The 2020s have been a very weird decade. Euro 2020 took place a year late amid the twitchy, anti-social fug of COVID, while Qatar 2022 was dogged by human rights shame and the fact you can't have a barbecue in December without getting either drenched or pneumonia. Praise be for a simple, guilt-free tournament held in sunburn season.
The Germans are wunderbar at many things, from crank-shaft engineering to mixing malted grains and water, but hosting football tournaments might be their finest talent. Anyone who attended the 2006 World Cup will recall a dizzyingly delightful affair, from the seamless travel to the friendly fan parks chock-full of frothing steins and gleaming bratwurst. Expect similar joy.
The pair set a low bar for this occasion's mascot, which has barely scraped it with the oafish ursine that is Albart, who will at least make a less horrifying toy for the kids.
The boffins at Adidas have made some cracking footballs in recent years, but they've surpassed themse
Collection
[
|
...
]