Split screen on Fox during ‘hydration break’ showing a shot of David Beckham watching in the stands on one screen while an advert starring him plays on the other. Followed immediately by another advert he’s in. Remarkable how visible he is in US coverage of the tournament.

That stat about the Earth being 4.54 billion years old and all of us having the privilege of happening to exist on it at the same time as Lionel Messi. Not sure anyone has ever put it better.

You take off the Patrick Beach, you live with the consequences.

DAY 22 AT THE WORLD CUP! 🏆 @acjimbo.bsky.social & @tomwfootball.bsky.social are joined by an exciting new signing to 'Totally in LA FC'... @felipecardenas.bsky.social! A look back on the wins for 🇪🇸 & 🇵🇹 on Thursday - and a look ahead to Friday's final round of 32 ties ⚽️ youtu.be/uoeCXPR2U4w?...

That's two nutmegs on Konrad Laimer now for Lamine Yamal. If he does it again, he gets to keep him.

Game 4: Spain v Austria

It’s @acjimbo.bsky.social , @tomwfootball.bsky.social @lauriewhitwell.bsky.social & @danielstorey85.bsky.social with all the drama 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇸🇧🇪 Plus @jacklang.bsky.social on what England can expect in Mexico 🇲🇽 youtu.be/Ba6yp08fETU

Rudi Garcia taking off Doku and De Bruyne when Belgium are desperate for a goal

Well I for one am shocked – shocked – that an apparent penalty has not been given in an England game

DAY 20 AT THE WORLD CUP! 🏆 @acjimbo.bsky.social, @tomwfootball.bsky.social & @philhay.bsky.social saw some fancy French football in LA 🤩 🇫🇷 Plus Martin Sleipnes on another Norway win + @mahermezahi.bsky.social on what England should expect 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇨🇩 youtu.be/OW7ZylbN6Uk

Absolutely ridiculous that Olise is this aggressive in his passing and this accurate. His 92% pass completion in the attacking third is what your DM gives you. Meanwhile Olise's out here sliding the ball through lines to put it on a platter for his forwards.

France v Paraguay in the World Cup last 16?

And I mean obviously having generational talents like Mbappe and Olise playing on the same wavelength is quite helpful too

Most striking aspect of France’s transformation is what they’re now doing with the ball, but the major change is the off-the-ball stuff. Deschamps has always been reluctant to field four attacking players – it’s Olise, Dembele and Barcola’s hard work off the ball that makes it work.

Sitting down to watch Didier Deschamps’ France and they’re actually… an enjoyable watch

DAY 19 AT THE WORLD CUP! 🏆 @acjimbo.bsky.social, @lauriewhitwell.bsky.social & @tomwfootball.bsky.social watch an incredible day of shootout drama in LA 🧤⚽ What next for Nagelsmann? We ask @honigstein.bsky.social 🇩🇪 Should we believe in Brazil? We ask Natalie Gedra 🇧🇷 youtu.be/ikdAPoV1UA8

EXTRA TIME MULTI BALL

DAY 18 AT THE WORLD CUP 🏆 Oh Canada 🇨🇦 @acjimbo.bsky.social @tomwfootball.bsky.social & @danielstorey85.bsky.social are all over the World Cup action Stateside Plus the inside scoop on Germany & Austria with @honigstein.bsky.social & a very special Telemundo guest 🎙️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qw2...

DAY 17 AT THE WORLD CUP! 🏆 @acjimbo.bsky.social, @oilysailor.bsky.social & @tomwfootball.bsky.social watch England top the group - DR Congo will see you now 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇨🇩 Plus Algeria-Austria 🤯, group stage best bits and @philhay.bsky.social on Steve Clarke leaving Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 youtu.be/aK6x5Vl_sr0

Excellent first half from England. Definitely on course for World Cup glory. Don’t change anything Thomas.

DAY 16 AT THE WORLD CUP! 🏆 Real drama for @acjimbo.bsky.social, @oilysailor.bsky.social, @tomwfootball.bsky.social & @lauriewhitwell.bsky.social to get stuck into🔥 Plus @nickmiller79.bsky.social on more Cape Verde magic & a look at England’s meeting with Panama 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPoI...

YUUUUURRRSSSSSSSS

Expected Headloss in the Uruguay-Spain game feels quite high.

This is the first time that France have won all three group games at a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup.

DAY 15 AT THE WORLD CUP! 🏆 @acjimbo.bsky.social, @oilysailor.bsky.social, @tomwfootball.bsky.social are all over Ecuador’s incredible escape 🇪🇨 And Australia Paraguay🫤 Plus Martin Sleipnes is on the fun bus with Norway as they face France! 🇳🇴🚌 www.youtube.com/watch?v=svIm...

