Reflections on the Start of the 2026 World Cup

Major footballing tournaments are always full of surprises. My earliest memories of the World Cup stretch back to 1970, when Alf Ramsey made his energy-saving substitutions of key players, only for the footballing gods to turn against him.

The 2026 World Cup has proved no exception. It is hard not to marvel at the size and comfort of some of the stadiums. Equally, the compulsory drinks break taken twice a match, acknowledges growing concerns about player welfare. A slew of new rules may have slowed the pace of some games, but overall, they have made the matches fairer.

With 48 teams competing, many of my friends feared the group stage would be a parade of one-sided contests. Yet, bar Germany's runaway win, most matches have been tight. To my mind, this comes down to two things. First, the high quality of coaching now available to sides outside the world's top 30, and many lower-ranked teams having players with direct experience of top club leagues. Second, and just as telling, it is the goalkeeping, allied to rugged defence, that has shaped the tournament so far. Look no further than Cape Verde.

My own school football career was rather unremarkable, despite my grandfather being offered professional terms in the 1920s, an offer he declined. In my final year of school, for the last match of the season, I was made captain of the second eleven. Sadly, the game was rained off, and so I never had my chance to shine.

Looking back, I think of my grandfather's daughter, my mother, an excellent netball player. I can only wonder whether football might have been her game too, something that was never really possible until the 1970s.

Football fans have long memories, some tinged with regret. The last time I watched England play Croatia, I was in a bar in Ljubljana. It began well enough, but in time, the game slipped away.

My mindset for England's match against Croatia remains steadfast. I hope that careful preparation, and a few judicious substitutions, will get us off to a good start.