Meet the man planning on breaking the record for attending the most World Cup matches

Meet the man planning on breaking the record for attending the most World Cup matches

Canadian soccer superfan Lee Kormish of Saskatoon in the province of Saskatchewan seeks to break a unique record in the world of international football. Lee Kormish is a World Cup traveller whose life passion is soccer. Lee has attended four World Cup tournaments already and plans on attending 32 matches in the Qatar World Cup kicking off in November. On a cold winter night in Saskatoon, we talked about the most memorable World Cup experiences he’s had since his first tournament in 2006. He talked about being chosen as part of 45 international soccer fans from around the world to be named Fan Leaders in Qatar for the recent FIFA Arab Cup.

In a large western Canadian sports bar we began our interview:

TWF: How were you able to attend the FIFA Arab World Cup in December?

Lee Kormish: There’s a supreme committee looking after the World Cup in Qatar. They created a fan engagement team to get input from fans around the world, so they can perfect World Cup 2022. A friend from the Voyageurs (the Canadian national team’s largest supporters group) contacted me. Since I’ve been to World Cups he stated this might be of interest to me. He said to contact Daniel from the U.K. who’s part of the Qatar World Cup fan engagement team. They were looking for fans all over the world to have a few zoom calls with. They wanted to learn about accommodations and experiences we’ve had, to learn some things, so they can put on a good show. He said it might not result in anything, but I was happy to share my experiences. 

I set up a call with Daniel and he interviewed me for 30 minutes about previous World Cups I’ve attended and my love of soccer. He said, “Lee, this sounds good, you’re exactly what we’re looking for.” He said they were going to set up some meetings over the next few months. They had about 450 fans around the world they would get information from. A couple of months later I got an email from the Qatar fan engagement team saying they’re going to get 45 delegates of the 450 to the FIFA Arab Cup in November. They needed me to create a 60-second video talking about my passion for the game. I also needed to put on an event in my home city showing what we’re doing for soccer back home. 

We put on a watch party for Canada’s World Cup qualifying match against Mexico. That’s where Canada shocked the world with a Jonathan Osorio goal and tied the match 1-1 at the Azteca. About 22 people were watching the game at Sports on Tap when I took some pictures. I documented everything into a 60-second video and submitted it on October 9.

It was the first week of November and I hadn’t heard anything so I thought they didn’t choose me. About a week after that, around November 16, I got an email from the Qatar fan engagement team saying, “Congratulations Lee Kormish we’ve chosen you to come to Qatar.” It was for a 5 day trip at the end of November to attend the FIFA Arab Cup.

It must have been quite the experience, what were some of the most surprising things about your trip to Qatar?

A few of the delegates were nervous about going to Qatar. I’d never been to the Middle East so it’s a bit of an unknown. The first surprise to me was how perfect the weather was. The second thing was I learned a lot about the city of Doha and how it came to be. This was a desert land not only 25 years ago. Now they’ve built this innovative brand new sports capital city of the world. It’s an absolutely stunning city. The other surprising thing was how welcoming the people are. Not that it was too much of a surprise as I expected that to happen but it’s a first-class city all the way through. 

What’s the transportation system like there and how’s it going to work for the World Cup?

The metro gets you right to the doorstep of a couple of the stadiums and about a kilometre walk to a couple of the other stadiums. It was cheap. Every single day we were there at the Arab Cup, the metro was free with our fan ID. I was a little nervous about taking an Uber because of the cost, but they were inexpensive. We would be in the Uber for 15 minutes and it would be four or five bucks, Canadian dollars, driving from stadium to stadium. The Qatari dollar is worth about a third of the Canadian dollar. The traffic was insane, I would not suggest renting a car. I would say use the Metro, Uber or Taxi.

Do you have any concerns at all about Qatar’s ability to host the World Cup?

They’ll do it, first class. The big concern is how much congestion is it going to be with all the fans being in the same city. When you go to Russia, Brazil, South Africa, Germany, the four World Cups I’ve been to, the cities are spread out. If you’ve got 10,000 Dutch travelling, 4,000 Spanish travelling, and 40,000 Peruvians travelling they’re all spread out over different cities… In Qatar, you’re going to have every single nation in one city. The congestion is concerning but as far as facilities, transportation and accommodation… There are some concerns with the accommodation which I explain well in my YouTube video about that.

