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HERE WE GO

Happy GWC Day everyone! Sure, Bigger Cup may have become the pinnacle of football in the 21st century, but nothing stirs the child within like the beginning of a Geopolitics World Cup. The 23rd edition kicks off on Thursday when co-hosts Mexico face South Africa at the Azteca Stadium, a venue that is a World Cup Proustian rush all on its own. The two greatest players of all time, Pelé and Diego Maradona, both won the World Cup in that stadium. Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lamine Yamal and the other modern greats won’t be able to do that this year, as the final is being played in the USA USA USA. As you may have read, that country is currently run by a disinfectant-peddling despot, and its approach to inclusivity has been one of many controversies heading into the tournament.

Fifa overlord Gianni Infantino addressed those controversies at a press conference on Wednesday. “We don’t live on the moon, we live on planet Earth,” he mimed. “We have to respect that we are not kings of the world, who can rule over governments and police forces. We are a sports organisation that does as much as we can. It’s important sometimes to chill, relax. Sometimes screaming and shouting does not find a solution.” Chill, relax. If you break both legs walking the dog today, remember to chill, relax. If you’re denied the chance to make history as the first Somali referee at a World Cup, then linked to “terror organisations” by a spokesparrot for the government of the world’s most powerful country? Chill, relax.

In fairness, Infantino has created plenty of opportunities for football fans to chill, relax, wake up on the sofa wondering what day it is over the next five weeks. His bumper 48-team tournament includes 72 group matches, which is eight more than the entire GWC in Qatar. Excluding added time, drinks breaks, emergency stoppages for extreme weather conditions that are in no way related to the climate crisis, those 72 games will produce 108 hours of football. In the same time you could watch every episode of The Sopranos and still have 22 hours to spare; better still, you could watch Das Boot (1997 Director’s Cut) 31 times and have a few minutes left over to check whether the press have turned on Thomas Tuchel.

The beauty of the GWC is that, when it’s at its best, those like Infantino are still powerless to ruin it. Sure, some of the group games will turn us into a kind of sedentary Sisyphus, ploughing on into the wee hours around the world to watch another 0-0 draw. But there will also be dozens of moments in the next five weeks when we are lost in euphoria, wonder, shock, anger or despair – like the final in Qatar last time round, or any of the stunning moments featured in these pages over the years. Most of them don’t even need a description - they all have names, or just a name. The Hand of God; the Maracanazo; the Cruyff Turn; the Disgrace of Gijón; Saipan; Josimar.

The Brobdingnagian nature of the GWC is both a weakness – 2am BST, 22 June: New Zealand v Egypt – and a strength. Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan are World Cup debutants, while Scotland, Haiti, Norway, DR Congo and Iraq are playing for the first time in the 21st century. Their presence should infuse the tournament with some of the wide-eyed innocence of old. Wales, Iceland and others enriched Euro 2016 in similar circumstances; Georgia went out in the last 16 of Euro 2024 but left an impression on the soul of neutrals, and not only because of their ice-staking genius Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. When those newbies have exited the stage, the heavyweights – and outsiders-who-shouldn’t-really-be-outsiders like Senegal and Japan – will fight to get their hands on Jules Rimet II. Whoever wins this competition may not be as good a team as Paris Saint-Germain, but the World Cup remains the ultimate prize.

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

John Brewin will steer home the GWC news blog until 6pm BST (1pm EDT) before Daniel Harris leaps into the hot seat for minute-by-minute coverage of Mexico 2-0 South Africa in the opening game at 8pm BST (3pm EDT). And then Jonathan Howcroft picks up the baton for the Friday 3am BST (10pm EDT) encounter when South Korea get the better of Czechia 1-0.

RECOMMENDED PREDICTING

If you haven’t played the Bracketology game, what have you been doing? Oh. Anyway, there’s still time for you to get your GWC ducks in a row and set out who you think is going to win the whole darn thing.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I can’t wait to walk around there the next time I go to Rockefeller Center or Radio City Music Hall” – Thierry Henry reacts to the renaming of a street in Manhattan as “Thierry Henry Way”, with an intersection in Queens also changed in tribute to Pelé.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

I see TV companies are now worried about how long half-time entertainment will last at the GWC. Why not just have a concert and halfway through have a 30-minute game of football? The way things are going, that’s what Fifa will probably end up planning for in the future anyway” – Stephen Kruger.

Can I be the first of 1,057 to point out that in response to Callum Taylor (yesterday’s Football Daily letters), if there’s one thing the GWC most definitely isn’t short of, it’s moving goalposts. Bottle of water anyone?” – Gordon MacLeod (and no others).

If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Stephen Kruger. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.

