[FM 07] Back to 2006 | UPDATE: THE END

[git2thachoppa]

England at the England 2030 World Cup

England expects.

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v Italy @ Villa Park, Birmingham - 8/6/30

Italy haven't escaped the group stage of their last 2 tournaments, only scoring once.

England haven't won in the last 5 meetings.

We'll be going up against Man Utd's young centre-back breakout star Rabatti, who was the best player in the Premier League this season after making his debut.

Team News

I thought about using my Man Utd tactics, but we've beaten France 3 - 0, Iran 4 - 1 and USA 2 - 1 (with a B team) with 5-2-1-2. So if it ain't broke, I won't fix it.

There are a few players with poor morale, but I'm not worrying about that.

------ ST ---- ST------
--------- AM ---------
----- CM ---DM -----
WBL ------------ WBR
---CB -- CB -- CB ---
--------- GK ----------

GK: Duxbury
CB: James
CB: Friar
CB: Huckle
WBR: Melvin
WBL: Williamson
DM: Anderson
CM: Doyle
AM: Ryder
ST: Henry
ST: Stott (c)

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(Ranked 3rd) England 1 - 0 Italy (Ranked 12th)
Roscioli own goal (35)

It was a crazy winner - a headed clearance outside the area went toward (??) their goal and soared into the net. We had several chances to score more while our defence did well to keep a clean sheet.

A win's a win, especially in the 1st game against the 2nd seed.

Ratings

GK: Duxbury - 8 (MOTM) - Confidently collected balls and won every battle.
CB: James - 8
CB: Friar - 7
CB: Huckle - 7
WBR: Melvin - 7 - Chased players endlessly.
WBL: Williamson - 7
DM: Anderson - 7
CM: Doyle - 7
Sub (76): Jones - 6
AM: Ryder - 7
ST: Henry - 7
Sub (45): Palmer - 7
ST: Stott (c) - 7 - Was in the aerial duel that caused the own goal.
Sub (64): Taylor - 7

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v Iraq @ Stamford Bridge, London - 13/6/30

Iraq are one of Asia's better teams, after winning the Asian Cup in 2023 and reaching the semis 4 years later.

They lost to Colombia 3 - 1, after taking the lead in just 24 seconds.

Team News

------ ST ---- ST------
--------- AM ---------
----- CM ---DM -----
WBL ------------ WBR
---CB -- CB -- CB ---
--------- GK ----------

GK: Duxbury
CB: James
CB: Friar
CB: Huckle (c)
WBR: Melvin
WBL: Casey*
DM: Anderson
CM: Doyle
AM: Austin*
ST: Lea*
ST: Taylor*

*Change

Several changes are made due to players having low condition despite a 5-day rest.

Friar and Doyle remain despite their fatigue.

I pick Man Utd's Casey over Hill to replace Williamson. Williamson's tackling was poor. Against possibly a defensive side, Casey is a better dribbler than Hill. Plus, if I change to my Man Utd 4-1-3-2 / 4-3-1-2, I already know he can play in the 3.

Austin replaces Ryder due to low condition.

Lea and Taylor come in as the best dribblers to replace Henry and Stott (though Henry's our best dribbler overall).

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(3rd) England 0 - 0 Iraq (59th)

Iraq have a goal seemingly wrongly ruled out for offside.

We have 10 shots but no goals - we need a goalscorer.

Consistent young defensive midfielder Anderson was injured and will be out for 2 weeks.

Ratings

GK: Duxbury - 6 - Iraq had 5 shots on target, but it's another clean sheet. Beaten for the 'offside' goal though.
CB: James - 7
CB: Friar - 7
CB: Huckle (c) - 7
WBR: Melvin - 7
WBL: Casey - 7
DM: Anderson - 7 - Injured
Sub (59): Jones - 7
CM: Doyle - 7
Sub (ST, 70): Henry - 6
AM: Austin - 7
ST: Lea - 7
ST: Taylor - 7
Sub (70): Stott - 6

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v Colombia @ Wembley, London - 18/6/30

Italy beat Colombia, so a win or draw against Colombia sees us through. If we lose, we'd only possibly qualify if Iraq beat Italy and don't place above us on goal difference.

Former international and Galatasaray goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón has been in charge of his country for 12 years. They missed the last World Cup and haven't got out the group stage since 2014. So far they've beaten Iraq 3 - 1 but lost to Italy 2 - 0. They need to better Italy's result against Iraq.

Team News

I said if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Well, we have 4 points, but fluked a win over Italy and probably should've lost 1 - 0 to Iraq. We've kept 2 clean sheets, which would see us through this time, but both our opponents had chances. So it's time for a change, otherwise I'll always be wondering "what if?"

We're changing from the 3-5-2 to the Man Utd 4-1-3-2. This will hopefully make us a bit more defensively stable, especially as we just need a draw. Our strikers have had plenty chances, that's not the problem, it's just the personnel. So the other thing this tactical change will do will bring in the midfielders to have chances too. Maybe they'll score instead.

------- ST --- ST-------
-- CM -- CM -- CM --
---------- DM ----------
DL -- CB -- CB -- DR
---------- GK ----------

GK: Duxbury
DR: Melvin
CB: James
CB: Friar
LB: Huckle (c)
DM: Jones*
CM: Boardman*
CM: Lea
CM: Casey
ST: Palmer*
ST: Stott*

*Change

We don't have any natural right-backs, but wing-back Melvin shouldn't have a problem. If he does, I can play a centre-back there instead.

DM was to be Anderson's perfect role, but he's injured now, so CM Jones plays there out of position.

Boardman comes in as a dribbler, finisher, crosser, tackler and passer.