So how many World Cups have you been to now?

Qatar will be my fifth.

With the four previous World Cups you’ve attended there must have been some occasions with fan violence? Do you think the congestion of fans in Qatar could potentially lead to a flare-up’s of violence between fan supporter groups?

I’ve never actually thought about that but you’re correct. When we were in Marseille for the Euros in 2016 we had come there just days after the English vs the Russian fans. We were on those same streets where they had that melee of fights and really went crazy. That’s a valid concern and it will be interesting to see how that plays out. If you do have all the fans in one place like that… I guess alcohol could be a factor in previous incidents like that.

So what’s the situation for wanting to have a beer in Qatar?

At the Arab Cup, there was no beer being served to the general fans at the stadium. Although, if you were within your hospitality suite you did have beer available for you. For the casual fan going to a World Cup match, will you be able to get a beer inside the stadium? It’s unknown now. You will be able to get a beer at the FIFA fan zones. Those will be designated areas where you can get a beer. When we were at the FIFA Arab Cup you could get beers at the hotel, and also some of the restaurants. There was an excellent sports bar downtown that will be a very popular place. One of my friends from Ireland bought a round of four bottles of beer. His tab for that one round of beers was 64 Euros.

The night that everything ended for the 45 delegates there, a very popular Mexican named Carmelo wanted to treat everyone. He’s been to over 400 Mexico international matches, including in Edmonton for the Canada vs Mexico qualifier. He follows the Mexican team religiously and on the night everything ended in Qatar we had a going-away dinner. He had brought with him from Mexico City 45 sombreros and gave one to every delegate. How did he get 45 sombreros into Qatar, I have no idea. Also on that night, he bought beers for the group and there were a handful of us that went into the night having beers. His tab at the end of the night including a dozen buckets of beer, each one containing about five beers on ice was $1000. I would think in the fan zone that price would come down a little bit, but it’s not going to be cheap. Maybe five or six euros a beer would be more likely the price rather, than the 12 euros we were paying at the hotel. 

I think a lot of people aren’t even aware right now that in the Premier League they’ve banned beer being consumed in seating areas of the stadiums since the late 1980s with all the fan trouble there. So it’s not going to be too different for a lot of those fans to adjust. Here in Canada, everybody’s used to drinking in the stands, that’s just the way it is here in North America. I’ve heard in parts of the Middle East that alcohol is completely banned. So it’s good to know that if you want a beer it is available in Qatar. 

The same with Brazil in 2014 they created the Budweiser bill which allowed Budweiser to serve beer at the stadiums, which was only allowed during the World Cup. So they’ve made exceptions before and with Budweiser being a huge sponsor I’m sure they’re going to find a way to serve as much beer as possible. One of the things with drinking beer, you need to contain yourself. You can’t be spilling onto the streets and acting in a manner that’s unacceptable when you’re drunk. You can’t be drinking a beer on the street, you’ve got to be very reserved. There are going to be a few people that need to reserve themselves after they’ve had a few beers, or else you’ll run into serious problems with security. It will not be looked upon lightly and I’m sure there’s going to be an issue with how harshly Qatar security will deal with this. I’m sure we’ll hear about this, so you’ve got to be careful, that’s my advice.

So what are some of the differences in the ways sporting events are run in Qatar compared to North America or Europe?

Security is the big one. Security has tightened up at sporting events in North America. The Arab Cup was a good test for Qatar because they need to learn the culture of football. The security, the measures they had in place, and the way the stewards handled things can turn your casual sports fan. In the first match, we had a French fan in the delegation who wasn’t allowed to bring his French flag into the stadium, that was a problem. Just a regular-size Canon camera was a problem. I stuck around a week later and went to a few games because I wanted to test Qatar. Every single time I went through security to get into the stadium there was always an issue, every single time. I had a pack of gum in my bag, and they didn’t want me to take it into the stadium. So I emptied the pack of gum, and they took the wrapper from me. They have a list of items that are banned, and they go well beyond that. 

