World Cup openings

Day -789 WorldCup2018.

The opening match of Russia 2018 kicks off at 6pm, Moscow time, on June 16th. Assuming I'm still living where I am right now, that will be 11am for me. So while I'm looking for a way to get out of work, or disappear for a couple of hours, and grab my second coffee of the day,  Russians and other Europeans will be leaving work early to get home or to a bar to enjoy the football with a beer. Same match, different viewing experience. But, hold on. I thought the Russian organising committee, or Fifa, must not be too worried about work productivity that day. 6pm is a pretty early kick-off. But then I checked and June 16th is a Saturday. It seems strange. As far as I can remember, the opening match was always on a weekday, usually a Friday. Why that is strange to me I can't really explain. It must be one of those things that is wired into my football brain: World Cups start on a Friday.

So I had to check. It is a fact that we very often make decisions based on perceptions of previous events rather than real, hard facts. World Cups start on a Friday. That's what my head tells me.

Argentina-Belgium in 1982, my first one, was on a Sunday. I had school the next day. I'm not sure I was allowed to stay up and watch it all. End of year exams were close.  At Mexico 1986 Italy opened against Bulgaria in a somewhat surprising 1-1 draw on a Sunday, at noon. Noon. In Mexico. Guess who was seen as the most important football audience in the world? Yes, it was prime evening viewing in Europe. I do remember watching it, even though it was 4 years later and exams were probably a little more important now. So far, my Friday theory is not quite panning out. Perceptions.

Argentina-Cameroon, Italy, 1990. Yes! It was on a Friday, at 6pm. I remember the heat and that by now our house had emptied somewhat and with it being an early start, I watched it alone at home. This was the match of the spectacular tackle on Claudio Caniggia and the surprise win for Cameroon.

USA 1994. Another Friday start. Germany beat Bolivia 1-0. I have absolutely nothing to say about, except that I remember the match that followed it. Spain drew 2-2 with South Korea. These Koreans look pretty good, I remember thinking. Again, the opening match, as were many at that World Cup, was played at a time that suited the Europeans perfectly. For me it was a great evening at the end of  exams at University.

Brazil-Scotland, June 10th, France '98 was the pub plan gone wrong. And it was on a Wednesday. I was at a "British" pub, downtown Toronto, which we thought would be a great place to watch Scotland play in the World Cup. Not quite so. Maybe it was because it was middle of the day, but it felt like we had come in to watch the opening day of junior waterpolo Canadian championships. Aside from Scotland's bad luck at losing 2-1 the entertainment of the day was wondering why the bartender/waiter had disappeared out the pub when we ordered lunch. Ah, there he is, back with the bread. Funny that we actually have customers for lunch today, he must have been thinking.

The French disaster in their opening loss to Senegal at Japan/South Korea 2002 took place on a Friday. A-ha! There's another one. This was a roll out of bed, stay at home, but then quickly get ready for work event. Early morning football. It just didn't seem right. You spend the day talking about what happened before you came to work, not spend the work day arguing about what might happen when you go home from work.

Germany 2006, another Friday lunchtime. Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2 in what I would call a fun match. I rushed home that day after an early start to a big hole, a pit, in my front lawn. The gas line was being replaced, but I didn't know and my only thought was, am I going to have to deal with this today, now? Thankfully, not. Football was enjoyed.

Mexico-South Africa opened South Africa 2010. A new era in my life, a new job, meant I happened to find myself walking by a TV quite often and occasionally having to stop, but not long enough that it looked like I was lingering. And, yes, it was a Friday.

And finally to Brazil 2014. The opening match, for which I could not find an excuse to get away from work for, was played on a Thursday. Brazil, the Brazil of Hulk, Fred and Jo, and Neymar and Big Phil, unconvincingly beat Croatia 3-1. Or so I was told through the number of messages I received from friends all over the world who were ready to discuss. But life, outside of football, got in the way again.

I didn't do too badly. In my World Cup life, 9 World Cups, 5 opened on a Friday and two others on weekdays. So there you go Russia. Saturday is weird. What will I do, 789 days from now at 11 am? You would think that's well enough time to make a good plan.