Striker Lea moves to his other position. He is a very pacey dribbler.

Casey moves to his familiar Man Utd position on the left of a midfield 3.

Stott had a hand in our only goal against France while Palmer, though not a dribbler, beat his man 5 times and had chances, plus he's physically better.

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(3rd) England 0 - 1 Colombia (36th)
Macías (pen 49)
Jones red card (81)

England do what England do. With Colombia sitting back, we played more a 4-3-3 and 2-2-3-1-2 (2 wing-backs and an AMC). A few chances came our way, then centre-back James stuck out a leg and brought down a Colombian to allow them to take the lead through a "controversial" penalty.

Despite Colombia sitting back, they had a lot of possession and no big England chance came for the rest of the game. If anything, 2 - 0 seemed more likely than 1 - 1. Then Jones, only playing due to Anderson's injury, lost his head.

Italy beat Iraq easily, so it's England's first failure to get out of the group stage since 2014.

Ratings

GK: Duxbury - 7 - Stopped it being 2 - 0
DR: Melvin - 6 - Slightly more spritely than the rest
CB: James - 6 - Had he not cost England, it would've been an 8/10 performance
CB: Friar - 7 - One of only 2 players who can hold his head up high with an all-action performance of tackles, headers and interceptions
DL: Huckle - 6
CM: Boardman - 6
Sub (45): Doyle - 6
CM: Jones - 5 - A decent showing before a stupid red card
CM: Casey - 6
ST: Lea - 7 (6) - More like a 6
Sub (77): Henry - 6
ST: Palmer - 6
ST: Stott (c) - 6 - A yellow after 5 fouls meant I couldn't risk keeping him on
Sub (AMC, 61): Ryder - 7

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Aftermath and Ratings

In the post-match interview, I'm in the unique position of being a temporary manager anyway, so I'm not diplomatic in my final day of the job.

I had feared there weren't goals in the team, as the Confederations Cup before me had showed. The players scored in friendlies, so really we just saw their ability to always choke on the big stage.

"I tried my best, but there's nothing you can do when you have a mentality to always give away a penalty in the final game".

I point out that England had no chance of winning anyway because no one could score, so does it really matter?

Over the next day, James, the fouler, is made a scapegoat, as does Jones who got a late red card for a two-footed tackle to make a difficult job impossible. In reality, all but one or two players in the squad that played are ripe for criticism. I avoid it, as the question is more 'how can we win anything if even a manager who overcame Newcastle to win the Premier League doesn't improve things?' and 'why did the players play well in friendlies but choke again at the finals?'

Chris Waddle rants about the need for an overhaul at the FA and how bad the infrastructure is. "We should be lookin' at what Scotland are doin'!"

I later make comments that I was right to reject the England job years ago, as I feared this 'choking' culture was waiting. Asked how I feel now, I reply "relief that I only took it short-term". Back to the more upbeat and successful surrounds of Manchester United, 2030 Premier League winners and 2028 European and World champions...

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My Squad Ratings

Goalkeepers

1. Duxbury - 8
13. Smith - N/A
20. Butler - N/A

The only goals Duxbury conceded was the penalty and the controversial Iraq goal ruled out. Without him, we would've conceded more. He had a good tournament.

Centre-Backs

14. Friar - 8
3. Huckle (DR/L/C) - 7
4. James - 5
5. Moran - N/A
23. Uberschar - N/A

I feared Friar's club mistakes would appear for England, but he was near flawless and was the only defender with a prideful performance in the final game.

Huckle did fine, but missed a lot of tackles against Colombia.

No one who directly costs a team the entire tournament can get more than a 5. Without the mistake, James was an 8.

Right-Backs, Wing-Backs and Wingers

16. Melvin (WB/M/AMR) - 7
6. Boardman (M/AMR) - 5

Melvin's stellar performance against Italy was followed by quiet ones, but he was one of the better players against Colombia.

Boardman only played the final game, out of position, but was lifeless.

Left-Backs, Wing-Backs and Wingers

11. Casey (ML/AML) - 7
7. Williamson (WB/M/AML) - 6
12. Hill (ML/AML) - N/A

Casey played out of position at left wing-back and then left-central midfield, but still did a job. No key passes and only 1 shot though.

Williamson only played against Italy. Defensively rubbish but made a contribution in attack.

Central Midfielders

17. Doyle (ML/C) - 7
2. Anderson (DC, DM/MC) - 6
15. Jones - 5

Doyle did well against Italy, a bit missing against Iraq, and failed to make an impact as a half-time sub in the final game.

Anderson quietly did his defensive job. Unfortunately injured for the 3rd game.

Jones came off the bench twice and did fine, and his start against Colombia was good... then he went in 2-footed with the country needing a goal. Idiot.

Attacking Central Midfielders

8. Austin (MC, AMC) - 7
18. Ryder (MC, AMC) - 7

Austin played fine against Iraq.

Ryder played better against Italy, but didn't make an impact when we needed a goal against Colombia.

Strikers

9. Stott - 6
10. Henry - 3
19. Lea - 5
21. Palmer - 5
22. Taylor - 6

Stott forced the Italy own goal, but that's all he really did.

Taylor made 2 impactful sub appearances, except he didn't score.

Lea did ok, but didn't score.

Palmer scared Italy when he came on, but was quiet against Colombia

Henry's contribution in 1 start and 2 sub appearances was a few passes and a couple of runs.

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It's not coming home, and it never will with this toxic mentality.

As I leave, the favourite to replace me is League Two Doncaster's manager. Other contenders are the managers of League One Reading and SPL's Livingston.

Now stop crying your heart out, England.

