Who will you support?

[Wouter D]

Somebody at the Guardian apparently got a hold of TAB (see Ireland - Alternative View).

They clearly asked the wrong Dutchman, for I will be enjoying the good fortunes of Iceland in yet another valiant endeavor to punch above their weight only to get trashed by France. After the inevitable, I will then switch my allegiance to the nationality of my in-laws, and cheer for Germany.

For all the non-boycotters: who will you support?

[Cal Alamein]

With the USA out I wish our CONCACAF brethren well, even Mexico.

On the Euro front, hope the three Scandinavian teams do well and I'll also jump on the Salah Egypt bandwagon.

Hope a new nation (other than the hosts) wins it.

[Hot Pepsi]

Shouldn’t it be “whom?”

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Sweden/Croatia
After that the sides with a Milan player, game by game

Hope Saudi Arabia get 0 points. Even worse leaders than Russia.

[Satchmo Distel]

Peru, for the 70s memories.

[Incandenza]

Mexico
Peru
Argentina

[pebblethefish]

England, obviously. And not with self-loathing, as some on this board feel they have to, but because I support my home team so I'd quite like them to win.

[Guy Profumo]

England
Sweden
Germany

(And because I've got them in the draw at work, Iceland - or to finish bottom so I get my fiver refunded)

[ad hoc]

Teams that would most serve to piss off racists
eg Muslim teams (Iran, Morocco, Egypt. Note: not Saudi Arabia, because, well, fuck Saudi Arabia)
African teams
European teams that are very multicultural (Note: includes England, but any England success would be made much sweeter if it were all down to Raheem Sterling)
Mexico (because that would piss off US racists, not that I have ever met any anti Mexicans myself)

[Uncle Ethan]

England and Australia for me. No self-loathing on either account.

[Jah Womble]

England, obviously. And not with self-loathing, as some on this board feel they have to, but because I support my home team so I'd quite like them to win.

Yeah, this. With luck we'll make the latter stages, but I'll enjoy the tournament either way.

[Duncan Gardner]

Switzerland
Costa Rica
Panama

[Ray de Galles]

I think I'm starting out supporting Denmark but, you know, I'll be politely ABE as always.

[Third rate Leszno]

In general, the underdogs.

England, though it would be a lot easier if Dele Alli were somewhere else. Not sure I'd really want them to get further than the quarters though, I don't think I could cope with the jingoism, media reaction and upsurge in gobshites who previously never gave a fuck about football.

Bit of a soft spot for Croatia and Germany.

Anyone but Brazil.

[Diable Rouge]

Croatia - of all the EU countries, they seem the least bullish, and fond memories of their '98 team.

[N est à?]

All my self-loathing will be related to watching the damn thing at all, not whichever bunch of shit-tattoo millionaire narcissists I cheer for.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

I'd like England to do badly, but also for kane, Sterling, and Alli to do really well, so Britain could finally get around to thanking Irish, jamaican and Nigerian migrants for their contributions to British society.

[San Bernardhinault]

I'd like England to do really well, but also do terribly so there are no distractions from Telly May's upcoming clusterfuck.

Once England are eliminated, I'll be cheering for an Egypt vs Mexico final.

[Ray de Galles]

I'd like England to do badly, but also for kane, Sterling, and Alli to do really well, so Britain could finally get around to thanking Irish, jamaican and Nigerian migrants for their contributions to British society.

So it isn’t actually you in the Guardian piece. I did wonder how on earth you would have ended up commenting there.

I don’t think I realised Kane is of Irish heritage. I don’t think he’s widely regarded as such to be thanked or otherwise, to be honest.

[Billy Casper]

England. a) It's my country. b) It will be my eleven year olds first World Cup that he will properly remember, and I'd like him to not be too disappointed. c) John Stones instead of John Terry.

Panama. I like their flag.

Peru. I like their kit.

[Diable Rouge]

So it isn’t actually you in the Guardian piece. I did wonder how on earth you would have ended up commenting there.

I don’t think I realised Kane is of Irish heritage. I don’t think he’s widely regarded as such to be thanked or otherwise, to be honest.

Kane and Keane basically share the same linguistic derivation, and indeed the latter is often pronounced as the former.

[Bored Of Education]

Argentina.

[Ray de Galles]

Kane and Keane basically share the same linguistic derivation, and indeed the latter is often pronounced as the former.

I was pretty sure that Kane was probably an Irish name or derived from it but that doesn’t mean Harry is seen as a product of Irish migration by any significant number of English people.

[Duncan Gardner]

@Ray- the 'Irish Passport' podcast recently did an extended feature on knowledge and perceptions of Ireland from England. Their not quite scientific sample was predominantly 30-something, University-educated, professionally employed women in London. The extent of their ignorance was so breathtaking that I think we can forgive Spurs fans not realising Harry Kane's granny once spent a summer holiday in the Connemara Gaeltacht

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Croatia - of all the EU countries, they seem the least bullish, and fond memories of their '98 team.

One has to be honest even though it hurts a bit, but my Croatia is not so perfect and was indeed bullish. When the "worst" waves of refugees from northern Africa/Middle East walking in mile long head count seeking a new safe home hit Europe, Croatia was one of the countries saying no and considered building fences along some parts of its borders. Now, Croatia is not very rich and there are people struggling there already so among the EU-countries it's not most well equipped to take in refugees money wise, but it sure as hell is safer than Syria and that's all that counts so was a bit down when I watched news of how they (and Serbia) started to act a bit like Hungary. What Croatia did, was not to shut down its border for the refugees. Instead they pushed them through. Like "move along now to the next country, you're not staying here". Which is equally shitty as building a fence.

But I hope you still root for Croatia. There were plenty of people objecting to how the government behaved, and plenty who took in refugees hiding them. Because we have been refugees ourselves and those Croatians hadn't forgotten that.