I went to, I think it was Sudan vs Egypt, and I had a Qatar flag, a small one that I had gotten from the first game. They wouldn’t let me bring in a Qatar flag because Qatar wasn’t playing in that game. I told them, “look I’m in Qatar and you gave me this flag at the last game I went to and I just have it on me in my backpack.” Another incident is they wouldn’t let me take the plastic stick that held the flag. If you were wearing anything from any other country, they were not allowing it into the stadium. Something they need to learn is that football culture is celebrating your club and your country. It’s a must, especially at the World Cup. You’re going to have neutral fans that want to fly their flag. The Arab Cup is a good test because they need to be able to adjust and allow these things into stadiums at the World Cup. People love putting their banners up with their name on it. You see the Bangledesh flag at the World Cup multiple times. Bangladesh is already eliminated from the World Cup, but they’ll be there. You’ve got to allow for certain things. There’s a leniency and culture of football that Qatar needs to learn. So that was my biggest takeaway from that.

Are there any teams that really stood out for you at the FIFA Arab Cup that you attended

The Arab Cup is not a good gauge for how these teams can play. A lot of the countries were undermanned because the big names were not allowed to play, they were at their club teams. Mo Salah wasn’t allowed to come down for Egypt, so they were short-handed. It was basically a tier-two team that was in the Arab Cup. You’ve got to look out for Morocco, they do not allow any goals, they didn’t allow a single goal in World Cup qualifying for Russia in 2018. Morocco are very stingy at the back. If they can find a way to score just one or two goals, I think Morocco is going to be a dark horse at Qatar 2022. 

So what player do think was the most outstanding at the FIFA Arab Cup?

The Qatar team was very exciting to watch play. There was a guy, number 11 Akram Afif, an absolute stud, who reminded me of Tajon Buchanan. When he played on the left side he was able to just turn a game on its side. He scored a few goals and had a very interesting celebration that he did. The Qatar team was very exciting, you’re going to have to look out for this team.

You’re trying to break the all-time record for attending the most FIFA World Cup matches. How many matches have you attended so far?

That record I’m trying to break is for a single World Cup. In the four World Cups I’ve gone to, I’ve attended 62 matches in total. Now to break the Guinness Book of World Records; this was set by Thulani Ngcobo of South Africa at the 2010 World Cup when he attended 31 matches. He had entered a contest in South Africa and was chosen as the fan champion of South Africa. They wanted an African to get this Guinness World Record. So they sponsored him, paid for all his tickets and made sure he had accommodation for every game and was able to attend 31 matches. I’m friends with him on Facebook, he’s a pretty neat guy but I’ve been telling him several times over the last few years that I’m going to break his record. So I need to get to 32 matches in Qatar, and it’s absolutely doable.

So logistically speaking you’ll have no problem getting from one match to the next because the stadiums are that close together.

We tested two days, one day we did three games in a day. On my own by myself, I attempted to go to all four games in one day. The Arab Cup has a lot less fans than what would be at the World Cup. The stadiums were fairly empty. Although a good test, without the congestion of the World Cup next year it’s not a fair trial run. In the three games we did; the first game, we had to leave at halftime to make it to match number two. Match number two we watched the full game. Match number three we broke apart but one of the guys was able to see the national anthems for the third game. I got to that game about 10-15 minutes into the match. The next day I did all four games and I documented and videoed myself throughout the day. I was late to two of them, one I didn’t get there until half-time, another I didn’t get there until 25 minutes into the match. My conclusion is it was stressful and it was not enjoyable. 

What we’ve decided is that two games a day you can do it, and you do it well and enjoyably. So if the matches were at 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, and 10:00, I would go to the 1:00 and the 7:00, or the 4:00 and the 10:00 or the 1:00 and the 10:00. Unless I’m really pressed to break the record, or there’s three great matches in a day, I’m not going to be doing more than two matches in a day at Qatar 2022. I need to enjoy myself at the World Cup, I’m not going there to kill myself. Plus the Guinness Book of World Records requires that you’re there before the match starts and after the match ends. So if I’m battling to get to three games in a day and you’re late two minutes into the game, it won’t count towards the record. I want to enjoy myself for the month. 

Could you do four games in a day? Well, I did it. But this is with 2,000 to 10,000 fans at matches, not 40,000 to 60,000 fans at matches. I was jumping in Ubers and taking the metro. I don’t know how many Ubers will be available in crunch time to get from one stadium to another stadium. Our synopsis is two games a day max if you want to enjoy yourself. If you want to push and kill yourself you could do three or four, it is possible. But you’re going to be late, and you’re going to be stressed out.

So you’re going to try to make 32 games at the next World Cup. So you’ll attend nearly half of them?

