This week, the Thinking in English Community is talking about the 2026 World Cup and some of the controversies around it in our conversation clubs!
The World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world. It brings together fans, teams, and people from across the globe. But major events like this also raise important questions about cost, safety, and politics.
I think talking about the World Cup is a great way to practise giving opinions, agreeing and disagreeing, and discussing global issues in clear and confident English. You don’t need to be a football expert… just bring your ideas and experiences!
Here are 10 conversation questions to get you talking about the 2026 World Cup!
The Thinking in English Conversation Club takes place every TUESDAY and THURSDAY at 12pm, 6pm, and 24pm UK time!
You can find more details on how to participate here!
Conversation Questions:
- Do you like football (soccer)? Why or why not?
- Will you watch the 2026 World Cup?
- Would you like to attend a World Cup match in person in the future?
- Do you think the World Cup brings people together?
- What are the benefits of hosting a World Cup?
- What problems can happen when a country hosts a big event?
- Do you think tickets for big events are too expensive?
- Would you feel safe travelling to the US right now?
- In the future, should the World Cup change how it is organized?
- Make your own questions!
Vocabulary
- Attend (Verb): To go to an event.
- In person (Phrase): Physically present, not online.
- Bring together (Phrase): To unite people.
- Host (Verb): To organise and provide a place for an event.
- Benefits (Noun): Advantages or positive effects.
- Big event (Noun Phrase): A large and important occasion.
- Problems (Noun): Difficulties or issues.
- Travelling (Verb/Noun): Going from one place to another.
- Organized (Verb/Adjective): Planned and arranged.
Resources
Conversation Club Times
12pm Conversation Club Around The World
- London, United Kingdom Tue/Thur at 12:00 BST
- Mexico City, Mexico Tue/Thur at 05:00 CST
- Bogota, Colombia Tue/Thur at 06:00 COT
- Santiago, Chile Tue/Thur at 08:00 CLST
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Tue/Thur at 08:00 BRT
- Rome, Italy Tue/Thur at 13:00 CEST
- Warsaw, Poland Tue/Thur at 13:00 CEST
- Istanbul, Turkey Tue/Thur at 14:00 TRT
- Taipei, Taiwan Tue/Thur at 19:00 CST
- Tokyo, Japan Tue/Thur at 20:00 JST
18pm Conversation Club Around The World
- London, United Kingdom Tue/Thur at 18:00 BST
- Mexico City, Mexico Tue/Thur at 11:00 CST
- Bogota, Colombia Tue/Thur at 12:00 COT
- Santiago, Chile Tue/Thur at 14:00 CLST
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Tue/Thur at 14:00 BRT
- Rome, Italy Tue/Thur at 19:00 CEST
- Warsaw, Poland Tue/Thur at 19:00 CEST
- Istanbul, Turkey Tue/Thur at 20:00 TRT
- Taipei, Taiwan Wed/Fri at 01:00 CST
- Tokyo, Japan Wed/Fri at 02:00 JST
24:00pm Conversation Club Around The World
- London, United Kingdom Wed/Fri at 00:00 BST
- Mexico City, Mexico Tue/Thur at 17:00 CST
- Bogota, Colombia Tue/Thur at 18:00 COT
- Santiago, Chile Tue/Thur at 20:00 CLST
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Tue/Thur at 20:00 BRT
- Rome, Italy Wed/Fri at 01:00 CEST
- Warsaw, Poland Wed, Wed/Fri at 01:00 CEST
- Istanbul, Turkey Wed/Fri at 02:00 EEST
- Taipei, Taiwan Wed/Fri at 07:00 CST
- Tokyo, Japan Wed/Fri at 08:00 JST
Model Answers & Vocabulary
To help you prepare for the Thinking in English conversation club this week, I have created vocabulary lists and some model answers.
The model answers are split into intermediate, upper-intermediate, and advanced level responses. Hopefully this will give you an idea on the differences in quality between intermediate and advanced responses, and perhaps inspire your own answers to these questions!
B1 (Intermediate)
Model Answers
Vocabulary
B2 (Upper Intermediate)
Model Answers
Vocabulary
C1 (Advanced Level)
Model Answers
Vocabulary
See you all at this week’s conversation club!
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Further Questions?
