FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread

[Gosgosking]

I think that this is a new innovation, so i believe that they want to make it to be easy for people so that they can be able to host the world cup very easy, the way I'm seeing it, so therefore i believe, it will be able have a different from the one we have already seen or host last year which is 2022 it was nice and coordinated the way it was organised before.so they are looking up to standards.

If world cup will be hosted by 3 country is not even a problem but the problem is that the countries that will be hosting the World cup have serious restrictions of allowing people to come into their countries . That means countries being restricted can't have any chance of travelling to go watch the world cup.

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[Mate2237]

The three times winner of world cup Pele buried tomorrow
The former former football legendary (Pele) will be buried tomorrow on the third of January 2023. Where Pele will be buried is the Cemetery of Memorial Necropole Ecumenica center, the Vertical Cemetery in Santos. The tallest cemetery in the whole world in Brazil. He will be buried on the 9th floor of the vertical cemetery. May his soul rest in peace amen.

https://www.facebook.com/103810545080703/posts/pfbid0L2yNPcjbQjVuBLvewP5EWva6ya1e1TzkbYGGCE4252DdCHBHByoYXz2hbJNu3Jp8l/?app=fbl

[drwhobox]

Key Highlights

1- This will be the first time we will see 48 teams in the tournament, instead of 32.
2- There will be a total of 80 matches to be played in this Fifa world cup.
3- United States will host 60 Matches
4- Canada and Mexico will host 10 matches each.

Is it confirmed that 48 teams will play in WorldCup 26? I heard all this was rumor, but if it happens man this event will not be fun like we had in these past events. A total of 80 match!

It is a nice idea to organize the World Cup in different countries. But in terms of transport, it is not optimal for the players. You will always have to travel up and down, which is not great for your preparation. And the distances between these countries can also be considerable. Mexico and a World Cup, we've already experienced that once before in 1986. I thought everything had gone pretty well then. It surprises me a little that they organize the World Cup, since America is not really a football country at all. At least, football is not among the 3 most popular sports. Maybe not even in the top 5.

Let's see how they organize with such distance between countries and teams have to make travel between the games which is very struggling for players. I admit that football (they call it soccer ) is not popular in USA but it is football and I'm sure fans from all over the world will gather and make it amazing as they did this time in Qatar. Qatar was a perfect example of how should an event can be organized.

[Hispo]

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I also know about that and it's really regrettable, I believe every country has safety rules for construction workers in their country but construction entrepreneurs ignore them, but the government in the country in North America has strict rules against every construction company in the country

That is how companies push the legal system and walk in a grey zone so they can get things done while saving as much money as possible. Whether it is in the Middle East or in North-America, hiring a citizenship with education to work in a project will be most of the times more expensive than giving the job to an immigrant without education and papers for them to claim the same benefits a citizenship would be entitled to.

The difference is that in North America, it will be more difficult to shady people in power to pull such thing off.


Since we are talking about the Mexican-USA border I expect the FIFA to encounter some obstacles with transportation and mobility for the fans in general...

[Die_empty]

Regardless of the challenges, one might expect these host nations to face as they prepare for the world, the outcome would be far better than what was experienced in Qatar. The US, Canada, and Mexico are democratic societies that respect the right of people including immigrants. I don't think the abuse and exploitation of workers would be as high as the Qatari experience.

Qatar is not a football nation, therefore they had to start preparing from the scratch for the world cup. But these triple hosts in North America have enough basic amenities that would make the tournament successful. Most stadiums or other basic amenities might just need renovations to make them meet FIFA standards.

We are also expecting to also have a more fan-friendly WorldCup where fans wouldn't be restricted by cultural and other religious beliefs.

[Sithara007]

Key Highlights

1- This will be the first time we will see 48 teams in the tournament, instead of 32.
2- There will be a total of 80 matches to be played in this Fifa world cup.
3- United States will host 60 Matches
4- Canada and Mexico will host 10 matches each.

Is it confirmed that 48 teams will play in WorldCup 26? I heard all this was rumor, but if it happens man this event will not be fun like we had in these past events. A total of 80 match!

