Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542372
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 JANUARY 2026 LOOKING FORWARD 2026 A World Cup of records HOST nation Mexico and South Africa will kick off the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament on Thursday 11 June at the Mexico City Stadium in Mexico City. It will be the first of 104 games to be played across 16 host cit- ies in three countries—Canada, Mexico and the United States. This year's tournament will feature 48 teams, making it the biggest ever. It is also the first to be hosted by three countries. The World Cup will undoubt- edly be the sporting event of the year—possibly political, as well, given the trade and mi- gration tensions between the US and its two neighbours. Undoubtedly, US President Donald Trump will use the occasion to present himself as a world leader, whose love for peace reflects the belief espoused by FIFA, the world football organisation, that football is a unifying power. But beyond Trump's larger than life presence, football fans around the globe will be glued to their TV screens watching the GOATs of football—Ar- gentine Lionel Messi and Por- tuguese Cristiano Ronaldo— take part in what is ostensibly their last World Cup appear- ance. Argentina are the hold- ers, having won the last World Cup held in Qatar in 2022. They start the defence of their title by playing against Algeria on 17 June. The 2026 World Cup will see at least four teams play for the first time in the finals—Cu- racao, Cabo Verde, Jordan and Uzbekistan. They may be joined by others after the play- offs in March. The tiny, Caribbean island of Curacao, with a population of around 156,000, became the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup. With Curacao having a FIFA World Ranking of 82, from the teams that have so far qualified to the World Cup, only New Zealand and Haiti are worse off, ranked 87 and 84 respectively. Meanwhile, just across the Atlantic Ocean, Cabo Verde, an archipelago off the coast of west Africa, with a population of 525,000, will be the other minnow nation to compete in the 2026 World Cup. Making their debut in the tournament, Cabo Verde is ranked 67. Meanwhile, Jordan and Uz- bekistan, the other tournament first-timers, are ranked 64 and 50 respectively. Back to the Caribbean, gang-ravaged Haiti qualified for the World Cup for the first time since their debut in 1974, while Norway, Scotland and Austria will mark a return to the World Cup after a 28-year lapse. The last six teams to quali- fy for the World Cup will be known in March when play-off matches are held to secure the last berths. Four of the teams will hail from Europe, while the other two could come from any of the other regional federa- tions. Four-times world cham- pions Italy will have to slog it out in the play-offs after failing to secure an automatic berth in the group qualifiers. The final will be held on Sun- day 19 July at the New Jersey Stadium in New York. KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Curacao players celebrate their first-ever qualification to the World Cup finals, to become the smallest nation to ever qualify (Photo: FIFA) Malta's metro dream: Another study cometh WHAT is always in front of us, yet never within reach? You might be thinking of the hori- zon. No. Another object dan- gled in front of our eyes over the last few years has proven more elusive than trying to reach the horizon. Malta's dream of a metro con- necting key population and work centres seems forever stuck in tomorrow. In 2021, a few months before the general election, govern- ment proposed a three-line underground transport system with 25 stops. It was estimat- ed to cost around €6.25 billion and its construction would span over 20 years. Four years later, the idea of a mass transport system has changed to one with a €3 billion price tag. But for the time being, all Malta has to show for its metro dream are a glitzy presentation that has been ditched and feasi- bility studies on the re-dimen- sioned idea that have yet to be published. It might all change in the coming months, if the studies are completed and the government decides to publish them. Public debate around the metro comes at a sensitive time, especially for the Labour Party. The new year is all that is left for this administration to show that it has solutions to ease the traffic problem and although a metro will do nothing for the immediate concerns it can set the tone for change. But the government is also aware that another glitzy met- ro roadshow with no tangible targets will be perceived as yet another pre-election stunt by a cynical electorate that also re- fuses to admit that human be- haviour is much to blame for traffic congestion. Malta has seen an increase of over 39,000 vehicles since 2022 alone, and while road projects have eased the pressure, this is only temporary. The traffic problem is no longer one of inconvenience, but one which has economic and mental health repercussions. It requires action in the form of short-, me- dium- and long-term solutions, accompanied by a shift away from the glorification of the car as a status symbol. But despite the lower price tag, the costs behind a new mass transport system are still high enough to cause alarm. When talk of a metro resur- faced in September 2025, Fi- nance Minister Clyde Carua- na quickly pointed out that it would make no sense for gov- ernment to spend billions on a mass transport system while ignoring the Maltese love affair with the car. Private cars are for modern Maltese what statues of the Fat Lady were for the islands' inhab- itants in Neolithic times. It won't be an easy decision to make, especially on the eve of an election. But then again, clamping down on car use will not happen overnight, especially with the long timeframes for the construction of a metro system. How the debate on a metro will unfold in 2026 depends on the outcome of the ongoing study but in the meantime, a more tangible solution is an expand- ed ferry network to encourage more use of the sea for ordinary commutes. It will serve as a testbed to de- termine whether commuters are willing to leave their car at home or in a park and ride to travel by alternative means. In 2026, the Abela administration will be looking closely at the number of ferry users, especially when the Bugibba connection starts being used. MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Revised metro plans that have yet to be finalised will propose a mass transport system that is part underground and part above ground