Will England Break Mick Jagger's Curse on Their Way to the 2026 World Cup Final?
Tomorrow at midnight (Ashgabat time), the first semifinal of the 2026 World Cup will take place in Arlington, USA, and the second will take place the day after in Atlanta. The penultimate battle will pit two of football's greatest titans – France against Spain and England against Argentina.
To ensure that millions of fans around the world could experience the psychosis of despair from failure on the field and the incomparable euphoria of scoring a goal, global football had to endure a series of tests of endurance for both players and fans.
Originally, more than two hundred national teams from all corners of the planet – continents and parts of the world, not counting Antarctica (penguins haven't yet learned to play football) – as well as island nations – entered the fray for the right to win the coveted Cup.
The journey was long and arduous – spanning two and a half years (from September 2023 to March of this year). Of the 206 teams, only four remain. As dedicated fans, you know them well, as well as the results of previous matches.
And today, four teams, having barely made it to the semifinals, are just two steps away from reaching the pinnacle of football glory. Incidentally, I made a bet with my friend Sergei Dzyuba about which teams would achieve semifinal glory (trust me – I can show you a copy of his passport if you doubt it).
I was lucky enough to accurately predict all the semifinalists – France, Spain, England, and Argentina. Sergei, however, made a fatal mistake, choosing Norway over England, who snatched victory from the Vikings in the final minutes of stoppage time. As for what we bet on, let's keep it a secret. Although, there were no losers in our bet, as we had agreed beforehand to use the prize money together.
Now on to something more serious. The first thing I immediately want to add to the expanding geography of world football is the qualitative growth of the game on its outskirts. Teams of the metropolitan countries, which once established dominance over their colonies, struggled to win against their formerly subjugated territories. It's enough to recall how the French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, and others jumped for joy when the final whistle signaled the end of matches against Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Morocco, Senegal, and others.
Or the sensational results of the Cape Verdean team, which went undefeated in the group stage, facing world champions Uruguay and Spain, as well as Saudi Arabia. In the round of 32, the Cape Verdeans narrowly defeated the reigning champions, Argentina.
Cape Verde is an island nation that many people learned about thanks to the current World Cup. So, to the tournament's undeniable achievements, we can add FIFA's educational efforts to fill gaps in geographical knowledge among the general public.
But the International Football Federation has other, more important tasks in the near future. A priority for football officials should be efforts to clearly define and implement standards for acceptable physical challenges across world football. This process should begin with national championships, as even within continental confederations, there are differences of opinion.
For example, a foul that is penalized in the Spanish championship is not even addressed by referees in the English Premier League. And then, standards must be standardized across intercontinental confederations.
Otherwise, beautiful, technically perfect football will give way to a game dominated by battering rams who knock down everything and everyone on the run. Sooner or later, we'll see matches reminiscent of the football of the 1950s. The principles of play of those years were often based on the formula "Kick! Run! Surround the goal!"
Fortunately, the supposed advantages of this style were debunked by the great magicians of the ball, the Brazilians, who revolutionized football at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. I truly don't want to witness football, the sister of high and intellectual art, "which verifies strength through harmony," give way to legalized fisticuffs.
The results of the quarterfinal stage demonstrate that, despite the intense competition, the traditional powerhouses of world football have retained their positions. Of the four teams that advanced to the semifinals, three were European powers and one was Latin American.
It's also true that the descendants of the biblical saint Noah, who once sent his descendants to conquer the African region, are hot on their heels. Ten African teams participated in the 2026 World Cup finals, an all-time record for the African Continent in the history of World Cups.
And then – even more sensational! Nine (!) African teams managed to reach the first knockout round! Nine African teams among the 32 strongest footballing nations in the world! This is a breakthrough! Only one African team – Tunisia – remained outside this stage, having played such tough opponents as Sweden, the Netherlands, and Japan in the group stage.
And the DR Congo team, in a dramatic last-minute match, came within a hair's breadth of a possible victory over the formidable British. Three African teams – Morocco, Egypt, and Nigeria – made it past the first round of the playoffs (the Round of 32). These teams are now among the top 16 teams in the world.
But at this stage – the Round of 16 – Egypt and Nigeria lost to eventual semifinalists Argentina and England in tight matches. However, the Moroccans crushed the Canadians with a 3-0 shutout.
Thus, only one African team – Morocco – has made it into the top eight. And given the fierce competition, this result is considered quite impressive for African football. Many are convinced that the African Continent will still have surprises to offer at the next World Cup, potentially turning into sensations.
…The World Cup in North America became the most attended in human history, shattering previous records even before the semi-final matches began. A record number of spectators attended the tournament. To date, 100 matches have been played, with a total of 6,527,410 fans.
Among them are royals (the kings of Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands), as well as the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada. Trump's personal attendance at the final match, where the US President will take part in the awards ceremony, has been officially confirmed. Oscar-winning actors Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, as well as the perennial football star David Beckham, also cheered in the stands.
Greta Thunberg was also spotted among the fans (but what is the "evil girl," nicknamed so by journalists in the 2010s, doing there? Probably making sure the athletes don't trample the green pitches too much during matches).
Photographers and television cameras also captured Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones—a band that has miraculously survived to this day. The rock legend's presence at the England-Norway match horrified some fans, while others found it amusing.
The fact is that the "Mick Jagger curse" has long been a myth in the football world. He has a reputation as the «unluckiest» fan. For example, in 1998, Jagger flew to France to personally support England in their match against Argentina (he would have been better off staying home). And England promptly lost the match.
At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the rock idol once again decided to cheer for England, along with the USA and Brazil. The results were swift – all three teams were soundly eliminated.
At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Jagger, sitting in the stands, cheered for the hosts. That match is etched in football history as Brazil's most catastrophic defeat. Germany beat Brazil with a shameful score of 7-1. Brazil had never suffered such a fiasco and likely never will again.
However, when Mick Jagger came to Russia for the 2018 World Cup to support his compatriots in the England-Croatia semifinal, the same thing happened on hospitable Russian soil. True to tradition, the English suffered a crushing defeat there, too. The beloved of millions, but essentially a hapless fan and part-time outstanding rock performer, even has a song on this topic with the appropriate title “England Lost”.
When Norway scored against England at the current championship, some superstitious fans cast a mystical glance at Mick Jagger, whose love of football had brought him to America. However, the England team, displaying the same tough, forceful character (and at times, the rugby-like moves we discussed in previous publications), was still able to snatch victory.
Was it a coincidence?
Or has the "Mick Jagger curse" been finally lifted?
We'll find out the day after tomorrow during the second semifinal clash between England and Argentina, led by the omnipresent Messi.
And you'll find out our (now serious) predictions in the next publication.
Bekdurdy AMANSARYEV
