DAWN NEESOM MIND OF MY OWN

The Woman's Own columnist has her say on the World Cup, ice cream and dads

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FOOTBALL FANS AT THE READY

With the World Cup now upon us, there are some things us ladies should remind the men...

The best football joke ever told is this: ‘Football might be coming home, but men have been trying to bring it back for 60 years. In the end, the women finally said, “For goodness’ sake, I’ll go get it myself!”’

It was based on the fact that England’s women won back-to-back European Championships in 2022 and 2025 and were World Cup runners-up in 2023. Meanwhile, our men have won sweet FA since 1966.

And here we are again. Six decades after Bobby Moore lifted the original Jules Rimet (named after the FIFA president behind the tournament) the nation is transfixed by the World Cup 2026 being played in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Even if you hate the sport, it’s near-impossible to avoid, with both England and Scotland taking part. So, if you want to talk as much balls as some blokes currently are (suddenly they’re all experts) here are some fun facts for you:

⚽ Between kickoff on 11 June and the final on 19 July, there will be 104 matches played between 48 teams. More than any other World Cup in history.

⚽ There’s never been three host countries before, which means the distance between games can be thousands of miles and temperatures could hit 40C in places. Tickets for the final are predicted to hit £30,000 on the resale market!