[git2thachoppa]

2029/30 International Football Review

England 2030 Centenary World Cup Qualification

UEFA

Group 1

Switzerland - 28
Scotland - 24
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Finland - 21
Slovenia - 18
Cyprus - 15
Latvia - 6
Armenia - 6

Defending back-to-back World champions and current Euro champions Scotland qualify as one of the best runner-ups.

Scotland thought they'd saved an embarrassing result in Armenia with an 87th-minute winner, but Armenia equalised 3 minutes later against one of the greatest teams in recent time to draw and get the biggest result in their history.

Group 2

Wales - 26
Italy - 25
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Lithuania - 17
Croatia - 17
Sweden - 15
Kazakhstan - 7
Luxembourg - 4

Group 3

Albania - 24*
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Russia - 24*
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Portugal - 22
Northern Ireland - 14
Azerbaijan - 14
Iceland - 12
Andorra - 1
*Head-to-head: Albania 4 - 3 Russia

On the final day, Albania went to Azerbaijan while Russia hosted Iceland. Whoever won would qualify. Both matches ended 1-1 however, so Albania reached their first ever tournament, thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker!

Group 4

Austria - 22*
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France - 22*
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Ukraine - 22*
Montenegro - 21
Hungary - 18
Moldova - 8
San Marino - 2
*H2H: Austria - 7 pts, France - 5 pts, Ukraine - 4 pts

On the final day, Austria, France and Ukraine were all on 21 points, with the latter two facing each other, so even the head-to-head tiebreaker was yet to be confirmed.

France and Ukraine drew 0 - 0, while Austria missed a penalty as they also drew 1 - 1 at home to Hungary, thus Austria reach the World Cup, a competition they've never qualified for since reaching the final in 2018.

So, despite 9 clean sheets in the 12 matches, France have to go through the playoffs to avoid 3 qualifying disasters in a row.

Emil Caras' Moldova opened the campaign with a shock 2-0 win over France.

Group 5

Belarus - 22
----------------------
Netherlands - 14
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Malta - 13
Greece - 10
Israel - 9
Republic of Ireland - 9

Andrey Dovnar's Belarus stunned everyone by reaching the World Cup unbeaten.

After a European Championship-best performance of reaching the semis, Republic of Ireland finished bottom.

Group 6

Spain - 17*
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Slovakia - 17*
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Macedonia - 15
Serbia - 14
Turkey - 11
Estonia - 5
*H2H - Spain 3 - 1 Slovakia

Group 7

Romania - 20
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Bulgaria - 19
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Denmark - 16
Czech Republic - 15
Liechtenstein - 5
Georgia - 4

Razvan Lucescu's Romania got the 0-0 draw at home to Ilian Iliev's Bulgaria to qualify for their first World Cup since 1998.

Liechtenstein enjoyed 4 points against Georgia, a 1 - 1 draw against Czech Rep., and goals against Denmark and Bulgaria too!

Group 8

Bosnia & Herzegovina - 19
---------------------------------
Norway - 16*
---------------------------------
Poland - 16*
Germany - 16*
Belgium - 14
Faroe Islands - 0
*H2H: Norway - 6 pts, Poland - 5 pts, Germany - 3 pts

Goran Topic's Bosnia & Herzegovina dominated to qualify with 2 games to spare.

4 teams were in contention for the playoff spot, but it was Norway who got the win they needed, albeit a late winner at home to Faroe Islands on a very nervy day.

No German Kuntz to knock out England this time! Frank Rost was sacked after 4 years that saw a round of 16 exit followed by a quarter-final elimination at Euro 2028, and now this disaster. He's replaced with Borussia Mochengladbach manager Raphael Schafer. (While Rost takes his place at the club!)

Playoffs (aggregate)

Bulgaria 1 - 0 Netherlands (AET)
France 2 - 3 Slovakia
Norway 1 - 3 Russia

France needed one more late goal to end their barren run of no tournaments since 2024 but, in stoppage time, a harmless Slovakian free kick going wide was chased and knocked in by a French defender to confirm Slovakia's qualification.

A 110th-minute goal from Man Utd's Hristov spelled disaster for Maarten Stekelenburg's Netherlands, who failed to qualify for the first time since 2002! He was sacked and replaced with Sevilla manager Marco van Hoogdalem.

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CONCACAF

1st Phase, 2nd Round

It was bound to happen after all the close calls and their fall from grace... USA were knocked out at the 1st phase of qualifying for the first time ever, losing 3-1 on aggregate to British Virgin Islands.

An 89th-minute corner saw Cayman Islands beat 2025 Gold Cup winners Honduras on away goals.

After appearing at the last World Cup, Turks and Caicos Islands scored an 84th-minute winner... but Nicaragua scored 3 minutes later and won on penalties to knock them out!

Panama lost 7-1 on aggregate to Montserrat.

2nd Phase

Montserrat topped their group for a shock appearance in the final hexagonal.

Trinidad & Tobago sacked their manager after losing 5-0 at home to Guatemala and only scoring 1 goal in 5 games.

Jeaustin Campos was sacked after 7 years as Costa Rica manager, after failing again to reach the hexagonal.

Hexagonal

On the final day, Kyle Lightbourne's Bermuda and El Salvador battled for the final automatic qualifying spot. Needing a win, El Salvador fell 2-1 in Guatemala, allowing tiny Bermuda to spark emotional celebrations with an 88th minute goal that confirmed a 3-1 win over Canada!

Guatemala qualified for their second ever World Cup with a game to spare.

Final Group Standings

Mexico - 23
Guatemala - 20
Bermuda - 15
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El Salvador - 13
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Canada - 7
Montserrat - 7

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CAF

First Round

Sierra Leone have fallen far since the glory days of reaching the semis and quarters of the AFCoN and the 2010 World Cup respectively. They were eliminated 5-3 on aggregate by Swaziland.

