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

[bitgolden]

And to be honest if I had the choice between playing in Miami and making a lot of money and playing Saudi Arabia and making a lot of money, I know what I would do.

As Messi said he is looking forward to this time and I believe him every word. The great weather and people he gets along with like Beckham and now it seems that also other former Barcelona players come to the MLS.

For the US it is great news as well with their view pointed towards the World Cup 2026. Having Messi in their national league is the best that could happen to them as he will get the show going from now on.

I understand the logic, I would prefer Miami over Saudi as well, but it sort of depends on the money as well. Messi has a lot of money, we know that much and that's alright and I think he doesn't "need" money.

However, if one offer was 100 million a year and the other was 1 billion a year, that sort of changes things for me. Obviously I am not a rich person, so I do not have the luxury of saying "as long as I have peace of mind, 100 million is better" and like I said before Saudi Arabia is a nation that has very different cultural values than west, and Messi grew up in Spain, very different in that regard culturally, very close to Miami with a lot of Hispanic people there. So I think that mainly played a big role in his decision, more than money did.

[shogun47]

And to be honest if I had the choice between playing in Miami and making a lot of money and playing Saudi Arabia and making a lot of money, I know what I would do.

As Messi said he is looking forward to this time and I believe him every word. The great weather and people he gets along with like Beckham and now it seems that also other former Barcelona players come to the MLS.

For the US it is great news as well with their view pointed towards the World Cup 2026. Having Messi in their national league is the best that could happen to them as he will get the show going from now on.

I understand the logic, I would prefer Miami over Saudi as well, but it sort of depends on the money as well. Messi has a lot of money, we know that much and that's alright and I think he doesn't "need" money.

However, if one offer was 100 million a year and the other was 1 billion a year, that sort of changes things for me. Obviously I am not a rich person, so I do not have the luxury of saying "as long as I have peace of mind, 100 million is better" and like I said before Saudi Arabia is a nation that has very different cultural values than west, and Messi grew up in Spain, very different in that regard culturally, very close to Miami with a lot of Hispanic people there. So I think that mainly played a big role in his decision, more than money did.

I am absolutely with you on this one, but I mentioned somewhere else that I don't really believe he will be that much worse off. The deals with Apple and Adidas have secured him a share in their revenue that is somehow related to him. Now consider the two different scenarios from that perspective only: he goes to Saudi Arabia and makes 500 million a year or he goes to Inter Miami and makes 100 million per year plus those revenue shares. The US market is huge and several basketball players have become billionaires not because of their salaries, but because of these revenue participation contracts. I don't know the details obviously, but something is telling me that Messi is no worse of conquering the US market with Apple and Adidas backing him. That contract he signed is most likely a gold mine for decades to come, not for two years. How many US people would buy a Messi shirt when he plays in Saudi Arabia? How many US people would buy a Messi shirt when he finally becomes part of the MLS? It is also about proud and happiness that he is there, he will appreciate the value of the sport in general over there. People are going to watch him and the best part? Most of the Saudi fans will buy his shirt anyway even if he plays in the MLS. Or maybe I am wrong on this one because now they dislike him and out of principle don't buy it, possibly. But the US market will make him rich. Like, rich in a category where he still counts as "poor".

[babygun]

And to be honest if I had the choice between playing in Miami and making a lot of money and playing Saudi Arabia and making a lot of money, I know what I would do.

As Messi said he is looking forward to this time and I believe him every word. The great weather and people he gets along with like Beckham and now it seems that also other former Barcelona players come to the MLS.

For the US it is great news as well with their view pointed towards the World Cup 2026. Having Messi in their national league is the best that could happen to them as he will get the show going from now on.

I understand the logic, I would prefer Miami over Saudi as well, but it sort of depends on the money as well. Messi has a lot of money, we know that much and that's alright and I think he doesn't "need" money.

