WORLD CUP 2026

It may have put my retirement back a year or two, but what the hell—there was no way I was missing this World Cup.”

The build-up to North America 2026 was marred by relentless negativity, eye-watering price warnings, and cynics telling fans to stay at home. Even I had my doubts about whether it could match the raw magic of Brazil 2014 or Russia 2018.

But after extracting a little equity from the house, grabbing a flight to New York, and leaving the rest of the trip in the hands of the Football Gods, the reality on the ground proved the headlines wrong once again. From $22 stadium beers and cheesesteaks high up in the Philly Gods, to watching Brazil’s Seleção put on a masterclass and taking a Springsteen pilgrimage down the Jersey Shore, the adventure was well and truly underway.