r96 - Comments

The 2054 FIFA World Cup continues!

Matchday 2:

Group A: Sweden 3-0 Saudi Arabia, England 3-0 Suriname

Group B: Mali 0-2 Wales, El Salvador 1-1 Japan

Group C: Thailand 0-4 Germany, Scotland 0-0 Ghana

Group D: South Africa 1-1 Chile, Spain 4-1 Costa Rica

Group E: China 0-3 Denmark, Italy 5-2 Egypt

Group F: Nigeria 2-1 Paraguay, Portugal 0-0 South Korea

Group G: United Arab Emirates 0-4 Netherlands, Ecuador 1-0 Senegal

Group H: Gambia 3-0 Venezuela (special times for The Scorpions), Belgium 1-0 United States

Group I…

Poland 8-1 New Zealand (wow!)

Uruguay 0-3 France

Group J: Côte d'Ivoire 1-2 Brazil, Australia 1-2 Serbia

Group K: Switzerland 3-2 Algeria, Iran 0-3 Mexico

Group L: Türkiye 6-0 Panama, Morocco 0-2 Argentina

It's all going absolutely swell at the moment. Almost too swell.

The 2054 FIFA World Cup is here!

Matchday 1:

Group A: England 4-0 Sweden, Saudi Arabia 4-2 Suriname

Group B: Japan 4-0 Mali, Wales 4-0 El Salvador

Group C: Ghana 3-0 Thailand, Germany 3-1 Scotland

Group D: Chile 0-1 Spain, Costa Rica 1-2 South Africa

Group E: Denmark 2-7 Italy, Egypt 2-0 China

Group F: South Korea 2-1 Nigeria, Paraguay 0-2 Portugal

Group G: Senegal 1-0 United Arab Emirates, Netherlands 4-0 Ecuador

Group H: Venezuela 0-5 Belgium, United States 3-1 Gambia

Group I…

France 4-1 Poland

New Zealand 1-2 Uruguay

Group J: Serbia 1-0 Côte d'Ivoire, Brazil 2-0 Australia

Group K: Algeria 2-1 Iran, Mexico 2-0 Switzerland

Group L: Argentina 2-2 Türkiye, Panama 1-4 Morocco

Good start. More of that needed for Olivier Mbappé's team.

The 2054 FIFA World Cup Preview:

Hosts: England

Holders: England (2050, Brazil)

Random # (1-7): 1 = Spain / 2 = Netherlands (already managed) / 3 = France

Last World Cup Win: 2046 (3rd)

Qualifying: 1st in UEFA Group D. Won 7/8, GF 22, GA 5, 22pts. In a group with Türkiye, Luxembourg, Iceland, Lithuania.

Most Goals: 5 - Mike Ndongo (Ittihad)

Most Assists: 8 - Freddy Richard (Manchester City) - (joint) best in the region

Average Rating: 8.12 - Freddy Richard (Manchester City), Brayan Bocanegra (Al-Nassr)

Pre-Tournament Friendlies: 2-2 draw away to Chile, 3-1 win away to Nigeria

Finals: Group I with New Zealand (86th), Poland (34th), Uruguay (15th); I had NZL & URU in my group in 2046 with Brazil.

Fixtures: Poland > Uruguay > New Zealand

Squad:

Rest of the tournament:

Group A: England, Saudi Arabia, Suriname (first since 2038), Sweden

Group B: El Salvador, Japan, Mali, Wales

Group C: Germany, Ghana, Scotland, Thailand

Group D: Chile, Costa Rica, South Africa, Spain

Group E: China, Denmark, Egypt, Italy

Group F: Nigeria, Paraguay, Portugal, South Korea

Group G: Ecuador, Netherlands, Senegal, United Arab Emirates

Group H: Belgium, Gambia (a debut for The Scorpions!), United States, Venezuela

Group J: Australia, Brazil, Côte d'Ivoire, Serbia

Group K: Algeria, Iran, Mexico, Switzerland

Group L: Argentina, Morocco, Panama (first time in 20 years for La Roja), Türkiye

I can finally tick off France from the ‘to manage’ list; just Portugal and Italy left of the ‘big’ footballing nations. C'mon, Les Bleus!

The 2050 FIFA World Cup reaches the quarter-finals!

Oof. Stark result, that. Spain are knocked out of the 2050 FIFA World Cup by holders France.