However, if one offer was 100 million a year and the other was 1 billion a year, that sort of changes things for me. Obviously I am not a rich person, so I do not have the luxury of saying "as long as I have peace of mind, 100 million is better" and like I said before Saudi Arabia is a nation that has very different cultural values than west, and Messi grew up in Spain, very different in that regard culturally, very close to Miami with a lot of Hispanic people there. So I think that mainly played a big role in his decision, more than money did.

I don't think that Messi needs any money at all and at a certain moment it doesn't really matter if you have 300 million or 400 million. Saudi will have offered a lot more for sure, but I think Messi mainly made the decision for his family also.

[sana54210]

Messi could choose Saudi teams to earn more money or he could choose European teams like Barcelona to play in a team where they can get back home to where he started his career and he could also have the chance to earn more achievements with Barcelona but instead of choosing between money and home he did choose his family and that's why he came to America to live where he can take a rest with his family, That's why he even quit the national team temporarily to avoid any stress, take some rest and have more time to spend with his family.

Be it family, be it business or be it anything else, I think for us fans it is also cool to have a player like Messi play in the MLS because it makes it more attractive to watch it sometimes. In my case I don't follow the MLS, but now I will have a look every now and then and see how Messi is doing and as I said before, he will be a great catalyst for the American soccer fans and those who are about to become one with respect to the World Cup 2026. Messi going to the MLS is a true blessing for fans around the world as it will contribute to an even better World Cup. Players like him and Ronaldo have enormous influence on so many people around the world that it can only be good for the sport if they keep promoting it in different places.

That was the back when Ronaldo joined Saudi league as well. Nobody watched that league at all, nobody even knew the names of the teams, and aside from maybe like top 3 or 4, people still do not know the names of them all, I can name 10+ clubs in all big 5 leagues, but can't name 5 clubs in Saudi Arabia, but last season I watched all the highlights of games Ronaldo played in, which shows you how it works.

Same will definitely happen with Messi, some people will watch all MLS games, some people will watch all Miami games, and some people will watch just the highlights of Miami games but in the end the amount of people who will watch games in the USA will rise up like crazy and there will be a lot more viewers globally at the same time.

[Silberman]

I don't think that Messi needs any money at all and at a certain moment it doesn't really matter if you have 300 million or 400 million. Saudi will have offered a lot more for sure, but I think Messi mainly made the decision for his family also.

For what I have read he was close to sign with one of the teams at Saudi Arabia, after all with the huge amount of money they are paying even someone like Messi can be tempted to play there and secure his future even further by making a massive amount of money at the end of his career, but the main reason this did not happened was because his wife refused to go there, something which makes sense because as we know the laws and customs can be very difficult to deal with, especially when it comes to women.

[Cryptomultiplier]

What we saw in the last world cup, the spectacle, the glamour, the creativity will be better delivered by these co-hosting nations and am very sure crypto has a front row seat in the commercials and ads and commerce.

These nations U.s, Canada and Mexico are neighbors with similar cultures except for the fact that U.s hosted, love the American football, love basketball ball, love golfing I think much more than the other two nations.
Great destination with advancement and what a better place to be safe than in the land where almost anyone with great dreams of plan on visiting sometime.

As for Messi and his choice to join the Maimi team, why does it just feels as if he doesn't want to be in same world as Ronaldo at this point of his career? Perhaps doesn't want much media attention and comparison all over. Or just enjoying a good time playing elsewhere having played a major part of his career at Barca.

[Leviathan.007]

Honesty since Messi is 36 years old and he did choose Inter Maimi to have a life with peace also left the Argantina's national team, I think Messi wants to stay away even from the world cup, however, even if he wants to stay in the next world cup he will be much older and playing at 39y for any player can't be easy even for a player.

Messi has already announced that he will not be a part of the 2026 World Cup, right?

https://www.republicworld.com/sports-news/football-news/messi-confirms-his-plans-for-fifa-world-cup-2026-retirement-articleshow.html

The Argentine management is still hopeful of convincing him to take part in the tournament, but I don't think that they will be able to do so. I guess Messi doesn't want to end up like Ronaldo, who endured a lot of humiliation during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. There is no dearth of talent in Argentina and a lot of younger players are there who can replace Messi. But then, Messi was a legend and those who are going to replace him will find it extremely hard to fill the vacuum.