Ecuador win the SASH! derby, giving them the exclusive right to play the German DJ’s 1997 hit ‘Ecuador’ until the teams next meet.

DAY 14 AT THE WORLD CUP! 🏆 @acjimbo.bsky.social, @oilysailor.bsky.social, @tomwfootball.bsky.social & @philhay.bsky.social watch Scotland take a beating from Brazil 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇧🇷 Plus @mahermezahi.bsky.social on Morocco and Ben Mabley on Samurai Blue 🇯🇵 www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z3w...

With each game as a co-commentator, Warren Barton inches closer to his dream of talking continuously for the entire 90 minutes of a match.

DAY 13 AT THE WORLD CUP! 🏆 @acjimbo.bsky.social, @oilysailor.bsky.social & @tomwfootball.bsky.social on duty for a dissection of England's 0-0 draw with Ghana... Plus, CR7 is very much 'back' - and Natalie Gedra's in Miami ahead of Scotland v Brazil! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇧🇷 www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5lx...

Well apart from Ezri Konsa getting away with a blatant foul in the penalty area, Harry Kane blazing over the bar from about three yards out and a return of four shots on target from 79% of possession, I thought England looked really good.

England stinking out the group phase – *now* it’s a major tournament

DAY 12 AT THE WORLD CUP! 🏆 @acjimbo.bsky.social's poolside with @oilysailor.bsky.social, @tomwfootball.bsky.social & @lauriewhitwell.bsky.social as the race for Golden Boot hots up ⚽️🔥 Plus, @zonal-marking.bsky.social on Messi's magic & a look ahead to England v Ghana 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 youtu.be/7Upbjfcngps

All going pretty well for France so far at this World Cup – the perfect excuse for Didier Deschamps to switch to a stodgy 4-3-3 as soon as the knockout phase arrives.

Crazy to think that it took until 2021 for Messi to win his first major international tournament, by which time he was 34, but over the five years since, he’s basically completed international football.

Me, Schlager. Finchy, Schlager. Gareth, Schlager, sometimes Seiwald.

DAY 11 AT THE WORLD CUP! 🏆 Let @acjimbo.bsky.social, @tomwfootball.bsky.social & @oilysailor.bsky.social guide you through a busy Sunday of action Plus @polballus.bsky.social on Spain's big win & @nickmiller79.bsky.social on another remarkable draw for Cape Verde 🇪🇸🇨🇻 m.youtube.com/watch?v=5ky_...

That makes it 406 minutes since a Belgium player last scored a World Cup goal (the equaliser against Egypt having been an own goal) – Michy Batshuayi's winner against Canada in their first group game in 2022.

Twenty-nine minutes until the first hydration break! Players will be absolutely gasping.

Game 3: Belgium v Iran

DAY 10 AT THE WORLD CUP! 🏆 It's @acjimbo.bsky.social, @philhay.bsky.social & @tomwfootball.bsky.social on the sofa for close inspection of all the day's action - including Undav's heroics & the dominant Dutch 🇩🇪🇳🇱 Plus, can New Zealand can upset Egypt? 🤔 www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFj...

98.9k followers at time of writing...

[surreptitiously bookmarks Eloy Room's Instagram page]

Where’s Henrik Larsson when you need him.

Pleasing thing about Morocco is that not only are they really good, but they play with a real swagger too.

Morocco fans started doing ‘Olés’ after 12 minutes against Brazil. Against Scotland, it took them four minutes. They’ll be doing it on the walk to the stadium by the time they reach the knockout rounds.

Piece for @theathleticfc.bsky.social from SoFi Stadium on the World Cup’s newest wonder kid, Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi, who claimed a piece of tournament history by scoring twice off the bench against Bosnia – but could have claimed even more www.nytimes.com/athletic/737...

Mexico through, Canada look like joining them - what about the USA? A jam-packed day for @acjimbo.bsky.social, @oilysailor.bsky.social & @tomwfootball.bsky.social to get stuck into. Plus, @paultenorio.bsky.social & Jordan Campbell dial in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇸 pod.fo/e/434a68

Piece for @theathleticfc.bsky.social from SoFi Stadium on the World Cup’s newest wonder kid, Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi, who claimed a piece of tournament history by scoring twice off the bench against Bosnia – but could have claimed even more www.nytimes.com/athletic/737...

We're getting the impression @tomwfootball.bsky.social isn't a fan 💦