In fairness, the scoreline was not a true reflection of what was an even, if low-quality, match. The French xG? 0.93. Spain's xG? 0.68. 4-7 on shots, 65%35 on possession. That's pretty harsh, but it is what it is. Our goalkeeper, Iker Agirre (Villarreal), getting an average rating in the match of 5.8 was evidently the difference.

Uruguay, Belgium and Wales also go out. That leaves the Netherlands, England, Argentina and France left.

NED vs. FRA, ENG vs. ARG. Can Argentina spoil the Euro party?

They cannot! England beat them by a clear 3-0 scoreline. The best game came in the other semi-final, where the Netherlands shocked France to head into their first final since 2042; when I coached 'em. Unlike then when they lost to Brazil, could the Dutch get over the line on this 2050 occasion?

England back on top! (in real life: Bristol City's) Zak Vyner (journeyman manager at this point; most notably coached Arsenal, Manchester United and Napoli pre-England) guides his nation to a third World Cup title; after 1966 and 2034. The Netherlands just can not clinch that trophy, they are now six time (third in the save) runners-up!

The 2050 FIFA World Cup reaches the Round of 16!

That's a nice win against our Italian amigos. A more even game than the scoreline suggests, to be fair,

Wales are back in the old groove, they're into the quarter-finals are eliminating Portugal. Germany go out to the Netherlands. Côte d'Ivoire's run is ended by France, who we play next. It doesn't get any easier.

The 2050 FIFA World Cup reaches the knockout stages!

Senegal tried to commit a smash-and-grab, but the Spaniards did enough to see through a 2-1 win. Italy are up next! Tricky.

Brazil head home (well, they're already home but…) after losing to the Netherlands. There's a couple of interesting results elsewhere, but the main lot remain unscathed.

That's the Round of 16 draw. Our game is the eye-catcher, that and the Netherlands versus Germany. I'll be interesting to see if Côte d'Ivoire can keep their run going; they play France, who have lost knockout ties unexpectedly a couple times in this save - most notably to Georgia (who haven't qualified since) in 2026.

The 2050 FIFA World Cup group stage concludes!

Matchday 3:

Group A: Brazil 1-0 Austria, Saudi Arabia 1-4 Morocco

Group B: England 3-1 Colombia, Togo 1-6 South Korea

Group C: Thailand 1-2 Egypt, Uruguay 1-0 Netherlands

Group D: Senegal 0-1 United States, Sweden 1-0 Paraguay

Group E: Chile 0-0 Ukraine, Mexico 2-0 South Africa

Group F: Canada 3-3 Belgium, Germany 4-0 New Zealand

Group G: Japan 1-0 Ghana, Venezuela 1-1 Scotland

Group H…

Côte d'Ivoire 2-0 China

Norway 0-3 Spain

Group I: Argentina 2-0 Wales (the people of Trelew will not be pleased!), Honduras 2-0 United Arab Emirates

Group J: Denmark 1-1 France, Mali 3-0 Antigua & Barbuda

Group K: Australia 1-3 Italy, Czechia 0-1 Nigeria

Group L: Algeria 1-0 Iran, Jamaica 1-1 Portugal

Eliminated: Saudi Arabia, Austria (both A), Togo (B), Egypt, Thailand (both C), Paraguay (D), Ukraine, South Africa (both E), New Zealand (F), Ghana (G), China (H), Honduras, United Arab Emirates (both I), Antigua & Barbuda (J), Nigeria (K), Iran (L).

Well, I guess I gotta give those Ivorians more credit - as they evidently stopped a fairly free-scoring Spain team. Let's hope fellow CAF members Senegal aren't quite as effective, given we play Lions de la Téranga next!

Rest of the Round of 32 draw:

Brazil vs. Netherlands

Chile vs. United States

England vs. Norway

Czechia vs. Germany

Morocco vs. Colombia

Mali vs. Uruguay

Mexico vs. Algeria

Belgium vs. Sweden

Wales vs. Venezuela

Italy vs. Denmark

Portugal vs. Canada

Scotland vs. Côte d'Ivoire

South Korea vs. Argentina

Japan vs. Australia

France vs. Jamaica

The 2050 FIFA World Cup continues!