This will be the last World Cup with 64 matches because they’re going to increase the number of teams in 2026. So there is a real possibility that my record will get broken someday if I’m able to achieve this. But I feel that Qatar is the best chance for me to get this record.

Because these games are so close together it should help you get that record. The World Cup in 2026 in North America here, no one’s going to be able to come close to that because the games are spread throughout the continent. Mexico City, Edmonton, New York, LA, they’re all over the place. 

Logistically it’s going to be impossible. So this is the time for me to try this. 

Do you know who has the record for attending most World Cup games throughout history? Is there a record for that?

I’m not aware of a record for that, I’m trying to figure that out. I know some crazy German fans have attended a lot of matches. When we were in Russia, we ran the gauntlet to try to get to every World Cup stadium. And being how massive Russia is, to try to get from city to city… There were no close cities in Russia. You were looking at a minimum of hours and hours just to get from one city to the next. So there was one stadium in Samara that was really difficult to get to. There were no flights on that day to get to the round of 16 Brazil vs Mexico. It was a mouth-watering match that I absolutely had to get to. So there’s this share a ride app in Russia, and we found a guy that was driving to Samara that morning. That would get us there about an hour before Brazil vs Mexico round of 16. It picked us up around three or four in the morning, and I think it was about $40 for each of us. Me and my friend that had been travelling together we get to this van and there’s nine of us in this van just squished together. Those were the ultimate fans. The one guy was going to 18 games in Russia, and the other guy had been to a bunch of World Cups before. These guys knew of all the fans that had been to the most games. So I need to find that out. 

As far as going to (World Cup) matches, of the 45 delegates that went to Qatar for the Arab Cup, I was in the top three. Carmello from Mexico has been to nine World Cups. I asked him how many games he’s been to and he said, Lee, “no one’s ever asked me that before.” I told him “Carmello, when you go home add up all your tickets and tell me how many you’ve been to.” Also, Gary from Ireland has been to every World Cup since 1990. So he’s been to eight. I also asked him and he didn’t know either. He also said he’s never been asked that before. So I’m bound and determined to find the person who’s been the most. And my goal will be to surpass that. I’m sure that will be a major challenge and I’m sure it’s more than double what I’ve been to. I’ve been to 62, and I’m sure there’s someone that’s been to 120 to 150 games. 

So it could be a lifetime journey to take you above and beyond something like that. Into the hundreds of games, perhaps 200 games, you could be doing this for the next 40 years even.                         

It’s my number one passion. I base my life on four-year World Cup cycles. If anyone asks me what I was doing in 2009, I think Africa was 2010, and 2009 I just know based on World Cup years. I’m in this for the long haul. The first thing I want to achieve is 100 World Cup matches. Then I’m going to write my book 100 World Cup matches. I’m inspired by George Vecsey, he wrote a book called Eight World Cups. He followed the US team when no one else cared about soccer in North America. From the New York Times, they assigned him to go to all these World Cups and cover the US team. So he wrote a book called Eight World Cups about all his experiences. It was a great book, and I’m like what can I do? So I’m going to write a book called 100 World Cup matches. 

What was the first World Cup match that you ever attended?

I don’t think I could have asked for a better team to go to my first World Cup match. When we applied for tickets we were desperate. We tried to get any country, and the one country we were able to get was Paraguay. We got Paraguay team-specific tickets, so we were following team Paraguay in 2006. When the draw came out, we were so excited to see who Paraguay was going to play. The first team drawn out was England. I got to see David Beckham, Michael Owen, and the English play against Paraguay in Frankfurt Stadium. That was my first World Cup match. My first World Cup memory is walking into that stadium and seeing the massive amount of English banners and fans. When they played God Save the Queen, I still get shivers down my spine thinking of that moment today. It was emotional to actually be there at the World Cup, listening to the English national anthem and hearing the thousands of English fans singing it. What a way to welcome Lee Kormish into the World Cup. 

Of all the World Cups you’ve been to, which was the best in terms of atmosphere?

There’s something special about each of the World Cups. 2006 Germany was very well organized, perfection. If you want something organized correctly, I think the Germans and the Americans do it the best. It was a near-perfect tournament. But when it comes to the World Cup, all the hosts do a really good job is what I’m finding. The most special World Cup for me is South Africa 2010. I’ve talked to guys that have travelled to a few World Cups and a lot say South Africa was special because of the people. There was so much pure joy that the World Cup brought to South Africa and you could really feel that. 

