The 2026 FIFA World Cup has only just kicked off over in North America, and while the opening match between Mexico and South Africa had lots of drama, the spotlight was already on supporters even prior to the tournament starting, with certain fans being mocked over their presence – or lack thereof, in some cases.
Plenty of people were fully expecting a fair bit of being poked at the USA as one of the joint host nations and the country holding the most fixtures out of the three after Mexico and Canada, in which football remains the biggest sport throughout both.
While the days of claiming that Americans will “never embrace soccer” – a joke even made by The Simpsons back in 2007 – do look to have been a bit hyperbolic and tongue-in-cheek, it goes without saying that the perceived Americanisation of European/association football (which, ironically, we dubbed soccer first) is a growing concern among followers of ‘the beautiful game’ all over the globe.
Especially in situations when you see the likes of so-called fans literally perched pitchside whilst sat eating their dinner in raised posh seats located right next to the corner flag.
One of the weirdest scenes you’ll see in football… people casually eating dinner at tables set up right next to the corner flag 🤔pic.twitter.com/gTtdRlD19v
— No Context World Cup (@NoContextEPL) June 11, 2026
For context, in case anyone missed it, this now-viral clip on social media took place before the World Cup proper actually kicked off, as the puzzling sight was captured in England’s final friendly against Costa Rica at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
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Thankfully, the Three Lions looked to head into their opening fixture of the 2026 World Cup in good shape following the 3-0 win, but we won’t pretend to ignore the fact that lots of the discussion surrounded the scenes up in the stands.
Now, obviously, VIP and hospitality, not to mention the fact that most US sporting arenas are designed quite differently from most football stadiums, often favouring taller structures, with large open bowls that regularly exceed the capacity of, say, Wembley.
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However, when you’re trying to create an atmosphere where those who could afford to buy a ticket have made the effort to travel over to the admittedly controversial tournament to immerse themselves in the sheer passion of following a national team around the world and dreaming of bringing home, arguably, the single biggest prize, it doesn’t make for great visuals seeing ‘fans’ having a casual sit-down meal.
To many, images like these kind of gave the impression that the game itself was secondary and a bit of background entertainment, rather than, you know, the other way round – you’ve only paid THOUSANDS to be there, let alone spitting distance from the turf itself…
We’re not trying to sound like gatekeepers on how someone should enjoy the sport they like watching, but it does feel less like you’re actively supporting the players out there in moments like these, and the English, in particular, have already made their feelings known on some behaviour and what they deem as ‘proper’ footy fandom:
That being said, crowd interactions like this have proved just as divisive, too, with some accusing the Brits abroad of supporter snobbery, almost, and refusing to get in the light-hearted spirit as others have.
Once again, by the way, most of these instances took place before the first matches had even been played, or at the very least before their country had kicked a ball yet.
Besides the obvious political backdrop to the entire month ahead, jibes at the overall vibe of the tournament also haven’t been helped by the fact that some companies have instead paid fans to come and watch the football not inside the grounds but from a premium viewing zone inside a glass box on a big telly right in the heart of Times Square. People are now even watching them watching it.
And that’s not all; far from it.
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There were swathes of empty seats at the Akron Stadium that were particularly concentrated towards the pitchside VIP section at the centre of the east stand, but patches of red seats could be seen throughout — leaving what looked like thousands of empty seats in total.
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) June 12, 2026
Several stadiums are already having to come to terms with the very likely prospect of not only failing to sell out but also settling for being some way off packed out enough to mirror the kind of energy to match the best World Cups in history.
The Mexican home crowd at the Estadio Azteca – the largest in all of Latin America, boasting a max cap of more than 83,000 – was always going to be a sell-out, but with games being played at all manner of times in an effort to try and beat the heat and manage conditions across various challenging climates, empty seats are bound to be spotted.
Thousands of Koreans and Czechs were there to be seen for this year’s second official clash, but it was evident that there were noticeable gaps around the venue, and don’t be surprised if you see more before the final. It’s certainly going to be an edition with just as many narratives off the pitch as on it, if not maybe even more, if this is a sign of things to come.
What are your early impressions of the 2026 World Cup so far?
Manchester City auctioning off exclusive ‘artefacts’ from Pep Guardiola’s office
Danny Jones
Manchester City are set to auction off a limited number of used and/or signed items previously owned by legendary football manager Pep Guardiola himself.
The iconic Catalan head coach may have now left the club, but it’s fair to say that supporters are still grieving the bittersweet goodbye – and if you’re one of them, then this might be a good way of clinging on to him and the memories.
Teaming up with MatchWornShirt, an authentic collectables company that deals in memorabilia used by the sporting stars themselves, fans will soon be able to own a ‘piece of Pep’ if they so wish as part of this very special merchandise dump.
So, if you’re a collector of signed or match-worn merch, here’s a taster of what’s up for grabs:
Several items from @PepTeam's office are up for auction 🤝
Yes, should they be willing to put in the winning bid, Blues can genuinely own some of Guardiola‘s office knick-nacks, a tactics board and notes scribed on by the man himself, as well as his actual chair and even his whistle.