Matchday 2:

Group A: Brazil 2-2 Morocco, Austria 1-2 Saudi Arabia

Group B: Togo 0-4 Colombia, South Korea 1-2 England

Group C: Uruguay 1-0 Egypt, Netherlands 2-0 Thailand

Group D: Senegal 3-1 Paraguay, United States 2-3 Sweden

Group E: Chile 1-1 South Africa, Ukraine 0-1 Mexico

Group F: Belgium 3-3 Germany, Canada 3-0 New Zealand

Group G: Venezuela 3-1 Ghana, Scotland 2-1 Japan

Group H…

China 0-3 Norway

Côte d'Ivoire 0-0 Spain

Group I: Wales 5-1 Honduras, Argentina 2-0 United Arab Emirates

Group J: Mali 0-4 France, Antigua & Barbuda 0-3 Denmark

Group K: Australia 5-1 Nigeria, Italy 0-1 Czechia

Group L: Algeria 3-3 Portugal, Iran 1-0 Jamaica

What a difference a few days makes. A point gained or a point dropped? Effectively only the latter, but time will tell, I guess.

The 2050 FIFA World Cup is here!

Matchday 1:

Group A: Brazil 5-1 Saudi Arabia, Morocco 2-2 Austria

Group B: England 8-0 Togo, Colombia 4-1 South Korea

Group C: Thailand 1-5 Uruguay, Egypt 0-6 Netherlands

Group D: Paraguay 0-0 United States, Sweden 4-1 Senegal

Group E: South Africa 0-0 Ukraine, Mexico 1-1 Chile

Group F: New Zealand 0-6 Belgium, Germany 2-1 Canada

Group G: Ghana 0-0 Scotland, Japan 2-2 Venezuela

Group H…

Norway 0-2 Côte d'Ivoire

Spain 5-2 China

Group I: Honduras 0-4 Argentina, United Arab Emirates 0-4 Wales

Group J: France 6-0 Antigua & Barbuda, Denmark 4-1 Mali

Group K: Czechia 1-4 Australia, Nigeria 0-4 Italy

Group L: Portugal 4-0 Iran, Jamaica 3-1 Algeria

China, with respect, were lucky to get two goals out of that. David Raúl's Spain were by far the better team, so winning 5-2 was very much deserved. Onwards to game two.

The 2050 FIFA World Cup Preview:

Hosts: Brazil

Holders: France (2046, Indonesia/Malaysia)

Random # (1-7): 5 = Spain

Last World Cup Win: 2030 (2nd)

Qualifying: 1st in UEFA Group C. Won 9/10, GF 30, GA 5, 27pts. In a group with Türkiye, Northern Ireland, Armenia, Lithuania, San Marino.

Most Goals: 9 - Antón Miguel (Manchester City)

Most Assists: n/a - no-one with 3+

Average Rating: n/a - no-one with 7.67+

Pre-Tournament Friendlies: 2-1 win away to Algeria, 1-0 win away to Ghana

Finals: Group H with China (55th), Côte d'Ivoire (16th), Norway (25th).

Fixtures: China > Côte d'Ivoire > Norway

Squad:

Rest of the tournament:

Group A: Austria, Brazil, Morocco, Saudi Arabia

Group B: Colombia, England, South Korea, Togo

Group C: Egypt, Netherlands, Thailand, Uruguay

Group D: Paraguay, Senegal, Sweden, United States

Group E: Chile, Mexico, South Africa, Ukraine

Group F: Belgium, Canada, Germany, New Zealand

Group G: Ghana, Japan, Scotland, Venezuela

Group I: Argentina, Honduras, United Arab Emirates, Wales

Group J: Antigua & Barbuda, Denmark, France, Mali

Group K: Australia, Czechia, Italy, Nigeria

Group L: Algeria, Iran, Jamaica, Portugal

Quite a few interesting nations are here. Antigua & Barbuda make their World Cup debut, while there are also rare qualifications for Togo (first since 2006), Ukraine (first since 2034) and Venezuela (first since 2030).

Let's start. About time I got a World Cup under my belt, really.

The 2046 FIFA World Cup reaches the Round of 16!

Well, that felt inevitable. Germany had been riding their luck, which has evidently now ran out. Fair play to the United States, do we think Jürgen Klinsmann will be happy or unhappy?

