⚽️ You Already Know Who Wins

The World Cup isn’t a competition. It’s a coronation.

📡 On my Radar

The most watched sporting event on Earth is also the most predictable.

I LOVE the World Cup. But I’m also frustrated by it.

This year Morocco brought Brazil to a draw. Egypt tied Belgium. Cabo Verde held Spain scoreless. Saudi Arabia matched Uruguay goal for goal. Teams from Africa, Asia and the Middle East are proving they belong in the World Cup. I’m so proud of these players from often poorer countries with tiny budgets scoring against giants.

But the bracket doesn't care.

The same group stage that produced those results also gave us:

• Germany 7, Curaçao 1.

• Norway 4, Iraq 1.

• Sweden 5, Tunisia 1.

Talented teams from poorer countries fed to wealthy powerhouses before the tournament even gets interesting. At the end of every World Cup we inevitably see European teams facing off against each other, or their South American rivals - no Asian, African or Middle Eastern team has ever made it to the final.

Argentina has been my favorite team since I was a wee lad.

Imagine a different World Cup

One where Iraq plays a team closer to its level instead of serving as a warm-up for Norway. Where Curaçao isn't cannon fodder for Germany. Where the bracket gives evenly matched teams a real path to the quarterfinals and even to the final.

Seed the groups by ranking. Let Japan play Jordan. Let Curaçao play Haiti. Give teams a chance to build momentum against their peers before they ever face the giants.

The United European Football League already adopted a system similar to the one I am suggesting. FIFA should too. Though let’s remember that FIFA is the same organization that handed Trump a trophy and built stadiums with forced labor. So maybe nobody should wait on FIFA to change.

But fans can make their voice heard.

A World Cup this lopsided is not only unfair … it’s also boring. Evenly matched teams produce games that are tense, engaging and a joy to watch.

A fair game is almost always a fun game.¹

📈 By the Numbers

The college enrollment crisis. U.S. colleges are on track to lose two million students by 2031 as a shrinking youth population, hostile immigration policy, collapsing migration, and rising cost skepticism converge into a single enrollment crisis.

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