only in reaching the summit, it lies in knowing when to leave it!