Group Stage

In a group of minnows, Mozambique got a nervy draw in Uganda to beat Musa Mguni's Zimbabwe to their first ever World Cup. Also, Equatorial Guinea's late winner in Malawi meant they leapfrogged their opponents on head-to-head to qualify for their first Africa Cup of Nations in 16 years.

In Group 4, Ivory Coast failed to break their World Cup curse (22 years of hurt despite 5 out of 6 AFCoN trophies between 2008 and 2018). Cameroon, meanwhile, collapsed under Meyong Zé after Jean-Paul Okono's retirement, losing in Burkina Faso and Angola before drawing with Sudan. Thus John Obi Mikel's Nigeria reach their 6th consecutive World Cup.

In Group 5 (which is always the group of death) Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia all finished on 17 points. But it was the hosts of the next AFCoN, South Africa, who qualified on head-to-head.

Elsewhere, Makan Dembélé's Mali reached back-to-back World Cups and the Democratic Republic of Congo returned after 12 years away.

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AFC

Second Round

Japan finished bottom of a group with Jordan, Pakistan and Lebanon.

Needing an historic win at home to South Korea on the final day, Vietnam were 2-0 up. But 2 late goals saw the Koreans squeak through to the next round at their and Syria's expense.

Australia sacked Serdar Pir after a 2022 World Cup quarter-final was followed by twice in a row now failing to even make the final round of qualifying. He's replaced with Tahj Minniecon.

Third Round

Group A

Saudi Arabia - 11
Uzbekistan - 11
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China - 6
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Jordan - 3

On the final day, 2026 semi-finalists Uzbekistan wound down the clock in China knowing a draw was all they needed, but China pounced on a mistake in the 85th minute. However, the Uzbeks scored 2 even later goals, including a 50-yard free-kick, to ruin China's day.

Group B

Iran - 9
Iraq - 8*
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South Korea - 8*
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U.A.E. - 6
*Head-To-Head: Iraq 3 - 2 South Korea

South Korea's decision to sack their manager after the Confederations Cup backfired, as Iraq got the final-day win they needed against them to leapfrog them.

Playoff (aggregate)

China 2 - 0 South Korea

Really backfired...

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CONMEBOL

Group Stage

Argentina - 37
Brazil - 36
Colombia - 26
Chile - 25
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Uruguay - 24
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Paraguay - 23
Venezuela - 22
Ecuador - 20
Bolivia - 19
Peru - 13

For once, the final placings were more traditional, although Venezuela were still in contention for qualification on the final day, and Peru finished rock bottom after two World Cup appearances in a row.

CONCACAF - CONMEBOL Playoff (agg.)

El Salvador 3 - 3 Uruguay
El Salvador win 2 - 0 on away goals

A change in manager worked better for El Salvador. Their new manager guided them to the playoffs and then an upset victory over Alejandro Cardozo's Uruguay to qualify for the first time since 1982!

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OFC

OFC Playoff (agg.)

New Caledonia 2 - 3 New Zealand

The day is coming when someone beats New Zealand to reach the final playoff, but New Caledonia couldn't take advantage of their 2 - 1 first leg win.

AFC - OFC Playoff (agg.)

China 2 - 0 New Zealand

It was 16 years since the last World Cup for both countries.

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2030 OFC Nations Cup

Fiji broke New Zealand's 4-tournament streak to win their 2nd trophy.

Travis Medhurst's New Zealand choked as they backed off in the second leg only to go down 3-0 (4-1 on aggregate), before going on the front foot and nearly saving the day with 2 goals, despite going down to 10 men. The Kiwis were 5 minutes away from not even reaching the final, for the first time since Australia left in 2006, but two late corners - 1 against New Caledonia and 1 in the simultaneous Cook Islands v Fiji match, confirmed that disaster was averted.

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South Africa 2030 Africa Cup of Nations

Abdoulaye Diaby's Ivory Coast won their first AFCoN in 6 tournaments after beating Morocco 1-0.

Hosts South Africa were knocked out easily by the runner-up 2-0 in the quarter-finals.

John Obi Mikel's Nigeria were knocked out on 'goals scored' after Cameroon scored a 3rd against Zambia in the 89th minute, while Algeria simultaneously scored a final-minute stoppage time winner against them.

Tunisia were knocked out after failing to score at all against Gabon, surprise quarter-finalists Libya and South Africa.

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England 2030 World Cup Group Draw

In order of likely finish:

Group A
Scotland - 2022 and 2026 World Champions, Euro 2028 winners
Romania - First World Cup in 32 years
Guatemala - First World Cup in 20 years
Democratic Republic of Congo

Group B
England - Hosts
Italy
Colombia
Iraq - First World Cup in 16 years

Group C
Mexico
Mali
Austria
Belarus - First tournament in 14 years

Group D
Brazil - 2026 runner-up, 2029 Confederations Cup winners
Nigeria - Qualified for every World Cup since 2006
Saudi Arabia
Albania - First ever tournament

Group E
Spain - 2026 semi-finalists
Switzerland
South Africa
China - First WC in 16 years

Group F
Russia
Iran
Slovakia
Mozambique - World Cup debut

Group G
Wales
Bulgaria - Euro 2028 semi-finalists
Chile
El Salvador - First WC in 48 years

Group H
Argentina - Failed to get out of groups since winning back-to-back in 2018, 2027 Copa América winners
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Uzbekistan - 2026 WC fairytale run to semis
Bermuda - WC debut

[git2thachoppa]

England 2030 World Cup Centenary

Favourites

Evens - Argentina, Brazil
6/4 - Italy, Scotland
2/1 - England, Spain

The bookies think it'll be tight, but it's hard to look past current European champions Scotland, who also won the last 2 World Cups by destroying the hosts in each final!

