World Cup in MAGAlandia

The author expresses disillusionment with the FIFA World Cup, questioning the integrity of host nation selections and lamenting the tournament's declining personal appeal. Once a passion, the World Cup now pales in comparison to local political events, such as the upcoming Real Madrid presidential elections. The author notes the absurdity of presidential candidates making outlandish promises, like bringing back Mourinho or signing Erling Haaland, only for the player to deny the rumors.

Despite an invitation to attend the World Cup in Miami, the author declined, finding the prospect of being denied entry into "MAGAlandia" and deported more appealing than the tournament itself. This hypothetical deportation would have offered a dubious badge of honor, akin to being expelled from Trump's United States or Nicolás Maduro's Venezuela.

The author plans to boycott as many World Cup matches as possible, especially with the expanded format featuring 48 teams, which they view as a dilution of quality. However, they acknowledge the difficulty of ignoring potential high-stakes matches like Spain-France or Argentina-Brazil, and wryly suggest a hypothetical Iran-USA match could even be awarded a trophy by FIFA's Gianni Infantino.