RECOMMENDED WATCHING

Is this really the most “inclusive” World Cup ever? It doesn’t look like it, laments Morgan Ofori.

NEWS, BITS AND BOBS

The Coming Home-ometer™ has been heard clanking back into gear after England swatted Costa Rica aside 3-0 (with 83% possession) in a rain-delayed final GWC warm-up match. “I wished for that, I demanded that,” roared head coach Thomas Tuchel. “I said before the match we want to push it to the next level, from intensity, commitment, cohesion, and we did that.”

Fire up the Wolf of Wall Street memes: Son Heung-min is not leaving the big stage just yet. “I have never said with words it will be my last World Cup,” soothed the South Korea captain. “That will be my choice … We have three matches; every match will be very important [and] we will play for our life.”

Spike Lee has taken time out of his Knicks-viewing schedule to attend Brazil’s training session in New Jersey, where Carlo Ancelotti got a guard of honour for his birthday. “I want Brazil to win,” insisted Lee. “I’m here just for the practice, I have a game to see tonight.” Lucky him.

Australia have been dealt a flamin’ injury scare with the news that striker Mo Touré missed training on Wednesday. The Socceroos are hopeful he will be fit for their first game against Turkey.

And oranje fever has struck the Marktweg again in The Hague, where members of the local community have come together to pack as much of the colour into the street as possible. “So far, we haven’t encountered anyone who said ‘we don’t like it’ or complain about it. Up to now, we’ve only heard positive things,” cheered organiser Danny van Dijk.

STILL WANT MORE?

Need some essential insight about GWC stars to wow your friends and random people in the street with? Then our 1,248-strong interactive player guide should be right up your street.

If 72 group games seems like an awful lot, especially with many of them lingering on until the wee hours, Opta’s Ali Tweedale has picked out 10 key matches worthy of your late night attention.

The GWC team guides are done with the 46th (Ghana), 47th (Panama) and 48th (England) available for your perusal, along with all the others.

Barney Ronay welcomes you to Trump’s World Cup, a dismally angry version of football uniting the planet.

The scandal around referee Omar Artan reveals Gianni Infantino for what he is: one of sport’s greatest cowards. By Jonathan Liew.

There should be no doubt now: Jude Bellingham has to start for England over Morgan Rogers at the GWC, writes Jacob Steinberg.

USA USA USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino gets his chat on with Sid Lowe. It’s good, long and well worth your time.

Strikes and tension are tempering the buzz in Mexico City, from where Pablo Iglesias Maurer reports, while Jonathan Wilson tries to gauge the GWC mood in what feels like a conflicted nation before their opener against South Africa.

And Pablo has also been watching Gianni play the hits.

BEYOND THE GWC

An alliance of 52 Women’s National League clubs who oppose plans for WSL academy sides to be added to the third tier of the English pyramid have written to the FA demanding a vote.

Fresh from leading Ipswich back to the Premier League, Kieran McKenna has done one. He insists he wants to take a break from management and doesn’t have a position lined up, but his stock is high, high, high. “When you have the connection that we have built at this club there is never a good time to say goodbye,” he sobbed. “After reflection over the last couple of weeks, I feel this is the right time for me to step aside. I do so with great pride.”

In more manager news, Wolves have binned off Rob Edwards and are poised to appoint César Peixoto. Edwards, who was a big factor in the recent signings of Raúl Jiménez and Kieran Trippier, is said to be shocked.

In even more manager news, Martin O’Neill is back, baby. “It is once again a great privilege for me to continue as Celtic manager,” he cooed.

Manchester City aren’t giving up on Elliot Anderson easily, forcing Nottingham Forest to reject a second bid worth £122m for the England midfielder. Forest are holding out for a British record transfer fee of £125m before any add-ons.

And having left Bournemouth at the end of his contract, Marcos Senesi has rocked up at Tottenham. “From the first moment, the club has shown why they want me and how much they want me to be a part of what they are building. It’s exciting and something I can’t wait to be involved in,” he whooped.

RECOMMENDED FOLLOWING

How do you do fellow kids? Yes, there’s now a TikBook account with all things of a Big Website sporting focus. So, if you’re there, you know what to do. 

MEMORY LANE

Bulldog Bobby, England’s mascot for Espana ’82, pictured here with Bobby Charlton (right). Bobby – the cartoon dog, not the star of 1966 – was celebrated in a single bearing his name by Dave and the Bulldogs (“Bulldog Bobby, he’s gonna beat the rest”) but the pop platter did not bother the upper echelons of the hit parade, and neither did England go on to beat the rest [What’s that? You want more about mascots at the World Cup? – Football Daily Ed].

FOOTBALL DAILY REALLY IS FOOTBALL DAILY FOR THE DURATION OF THE GWC!