Potti’s World Cup Diary #33: Four Favorites, Two Dream Matches

Today marks the second consecutive day without any matches. The World Cup feels almost unusually quiet. But that is precisely the calm before the storm. Four weeks full of surprises, dramas, and great stories lie behind us – and in the end, those same four teams that the bookmakers considered top favorites for the World Cup title before the tournament started are actually in the semifinals. Quality often prevails. Mostly, anyway.And to be honest: I have a feeling that we are about to witness two absolute football clashes. France vs. Spain and England vs. Argentina – it doesn’t get much better than this in terms of world-class talent. I feel that these two semifinals are going to deliver exactly what many hoped for from the quarterfinals.Tomorrow morning, I’ll be back with a razor-sharp preview for the match between France and Spain. And don’t worry: we’ll have a little update from our missing Swiss intern as well. Something tells me his story isn’t finished yet…Potti’s Playoff Compass This morning, the office was unusually quiet for the first time in weeks. No cowbell. No Swiss flag. No heated discussion about why Switzerland played the most beautiful football of the tournament. Our intern was actually gone.I didn’t need to generate the graphic for Potti’s Playoff Compass. Nothing had changed. My eyes fell on the whiteboard in the meeting room. There, the intern had left his last entry with a green marker: “Mission accomplished.”Below it was a little tally: 27 hung Swiss flags, 14 distributed Toblerones, and “Hopp Schwiiz” 183 times. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the last line: “Stressed the boss’s nerves: priceless.”He had neatly placed his employee ID on the desk. On the back was just a short sentence: “Thank you for the internship. It was almost as nice as a Swiss World Cup title.”Almost.Next to it lay a sealed envelope with the inscription: “Only open if England becomes world champion.” Of course, I couldn’t resist the temptation. Inside the envelope was just a piece of paper with one sentence: “Then it’s 2030.”Somehow, that fits him perfectly. From a completely chaotic intern, who regularly caused head-shaking with singing performances in Basel hotel lobbies, oversized coffee cups, and countless Swiss special requests, he almost became a regular part of the office during this tournament. And even though I probably would never publicly admit it – I will miss him just a little here. At least until 2030. 🇨🇭😉 Although there is no game today. A fresh “Potti’s World Cup Stack Graphic” is still here 😉