No Show: The World Cup Teams That Never Were is out now with @pitchpublishing
Joined September 2025
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James Bennett retweeted
New Article: The Doomed Nation
Next in our World Cup 2026 content programme, James Bennett looks back on the East German nation team and their last matches together as a nation.
Words: @JBennettWriter
Available to read on our website ⬇️
footballheritage.co.uk/the-d…
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Above all else, I'm surprised this got completely passed over even as a talking point. You'd expect it from the BBC given they were too busy glazing Scotland but there was only one very quick replay from the world feed too
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Jun 14
The Scots won't care, and it's understandable because I'd feel the same if it was Wales, but that was a genuinely atrocious performance
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Jun 14
This tournament's starting to give me strong Euro 2016 vibes. Lots of close, attritional games where the second halves are just petering out
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Jun 14
Trying not to make too many sweeping judgements from one game but at the very least, Ancelotti's going to have to rework this Brazil team like Parreira did in 1994 if they're going to do anything. More reminiscent of some of Germany's recent showings than anything
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Jun 13
That's the Qatar we expected in 2022. Much improved performance. This is a very tight group
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Jun 12
Bosnia are such an awful team to play against. Bunch of absolute bastards (complimentary) - the sort of team that if they get through to the knockouts will make it inexplicably far by grinding out wins. Canada did well to get a draw there
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Jun 11
Funny hearing Raul Jimenez described as an "old warhorse" when he's three months younger than me
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Jun 10
It's really weird to me as a Welshman to see how low expectation is for England in this World Cup. Probably the best team they've had since 1970 and there's almost zero enthusiasm
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Jun 10
Meanwhile, it feels like there's been a concerted effort to rake up nostalgia for the Golden Generation and revise opinion of them. Maybe that's not a coincidence?
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Instant classic
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It's a shame this World Cup is utterly tainted, because it's going to have the best aesthetic of any World Cup since 2002
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James Bennett retweeted
🏆 Here’s our World Cup ad which features on the back of @WorldSoccerMag’s sensational World Cup issue, spotted on the beach in Florida!
📚 Check out our new World Cup ad and Amazon World Cup store on the thread below!
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James Bennett retweeted
Jun 7
and as @CouchPundito @JBennettWriter discuss, the world comes crashing down after David Ginola opts to cross instead of heading for the corner flag with disastrous consequences - and a forlorn France miss out - though things did get quite a lot better for them at #WorldCups
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James Bennett retweeted
Jun 7
The campaign is summed up by two contrasting images from the last minute defeat against Bulgaria in Paris - when Eric Cantona gave France the lead he at the top of his form (as well as the advertising hoarding) - and seemingly destined to be a star of USA 1994
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James Bennett retweeted
Jun 7
ICYMI @CouchPundito were joined by football writer @JBennettWriter on this week's @byfargreatestfc #football #podcast to look back at the French team that managed to lose their last two games at home to fail to qualify for USA 1994 #WorldCup
open.spotify.com/episode/1QG…
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Big thanks to @marbellagiles for a fun chat this morning!
Tune in for 'Let's Talk' with @marbellagiles - live from 10.00CET. @JBennettWriter with 'No Show: The World Cup Teams that Never Were', and Peter Stanford on 'Gaudi: God's Architect'
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Absolutely loved being on this! Thanks so much for having me on
Jun 4
This week @CouchPundito and myself are joined by @JBennettWriter on @byfargreatestfc #football #podcast for another #WorldCup special - with a difference - as we look back on the French national side that somehow didn't qualify for the USA 1994
open.spotify.com/episode/1QG…
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James Bennett retweeted
Jun 4
This French side is one of the 24 teams that never made it to a World Cup covered by James in his book No Show - and this was great fun unpicking quite how a team with Cantona in his pomp failed to make it to the World Cup - and a few thoughts on what could have been
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James Bennett retweeted
Jun 4
This week @CouchPundito and myself are joined by @JBennettWriter on @byfargreatestfc #football #podcast for another #WorldCup special - with a difference - as we look back on the French national side that somehow didn't qualify for the USA 1994
open.spotify.com/episode/1QG…
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