World Cup 2002. Was on a week long school residential trip during the round of 16 and we couldn’t watch England v Denmark but a boy in my class called Ollie hid in the teachers lounge to watch it until he was found and kicked out. We walked around singing Three Lions after the result came through. Remember being sad on the bus home to hear that Ireland were going out on penalties.
World Cup 2010. First match v USA, my friend invited our group to watch the match at his church. The rest of us being atheists/banter lords were whispering absolutely disgusting sexual jokes to each other the whole match and when England scored I inadvertently fist pumped in way that involved elbowing my friend right in the nadgers. (It’s fine, no lasting damage done, he has a baby these days.)
Then the last group match was the day after I finished A-levels and my bf - who I was waiting until after exams to break up with (although we were going on holiday in September with friends so I was trying to wait it out as long as possible) - wanted to meet up for half an hour in a revision break but I thought that was pointless and I wouldn’t want to socialise. But then I got invited to watch the game with the same group of mates and I was well up for that so I went. We had an absolute great time in the first half… until my boyfriend turns up just before half time as it turns out one of my friends invited him even though he didn’t do football. Oh my god!! The absolute rage on his face!! Probably didn’t help that one of the lads had put a big England flag over me to hide me because we knew my bf would be LIVID. It… it did not hide me.
He snatches the England flag off my head, storms over to the remote and turns off the TV (!!!), then turns round and starts the nastiest argument I’ve ever had with a bf he said some dreadful things and suggested the lads didn’t even like me and had ulterior motives… well I’m still friends with all of them now and he isn’t so errm maybe not We all watched the second half in dead silence. So so awkward, I should have dumped him there and then regardless of the EfFeCt On HiS a LeVeLs.
World Cup 2018 - after the England Sweden game I went to Pub in the Park, gorgeous weather and the atmosphere was amazing. Everyone got hammered and chanted Three Lions at the end. Good times.
Think it was about 36c and zero shade available in Hyde Park. Was trying to follow the match on my phone, but the density of people meant total network data failure. Ended up getting my mate who I knew was watching it to msg me five minutely updates while I watched Editors (excellent fun set - much better than dour Interpol later in the day)
I was living with a German girl during the 2010 World Cup while she was on a semester abroad. She had no idea why our housemate kept making references to beach towels until someone explained the stereotype of Germans getting down to the pool early to bagsy sun loungers in Spanish hotels. She ended up making a poster for the living room containing all the stereotypes British and German people have about one another. I miss her.
Not much of story but always hold World Cup 1998 as the pinnacle of football tournaments. I was 11 and just remember it was sunny everyday (probably wasn’t) , me going out and playing football or going swimming most days in the summer holidays. Really lovely times.
One game that stands out vividly is the Netherlands vs Argentina match with that class goal from Bergkamp and that headbutt on Van der Sar. Also Beckham getting sent off aswell obvs
Don’t think another tournament has lived up to that one.
Not technically a tournament memory, but on 6th October 2001 I helped a colleague move into her new rented flat in Crystal Palace. Also present were her parents and her oldest friend. After we’d got everything sorted we went to a local pub to celebrate, they were showing the football and Beckham scored the free kick against Greece that took England to the 2002 World Cup, although we arrived too late to see any of the earlier part of the match.
A few weeks later we were an item, six years later she left the flat and we moved in together and eleven years after that we were married. Conveniently I’ll always be able to find out the date she moved into that flat.
World Cup 2002 was a fun one. we watched the Ireland v Germany group stage game on a tiny tiny TV in French class, when Ireland scored a very late equaliser. walked downtown after the match and there was absolute chaos outside all the pubs, people celebrating like mad, flags everywhere. fun time. (i was only 13 so i didn’t stick around and went home)
I also remember when Southgate missed his penalty in Euro 96 - Cried my eyes out, my first big footballing disappointment. I’m a Villa fan as well so it doubly hurt.
2006 World Cup: Italy v USA in the group stage, the score is 1-1 and when USA score a goal (subsequently disallowed) Peter Drury yells ‘EQUALISER!’ despite the scoreline at the time. Sometimes I wonder if I imagined it.
Yeah, agree that was great (not quite 1998 standard but probably the last decent world cup). Remember watching the England - Brazil games before school assembly. I was so excited for Ireland that year. I remember BBC having an amazing opening sequence for the coverage, and Keane would do is flip and shooting his imaginary bow.
Being allowed to stay up late for the World Cup 94 Final penalty shootout is probably my first proper tournament memory (I would have been 7).
Watched Seaman getting lobbed by Ronaldinho in class at school, and watched England losing to Portugal on pens at Glastonbury, both great memories regardless of the results!
Although it was exciting towards the end as England went through the stages I don’t quite hold the same excitement for the tournament as a whole - though saying that I fell out of love with Football a long time before that so probably didn’t have the same buzz.
Not a big football guy but I like the international tournaments, I remember struggling to get into 2010 and can’t remember that much about 2014 either but Euro 2016 was exciting and I got very invested in World Cup 2018, probably the most invested in it I’ve got since 2002. Maybe partly down to being in an office full of sweepstakes and everyone watching it on their phones.