Initially the FIFA was planning for a 40 team competition. This was the plan proposed by the then FIFA Gianni Infantino (March 2016). The decision to expand the world cup to 48 teams was taken by the FIFA Council on 2017. But I am not sure about the total number of matches. Initially they were planning for 80, with 3 teams each in 16 groups. But now the format has changed, and there will be 4 teams in each of the 12 groups. So the total number of matches are going to go up to 104. Finalists will play a total of 8 matches.

[Silberman]

Regardless of the challenges, one might expect these host nations to face as they prepare for the world, the outcome would be far better than what was experienced in Qatar. The US, Canada, and Mexico are democratic societies that respect the right of people including immigrants. I don't think the abuse and exploitation of workers would be as high as the Qatari experience.

Qatar is not a football nation, therefore they had to start preparing from the scratch for the world cup. But these triple hosts in North America have enough basic amenities that would make the tournament successful. Most stadiums or other basic amenities might just need renovations to make them meet FIFA standards.

We are also expecting to also have a more fan-friendly WorldCup where fans wouldn't be restricted by cultural and other religious beliefs.

And without a doubt this will make the next world cup the most profitable ever, not only the number of games and the TV rights will influence this, but simply the ability of having a beer at the stadium or being able to enjoy yourself on the street without worrying about being arrested will make the next world cup way more successful, after all there were many fans which boycotted the world cup at Qatar due to the many different issues that presented themselves before and during the world cup.

[slackovic]

Key Highlights

1- This will be the first time we will see 48 teams in the tournament, instead of 32.
2- There will be a total of 80 matches to be played in this Fifa world cup.
3- United States will host 60 Matches
4- Canada and Mexico will host 10 matches each.

Is it confirmed that 48 teams will play in WorldCup 26? I heard all this was rumor, but if it happens man this event will not be fun like we had in these past events. A total of 80 match!

Initially the FIFA was planning for a 40 team competition. This was the plan proposed by the then FIFA Gianni Infantino (March 2016). The decision to expand the world cup to 48 teams was taken by the FIFA Council on 2017. But I am not sure about the total number of matches. Initially they were planning for 80, with 3 teams each in 16 groups. But now the format has changed, and there will be 4 teams in each of the 12 groups. So the total number of matches are going to go up to 104. Finalists will play a total of 8 matches.

They decided to change the format to slightly different from what Infantino proposed because if there were only three teams in a group, there are more chance for two teams to make an silent agreement to help each other to pass the group stage. The proposed format was that all groups consist of three teams and that two of them advance to the next round.

Personally I don't like the fact that there will be more teams in the next World Cup. What's the point to bring more teams to the World Cup? It will result in more poor games that will be unwatchable just like it was with games when Qatar played in this World Cup. It's nonsense to me...

[W Jr.]

It will be the world cup with significant changes. More teams participating means a more exciting tournament. In addition, the duration of the tournament will naturally be extended. I'm sure it will be more enjoyable when you think about it from this angle. It may become more enjoyable if surprise results such as the 2022 World Cup are obtained. I am already looking forward to the tournament in 4 years.

[nullama]

South American (CONMEBOL) FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers already started with some drama:



As you can see, instead of the usual 4.5 slots, they will now have 6.5 slots, that is 6 teams will directly qualify to the world cup and the 7th place will have to go to the play offs to get a spot.

Interestingly though, you can see that Ecuador starts with -3 points. That's because:

Ecuador were deducted 3 points for falsifying birth documents for Byron Castillo in the previous World Cup qualification cycle.

I find it very strange that FIFA ended up not doing anything for the previous world cup and letting Ecuador play, and only now they say that the player was ineligible.

[Sithara007]

They decided to change the format to slightly different from what Infantino proposed because if there were only three teams in a group, there are more chance for two teams to make an silent agreement to help each other to pass the group stage. The proposed format was that all groups consist of three teams and that two of them advance to the next round.

Personally I don't like the fact that there will be more teams in the next World Cup. What's the point to bring more teams to the World Cup? It will result in more poor games that will be unwatchable just like it was with games when Qatar played in this World Cup. It's nonsense to me...

Agreed with the first part of your post, but not with the second.

Groups of 3 teams make no sense. Even if there is no secret pact between two of the teams, such small groups will take away the excitement of teams gradually progressing to the knockout phase. Just two matches in the group phase? There is no logic here. They can make the teams play against the other two teams twice, but then it will make the tournament extremely lengthy.

