Ireland aren’t at the World Cup – but here’s why we’ll still be watching

The sporting event that stops the world

The Olympics comes close, The Masters and Wimbledon have their traditions, while at home the All-Ireland football final captivates the nation. But nothing compares to the World Cup.

For more than six weeks, the world’s most popular sport takes its rightful place at the centre of the sporting universe. Early morning kick-offs, late-night drama, penalty shootouts, VAR controversy, reputations forged and destroyed, moments that are discussed for decades afterwards.

Even those who don’t normally follow football find themselves drawn in. There is something irresistible about the sense of occasion.

The fans, the packed stadiums, the colour, the noise and the knowledge that billions of people around the world are just as transfixed as you.

Yes there’s been controversy – around FIFA’s greed, extortionate ticket prices, and joint host the USA’s questionable approach to welcoming the world – but this will fade into the background at 8pm on Thursday when Mexico and South Africa kick off in the first match.

When Ireland was there

A large part of the reason Irish fans love the World Cup so much is because of the memories it evokes.

For many, Italia ’90 remains a defining sporting, nay cultural, moment in their lives.

The summer when Ireland reached the quarter-finals under the leadership of Jack Charlton wasn’t simply about football. It became a celebration of a nation finding its feet on the world stage.

Packed pubs, televisions wheeled into offices, and entire streets erupting when David O’Leary scored the winning penalty in the shoutout against Romania to claim a place in the quarter-finals.

Four years later came USA ’94 and unforgettable scenes when Ray Houghton’s looping shot past Italian goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca secured one of the greatest victories in Irish football history.

Even the 2002 tournament, despite all the drama that preceded it, produced memories that remain vivid today. Indeed, Robbie Keane’s injury time equaliser against Germany to clinch qualification for the last 16 ensure that his namesake Roy’s spat with Manager Mick McCarthy wouldn’t be the only Irish talking point from that World Cup.

For a generation of Irish fans, those moments helped make the World Cup feel personal.

More than just a game

The older we get, the more we realise that our favourite sporting memories are often about much more than sport.

The World Cup reminds us of where we were and who we were with.

It brings back memories of family gatherings, of holidays, summer evenings, and conversations with friends who may no longer be with us.

A famous goal can transport us back decades in an instant. The feeling of that moment rushed back in an instant. The players change. The stadiums change. Even the way we watch changes. But the emotion remains consistent.

We’ll be watching again

That’s a big part of why we’ll watch again – the yearning for that emotional fix.

Of course, it will be difficult in the absence of the Boys in Green – but once the first whistle blows, we’ll become invested.

We’ll adopt a favourite team – possibly a few. We’ll marvel at stars seizing their chance to shine. We’ll debate refereeing decisions. We’ll stay up far too late to watch a match that suddenly feels too important to miss.

Once the gluttony of four matches a day during the group stage subsides, we’ll draw breath, dive back in and marvel at the quality of play during the knockout stages.

Then, when the final comes and goes, we’ll find ourselves saying the same thing we’ve said after every World Cup for decades: “What do I do now?”

Ireland may not be there this time. But it’s still the World Cup – and for football fans of a certain generation, that’s more than enough reason to tune in.