Here's how the rest of the tournament played out:

Jamaica's dream is well and truly ended, as Spain beat ‘em by six unanswered goals. Mexico’s own run continues though, they beat the Netherlands. Elsewhere, no shocks - well, except for England vs. Brazil ending as one-sided as 4-0!

Quarter-final time…

Mexico just keep winning! They've only managed early knockout rounds in the save so far, but in 2046 have reached the semi-finals after beating Argentina! Away from them, France eliminate Spain as England (beat United States) and Colombia (edged a 4-4 thriller with Italy on penalties) also advance.

France vs. Colombia. Mexico vs. England. Could we have a Colombia vs. Mexico final?!

…that would be a certain no. France beat Colombia 3-0, as England (albeit after extra time) defeat Mexico.

So, the final will be between The French and The English. The latter won it in 2034, while France's best in the save has been third place twice (2030 + 2042).

After Colombia won the third place play-off, here's what happened in the big one…

France are winners! Les Bleus win their third title, their first since 2018 in Russia.

I'll have a go at this 2046 World Cup with Hungary - as noted earlier in the thread - out of interest and then… (see above) On to 2050! The big (20)50!

The 2046 FIFA World Cup reaches the knockout stages!

Well, I did say I was unconvinced by this squad. But, they've got balls. A penalty shoot-out win over (Ryan Mason's) Sweden, who deserved to win to be honest - us Germans didn't have a shot (a shot!) until the equaliser on minute 82 - lucky fockers! United States on the way next.

Portugal are beaten by Uruguay, but apart from that it all went the way you (or I) would've expected. Jamaica are having an impressive surprise run though, beating Japan here.

Jamaica play Spain next - best of luck to The Reggae Boyz! England vs. Brazil is the standout Round of 16 tie.

The 2046 FIFA World Cup group stage concludes!

Matchday 3:

Group A: Indonesia 0-0 Morocco (better, if too late), Jamaica 3-1 Poland

Group B: Malaysia 1-4 Cote d'Ivoire, Serbia 0-2 El Salvador

Group C: Japan 1-1 Ghana, Wales 2-3 Ecuador

Group D: Argentina 2-0 Sweden, China 0-3 Canada

Group E: Mexico 0-4 France, South Korea 0-2 Mali

Group F: Paraguay 1-2 Spain, South Africa 3-3 Denmark

Group G: Australia 0-3 Colombia, Netherlands 0-2 Croatia

Group H: Cameroon 3-1 United Arab Emirates, Italy 2-0 Hungary

Group I: Iraq 1-1 Senegal, United States 2-6 England

Group J: Algeria 4-1 Barbados, Switzerland 1-1 Portugal

Group K: Norway 0-0 Brazil, Saudi Arabia 3-0 Egypt

Group L: 

Nigeria 1-2 Germany

Uruguay 4-0 New Zealand

Eliminated: Morocco, Indonesia (both A), Serbia, Malaysia (both B), Ghana (C), China (D), South Korea (E), Paraguay (F), Australia (G), Hungary, United Arab Emirates (both H), Senegal, Iraq (both I), Barbados (J), Egypt (K), Nigeria, New Zealand (both L)

3 wins from 3 games = happy days. Sweden, a solid outfit as mentioned in a previous post, are up next in the knockouts. Victory should come the way of the Germans, though I've not been fully convinced by this German squad if I'm totally honest - hopefully I'm wrong.

The 2046 FIFA World Cup continues!

Matchday 2:

Group A: Indonesia 0-7 Poland (just the 12 conceded by IDN 😬), Morocco 0-1 Jamaica

Group B: El Salvador 2-2 Cote d'Ivoire, Malaysia (not going too well for the other hosts either) 0-6 Serbia

Group C: Japan 4-4 Ecuador, Ghana 1-1 Wales

Group D: Argentina 1-0 Canada, Sweden 4-0 China

Group E: Mali 0-1 Mexico, South Korea 0-4 France

Group F: Spain 0-0 South Africa, Paraguay 0-4 Denmark

Group G: Netherlands 0-0 Colombia, Croatia 4-3 Australia

Group H: Italy 8-0 United Arab Emirates (ouch!), Hungary 0-1 Cameroon

Group I: Iraq 1-6 England, Senegal 0-3 United States

Group J: Portugal 2-0 Algeria, Switzerland 2-0 Barbados

Group K: Saudi Arabia 0-2 Brazil, Egypt 0-1 Norway

Group L: 

Uruguay 1-2 Germany

New Zealand 1-1 Nigeria

Qualification secured nice and early. That gameday two scoreline flattered Uruguay, who managed to dig in for 84 minutes before Godfrey Okello netted a merited winner for Die Mannschaft.