Now coming to the addition in number of participants - I am a big supporter of the expansion. In fact I would actually go for 64 teams (16 groups of 4 teams each). Most exciting matches in Qatar 2022 were involving teams which would have struggled to qualify, such as Morocco, Japan, Cameroon and South Korea. I am sure that we will get a lot more upsets in 2026. 

[slackovic]

They decided to change the format to slightly different from what Infantino proposed because if there were only three teams in a group, there are more chance for two teams to make an silent agreement to help each other to pass the group stage. The proposed format was that all groups consist of three teams and that two of them advance to the next round.

Personally I don't like the fact that there will be more teams in the next World Cup. What's the point to bring more teams to the World Cup? It will result in more poor games that will be unwatchable just like it was with games when Qatar played in this World Cup. It's nonsense to me...

Agreed with the first part of your post, but not with the second.

Groups of 3 teams make no sense. Even if there is no secret pact between two of the teams, such small groups will take away the excitement of teams gradually progressing to the knockout phase. Just two matches in the group phase? There is no logic here. They can make the teams play against the other two teams twice, but then it will make the tournament extremely lengthy.

Now coming to the addition in number of participants - I am a big supporter of the expansion. In fact I would actually go for 64 teams (16 groups of 4 teams each). Most exciting matches in Qatar 2022 were involving teams which would have struggled to qualify, such as Morocco, Japan, Cameroon and South Korea. I am sure that we will get a lot more upsets in 2026. 

You don't agree that more nations in the World Cup will only bring more lousy games? Did you watch Qatar games in the last World Cup? It was a joke and I felt sorry for the players that played for Qatar. That kind of games will be more often when there are more teams in the World Cup. I don't have any problem in more African nations playing in the Wirld Cup but not if they can't play against stronger teams that have history playing in the World Cup. Even with the format that was in the last World Cup there were some lousy games. What's the point in having games where one team beat other by 3, 4 or more goal difference?

[Sithara007]

You don't agree that more nations in the World Cup will only bring more lousy games? Did you watch Qatar games in the last World Cup? It was a joke and I felt sorry for the players that played for Qatar. That kind of games will be more often when there are more teams in the World Cup. I don't have any problem in more African nations playing in the Wirld Cup but not if they can't play against stronger teams that have history playing in the World Cup. Even with the format that was in the last World Cup there were some lousy games. What's the point in having games where one team beat other by 3, 4 or more goal difference?

You are talking about something that is completely different. Qatar qualified not through the proper channels, but because of being hosts. Australia was the 5th team from AFC (qualified for the world cup after defeating Peru in playoffs) and United Arab Emirates was the team that was ranked 6th (failed to qualify). And I don't think that the 2022 format was different from the last 4-5 editions. The most one-sided match in Qatar involved Iran (who lost to England by a margin of 2-6) and they would have qualified for the World Cup even if it was a 16-team competition. Because they finished the AFC qualifiers as the no.1 ranked team.

These are the other one-sided matches:

Portugal vs Switzerland (6-1)
Spain vs Costa Rica (7-0)

Out of these three matches and 6 teams, only Costa Rica can be considered as a "fringe" team.

[slackovic]

You don't agree that more nations in the World Cup will only bring more lousy games? Did you watch Qatar games in the last World Cup? It was a joke and I felt sorry for the players that played for Qatar. That kind of games will be more often when there are more teams in the World Cup. I don't have any problem in more African nations playing in the Wirld Cup but not if they can't play against stronger teams that have history playing in the World Cup. Even with the format that was in the last World Cup there were some lousy games. What's the point in having games where one team beat other by 3, 4 or more goal difference?

You are talking about something that is completely different. Qatar qualified not through the proper channels, but because of being hosts. Australia was the 5th team from AFC (qualified for the world cup after defeating Peru in playoffs) and United Arab Emirates was the team that was ranked 6th (failed to qualify). And I don't think that the 2022 format was different from the last 4-5 editions. The most one-sided match in Qatar involved Iran (who lost to England by a margin of 2-6) and they would have qualified for the World Cup even if it was a 16-team competition. Because they finished the AFC qualifiers as the no.1 ranked team.

Yeah, but in this new format we will have all those teams and about 10 more (I don't know exactly how many more teams will qualify) that will play even worse than those you mentioned. That's why I don't like the new format. I mentioned Qatar not because they went trough the qualifications but because we will have more games like those we got from Qatar.