For Brazil 2014 the atmosphere at some of those stadiums, playing in South America was really great. What Russia had was probably the best soccer, the best games being played. It just felt like there were upsets and there were some really good matches, a lot of goals being scored. So every World Cup has something special. 

The loudest a crowd ever sounded, was in World Cup 2010 at the final. When they announced Nelson Mandela was coming onto the field, that stadium of 70 some thousand in Johannesburg absolutely erupted. It was louder than any goal I’ve ever heard at a World Cup match, it almost shook me when it happened. When Mandela was announced and came on that field in a golf cart, it was his last ever public appearance before he passed away. That atmosphere, my gosh they loved that man.

The World Cup has a lot of neutral fans, so I find the greatest atmosphere I’ve experienced is actually at the European Championships. In Europe, you get a lot of local fans coming to the games, because there’s such a short travel distance. So the Euro Cup actually has a stronger team atmosphere than the World Cup does. 

How many Euro Cups have you been to?

Just 2016. We had tickets for 2020 but with everything going on there it was a real problem to travel there. There were too many unknowns so we cancelled 2020.

What are the type of things that make for the best atmosphere at the World Cup?

The fans. I think FIFA in Qatar will do whatever it takes to make sure those stadiums are full. I can’t imagine half-full stadiums or any type of restrictions for fans to travel. I think football’s the biggest and greatest game in the world, and I don’t think it will be like the Olympics with restrictions. I think for football they’ll do whatever it takes to make sure fans are there. Like you’ll need to have vaccinations for this Qatar tournament. It’s the fans that make the atmosphere, it’s quiet without the fans.

What are some of the things that make for a less enjoyable experience while attending World Cups, anything that detracts from the experience?

Fans like a smooth ride. They want to be able to get to the stadium with as little inconvenience as possible when travelling. Costs are one of those. If it’s expensive for accommodations, food and transportation that’s going to deter from your experience. If there’s any fear of travelling, or risk, or safety issues, that’s going to detract from the experience. Also, security, if there’s going to be a problem with the littlest things… That really deterred my Arab Cup experience, every time I went through security it was a problem. Clean up a few of those items, but safety won’t be an issue in Qatar. There’s no crime in Qatar. 

Have you ever felt unsafe while at a World Cup?

Every time a World Cup or an Olympics takes place, almost no matter where it is, there’s always this fear that the media drives. When the World Cup was in Russia, fear kept many fans away, especially from Europe. Europeans didn’t really travel to Russia. I went to the Sydney Olympics in 2002, shortly after 9/11 and there was a lot of anxiety and fear before travelling there. Same with South Africa, being in Johannesburg, a city of 11 million, you’d be scared to get robbed. That fear the media puts in travelling to these places, it’s a tactic that works because it deters a lot of people from going. The month that these places have the World Cup, these are the safest places to be in the whole world. The whole world is watching and they have more security in these cities, or in that one country than anywhere else in the world. So I have no fear of travelling to any of these sporting events. 

When the World Cup ended in South Africa, that was my scariest moment. I stayed in the stadium until well into the early morning, I think it was 2 or 3 am that I walked back to my car. So I was by myself walking and there was a guy about 50 feet behind me, walking closely behind. I saw these local girls ahead of me walking and I caught up to them and I said, “do you mind walking with me, this guy’s making me a bit nervous”. I had never felt this way before on any of my travels. So I said to them “Girls, am I ok?” They said “You’re in trouble if you’re not with us. So stay with us, we’ll walk you right to your car because that guy is looking at you.” It was the only time I felt nervous, and it was after the World Cup ended. The curtains had come down, the event was over, and the spotlight was off South Africa. Even though it was only eight hours after the World Cup had ended, it was done. That was the only time I was nervous on all my travels.

What’s the best World Cup match you have ever attended?

I debate this in my mind all the time. In the last four World Cups, and I wasn’t at this game, it was the semifinal between Italy and Germany in Dortmund, World Cup 2006. I think that was the greatest match in the last four World Cups. I was in Munich at the fan fest watching it, and the Germans were eliminated by the Italians. Some brave Italian fans were celebrating while being outnumbered a thousand to one by the Germans. These kids were running up and through the crowds and in the train waving their Italian flags. I thought that was pretty brave. That was the best match. 