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Group A

(In order of likely finish)

Scotland - 2022 and 2026 World Champions, Euro 2028 winners
Romania - First World Cup in 32 years
Guatemala - First World Cup in 20 years
Democratic Republic of Congo

DR Congo 0 - 0 Scotland
Scotland missed numerous chances, then the match petered out. One of the biggest shocks in African history!

Romania 2 - 1 Guatemala

Guatemala 0 - 0 DR Congo
2 shots on target in a match no one wanted.

Scotland 1 - 0 Romania

Romania 2 - 1 DR Congo
Romania had a man sent off in just 6 minutes,

Guatemala 2 - 2 Scotland
You would've thought Guatemala were the world champions! They controlled the first half with 10 shots. But both times that they scored a sensational goal, Man Utd striker Reilly immediately equalised as Scotland avoided disaster.

Table

Romania - 6
Scotland - 5
------------------------------------------------
Guatemala - 2
Democratic Republic of Congo - 2

Group B

England - Hosts
Italy
Colombia
Iraq - First World Cup in 16 years

England 1 - 0 Italy
A freak own goal gives England the win.

Colombia 3 - 1 Iraq
Iraq scored in just 24 seconds.

England 0 - 0 Iraq

Italy 2 - 0 Iraq
Italy scored in just 14 seconds.

England 0 - 1 Colombia
Needing just a draw, England throw it away by, of course, conceding a second-half penalty.

Italy 2 - 0 Colombia

Table

Italy - 6 (+3 GD)
Colombia - 6 (+1 GD)
--------------------------------
England - 4
Iraq - 1

Group C

Mexico
Mali
Austria
Belarus - First tournament in 14 years

Mexico 1 - 0 Belarus

Austria 2 - 0 Mali

Mali 2 - 0 Belarus

Austria 0 - 1 Mexico

Mexico 1 - 0 Mali
Mali held on for dear life, but fell to a stoppage time set piece routine.

Belarus 1 - 1 Austria
Belarus dominated most of the game, but blazed so many chances over the bar or wide. They only scored in stoppage time, but could've got the win they needed if they finished better.

Table

Mexico - 9
Austria - 4
----------------
Mali - 3
Belarus - 1

Group D

Brazil - 2026 runner-up, 2029 Confederations Cup winners
Nigeria - Qualified for every World Cup since 2006
Saudi Arabia
Albania - First ever tournament

Brazil 1 - 0 Nigeria

Saudi Arabia 1 - 0 Albania

Nigeria 1 - 0 Saudi Arabia
A 93rd-minute winner keeps Nigeria in control of their destiny.

Albania 1 - 1 Brazil

Nigeria 3 - 1 Albania

Brazil 3 - 0 Saudi Arabia

Table

Brazil - 7
Nigeria - 6
-----------------------
Saudi Arabia - 3
Albania - 1

Group E

Spain - 2026 semi-finalists
Switzerland
South Africa
China - First WC in 16 years

Spain 1 - 0 China
Spain steamrolled China, but could only score once.

South Africa 2 - 0 Switzerland
A dominant win.

Switzerland 1 - 1 Spain
Spain had a penalty saved, but finally scored a 91st-minute equaliser against 10-man Switzerland.

China 1 - 1 South Africa
Another penalty saved as South Africa have to settle for a point.

Spain 1 - 0 South Africa
Both teams only needed a draw, but a set-piece was South Africa's undoing. If China win their game 2 - 0, we'll see the 2nd-ever drawing of lots.

China 2 - 0 Switzerland
The Chinese easily swept Switzerland aside.

China and South Africa ended up on equal everything, so a drawing of lots was required for the 2nd time in just 5 tournaments! (The game resorts to alphabetical order, but I try to use a random number generator or virtual coin toss when possible, and luckily it's landed on the same result as the game so far.)

Table

Spain - 7
China - 4*
------------------------
South Africa - 4*
Switzerland - 1
*Goal Difference: +1, Goals Scored: 3, Head-To-Head: 1 - 1, Fair Play: 1 yellow each

Group F

Russia
Iran
Slovakia
Mozambique - World Cup debut

Mozambique 0 - 0 Russia
Mozambique hit the post but also gifted Russia a couple of chances. An historic point!

Slovakia 3 - 1 Iran
Iran took the lead in just 9 minutes. 10 minutes later, they were behind...

Iran 0 - 0 Russia
Iran dominated and should've scored when a Russian goal kick was cut short to create a 2-on-1, but the pass to the free man in front of an open goal went forwards, and thus was offside.

Slovakia 0 - 0 Mozambique
Slovakia had 21 shots, but only 4 on target.

Russia 1 - 0 Slovakia

Mozambique 0 - 0 Iran
0 shots on target for Mozambique's 3rd 0-0 draw.

Table

Russia - 5
Slovakia - 4
------------------------
Mozambique - 3
Iran - 2

Group G

Wales
Bulgaria - Euro 2028 semi-finalists
Chile
El Salvador - First WC in 48 years

El Salvador 0 - 0 Chile
El Salvador nearly scored just 27 seconds into their debut, and had a couple more clear cut chances!

Wales 1 - 0 Bulgaria
Bulgaria failed to take advantage of Wales' red card. In fact, they went behind and lost!

Chile 2 - 1 Wales
Yet another penalty saved, this time a Welsh one, but the rebound was crossed back in for an equaliser. Chile, however, scored a 91st minute winner after a Welsh sending off.