Does that count as kissing him? That’s not for us to say…
There is more standard fare, of course, such as worn training kits, photo frames, programmes and other printed media – almost all of which are signed by the 55-year-old.
On the other hand, if you’re so inclined to go for the super rare stuff, you can even buy his desk lamp and go-to coffee cups; whatever floats your boat.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss left Etihad Stadium this summer after 10 years as a Cityzen – with the club even releasing a dedicated ‘Decade Collection’ in his honour – and it now looks as though he could be set for his next job.
His former assistant turned replacement and ex-U23s/Elite Development Squad (EDS), Enzo Maresca, is now in place and making his first impressions on the City squad; safe to say it’ll take some work to leave the same lasting legacy as his mentor.
As for the auction, the club have labelled these exclusive trinkets as “artefacts”, promising that you won’t get many other opportunities, if any, to claim this kind of ‘KeePepsake’.
Meanwhile, in other MCFC news, the City Football Group (CFG) are taking steps to ensure local fans have easier access to matchday tickets with a new postcode lottery, of sorts.
Featured Images — Manchester City Football Club (supplied)
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Manchester United fan groups issue urgent joint letter as thousands could lose season tickets
Danny Jones
Man United fan groups have banded together to issue a joint statement as they look to urgently rectify thousands of loyal supporters having their season tickets taken away by the club.
The backlash to the confusing cancellations has been huge, and Man United themselves are yet to issue an official response or carry out the mass revocation.
More than 5,000 matchgoers are said to have received emails from MUFC informing them that their season tickets are set to be cancelled due to alleged ‘breaches of their ticket-sharing policies’. This comes as part of a wider attempt at cracking down on touts.
Manchester United’s official Supporters Trust (MUST) has joined forces with the other major fan groups to sign an urgent letter demanding not only answers but a halting of the current process and correction of what looks to be countless mistakes when it comes to ticketing decisions.
2/ The recent actions of Manchester United have finally achieved what those efforts could not: a unanimous, historic and unprecedented unification of
— MUST | Manchester United Supporters Trust (@MU_ST) July 21, 2026
The joint plea comes not only from MUST but also from fellow vocal organisations such as The Red Army (TRA), The 1958, and the Manchester United Youth Supporters Club, all of whom represent some of the most passionate and die-hard fans who travel far and wide to see their team week in and week out.
It goes on to detail that all relevant Fans’ Forum representatives, more than 100 different and crucially official supporters clubs, as well as the notable fanzine, United We Stand, have all signed the document.
The full statement goes on to read: “Earlier today, a message was sent to Manchester United emphasising full support for the Fans’ Forum’s recent letter relating to the premature suspension of Season Ticket Holders without required evidence.
“In summary, we have reiterated the demands made by the FF: immediately halt the ongoing suspension process, immediately retract all unproven suspensions, confirm the current number of season tickets; explain its apparent policy of reducing the number of STs, and confirm that all reclaimed STs are reissued to supporters on the waiting list.”
Here’s just a small taste of what fans are reporting online – including claims of local rivals Manchester City carrying out similarly brutal broad-strokes culling of the core match-going base…
Disgraceful how United are treating their most loyal supporters. The club is completely out of touch with the supporters who have been the lifeblood of the club for years. https://t.co/snM7tgVYmy
Can't even take the piss because this is coming to all Premier League clubs at some stage, including us. They don't want the legacy fans, they want the tourists https://t.co/fkg911xr3y
Many are already turning wherever they can for advice and help over the deeply troubling matter, with the consensus seeming to be that the parameters for these new measures have failed to target the right kind of touting, which does remain a problem throughout football at large.
One person claimed that “the club is targeting ‘super-users’ who log into multiple accounts from the same network or device to submit away applications, handle renewals, check ballot results, etc.”
Passing on tickets when you can’t make matches isn’t just inevitable: it’s been part and parcel of the game since forever and is also an effort to ensure that the person taking your place isn’t just any old fan but an active supporter; i.e. there’s meaning behind that word – it’s not just a noun but a verb.
That being said, it isn’t these people who should be punished but those genuinely trying to scam the system and take already expensive tickets out of real fans’ hands.
In perhaps one of the most heartbreaking posts shared on social media, another X user wrote: “Just back from holiday to discover family and friends have had their season tickets suspended.
“I’ve been offline for the past week and had no idea how widely the club had cast its net – or how many innocent Reds have been caught up in this. My uncle is 82 years old. A lifelong Red. Potentially banned because his son (also facing ban) helps him manage an app he struggles to use.” Simply gutting.
While they are still waiting for direct communication from the club on the matter, MUST have promised to share the reaction publicly “in the interests of transparency and fairness”, along with any and all “potential consequences” as a consequence of what they ultimately decide.
For anyone deliberating over just how important these tickets are not only to people who spend their hard-earned money and downtime following their club, just think of howmany rely on going to the game as a crucial social outlet.
It’s more than just watching a bunch of blokes kicking a ball around.
My heart goes out to everyone battling against the club right now. Whatever has gone on, losing your season ticket, or even the threat of it, is the worst. Seen people who have been all around watching this team for decades who are now being told they can’t go anymore. Horrible.
Danny Jones -
12th June 2026 
