Feeling lost without the World Cup? Six ways to survive the weekend | 2026 World Cup
TThe 2026 World Cup is over, and the millions of people who enjoyed it now find themselves presented with a yawning chasm this weekend. In the UK alone, ITV and the BBC broadcast around 275 hours of live coverage during the tournament, and it’s something that will be hard to replace.
But don’t be afraid. Now that the ball has passed, we’re still inundated with things similarly designed to take our minds off the screaming hell that is the world around us. Here is a guide, hope it helps.
If you miss sports
The good thing is that since the World Cup games are over, the Commonwealth Games have just started in Glasgow as there are a lot of sports to watch including swimming, netball, boxing, gymnastics and bowls. The bad news, though, is that all of this will be crammed into one hour of unexciting prime time on Channel 5 at 10.30pm, because TNT has bought the rights and you need to subscribe to watch it.
The same is true of the Tour de France, as it has been 24 years since ITV broadcast it.
If it’s a standard, classic, free-to-air television show you’re after, you’ll have a very hard time getting your fill. There’s a rugby league match on BBC Two this afternoon, and cricket tomorrow, but other than that your best hope is to tune in to ITV4 today and let its low-quality sports trickery wash over you. Highlights of Man Utd v Nottingham Forest from December 1979 at 6.20am. World rally highlights at 7.20am. Racing at Ascot at 9.30am. Then it’s Formula E. To finish, Sean Bean on Sharpe this afternoon and Tom Cruise, who gave the opening speech at the World Cup finals, returned to Top Gun at 10.05 pm.
That’s the same as the World Cup, right? Isn’t that right?
If you miss out on hearing part of something big
You really should go and watch The Odyssey. Christopher Nolan’s epic film is breaking box office records left and right, with tickets in his preferred format (70mm Imax) hard to come by.
And, honestly, it’s not that different from the World Cup. It’s loud and long and fun. It offers no end of subjects for mockery (where were the Phaecians? What happened to all the sexes? What was Nolan thinking, inserting themes of Judeo-Christian guilt into an ancient poem whose ultimate solution is violent revenge?).
And, it’s actually the story of a man, in the cold light of day, looking back on an era of intense racism and a sense of newfound regret, and if that’s not a post-World Cup scenario, I don’t know what is.
If you miss staying up late
Maybe you just got used to living in the UK on American time, and that habit seems hard to change. If so, then you have some options to extend your new night hours. If you subscribe to Netflix, WWE SummerSlam starts at 11pm BST on 1 August and will run for a few hours. Plus, San Diego Comic-Con starts tonight, and runs on California time, giving you the chance to stay up all night refreshing social media in hopes of catching a glimpse of a cool new trailer in real time.
Alternatively, the Delta Aquariid meteor shower may peak on the night of July 30. It’s not guaranteed you’ll see it in the UK, but it’s either that or sleep like a loser.
If you miss hydration breaks
Go have a drink. Urinary tract infections are no fun, especially this time of year. And watch the ad while you’re at it, to get the full FIFA effect.
If you miss all guesswork
Much of the fun of the World Cup is the speculation and guesswork that comes with it. Fortunately, British political life is ready for this at the moment. We have (another) new prime minister, who gives us endless energy to explore. Is Angela Rayner being played out of position? Does Ed Miliband still have the legs for international relations? How many disappointing games will it take before the country starts looking for another change of manager?
Even better, the Clacton by-election is coming up, which is a great opportunity to get the office sweepstakes. Which of the 34 will you draw? Biface? Farage? Baron Von Thunderclap? Abi Hookay from Channel 5’s Rich House Poor House? Did you wake up Trump Carrzee? Laurence Fox? What a joy.
This is the best news of all. This week it was reported that Donald Trump wants America to host the 2038 World Cup. He will be serving his fifth term as president at that time as well. Joy upon joy.