The 2046 FIFA World Cup is here!

Matchday 1:

Group A: Indonesia 1-5 Jamaica, Poland 2-0 Morocco

Group B: Cote d'Ivoire 3-1 Serbia, Malaysia 0-3 El Salvador

Group C: Wales 2-2 Japan, Ecuador 2-1 Ghana

Group D: Canada 3-2 Sweden, China 0-2 Argentina

Group E: France 5-1 Mali, Mexico 4-0 South Korea

Group F: South Africa 4-1 Paraguay, Denmark 1-2 Spain

Group G: Australia 1-4 Netherlands, Colombia 1-2 Croatia

Group H: Cameroon 0-1 Italy, United Arab Emirates 2-2 Hungary

Group I: England 1-0 Senegal, United States 2-0 Iraq

Group J: Algeria 1-3 Switzerland, Barbados 1-7 Portugal

Group K: Brazil 2-1 Egypt, Norway 1-0 Saudi Arabia

Group L: 

Germany 4-1 New Zealand

Nigeria 1-2 Uruguay

Miroslav Müller's reign as Germany boss starts with near perfection - a 4-1 victory over New Zealand! Our friends from OFC did actually equalise late in the first half, but the Germans turned up in the second half to gain a deserved win. In the other Group L match, Uruguay beat Nigeria.

The 2046 FIFA World Cup Preview:

Hosts: Indonesia, Malaysia

Holders: Brazil (2042, Spain)

Random # (1-7): 3 = Brazil (managed in 2034) / 4 = Germany

Last World Cup Win: 5th (2038)

Qualifying: 1st in UEFA Group H. Won 8/8, GF 24, GA 3, 24pts. In a group with Ukraine, Austria, Kosovo, Azerbaijan.

Most Goals: 8 - Björn Marinov (Real Madrid, newgen)

Most Assists: 3 - Luca Ranieri (Monaco, newgen)

Average Rating: 8.20 - Luca Ranieri (Monaco, newgen) - best in the region

Pre-Tournament Friendlies: 2-0 win away to Morocco, 3-1 win away to Mexico

Finals: Group L with New Zealand (79th), Nigeria (32nd), Uruguay (15th).

Fixtures: New Zealand > Uruguay > Nigeria

Squad:

Rest of the tournament:

Group A: Indonesia, Jamaica, Morocco, Poland

Group B: El Salvador, Cote d'Ivoire, Malaysia, Serbia

Group C: Ecuador, Ghana, Japan, Wales

Group D: Argentina, Canada, China, Sweden

Group E: France, Mali, Mexico, South Korea

Group F: Denmark, Paraguay, South Africa, Spain

Group G: Australia, Colombia, Croatia, Netherlands

Group H: Cameroon, Hungary, Italy, United Arab Emirates

Group I: England, Iraq, Senegal, United States

Group J: Algeria, Barbados (the Bajan Tridents at a World Cup?!), Portugal, Switzerland

Group K: Brazil, Egypt, Norway, Saudi Arabia

No Belgium!

Can I lead 2038 champs Germany to another World Cup triumph of the save?

Well, well, well… 👀

I'll do a bonus World Cup with Hungary after I've done 2046 properly with (spoiler) Germany. I won't be doing that after all, turns out I can't take control of Hungary - presumably because they are too far down UEFA's rankings? Either way, very silly as I can take control of… Belize! Oh well, at least Hungary qualified!

The 2042 FIFA World Cup reaches the final!

Pain. Just like in 2030 with Belgium, my team lose a World Cup final. Brazil, in fairness, deserved to triumph, but to lose out so narrowly in scoreline terms is unfortunate.

Don't mind me, just going to message Sports Interactive to tell them to delay FM26 for another year - that's how long I'm gonna need to win a damn World Cup, apparently.😁

The 2042 FIFA World Cup reaches the semi-finals!

My apologies to the great nation of Algeria, but the Netherlands are off to the 2042 FIFA World Cup final at Camp Nou! An even, edgy match saw the Dutch sneak through, with Guyon Markelo notching his second (in as many rounds) goal of the tournament; assisted by senior international debutant Brent Karsdorp-Blij - it really is a squad game.