I was at the round of 16 match between Argentina and France in Russia, it was a 4-3 thriller. That was the game Mbappe introduced himself to the world. That’s the first one that comes to mind of the greatest matches I’ve been to. Being at three World Cup finals, there’s something special about the final. It’s the holy grail, it’s a different feeling at the final because the World Cup is being presented that day. There’s so much history behind that day and there’s going to be documentaries, highlights and footage forever from those games.

I was at the England vs Colombia penalty shootout, where England was able to conquer the penalty shootout for the first time at a World Cup. Although the game wasn’t outstanding, to be there during the shootout was. The Colombians outnumbered the English that day about four to one in the grounds of Spartak Moscow. To celebrate with the English afterwards and watch the Colombians leave sad was pretty surreal, that was quite an experience. Being to 62 matches, I could talk about all 62 as something special.

What are the three World Cup Final matches you attended?

I went to Berlin Olympic Stadium with the full intention of going to the Italian French final in 2006. With 600 Euros in my pocket, I thought I was going to the World Cup Final. I looked for tickets for six hours that day, and I needed a thousand Euros to get into that game. I wanted to make sure that I would never miss out on a Final again in my lifetime. I could hear the crowd, I could hear the game going on, I knew it was going into extra time. That was when Zidane had the infamous headbutt. The feelings I had inside, that I was outside the stadium not inside, I never wanted to feel that again.

I got a ticket to the final in Johannesburg between Spain and the Netherlands. To be at that game, my first Final, it was memorable. That was a dirty match. It was not a glorified Final. I think the Dutch didn’t believe they could beat the Spanish that day. I felt the Dutch only thought they could win by taking the Spanish off their game and being really physical. They were almost violent against the Spanish that day and they did upset them a little bit. In the end, Iker Casillas made a massive stop on an Arjen Robben breakaway with just the right side of his shoe diving out. The ball just nicked his shoe and went around the post. I was right behind that goal, I’ll never forget seeing that right up close. Then Andres Iniesta ended up scoring with just a minute left in extra time to win that game. I’m glad the Spanish won, they deserved that one.

The most difficult ticket ever was the World Cup Final in Brazil, because everyone believed Brazil was going to be in that Final. I was looking at that ticket and it was a minimum $3,500 USD for that ticket. As soon as tickets went on sale, of course, the Final was sold out within seconds. You had to win the draw to get one of those tickets. Second-hand tickets from scalpers went up to $4,000 USD, and as the World Cup was being played in Brazil it was going up to $4,500-$5,000. I knew I had to get into that Final, and I knew the best chance would be when Brazil was eliminated. That opened the door for possibilities. I booked my flight to Rio, found out where the Flamengo team office was to pick up tickets and I planted myself there. We stood outside the office, and security was so high you needed to show your passport and paperwork just to get into the building. You had to have your name on a ticket. So I couldn’t get into the building, so we all huddled outside the building. I was there for three hours and a group of Germans arrived, two went in and one stayed outside. I knew a little German from travelling there, so I spoke to the guy outside in his language and right away he was excited to talk to me. I asked him, “how many tickets do you have?” He said he had four tickets but his friend had to go home to Germany. So the fourth ticket, no one had their name on it anymore. I showed him my money and said, “as soon as your friends come out, let me know how much I need to pay and I’ll buy this ticket from you guys.” 

About 15 minutes later his friends come out and they walk down the street and my eyes are focused on these three gentlemen from Germany. The leader of the pack looks behind and gives me a little nod. I wasn’t the only one to notice that, all these neutral fans and Argentine fans saw this. All of a sudden we’ve got these Germans surrounded. There’s a ton of us looking, what did this guy find, is there a ticket? I’m like “guys this is my discovery, move out of here.” Then security came and said, “no ticket selling here.” So the Germans said “come with us,” and they walked with me to a little mall down the street. We went inside and all these neutral fans and Argentine fans followed us. I asked the Germans, “how much for the ticket?” and they said “$1,400 US.” I had $2,500 on me ready to spend. I could not have gotten $1,400 out of my wallet faster than I did right there. I put it on the table, they handed me the ticket and it was done in ten seconds. All these people, their jaws dropped, were all looking and asking “how much did you pay,” “we want the ticket!” It said Argentina vs Germany on that ticket and I went out onto the street and I said “thank you god!” The rain started to lightly pour at that moment and I put that ticket in my little travellers pack under my shirt. That thing did not leave me for the next four days. I ended up paying $1,400 for a ticket that was worth no less than $5,000 just the day before. That was the most difficult ticket I ever acquired.  

