The Guide #246: Does World Cup fever leave you in a cold sweat? Here’s how to escape the footie

The Guardian's "The Guide" newsletter, published on June 12, 2026, offers alternatives for individuals seeking to avoid the pervasive influence of the World Cup. The newsletter acknowledges the intense focus on the tournament, from office sweepstakes and detailed match statistics to dedicated preview podcasts like "The Guardian's Football Weekly." It highlights how the World Cup dominates public spaces, media coverage, and even regular television programming, creating a potentially overwhelming environment for those uninterested in football.

To counter this, "The Guide" proposes a curated selection of film, television, and music releases scheduled for the summer. This content is presented as a means for "football-indifferent" readers to divert their attention from the sport. The newsletter aims to provide a refuge from the constant barrage of World Cup-related information, suggesting that there are ample cultural offerings available to occupy one's time and mind during the tournament period.

The article specifically mentions "Bracketology" as a World Cup-related interactive game and references a piece discussing Donald Trump and "Ted Lasso" in the context of the tournament. It also points to the extensive coverage by "The Guardian," including its "Football Weekly" podcast, underscoring the widespread nature of World Cup fever. The newsletter's premise is to cater to those who find the current sporting obsession to be a "hellish period."