Yes, but their coach Scaloni said he hoped to see Messi playing for their national teams in the next world cup in 2026. However, Messi said he will not play in the next world cup anymore and to be honest, there is not any reason for Messi to play for Argentina in the next world cup because he achieved what we wanted to get and the best he can do is to get retired from the national team.

[shogun47]

Messi could choose Saudi teams to earn more money or he could choose European teams like Barcelona to play in a team where they can get back home to where he started his career and he could also have the chance to earn more achievements with Barcelona but instead of choosing between money and home he did choose his family and that's why he came to America to live where he can take a rest with his family, That's why he even quit the national team temporarily to avoid any stress, take some rest and have more time to spend with his family.

Be it family, be it business or be it anything else, I think for us fans it is also cool to have a player like Messi play in the MLS because it makes it more attractive to watch it sometimes. In my case I don't follow the MLS, but now I will have a look every now and then and see how Messi is doing and as I said before, he will be a great catalyst for the American soccer fans and those who are about to become one with respect to the World Cup 2026. Messi going to the MLS is a true blessing for fans around the world as it will contribute to an even better World Cup. Players like him and Ronaldo have enormous influence on so many people around the world that it can only be good for the sport if they keep promoting it in different places.

That was the back when Ronaldo joined Saudi league as well. Nobody watched that league at all, nobody even knew the names of the teams, and aside from maybe like top 3 or 4, people still do not know the names of them all, I can name 10+ clubs in all big 5 leagues, but can't name 5 clubs in Saudi Arabia, but last season I watched all the highlights of games Ronaldo played in, which shows you how it works.

Same will definitely happen with Messi, some people will watch all MLS games, some people will watch all Miami games, and some people will watch just the highlights of Miami games but in the end the amount of people who will watch games in the USA will rise up like crazy and there will be a lot more viewers globally at the same time.

Exactly, this is how it works and the example you provided applies to myself as well. I had no idea about the Saudi Professional League and I could name one club at the time at best and by now it is less than five that I could name even though I am watching the highlights sometimes. But I can also say that it is already decreasing. In the beginning I was excited to see how Ronaldo is playing there and whether he is scoring, but after a few weeks it became boring to me already even when there was some drama around him and even when it was close at the top. The SPL is still not interesting to me despite even more players going there. But Messi will create some buzz and he is not as polarizing as Ronaldo and I think he is also more fun to watch as a player. But that could be my spoiled oPinion about him as I think he is the best anyway.

[Sithara007]

Yes, but their coach Scaloni said he hoped to see Messi playing for their national teams in the next world cup in 2026. However, Messi said he will not play in the next world cup anymore and to be honest, there is not any reason for Messi to play for Argentina in the next world cup because he achieved what we wanted to get and the best he can do is to get retired from the national team.

Agree with this. Messi has given Argentina whatever they asked from him. He won the FIFA World Cup after a gap of almost four decades. At the most 3-4 years is left in his career and he wants to get to a good retirement package before this time expires. The deal with Inter Miami may not be as good as the one offered by Al Hilal, but it should be lucrative enough for Messi. And for the Argentine national team management, they need to think about who all will be defending the title in 2026. You can't depend on one or two players forever.

[nullama]

~snip~
Playing for the national team is not that rewarding in terms of finances, but most of the players give priority because of a sense of patriotism. You can't ask anything more from Messi, because he has already proved his patriotism by winning the world cup for Argentina after a long gap of three and half decades. Now it is the turn of some of the younger players to take that responsibility. And Argentina has no shortage of talent. Some of the younger players performed exceptionally well during Qatar 2022, including Alexis Mac Allister, Julián Álvarez and Rodrigo De Paul.

Yeah, I think that's a fair thing to do. Messi already conquered everything there is to conquer in football, now it would be great if he gives the opportunity to the next generation.

If he wants to continue playing he will take the spot for the next great player being recognized.

