yoshi

You're making it sound like Argentina's currency & inflation problem rn...why is it so bad? I mean everywhere has some level of inflation but are NZ in hyperinflation...

Well bang goes my theory that Japan were big favourites. I don't want to pass it to anyone else now as it looks like a curse... but I guess we can't rule Sweden out. They haven't been noticed but you don't knock out the most successful team in history then the best team at the tournament by chance. Edit: just realised we could have a Sweden v Australia final... the @Sir Rols derby!

It's easier to respond within the bits of a quote

What is it that's so difficult for NZ, don't you have the venues? 1990 isn't that long ago and you've also got a blank canvas city in Christchurch where you can try anything. You don't even need the compelling story, the CGF would bite your hand off if you gave the tiniest signal. Birmingham came in at under £1b so surely you don't go by Daniel Andrews' figures for costs...

Very lucky. Like I said in league football, it'd be three at least - and deserved.

I'm not sure if this is a statement performance from a France that are here for the trophy, or just what you'd expect any half decent team to do to a Morocco who really haven't been there. Australia will provide a real test for them.

We certainly shouldn't underestimate Colombia. They're a very good team who seem to thrive when they're underdogs. Given how they play now & the age of many of them, I suspect they'll be the ones to put South America on the trophy at some point.

I don't think you can default the match lol (although I agree Nigeria played better overall) - but certainly her tournament should be over, that'd be a three game ban at least in league football, probably more for how deliberate it was - if you look at the video the stamp was actually her second attempt at it - she tried to head for the Nigerian player immediately after being tackled but stumbled over her as she fell to the ground, so went back for another go. There's no excuses for that kind of thing in any game, whoever you are. (There is a clear double standard too, reverse the players & the English media would've been calling for her head - & that's only just an exaggeration...)

Must say I saw some of Australia v Denmark as well and Australia look... ominous. You've got good reason to be happy tbh, now they're in Stadium Australia with 75k+ behind them and Sam presumably going to start from the quarter final you could get unstoppable quickly. For now though of the teams I've seen, Japan are still a fair way above the rest...

Yikes we really really shouldn't have won that. Nigeria will feel very hard done by - but I guess every tournament winning team needs a bit of luck or an undeserved win somewhere. From what I've seen of Colombia I don't hold out much hope tbh, especially without James. I haven't actually seen Jamaica so far but obviously there's no easy quarter final so they'd be a challenge too...

Sweden/Latvia (or maybe Norway) being the obvious candidate for such a thing to happen anytime soon...

Must admit I've thought before that they should actually be in the year after the Olympics, the 25-29-33 etc cycle - AFAIK they're not tied to the Olympics by being qualifiers so to go into that cycle would make them the big event of that year, which might help a little with broadcast rights. Away from the World Cup, Winter Olympics etc.

This is a really odd one because it's surely not like Alberta is short of money, and the centennial angle for Canada, they would've got it. If there is nowhere else even thinking about 30 in Canada or elsewhere... maybe we just have to accept that the Commonwealth Games' time has come. Sad, they were a good Games that always seemed to outdo expectations, and did feel genuinely friendly most of the time, for all the cliches. I doubt some of the budget figures though - 2 billion for Alberta? 7 billion for Victoria?! We've had Olympics cost less than that. I assume the CGF will keep trying, they've got time for this one at least, but I'm not sure how they get out of this. The biggest shame IMO is that there'll presumably never be a Commonwealth Games in Africa, that would've been a great occasion. Maybe the refusal to help Durban is where the rot started...

I kinda feel from afar like as great as it was to see them shock Norway, NZ were never really into it as much, and that maybe the tournament would've been better off in Australia alone... maybe that lack of interest has only been since NZ went out? the scale of a men's World Cup with 48 teams would need both for sure though. Hopefully it's given some good memories for Kiwis so far though

Well it looks like the women's game has finally reached the point where anyone can beat anyone - this really is the predicted turning point World Cup. Bring on the knockout stage, from an English perspective let's hope the shocks have removed any complacency. There was a time when there was such a thing as an easy game at the World Cup - no more, and that's great for the game, if not so much for Germany etc...

Lauren James is quite a player... and it looks like the US really aren't as good as they used to be - a couple of inches away from being knocked out by Portugal . From what I've seen and read it looks like Japan, England and the Netherlands are the main challengers.

Why are they doing all the big shows today rather than tomorrow? Isn't July 26 the start date?!

Given where the ceremony is & how the general vision seems to be to have as much of the Games seen by as much of Paris as possible, I'd be very surprised if the flame doesn't rest in something in the middle hole of the Tower. At least there can't be long speculation like the last few Games, because you can't go attaching stuff to the Eiffel Tower without anyone seeing...

That's probably what its squat shape reminds me of most of all, thank you. You can almost picture Charlie unscrewing the two halves of it to get the message out...

As usual with pretty much anything Paris 2024 have designed, it's lovely - but it's very short! Probably looks most like an upmarket perfume bottle - fitting for fashionable Paris

Never a bad thing to have a good scare in your first match, stops any complacency getting in. As long as the scare isn't so scary you don't get through it at all, but that wasn't.

In a world where Milan-Cortina can happen, Paris-Albertville (effectively) is very possible, thank you TGV. Although there's no mention of Ile de France so I guess they're not involved yet. Lyon would make most sense and surely be big enough but I don't see why PACA would be involved if it's not to provide the main host city, whether it's Marseille, Nice, or strung out along the coast.

Amazing start for NZ I assume Norway aren't much good anymore, given how England put 8 past them at the Euros, plus apparently they lost to Austria which I don't remember. Good for Australia to get off to a good start too.

If they can somehow move the election to after Paris, maybe a 2012-style afterglow will be enough to see this get enough support from the French people and government to get over the line, if it hasn't already. I think the IOC will be very tempted to make that happen, so watch their timetables carefully. The IOC might well have their saviour here without having to worry about Sweden getting cold feet.

?!? WA is basically a giant gold nugget, how on earth have they run out of cash? This is all very concerning, what is going on with sports & governance in Australia? I thought the Victoria debacle was specific to that state and the specific plan they had, getting a bit worried about 2032 now...