Bulgaria 0 - 0 El Salvador
Domination isn't equating to goals in this tournament. 18 shots from Bulgaria, not one went in.

Bulgaria 0 - 2 Chile

Wales 2 - 1 El Salvador

Table

Chile - 7
Wales - 6
-----------------
El Salvador - 2
Bulgaria - 1

Group H

Argentina - Failed to get out of groups since winning back-to-back in 2018, 2027 Copa América winners
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Uzbekistan - 2026 WC fairytale run to semis
Bermuda - WC debut, population: 67,000

Bermuda 1 - 1 B & H
Bermuda had twice as many shots as their opponents. If they had better quality strikers, they would've won!

Argentina 1 - 1 Uzbekistan
Should we be surprised? The Uzbeks come from behind for a tough point.

B & H 0 - 0 Argentina

Uzbekistan 2 - 2 Bermuda
Game of the tournament so far as Bermuda again came from behind, but this time they took the lead in stoppage time after Uzbek hero of 2026 Kopadze got a second yellow. The Uzbeks equalised seconds later, though!

With every team on 2 points, Bermuda top the group on goals scored and alphabetical order! Winner takes all in the final games!

Uzbekistan 1 - 0 B&H

Argentina 1 - 0 Bermuda
Bermuda were 2 minutes away from making the knockout round. Heartbreaking.

Table

Uzbekistan - 5*
Argentina - 5*
-------------------
Bermuda - 2
Bosnia & Herzegovina - 2
*GD: +1, GS: Uzbekistan 4, Argentina 2

In the final week, no one had been eliminated and no one has qualified and it was all to play for! A dramatic group stage!

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Round of 16

Romania 2 - 1 Colombia
All 3 goals scored in the space of 5 minutes, though the Romanian keeper gifted an open goal that was missed from a wide angle, then Colombia did hit the back of the net, but only after an offside was called.

Austria 1 - 4 Brazil
A good showing from Austria, but Brazil's attack is just too good.

Russia 1 - 1 China (AET) (0-0 FT)
Russia win 2 - 1 on pens after 4.5 rounds (1-0, 2-0, 2-0, 2-1, 2-1)
Man Utd goalkeeper Bondarev saves 4 out of 5 penalties!

Argentina 1 - 1 Chile AET (1-1 FT)
Argentina win 3-0 on pens after 3.5 rounds (1-0, 1-0, 2-0, 3-0)

Spain 2 - 1 Slovakia

Wales 1 - 0 Uzbekistan

Scotland 1 - 0 Italy
Everyone from England's group of DEARTH are out.

Nigeria 0 - 0 Mexico AET
Nigeria win 4 - 2 on pens after 4 rounds (1-0, 2-0, 3-1, 4-2)
The Nigerian centre-back took one for the team, getting sent off for a professional foul as a Mexican broke through on 115 minutes.

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Quarter-Finals

Romania 0 - 0 Brazil AET
Romania win 4 - 2 on pens after 4 rounds (1-1, 2-2, 3-2, 4-2)
Brazil pay the Penait-y! Romanian keeper Penait was the hero after Romania threatened the Brazilians all game!

Russia 1 - 0 Argentina
A first-half deflected free-kick was the difference.

Spain 1 - 0 Wales

Scotland 3 - 2 Nigeria AET (2-2 FT)
Scotland swamped Nigeria's area in the first half but only gained a 2-0 lead. They sat and defended the lead in the second half, but conceded 2 deflected goals. A 119th-minute penalty decided it.

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Semi-Finals

Romania 1 - 2 Russia
Romania's penalty at the end of the first half was overturned by 2 headers in the 70th and 77th minute by Russia's Valencia defender!

Spain 0 - 1 Scotland AET
The Spanish keeper was left in tears after he messed up a backpass and conceded an own goal in extra time. Scotland should've won in normal time though, but Sheffield Wednesday striker Davidson missed more clear cut chances, and an open goal!

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3rd-Place Playoff

Spain 2 - 0 Romania
A bit of poetic justice as Spain's 2nd was an own goal just like in the Scotland game.

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England 2030 World Cup Final

@ Wembley Stadium, London (England national team)

Russia v Scotland

History

Russia's best World Cup performance before now had been a semi-final as the Soviet Union... in England, 1966. They're more used to group stage and 2nd round exits. Can they do the impossible?

They will have to beat European champions Scotland, who are looking to cement their legacy as the greatest international side of all time (if they haven't already) as they aim to become the first ever team to win 3 World Cups in a row.

Form

Russia have ground out wins and draws, keeping 4 clean sheets in 6 games. They have to give their best performance tonight.

Scotland have also got 4 clean sheets in 6 games, but rode their luck and needed late extra time drama in their last 2 matches.

The countries have only ever met 3 times, all ending in draws, including a 0-0 at the last World Cup.

Managers

Anatoly Gasanov's only previous job was in Belarus, taking charge of newly-promoted Belcard Grodno in the 2nd-tier and keeping them there for 4 seasons before relegation. He took over Russia in 2026, after they'd reached their first tournament in 14 years and went unbeaten in the finals including against Scotland and Brazil, but his reign started disastrously as Russia finished bottom of qualifying after 1 point against Malta and none from Montenegro. World Cup qualifying looked to be going the same way, with a home draw to Northern Ireland followed by a loss to Albania and a draw in Azerbaijan. But he turned it around and they went unbeaten in 2029 as they qualified via the playoffs. He's gone from joke to hero.