Brazil, who I managed at the 2034 tournament, are our opponents in the showpiece. Can I and the Dutch (four-time runner-ups) win our first-ever FIFA World Cup? Or will those greedy Brazilians claim their sixth title?

The 2042 FIFA World Cup reaches the quarter-finals!

Let's go! The Netherlands beat Belgium, I get a bit of redemption for The Red Devils eliminating my Argentina team at South Africa 2038; even though I still love those beautiful Belgians, having taken them to the 2030 final.

The winner came late from Martijn Muller, Atalanta's 30-year old right winger who hadn't played a minute at the World Cup before coming off the bench on 58' and scoring on 83'. Hero!

The semi-finals will see us play the story of this 2042 World Cup: Algeria. Do I even want to win? We're all Algeria, aren't we?

A potential Algeria vs. France final. Zizou won't know what to do with himself!

The 2042 FIFA World Cup reaches the Round of 16!

Quarter-final bound! A strong performance from the Dutch against their Swedish counterparts, who didn't turn up whatsoever; a third consecutive R16 exit for Blågult.

It's Belgium next up! I lost the last time I played my former employers, hopefully the opposite can happen this time.

What a Round of 16! Shocks aplenty! Spain? Out! Argentina? Out! Germany? Out! What a trio of results for Cote d'Ivoire, Japan and Colombia! Elsewhere, Algeria's fabulous run is now historic, as they reach the quarters for the first time after eliminating Norway.

How about that for a quarter-final line-up at Spain 2042! Cote d'Ivoire vs. Algeria is class. Brazil and France have to be favourites now, they play Japan and Colombia. Belgium, as stated, await Oranje, who are now the highest-ranked nation left in the competition. No pressure…

The 2042 FIFA World Cup reaches the knockout stages!

A narrow, but welcomed success over the United States. Jamal Büttner (no relation to Mr. Alexander Büttner, I know Wigan Athletic fans still fear that man) with the all-important goal. Sweden beat Portugal elsewhere, so Netherlands vs. Sweden it will be in the Round of 16; Morocco or Belgium for the victor in the quarter-finals.

England are out! Paraguay pick up a big time victory, Brazil are up next for La Albirroja. Italy went out to Norway, but apart from those two games there wasn't much to shout about with the other Round of 32 encounters.

All the big guns kept apart. I'm sure they'll be one or two upsets, not in our Netherlands-Sweden match though as it'll be an even match-up; Sweden have performed well in the save; fourth in 2026, round of 16 exits in 2034 & 2038 (admittedly DNQ in 2030).

The 2042 FIFA World Cup group stage concludes!

Group A: Paraguay 1-1 Czechia, Spain 1-0 South Korea

Group B: Cameroon 4-1 El Salvador, Japan 2-2 England

Group C: Guatemala 1-4 Mali, Italy 4-0 Saudi Arabia

Group D: Canada 0-2 Serbia, Scotland 1-0 Chile

Group E: Argentina 4-2 Iraq, Türkiye 0-0 Algeria

Group F: Egypt 2-3 Australia, Slovakia 2-1 Brazil (👀)

Group G…

Honduras 1-3 Senegal

Netherlands 0-1 United Arab Emirates

Group H: Nigeria 0-5 Belgium, United States 3-0 New Zealand

Group I: Germany 2-1 Cote d'Ivoire, Uruguay 4-1 Qatar

Group J: Jamaica 2-2 Portugal, Morocco 3-1 Norway

Group K: Colombia 6-1 Mexico, Greece 1-1 DR Congo

Group L: Thailand 1-2 Sweden, Tunisia 0-3 France

Eliminated: Czechia, South Korea (both A), Cameroon, El Salvador (both B), Guatemala (C), Canada (D), Türkiye (E), Egypt (F), Honduras (G), New Zealand, Nigeria (both H), Qatar (I), Jamaica (J), Greece, DR Congo (both K), Thailand (L)

Ew. First time in the save I've not placed top in the group stage. A rather troubling final group game loss to the United Arab Emirates - a rubbish match in truth, Miloš Milojević's UAE took their chance and Memphis van Persie's Dutch didn't. Another United await us in the knockouts - the States! The winner will then face Portugal or Sweden.

