“Watching a World Cup soccer game is like watching paint dry”
Watching soccer can be unexciting for very long stretches.
“Watching a World Cup soccer game is like watching paint dry” was printed in the Marshfield (WI) News-Herald on July 9, 1990. “Adults say watching soccer is like watching paint dry. There’s not enough scoring” was printed in The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ) on July 18, 1993. The expression “watching paint dry” (meaning that something is boring) was used to described watching baseball in 1967.
“Watching soccer is like watching a really, really, really, really, really, slow hockey game” was posted on X/Twitterby Jason Downs on June 12, 2014. “Soccer is like hockey except it’s much slower and boring and the players are softer and they cry a lot and it’s not fun to watch” was posted on X/Twitter by 𝑴𝒐 𝑴𝒐𝒉𝒍𝒆𝒓 on June 13, 2026, and this received over 860 likes.
“Watching soccer is like babysitting. Nothing happens until you look away” was posted on X/Twitter by myles brown on June 15, 2026, and this received over 46,000 likes.
Newspapers.com
9 July 1990, Marshfield (WI) News-Herald, “Yawn! World Cup is coming to the U.S.” by Jim Stern, pg. 3, col. 2:
Watching a World Cup soccer game is like watching paint dry, or ants race to the nearest crack in the sidewalk.
Newspapers.com
18 July 1993, The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ), “Spectators still avoid U.S, soccer” by Bob McManaman, pg. D13, col. 6:
“Adults say watching soccer is like watching paint dry. There’s not enough scoring.”
(Hank Steinbrecher, head of the U.S. Soccer Federation.—ed.)
X/Twitter
philly
@notphiIIy
“@CooperDiBiase: Watching soccer is like watching paint dry”really fam really
1:49 PM · Apr 29, 2014 from Garland, TX
X/Twitter
Jason Downs
@DownsAndOut
Watching soccer is like watching a really, really, really, really, really, slow hockey game.
#WorldCup
4:50 PM · Jun 12, 2014 from Griffith Park, Los Angeles
X/Twitter
Dylan Lawrence™
@Mr_Lawrence44
Watching soccer is like watching paint dry.
11:27 AM · Jan 1, 2016
Bluesky
Roselynn82
@roselynn82.bsky.social
Watching soccer is like watching paint dry
8:42 AM · Nov 18, 2025
X/Twitter
𝑴𝒐 𝑴𝒐𝒉𝒍𝒆𝒓
@MoMohler
Soccer is like hockey except it’s much slower and boring and the players are softer and they cry a lot and it’s not fun to watch.
8:56 AM · Jun 13, 2026
X/Twitter
myles brown
@mdotbrown
Watching soccer is like babysitting. Nothing happens until you look away
7:49 PM · Jun 15, 2026
X/Twitter
Jessy_szn💕
@Astro_jessie
Watching soccer is like babysitting.
Nothing happens until you look away
9:51 AM · Jun 18, 2026
Facebook
Nate Taylor
June 19, 2026 at 9:00 PM ·
Watching soccer is like watching paint dry. How is this the most popular sport in the world?