[Daniel91]

~snip~
Playing for the national team is not that rewarding in terms of finances, but most of the players give priority because of a sense of patriotism. You can't ask anything more from Messi, because he has already proved his patriotism by winning the world cup for Argentina after a long gap of three and half decades. Now it is the turn of some of the younger players to take that responsibility. And Argentina has no shortage of talent. Some of the younger players performed exceptionally well during Qatar 2022, including Alexis Mac Allister, Julián Álvarez and Rodrigo De Paul.

Yeah, I think that's a fair thing to do. Messi already conquered everything there is to conquer in football, now it would be great if he gives the opportunity to the next generation.

If he wants to continue playing he will take the spot for the next great player being recognized.

I personally think that Messi can still play at the top level for the next 2 years, maybe even longer, and that he can still help Argentina a lot in winning new trophies.
Does anyone really think that Argentina no longer needs Messi and that he should retire and give young players a chance?
The best players should always play in the national team of each country, regardless of age. Just look at the example of Modric and Croatia.
Everything else is not important. Messi is the best player in the world and he should play, as long as he plays at the top level.

[Sithara007]

Yeah, I think that's a fair thing to do. Messi already conquered everything there is to conquer in football, now it would be great if he gives the opportunity to the next generation.

If he wants to continue playing he will take the spot for the next great player being recognized.

Agreed. He has a lot to lose if he keeps on playing and the performance goes down. The example of Cristiano Ronaldo is in front of us, and we have seen how he was humiliated during Qatar 2022. I want Messi to be remembered by the Argentines as the player who won them the world cup, and not as the player who failed to retain the world cup trophy. The responsibility of defending the trophy will be with Emiliano Martínez, Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul and the younger generation players such as Julián Álvarez and Alexis Mac Allister.

[Lucasgabd]

~snip~
Higuita was one of the few players that understood that this is not only a sport but also a spectacle that people watch, and if the players do not make it exciting then people will find other things to do with their time, some may argue that his antics risked scores against his team, but the fans loved him precisely because he was willing to take some crazy risks just for them to be entertained, unfortunately there are not many players like him anymore on the world of soccer these days.

Yeah, it is an spectacle basically.

The players that are most entertaining are usually the ones that are most respected and loved by the people, even if their skills are not that great.

The same is true in reverse. It doesn't matter if a player skill is incredible if there's not charisma from the player. People won't like that player as much.

What do you understand as charisma?

Ronaldo hasn't been charismatic. Zidane has been charismatic (except for his head kick against Italy). They can also be polarizing and still contribute to the spectacle.

But in reverse a player that is burdened with high expectations can also create a lot of disappointment. What would people have said if Messi didn't win the World Cup? He would be called a loser, incomplete star. There are very fine lines when it comes to how people treat the players.

Argentina is a very special country where everyone is crazy about football and nothing is recognized as success except winning the world cup. Any other result is a disaster and a failure, and so it is in Brazil. It is very difficult to play under such enormous pressure from the public, and this can be seen in the example of Brazil and Argentina. Brazil has not been able to become the world champion for 20 years, and Argentina managed to become the world champion after a long 36-year wait.
Messi was also constantly compared to Maradona and it was said that he could not be the greatest Argentinian footballer in history if he failed to lead the national team to the world title. That was a huge pressure even for a football player like Messi. I think that winning the South American cup title before the world cup in Qatar helped him a lot and that he played in Qatar with less pressure.
Messi is a charismatic footballer and one of the best footballers in the history of football, but for me personally Maradona was still better. He practically single-handedly led Argentina to the title of world champion in 1986 and no one has ever been able to repeat that, such individual dominance in such a team sport.

about Brazil, there's a point too that in 2002 Brazil's team was much better than the teams that came afterwards
of course this counts too

since them we had 5 cups...
yes, it's been a while.

let's see what happens in the next one

[Stepstowealth]

I personally think that Messi can still play at the top level for the next 2 years, maybe even longer, and that he can still help Argentina a lot in winning new trophies.
Does anyone really think that Argentina no longer needs Messi and that he should retire and give young players a chance?
The best players should always play in the national team of each country, regardless of age. Just look at the example of Modric and Croatia.
Everything else is not important. Messi is the best player in the world and he should play, as long as he plays at the top level.

