The Fifa World Cup tidal wave that’s about to sweep through your office – Editorial
Take a deep breath and cancel your Zoom calls – the biggest sporting event on Earth is here.
The Fifa World Cup has always been a politically fascinating and wealth-dripping sporting spectacle of the highest quality.
But its kickoff doesn’t often bring our nation to a standstill.
Few in the country will remember Diana Ross’ missed iconic penalty to open the last American-hosted World Cup in 1994 because, unfortunately, not many of us were watching it.
This year will be different.
Our All Whites are an outside chance of making it through the group stage and, perhaps most importantly, are playing their three group games at an enticing time of the day.
First up for Chris Wood’s men are war-occupied Iran at 1pm (NZT) next Tuesday, June 16 in Los Angeles.
Then comes a battle with superstar Mo Salah’s Egypt at 1pm the following Monday, June 22 in Vancouver (Canada and Mexico are co-hosts).
The All Whites’ last group game, against Belgium’s ageing golden generation of stars like Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, is conveniently timed for 3pm on Saturday, June 27, also in Vancouver.
It’s possible that a single win, or three low-scoring draws like their last foray in South Africa, will be enough for the All Whites to book their ticket to the knockout rounds in this expanded 48-team tournament.
Productivity, and how to raise it around the country, has been in the headlines consistently over the past three years.
Expect it to be at near-record weekday lows during the first two matches, and don’t expect your workers to come in at all on that final Saturday with so much on the line.
Office sweepstakes will be popular and so too will white-clothing mufti days at school, as arguably our most talented generation of footballers look to shake up the world order.
The chances of going deep into the tournament are low.
In fact, there is probably more chance that American commentators criticise the name of our national team than get the chance to say it in the final.
England and Haiti bossed New Zealand in the friendlies in conditions that were oppressively hot and humid, the exact opposite of what us Kiwis grew up playing football in.
There was a time post-South Africa where the All Whites seemed to want to try to play like tournament winners Spain, free-flowing and pass-heavy, rather than defending for dear life against the world’s best.
That dream has faded, and our attacking forwards like Wood, Sarpreet Singh, Eli Just and – if fit – Ryan Thomas are likely to be living off scraps rather than dominating possession.
But football is a beautiful game, and a funny one too.
We should go into the games clinging to a glass-half-full statistic – the All Whites haven’t been beaten at a World Cup since 1982.
If they reach the knockout phase, anything can happen.
And it will happen at a time when we can all watch it together as a nation, without bleary eyes.
- Don’t miss your office Fifa World Cup sweepstake chart in this Thursday’s edition of the Herald.