Whale.io 🐳 | ⚽ FIFA World Cup 2026: Tournament Discussion Thread

[JollyGood]

self-moderated to keep this thread clean from trolls, attention-seekers and signature spammers

- check for results and fixtures

- to chat about their teams

- to chat about the players

- as well as general chat about the FIFA World Cup 2026



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[JollyGood]

edited:

Mexico, USA and Canada have already qualified for the tournament by virtue of being host nations. This is going to be the biggest tournament ever arranged by FIFA.

Here is what we know: The United Bid consisted of Mexico, USA and Canada (all considered North America) to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup

The tournament will take place between: 8th June 2026 and 3rd July 2026

The 2026 World Cup will be the first tournament that has 48 teams competing instead of 32 teams. There will be 16 groups of 3 teams and the top two teams will qualify for the next round of 32. After that the teams will be playing knockout games until the final.

There will be a total 80 games played throughout the tournament

Mexico will host 10 games
Canada will host 10 games
USA will host 60 games

In total, the games will be played across 16 cities and 16 stadiums. The final seven games of the tournament will all take place in the USA. (That means all four quarter-finals, both semi-finals and the final):

USA
Atlanta – Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Boston – Gillette Stadium
Dallas – AT&T Stadium
Houston – NRG Stadium
Kansas City – Arrowhead Stadium
Los Angeles – SoFi Stadium
Miami – Hard Rock Stadium
New York/New Jersey – MetLife Stadium
Philadelphia – Lincoln Financial Field
San Francisco – Levi’s Stadium
Seattle – Lumen Field

Canada
Toronto – BMO Field
Vancouver – BC Place

Mexico
Guadalajara – Estadio Akron
Mexico City – Estadio Azteca
Monterrey – Estadio BBVA

[JollyGood]

There will be 16 nations from UEFA that will qualify for the FIFA 2026 World Cup. That means 12 group winners automatically qualify and the other 4 nations are decided by entering a play-off involving all 12 second placed teams.

Group A
Germany or Italy (Nations League QF winner), Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg

Group B
Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo

Group C
Portugal or Denmark (Nations League QF loser), Greece, Scotland, Belarus

Group D
France or Croatia (Nations League QF winner), Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan

Group E
Spain or Netherlands (Nations League QF winner), Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria

Group F
Portugal or Denmark (Nations League QF winner), Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Armenia

Group G
Spain or Netherlands (Nations League QF loser), Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta

Group H
Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino

Group I
Germany or Italy (Nations League QF loser), Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova

Group J
Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein

Group K
England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra

Group L
France or Croatia (Nations League QF loser), Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar

[JollyGood]

edited:

This thread should have been updated after Mauricio Pochettino was appointed USA manager.

Now that the USA have an experienced manager with European football background across Spain as a player and both England and France as a manager, it could be catalyst they needed to make the players believe they can achieve something big when their world cup games are played at home.

If the USA team reach the quarter-final stage in the 2026 world cup it will be an achievement for them and step in the right direction too.

[Dump3er]

edited:

This thread should have been updated after Mauricio Pochettino was appointed USA manager.

Now that the USA have an experienced manager with European football background across Spain as a player and both England and France as a manager, it could be catalyst they needed to make the players believe they can achieve something big when their world cup games are played at home.

If the USA team reach the quarter-final stage in the 2026 world cup it will be an achievement for them and step in the right direction too.

While I think that Pochettino is not good and respected enough to enhance European top teams, I agree that his experience and CV in European football could indeed take effect and bring the USA team to the next level.

I was trying to find information about potential opponents of USA at the World Cup. Is there any information available that allows to put together their potential group?

What I found is that they are in group D according to the FIFA website.

[JollyGood]

Maybe that is exactly what the USA needed as manager. They have a name that is known around the world but he never reached his best with Tottenham or PSG therefore giving Pochettino the USA manager job could be what both parties need.

The draw to determine the groups where the countries will be placed in should take place in December 2025. At the moment the teams that have qualified for the tournament are: USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Iran, Argentina, New Zealand.

While I think that Pochettino is not good and respected enough to enhance European top teams, I agree that his experience and CV in European football could indeed take effect and bring the USA team to the next level.

I was trying to find information about potential opponents of USA at the World Cup. Is there any information available that allows to put together their potential group?

What I found is that they are in group D according to the FIFA website.

[Dump3er]

Maybe that is exactly what the USA needed as manager. They have a name that is known around the world but he never reached his best with Tottenham or PSG therefore giving Pochettino the USA manager job could be what both parties need.

The draw to determine the groups where the countries will be placed in should take place in December 2025. At the moment the teams that have qualified for the tournament are: USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Iran, Argentina, New Zealand.

I thought about your perspective for a second and I agree, Pochettino could be the best choice because both the USA team and he can only win at that World Cup unless they take a lot of punishment during the group stage. But if they get past it, Pochettino can make a name for himself without winning the whole cup. This is usually what he has done with the clubs he was working for so far, but for PSG and Chelsea and Tottenham, second places or vice champion titles don't count. The further they make it into the final stages of the World Cup, the more he will get back into the football limelight.

If Pochettino had been a title winning coach for years now, the expectations and the pressure wouldn't match the quality that the USA team brings to the table. I think that is what you meant? I know I rephrased somehow what you said, but the point is an important one.

What I also think is that the national coach positions have gained popularity and are becoming more and more desirable. The times that national coaches earn a fraction of the average player salaries are over. More free time, many privileges, a lot of money and the most exciting football events on the planet every few years. There is not much more a professional football coach can ask for.

[JollyGood]

I think had Pochettino been a title winning manager he could have approached the USA job with a different mindset. Had they hired a serial winner they would have had extremely high expectations therefore having a coach such as Pochettino works to their advantage.

Given a choice between managing week in week out in a fiercely competitive football league and taking charge of a national team knockout tournament, many would like to experience the national team tournament. Whether it is the Euros or the World Cup, the pressure is on the manager for the duration of the tournament and there is almost zero chance he will be sacked while the competition is running.

National team coaches are paid very well, they have all the perks of free travel to watch games in executive boxes and have many benefits and privileges. In the case of Pochettino, regardless of what happens with the USA team in the World Cup, I think he will return to European football immediately once the competition has ended.