Marc Scott had a tough act to follow in 2028 after his predecessor got 2 trophies out of 2 with Scotland. He was Dumbarton manager in the 4th tier of Scottish football, getting them instantly promoted in his first half-season then keeping them in the top half of League 1 in his final 4 seasons. His Scotland side have been dodgier than in the past, losing and drawing at home to Slovenia and Latvia before qualifying as a best runner-up with a draw in Armenia. His first taste of a tournament, the Confederations Cup, saw them only win 1 of their 5 games. But it's not how you start, it's how you finish...

Team News

Russia only have 1 injury, which they haven't missed.

Scotland have 2 players out, including Man Utd's striker Reilly, who scored both goals against Guatemala. Nearly-35-year-old right-back MacKenzie is suffering from food poisoning, but he's been picked to earn his 99th and possibly final cap. He may not last the full 90 minutes due to having the squits.

Davidson or 1 of 2 Russians will need to be a hat-trick hero to potentially win the golden boot.

Both teams play 4-4-2.

Russia: Bondarev (Man Utd); Sonin (Sevilla), Yemanov (Chelsea), Dementjev (Sevilla), Korneev (c) (Inter); Petrov (Man City), Poglazov (Werder Bremen), Shilyaev (Celta Vigo), Mukhametshin (Zenit); Sidorenko (Dynamo Dresden), Golovin (Mallorca) - 3 La Liga, 3 English Premier League, 2 Bundesliga, 1 Serie A, 1 Russian Premier League, 1 Spanish second tier

Scotland: MacDonald (Liverpool); MacKenzie (Man City), McGregor (Leicester), Hunter (Palermo), Donlevy (West Ham); Fisher (Newcastle), Wight (Bayern), Harvey (Chelsea), Law (Zaragoza); Davidson (c) (Sheff Wed), Ogilvie (Man City) - 8 English Premier League, 1 La Liga,  1 Bundesliga, 1 Serie A

4 of Scotland's starters started the Euro 2028 final, with more on the bench. 6 started the 2026 final! 2 starters won that first World Cup in 2022 (Mackenzie and Davidson)!!

First Half

12 - Davidson gets the first shot, which as usual is off-target.

16 - Wight nicks the ball in midfield, runs, passes to Davidson, who shoots over.

35 - Scotland continue to pressure, earning a free-kick and causing a yellow card, but it's cleared away.

37 - It's Russia's turn for a free-kick, which gets a corner, but this too is dealt with.

42 - Another Russian corner is eventually cleared.

It's been a quiet first half, with Scotland having more chances, but Russia are still a potential threat with their passing game.

Second Half

46 - Russia clear a set-piece, but panic and lose possession rather than break, causing needless pressure on themselves. But it's cleared away again, Russia attack, Sidorenko crosses, and Golovin heads it in! Russia take a shock lead!

47 - Assister Sidorenko is immediately substituted for an attacking midfielder, as Russia move to the dreaded 3-3-2-1-1 formation to protect the lead.

61 - Scotland push men forward and just hit direct balls. Squeaky bum time.

63 - Russia take off an out-of-position attacker and replace him with a centre-back to play at right-wingback.

65 - Scotland continue to attack and get the ball in the danger area, but it keeps getting blocked, saved or cleared away.

72 - Russia's last sub sees an attacker come on for a midfielder, but no change in system.

74 - Scotland make 2 subs. Captain Davidson has failed to be the hero today and his replacement is a Championship striker (Cardiff) who hasn't scored yet for Scotland. The left-winger's also changed. MacKenzie's bowels seem ok as he takes the armband.

79 - Bondarev's goal kick goes straight to Golovin, but his long shot is off-target.

81 - Something needs to happen. Scotland's final change see midfielder Harvey, one of the few players to do well, come off for another midfielder.

87 - A Russian free kick is pushed out for a corner, which is then caught. Scotland try to build an attack, but it's rarely working.

90+4 - Scotland try 4-2-4, but it's too late. Who would've thought?! There was one final twist in the Scottish Golden Generation's tale!

Final Score

Russia 1 - 0 Scotland
Golovin (48)

==============================================================

2030 World Champions

RUSSIA

==============================================================

Scotland fall at the last hurdle of the unique treble. Russia are the best team in the world, apparently!

There's a happy ending for England after all!

All rise for the Russian national anthem, comrades!

Awards

Golden Boot: Joao Carlos dos Santos - 5 goals
Golden Ball: Oliveira (SW/DC, Brazil) - 7.80 average rating in 5 games
Golden Glove: Bondarev (Russia) - 7.00 average rating and 2 goals conceded in 7 games
Best Young Player: Zajac (21, DC, Slovakia) - 7.50 average rating in 4 games
FIFA Fair Play: China, Mexico
Most Entertaining Team: Brazil

Team of the Tournament

Bondarev (Russia)
Yemanov (Russia) - Melo (Chile) - Oliveira (Brazil) - Sissoko (Mali) - Korneev (Russia)
Macias (Colombia) - Mondragón (Mexico) - Geri (Slovakia)
J.C.d. Santos (Brazil) - Goncalves (Brazil)

Records Broken

Most consecutive games unbeaten:  Scotland - 20 (11/6/22 to 3/7/30)

World Cup Bests

Russia - 1st (Previous best: 4th - 1966 (as Soviet Union) / 2nd Round - 2026 (as Russia)
Romania - 4th (2r - 98)
Nigeria - QF (2r - 94, 98, 10, 14, 18)
Albania - Group (Debut)
Mozambique - Group (Debut)
Bermuda - Group (Debut)

Selected Managerial News

With the Man Utd manager's temporary role over, England's new permanent manager is League Two Doncaster Rovers' boss.

111-cap legend John Obi Mikel left after 6 years and a best ever finish for Nigeria.

Andrey Dovnar left Belarus after 9 years and a World Cup appearance. He's replaced with former international and Arsenal player Aliaksandr Hleb, whose eclectic managerial career includes Belarus U19s, Histon, Colchester and Ireland's Monaghan United.