[Lordhermes]

It will be the world cup with significant changes. More teams participating means a more exciting tournament. In addition, the duration of the tournament will naturally be extended. I'm sure it will be more enjoyable when you think about it from this angle. It may become more enjoyable if surprise results such as the 2022 World Cup are obtained. I am already looking forward to the tournament in 4 years.

I thought fifa wanted Asia country to host the 2026 world cup. It will be fine and fair to all, as the extension of number of participation increases. More countries that haven't participated in world before would have the opportunity to play in the world cup. I love the development by fifa

[drwhobox]

Initially the FIFA was planning for a 40 team competition. This was the plan proposed by the then FIFA Gianni Infantino (March 2016). The decision to expand the world cup to 48 teams was taken by the FIFA Council on 2017. But I am not sure about the total number of matches. Initially they were planning for 80, with 3 teams each in 16 groups. But now the format has changed, and there will be 4 teams in each of the 12 groups. So the total number of matches are going to go up to 104. Finalists will play a total of 8 matches.

I have found out 3 teams will play in each group from 16 groups there will be 32 teams in the next knockout round. I don't know why FIFA has to do this in this world cup, but a knockout stage with 32 teams and teams in the group stages only having to play 2 matches before getting out of the tournament or the next round doesn't seem fair enough to me. All the countries, fans and players wait for that event, but their fate is decided in only two matches.

[Wakate]

It will be the world cup with significant changes. More teams participating means a more exciting tournament. In addition, the duration of the tournament will naturally be extended. I'm sure it will be more enjoyable when you think about it from this angle. It may become more enjoyable if surprise results such as the 2022 World Cup are obtained. I am already looking forward to the tournament in 4 years.

You mean it will be more enjoyable? Do you mean we are not contented with the ones we had been watching?
Just imagine the stress you will have to face when you need to go to different countries just to watch the world cup live in the stadium. This is not an enjoyment for me but a big stress to fans having to move from the current country where they had been watch the world cup match then moving to a new country to continue there football adventure. It really not nice and this looks like the first time we are seeing this kind of multiple countries hosting the world cup.

[Sithara007]

Yeah, but in this new format we will have all those teams and about 10 more (I don't know exactly how many more teams will qualify) that will play even worse than those you mentioned. That's why I don't like the new format. I mentioned Qatar not because they went trough the qualifications but because we will have more games like those we got from Qatar.

This is where I disagree with you. You are assuming that these new teams would automatically be incompetent. I don't agree with that assumption. From what we have seen in FIFA 2022, the most incompetent teams were the ones who finished on top of the qualifying tournaments. Remember the time when North Korea participated in the world cup? They were involved in very competitive matches against Brazil and Ivory Cost, and they added a lot of excitement to the tournament back then. And at that point, their FIFA ranking was 108 or something.

[nullama]

~snip~
You mean it will be more enjoyable? Do you mean we are not contented with the ones we had been watching?
Just imagine the stress you will have to face when you need to go to different countries just to watch the world cup live in the stadium. This is not an enjoyment for me but a big stress to fans having to move from the current country where they had been watch the world cup match then moving to a new country to continue there football adventure. It really not nice and this looks like the first time we are seeing this kind of multiple countries hosting the world cup.

It's not the first time we have a world cup hosted in more than one country. For example, Korea-Japan 2002



That ended up with Brazil as the winner, and it was the last time the Golden Goal rule was used. Glad they removed that.

But yeah, I agree that it adds more trouble for the people having to fly around to other countries, there might be passport or visa issues, plus with covid we now might have other restrictions, etc.

Much simpler to host it in one country.

Also, the level of preparation and coordination is really hard for one country, imagine doing it in three countries, it will be a logistical nightmare. Also, most games are played in the US only any way, so not sure why they wanted to add the other 2 countries.

[Sithara007]

^^^ One thing that I liked about Qatar 2022 is that it was quite easy for the fans to travel from one location to the other. Qatar also has a relaxed visa regimen, which helped a lot of football fans. On the other hand, getting a US visa is a really tough job and I just hope that the government would relax the requirements for global fans. Also, staging in three different countries, which are thousands of kilometers apart sounds like a bad idea for me. Given the extended duration for the next edition, it will only result in fatigue and exhaustion for the fans.