What do you think about all the talk of the World Cup happening every two years?

I hate it. There’s so many negatives to that, and the only positive is for FIFA from my standpoint. They’re only doing it for the dollars. As a purist, the World Cup is every four years. It would take away from the magic, the anticipation of the World Cup every four years, that’s what makes it so special. The other part of it is Pele played in four World Cups, Lev Yashin for Russia played in four World Cups. There would be guys now playing in seven, eight, nine World Cups. It would just skew the record books, there’s that aspect to it as well. It’s a total dollar grab. FIFA makes a ton more money in the World Cup year than they do the other three years. Having had media credentials, I’ve sat in press conferences where Gianni Infantino has been talking. The next time I have a chance to ask the president of FIFA a question, I’m going to ask him; “Gianni, you know in your heart and everyone in this room and every football fan on earth knows the World Cup is every four years. Why do you keep pushing to have it every two years when you know in your heart that it’s every four years. Why would you do that?” I’m going to put him on the spot the next time I have a chance. 

For football purists, they have a lot of problems with that. There are a lot of tournaments you can do in the off years with the Euro Cup and the other confederations cups. It would upset the international footballing calendar. I agree with you, I see it as a money grab and I don’t see it as a positive thing at all.

You said it. It’s going to upset that international window. We are spoiled to have the European Cup, the Olympics, the Gold Cup, the Copa America, and the African Cup of Nations. Those tournaments fill the void when we’re all anticipating the next World Cup. Then there’s World Cup qualifying, which starts two years before the tournament. I could see FIFA, going based on rankings and not even having World Cup qualifiers for a lot of teams. They could have the top 10 ranked European nations qualify. The top three in CONCACAF qualify based on rankings. You would just have secondary qualification matches, I could see that being a part of it just to condense that international window as well. There are a lot of negative spin-offs to it.

 I ran a poll on Twitter and 98% wanted the World Cup to remain every four years. FIFA claimed more fans wanted the World Cup more often than four years. Who did they ask? I’ve talked to tons of people and no one favours the two-year World Cup cycle. That survey they had was ‘a’ have it every year, ‘b’ have it every two years, ‘c’ have it every three years, or ‘d’ have it every four years. Well 45% said every four years, 11% said every year, 30% said every two years, and 14% said every three years. The one, two and three they added up together and said 54% want the World Cup more often. Although the choice ‘d’ was the most popular choice, every four years. It was a misleading survey and I wonder who they asked? When I have FIFA media accreditations and I’ve travelled to four World Cups and I don’t have a chance to fill out that survey, well who’s filling that out?

What do you think Canada can learn from your experiences of attending World Cups? Would you have any advice for Canada Soccer when hosting World Cup 2026?

We need to relax. Let the countries that are drawn into Edmonton and Toronto bring the fans. Welcome them to Canada, have cheaper flights from Edmonton to Toronto or whatever cities host. Control the hotel prices, you’ve gotta make it affordable. Canada is an expensive place to travel. Relax the laws and the rules, and allow everyone to come into the country. I don’t know what countries require visas to get into Canada but just relax security. Have as much security as you need but allow people to come here and enjoy. When they’re here, be friendly to them. If you interrogate them at the airport, like a welcome to Canada that I’ve gotten just for coming home at the airport, going through all my luggage and everything… It’s going to put a negative light on the experience. 

I fear that Canada is going to be the most difficult of the three nations. The Americans will do it perfectly. It will be the third time Mexico’s doing it, they’ll open their doors and it will be great. Canadians just need to welcome the world and be positive about it. There’s negativity about hosting events in Canada, like the Olympics being turned down in Calgary. I think there’s negativity in our country not to spend money on events like this. It’s ok to spend money on events like this, we need to show the rest of the world our country. I think we need to relax and make it a great experience for everyone, be positive and welcome the world. Lower the prices on flights and accommodations, and make sure everything is affordable. So people don’t need to take out a second mortgage to travel to the World Cup.