Rest of the Round of 32 draw:

Saudi Arabia vs. Spain

Argentina vs. Scotland

Japan vs. Senegal

Slovakia vs. Cote d'Ivoire

England vs. Paraguay

Italy vs. Norway

Tunisia vs. Algeria

Brazil vs. Chile

Uruguay vs. United Arab Emirates

Mexico vs. Morocco

Belgium vs. Mali

Serbia vs. France

Germany vs. Iraq

Colombia vs. Australia

Portugal vs. Sweden

The 2042 FIFA World Cup continues!

Matchday 2:

Group A: Spain 1-0 Czechia, Paraguay 2-0 South Korea

Group B: El Salvador 0-6 Japan, Cameroon 0-6 England

Group C: Italy 2-1 Mali, Saudi Arabia 5-3 Guatemala

Group D: Canada 1-2 Chile, Serbia 1-1 Scotland

Group E: Argentina 0-1 Algeria (take a bow, Les Verts!), Iraq 3-1 Türkiye

Group F: Egypt 0-3 Brazil, Australia 0-2 Slovakia

Group G…

United Arab Emirates 2-0 Honduras

Netherlands 5-2 Senegal

Group H: Belgium 0-0 United States, Nigeria 2-2 New Zealand

Group I: Uruguay 2-1 Cote d'Ivoire, Qatar 0-3 Germany

Group J: Norway 6-0 Jamaica, Morocco 0-2 Portugal

Group K: Mexico 1-1 Greece, Colombia 3-0 DR Congo

Group L: France 1-0 Thailand, Tunisia 0-0 Sweden

Five goals scored in a game at the World Cup? Can't ask for any more than that. The game went a bit crazy with four goals in the final moments of the first half. The UAE also won, which means Group G is done and dusted really. Top spot is up for grabs of course, with the top two facing off on the final gameday.

Thanks for reading! I like seeing how it develops too, I'm still waiting for that San Marino qualification though…

The 2042 FIFA World Cup is here!

Matchday 1:

Group A: Spain 2-0 Paraguay, South Korea 2-2 Czechia

Group B: Japan 6-1 Cameroon, England 3-0 El Salvador

Group C: Guatemala 0-2 Italy, Mali 0-1 Saudi Arabia

Group D: Chile 3-0 Serbia, Scotland 1-2 Canada

Group E: Algeria 3-0 Iraq, Türkiye 1-5 Argentina

Group F: Brazil 2-1 Australia, Slovakia 2-2 Egypt

Group G…

Senegal 0-1 United Arab Emirates

Honduras 0-2 Netherlands

Group H: United States 5-0 Nigeria, New Zealand 1-4 Belgium

Group I: Germany 2-0 Uruguay, Cote d'Ivoire 1-0 Qatar

Group J: Jamaica 0-4 Morocco, Portugal 2-1 Norway

Group K: DR Congo 0-2 Mexico, Greece 0-2 Colombia

Group L: Sweden 1-1 France, Thailand 0-2 Tunisia

A positive beginning in charge of Oranje for Memphis van Persie (who is committing to the bit with - randomised - ginger facial hair!), but all to play for with Senegal and the UAE on the way.

The 2042 FIFA World Cup Preview:

Hosts: Spain

Holders: Germany (2038, South Africa)

Random # (1-7): 5 = Netherlands (replacing Jon Dahl Tomasson)

Last World Cup Win: n/a

Qualifying: 1st in UEFA Group I. Won 6/8, GF 14, GA 2, 20pts. In a group with Greece, Switzerland, Armenia and Belarus.

Most Goals: 5 - Ralph Manders (Al-Hilal, newgen)

Most Assists: n/a - no-one with 3+

Average Rating: 7.63 - Joey Lemmens (Manchester United, newgen)

Pre-Tournament Friendlies: 4-1 win at home to Cote d'Ivoire

Finals: Group G with Honduras (72nd), Senegal (18th) and the United Arab Emirates (29th).

