Have been reading "Bradbury Speaks" which as with everything else I've read by Bradbury - I love - however, was a bit bemused last night to read that the essay "Paris: always destroyed, always triumphant" was written in 1986. Now, unless Bradbury really has discovered a way to travel through space and time, this has to be wrong - as the essay talks about France playing Croatia (which didn't exist in 1986) in the World Cup, and then France eventually beating Brazil to win the tournament...which happened in 1998...
The only thing I can think of that would explain this is if he originally published the article in 86 and then added bits post-98, but that doesn't make much sense as the World Cup part seems pretty central to the essay...
Does anyone know when the essay really was published - and where the 1986 year came from?

If anyone can perhaps answer than question it would be Donn Albright. Or perhaps Mr. Eller.

Machita, I initially thought "1986" must be a misprint, but if you look at the "sources" information at the end of the book, you will see the essay first appeared in a French magazine in July 1986.

Assuming you are correct about the World Cup (I bow to your superior knowledge of football (soccer) history!), I would guess that Ray re-wrote the essay while preparing the manuscript for Bradbury Speaks. This is not unusual. He nearly always revises his work for book publication. Some of his short stories exist in several different versions due to his habit of re-writing.

biplane1 is right: if anyone knows, it will be Donn Albright, Bradbury's bibliographer.

hmmm... yes, I'd seen the source info the back and had thought the rewrite scenario might have been the case... though was secretly hoping Mr. Bradbury had figured out time travel and had seen the future of an independent Croatia, complete with its own football team along with a World Cup winning France!! My knowledge of football isn't that extensive - I just happen to live in Brussels and am surrounded by people to whom the whole thing is highly important! That and I lived in France in 96-97 so was actually watching that World Cup while at home in California...