Razvan Lucescu stepped down, after a decade that saw Romania not only reach their first World Cup in 32 years, but reach the semis!

Argentina sacked their manger, despite his 2027 Copa América win, thanks to only 1 win in their 5 games, itself a stoppage time 1-0 win over Bermuda. He's replaced with former international Gonzalo Rodríguez.

Faryd Mondragón's stale 12 years in charge of Colombia are over.

Ricardo Cadena left after getting Mexico out of the group stage for the first time in 4 tournaments.

Erik Kulfas stepped down as Slovakia's hero after 11 years in charge, taking them to their first World Cup in 2022 and then another in 2030, and reaching the knockouts both times.

Makan Dembélé left Mali after 2 World Cups in a row, even reaching the knockouts.

Ilian Iliev left Bulgaria after 8 years which included a Euro 2028 semi-final.

Kyle Lightbourne leaves as a legend of Bermudan history. An incredible 24+ years of gradual improvement culminated in shock World Cup qualification, 2 points in the finals, and so nearly a draw with Argentina to reach the knockouts too.

Man Utd Player Watch

Brazil's Willian scored no goals in 5 games after a star season for his club.

Bulgaria winger Hristov was played in his less effective position of right-back. Quiet.

England's Friar and new Man Utd signing Anderson were one of only a few players who could hold their head up high performance-wise. Casey had moments, but was average.

Italy's Rabatti, the young defender who had a breakout season, made his debut and did ok.

South Africa's star striker Sibiya failed to score, but did get an assist. United Reserves winger Makhanya made 2 sub appearances.

Bondarev was goalkeeper of the tournament and helped his country lift a shock trophy. His best moment was saving 4 of the 5 penalties in the shootout v China!

Meanwhile, injury-plagued hotshot striker Reilly scored both goals against Guatemala to get a key point, then was injured in the knockouts.

[git2thachoppa]

THE END

An incredible 100,000+ combined views.

2000 views per update.

A week from its 4th birthday, I realised recently that I have the longest-running Story (by 2 years!) and one of the longest-running Career threads (there is one from 2015).

In 2016, I started a fully loaded FM 07 save, starting from the bottom and not knowing much about the ins and outs of the game. I would be learning as I went. I figured I'd stop when the game exploded from its sheer size. Indeed, last year, save files had become so large (over 2 GB) that they had to be compressed to even successfully save. Now, it takes 12 minutes for a game to save.

I also wanted to tell everyone about my save this time (as we all do), knowing it was a unique concept. Evidently you were interested!

My story turned out varied, whether it be losing to the Faroe Islands, becoming an Iranian idol, getting sacked while trying to groom Young Boys, finding home in Busan in South Korea, or joining my favourite club and bringing back the glory years.

But it was the stories that FM itself threw up that amazed. The Belgian title twice in a row being decided by tiebreakers between 3 teams. Glenn Hoddle relegating everyone. World Cup groups decided by lots. Backstabbing managers leaving for rivals in the title run-in. Never mind all the real life transfers and manager changes.

And, of course, Northern Ireland becoming Euro champions and Scotland's rise to the greatest international team in history... then Mother Russia toppling them at the end!

While I expected the game to finally die in 2100, when even compressed saves would be too big to save (and would presumably take an hour to save anyway!), my aim was always to reach at least 2030, as I knew that World Cup would be hosted by England. If things worked out perfectly, the England manager would be sacked after Euro 2028 or the 2029 Confederations Cup and they'd hire me. That's exactly what happened!

And with that milestone passed, I made the forced move from Windows 7 to Windows 10.

It seems to be Russian roulette whether FM 07 works after this 'upgrade', and in my case I lost. There are supposed 'fixes' to try, but I was always going to stop anyway. I'd won the Champions League, then finally overturned the unstoppable Geordie juggernaut and won the Premier League, so I'd done what I came for. I also have lots of other games to play and I'm not someone who plays FM out of habit. I stop for months, even years, until I simply fancy playing again.

WHAT NEXT?

My next story, whenever that is, will be Championship Manager 93/94.

Update: It's here. https://community.sigames.com/forums/topic/572217-cm-9394

Like FM 07, I've played it a lot as a youngster (but I'm not that old; I bought it at a school sale!) and already had a good career (Man Utd, where the youngsters actually turned out good and we almost won the 1999 Treble... but coincidentally lost to Bayern Munich in the CL final). It's also super fast, so it'll be 2030 again before you know it.

But that probably won't be for a long time, as the next football management game I'll play won't even be FM/CM. (Anyone ever heard of The FA Premier League Football Manager 99?)

But maybe the fixes will work and I'll want to continue, so don't bet against us one day seeing whether Russia retains the World Cup at Canada 2034 or if I ever return to Busan or Iran or make a wacky move to the lower/non-league for a new challenge.

Bye bye!

Edited February 24, 2023 by git2thachoppa

[CFuller]

Thanks for sharing your adventures with us over the past four years. It's disappointing that the transition to Windows 10 was an obstacle you couldn't overcome with FM07, but I'm looking forward to reading about your next journey back through time.

4 hours ago, git2thachoppa said:

But that probably won't be for a long time, as the next football management game I'll play won't even be FM/CM. (Anyone ever heard of The FA Premier League Football Manager 99?)

I've still got my disk for FAPLFM 2000. I'd love to get into that game again one day, but 1) it won't run on my Windows 98 virtual machine and 2) though it does run on my parents' old Windows XP laptop, the the disk isn't in great shape, and I don't think I can risk it getting damaged. It's a problem, but one probably best discussed elsewhere.