I Don't Even Like Football... So Why Can't I Stop Watching This World Cup

Guys... it's been a minute. 😅

I've been off touring Portugal (which was absolutely an incredible experience, by the way), but after surviving a heatwave and coming home feeling like I'd been hit by a bus, I'm finally back. I promise there's plenty of travel content coming soon, but first we need to talk about something I never expected to be writing about...

Football.

Now before any die-hard football fans click off this post... hear me out.

I'm one of those girls. The ones who magically become football fans every World Cup before disappearing for another four years. 😂 I don't know every rule, I couldn't tell you everyone's position on the pitch and I definitely spend half the match asking, "Wait... why has the referee blown the whistle now?” my other fav question “what does that card mean?” 😂

But something changed this year.

It started in Lisbon.

I was watching Portugal play in Praça do Comércio surrounded by thousands of supporters, and honestly... what an atmosphere. Complete strangers were hugging each other, singing at the top of their lungs and living every single kick of the ball as if it was the most important moment of their lives. My heart absolutely broke when Portugal went out, but standing there made me realise football is so much bigger than a game. It's about community, identity and sharing moments with complete strangers you'll probably never see again.

Then I got home...

And I opened TikTok.

Big mistake. 😂

Within about five minutes my entire For You Page had turned into what felt less like football highlights and more like a Netflix documentary. One minute people were talking about ticket prices, the next they were arguing over referees, then Donald Trump somehow got involved, and before I knew it I was researching football scandals from the 1980s.

How had this happened?

I came for ninety minutes of football.

Instead, I somehow ended up learning about politics, economics, immigration, football history and why England fans are still arguing about something that happened before I was even born.

And honestly... I kind of loved it.

The first thing that really caught my attention wasn't even on the pitch.

It was the ticket prices.

Football has always been called “the people's game”, but this year social media was full of people questioning whether ordinary fans were slowly being priced out. Some final tickets reportedly reached thousands of dollars, and people were comparing it to the Oasis ticket saga where prices seemed to climb higher and higher depending on demand.

Then videos started appearing of empty seats.

Now, FIFA defended its ticketing system and there are plenty of reasons why seats can appear empty during matches. But if you've spent any time online recently, you'll know that didn't stop people asking the obvious question...

If tickets are so expensive, why are there empty seats?

For me, that became one of the biggest conversations of the tournament.

Not who was winning.

Not who was losing.

But whether football was becoming something ordinary supporters could no longer afford.

Just when I thought the tournament couldn't get any stranger... politics decided to join in.

One story that really surprised me involved Somali referee Omar Artan, who reportedly faced visa issues before the tournament. Then there were discussions around travel restrictions affecting Iran's team and supporters. Whatever your views on politics, it felt strange that stories away from the football were making just as many headlines as the matches themselves.

And then came Donald Trump.

Honestly... if you'd told me six months ago that I'd be writing Donald Trump's name in a football blog, I'd have laughed.

After United States striker Folarin Balogun received a red card, Trump publicly revealed that he'd spoken to FIFA President Gianni Infantino about the decision. FIFA later reviewed the suspension through its own disciplinary process, but that didn't stop social media exploding.

Some people thought Trump was simply standing up for his national team.

Others thought politics should stay as far away from football as possible.

Whether you agreed or disagreed wasn't really the point.

Everyone was talking about it.

But nothing... and I mean nothing... took over my TikTok quite like Argentina.

I don't think I could scroll for more than thirty seconds without seeing another video analysing a tackle, slowing down a VAR decision or debating whether Argentina had been treated differently from other teams.

People were calling them "VARgentina."

Others joked that Lionel Messi was "FIFA's favourite."

Some creators were comparing yellow cards from different matches, while others argued those comparisons ignored the context behind each challenge.

As someone who doesn't pretend to be a football expert, I wasn't interested in deciding who was right.

I was fascinated by the fact that millions of people suddenly became refereeing experts overnight.

Everyone had an opinion.

Everyone had screenshots.

Everyone had slow-motion replays.

Everyone had a theory.

One debate that kept popping up on my For You Page centred around Argentina's match against Egypt. After the game, Egypt's head coach criticised several refereeing decisions, and social media quickly filled with videos comparing challenges from different matches. Some fans questioned whether similar incidents were being punished consistently throughout the tournament, while others argued every tackle has its own context and can't simply be compared through short clips online. Whatever side people fell on, it became another reminder that this World Cup was being analysed as much on TikTok as it was on the pitch… and I have to say I think TikTok has convinced me that the games may actually be rigged!

Then TikTok sent me even further down the rabbit hole.

I'd obviously heard people mention the "Hand of God" before, but I never really knew the story.

Back in 1986, Diego Maradona scored one of the most infamous goals in football history by punching the ball into England's net. The referee missed it, the goal stood, and afterwards Maradona famously described it as being scored "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God."

To make things even more unbelievable, just minutes later he scored what many people still consider one of the greatest goals ever seen at a World Cup.

Only Diego Maradona could score one goal people still argue about nearly forty years later... and another that people still call one of the greatest ever.

No wonder England versus Argentina is never just another football match.

Then there was another story I'd somehow never heard before.

Videos kept appearing about an allegation from the 1990 World Cup involving Brazilian defender Branco, who has long claimed he became unwell after drinking from a water bottle given to him by Argentina's bench. The story resurfaced after comments made years later by Diego Maradona and has remained one of football's most debated historical controversies. Although the incident has never been officially proven by FIFA, it's fascinating how stories from decades ago are suddenly finding a whole new audience thanks to social media.

And honestly... that's what I've loved most about this tournament.

Not necessarily the football.

The conversations.

I've never seen a sporting event create so many debates about money, politics, history, refereeing and social media all at the same time.

Of course, I couldn't finish this post without mentioning England.

One person I've absolutely loved watching is Thomas Tuchel. Every time the cameras cut to him, he looks like he's aged another five years. 😂 His passion is impossible to miss, and whether England are winning or losing, you can tell he's feeling every single moment with his players.

And then there's Bukayo Saka.

I still remember watching him after the Euro 2020 final and seeing the disgusting racist abuse he received after missing his penalty. Seeing him now, smiling, playing with confidence and enjoying his football again genuinely makes me happy. Sometimes football gives us redemption stories, and I think his is one of the best.

Oh... and before I forget...

Can we all agree that Lamine Yamal's baby brother, Keyne, has completely stolen the World Cup?  He is so so cute! Every time he pops up on my TikTok, I end up smiling. In a tournament full of heated debates, it's nice to have something that almost everyone can enjoy.

As I finished writing this...

England scored.

Perfect timing. 😂

Will I suddenly become a football expert?

Absolutely not.

Will I disappear until the next World Cup?

Probably.

But one thing this tournament has reminded me is that football isn't just about football anymore.

It's about the conversations that happen afterwards.

And if my TikTok is anything to go by... those conversations might just be as entertaining as the matches themselves.

As I finished editing this post... England got knocked out. I'm crying. 😭

I came into this tournament saying I wasn't really a football fan, and somehow I ended up getting completely invested. I went from asking questions about the rules to falling down TikTok rabbit holes about football history, refereeing decisions and controversies I didn't even know existed. So maybe I wasn't quite as much of a non-football fan as I thought. 😂

But now it's over.

It's not coming home.

Please do not disturb me, I'm in mourning.

I guess I'll disappear again until the next World Cup... although after this, I'm not sure I can say I won't be watching. 😂