Fixtures: Honduras > Senegal > United Arab Emirates

Squad:

Rest of the tournament:

Group A: Czechia, Paraguay, South Korea, Spain

Group B: Cameroon, El Salvador, England, Japan

Group C: Guatemala, Italy, Mali, Saudi Arabia

Group D: Canada, Chile, Scotland, Serbia

Group E: Algeria, Argentina, Iraq, Türkiye

Group F: Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Slovakia

Group H: Belgium, New Zealand, Nigeria, United States

Group I: Germany, Cote d'Ivoire, Qatar, Uruguay

Group J: Jamaica, Morocco, Norway, Portugal

Group K: Colombia, DR Congo, Greece, Mexico

Group L: France, Sweden, Thailand, Tunisia

Notably, Wales - (losing) finalists in the last two editions - have not qualified for Spain 2042! And still no Hungary sadly, @Bobo Lelo.👎

Well, my best run (runners-up) at a World Cup in this save thus far was with Belgium in 2030 - can I go one step better with another ⅓ of BeNeLux?

15 years into the save, no better time than now to do a quick recap for what's been going on away from the FIFA World Cups.

In the Premier League, North London dominated the first ten seasons, with Arsenal winning the opening five out of seven titles before Tottenham Hotspur won three on the bounce. Manchester City have won it just three times, placing as runners-up eight times in total. In recent campaigns, Liverpool have won the most. My team Manchester United have finished inside the top three on just three occasions.

In France, there isn't much surprise as Paris Saint-Germain have won all but two Ligue 1 titles. Those two anamolies did occur back-to-back though, when Monaco claimed trophies in 2033-34 and 2034-35. The most eye-catching part of the past winners screen is the prescence of Grenoble, who placed as runners-ups twice and in third once across the last three seasons; having been promoted in 2028-29.

Over in Germany, which I apparently forgot (not that it matters) to load(?), has been the most ‘boring’ of them all. Bayern Munich have won every edition since 2023-24, with Borussia Dortmund coming second in all but one season - 2032-33, when Eintracht Frankfurt broke the mold.

Italy has seen a new dominant force emerge: Roma! They, admittedly, didn't get in the top two until 2030-31, but have since done so in each of the last eight seasons; winning the title six times! Juventus have got in the top two for ten years.

Spain has seen Barcelona and Real Madrid dominate. Barça won the opener, prior to Madrid claiming seven titles on the bounce. They've shared 'em equally across the last number of seasons. Atlético Madrid are the closest challengers. The one somewhat odd season was 2034-35, when Barça finished fourth randomly; behind Sevilla.

In the UEFA Champions League, it's Manchester City who have won it the most - five times, in fact. Manchester United, bizarrely, won it twice! Liverpool have added four more, while Napoli and Bayern Munich are the only non-English teams to gain success.

Across UEFA's Europa and Conference leagues, the English continue to dominate. Beşiktaş are the most interesting UEL winners, with Brøndby, Utrecht and Grenoble (them again) claiming triumph in the UECL; Paris FC, Lorient and Aris notably getting to finals in the latter.

Manchester City have won the last two FIFA Club World Cups, with Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund winning one each. Saudi Arabia's Ittihad interestingly won the first of the save.

On a player basis, Bukayo Saka was - per the Ballon d'Or - the best around across the opening chunk of the save, with Lamine Yamal largely taking over since. Danton, who I coached at the World Cup in 2034 with Brazil, is the most recent champ.

The 2038 FIFA World Cup reaches the Round of 16!

Welp. That's an underachievement, no two ways about it. Lionel Batistuta's Argentina are knocked out in the round of sixteen by familiar Belgium!

No surprises elsewhere. The hosts, South Africa, finally depart the competition, they only narrowly lost out to Spain mind you.

Into the quarter-finals…

Spain meet England in a titanic clash, Germany vs. Portugal too. Away from the big nations, Wales and Belgium play Chile and the Netherlands as they go in search of a second World Cup final appearance since 2026. So… who would win?

Spain eliminate England! The top two teams in the pre-tournament rankings (ENG + ARG) are both out before the semis. Wales and Belgium's quests continue, while Germany ease past Portugal with a 4-1 win.

In the semi-finals, Spain play Germany as Wales meet Belgium.

The 2038 World Cup final in South Africa will be between Germany and Wales! The Germans edged out Spain (who'd place third), as The Welsh beat Belgium on penalties.

Here's the big one:

Germany are FIFA World Cup winners! Steffen Baumgart leads his nation to a first title since 2014 in Brazil. Wales suffer a second consecutive final defeat, having received a red card again in the final - just like in 2034 vs. England.

Moving swiftly on to 2042…