Only Messi will decide when he wants to stop football, it is not what will be decided for him. He has already taken up an advanced role in how he plays for in both Argentina and PSG where he just left, he provides assist for younger players to score and score important goals when the young players are unable to find a way. The Argentinian National team still need him as long as he can continue to deliver top quality. He did not stop other young players in Argentina from getting attention in the last world cup, players like Enzo Fernandez, and Alexis Mac Allister. Even if he plays in the coming world cup and Argentina cannot defend it, it will not change his record of winning it before.

[Leviathan.007]

I personally think that Messi can still play at the top level for the next 2 years, maybe even longer, and that he can still help Argentina a lot in winning new trophies.
Does anyone really think that Argentina no longer needs Messi and that he should retire and give young players a chance?
The best players should always play in the national team of each country, regardless of age. Just look at the example of Modric and Croatia.
Everything else is not important. Messi is the best player in the world and he should play, as long as he plays at the top level.

Only Messi will decide when he wants to stop football, it is not what will be decided for him. He has already taken up an advanced role in how he plays for in both Argentina and PSG where he just left, he provides assist for younger players to score and score important goals when the young players are unable to find a way. The Argentinian National team still need him as long as he can continue to deliver top quality. He did not stop other young players in Argentina from getting attention in the last world cup, players like Enzo Fernandez, and Alexis Mac Allister. Even if he plays in the coming world cup and Argentina cannot defend it, it will not change his record of winning it before.

Messi is a legendary player and he had amazing performances in for his national team and special in the recent world cup when he helped his team to achieve the title.
But regardless of his performance he had three, I think the most important thing about old players like Messi is they can get tired and help other younger players to show their talents, for example as you said Fernandez is one of these talented players.
With a little more experience Enzo Fernandez can also help his team in the next world cup maybe even more than Messi.

[Vaculin]

I personally think that Messi can still play at the top level for the next 2 years, maybe even longer, and that he can still help Argentina a lot in winning new trophies.
Does anyone really think that Argentina no longer needs Messi and that he should retire and give young players a chance?
The best players should always play in the national team of each country, regardless of age. Just look at the example of Modric and Croatia.
Everything else is not important. Messi is the best player in the world and he should play, as long as he plays at the top level.

Only Messi will decide when he wants to stop football, it is not what will be decided for him. He has already taken up an advanced role in how he plays for in both Argentina and PSG where he just left, he provides assist for younger players to score and score important goals when the young players are unable to find a way. The Argentinian National team still need him as long as he can continue to deliver top quality. He did not stop other young players in Argentina from getting attention in the last world cup, players like Enzo Fernandez, and Alexis Mac Allister. Even if he plays in the coming world cup and Argentina cannot defend it, it will not change his record of winning it before.

Well, we are just speculating about his future in this sport and just basing by his words as he announced last week that he already has no plans in joining the team and play for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. Now, many of us here thinks that what's with the rush because just joined the Inter-Miami and a few couple of weeks ago and now he's saying that he's not inclined to play in the next WC. I particularly don't believe that what he said was final because he still have 2 more years to decide.

[LUCKMCFLY]

By joining Lionel Messi to Miami, it will create a passion for football there, of course it will have a positive impact on football there. Actually this is a breakthrough if a league wants to get a lot of attention, yes one way is by bringing in players with star labels. As before what Al Nassr did in Saudi Arabia, it was good for them.

as one of the countries that will host the 2026 world cup, messi's presence in the usa league will add to the impression of prestige, moreover messi and cristiano have the same star aura.  I can say the future of the USA league will be better with Messi's presence there, and people will start to look at the USA league and also the preparation of the USA as one of the hosts for the 2026 world cup.

Whether Lionel Messi will play in the next World Cup will be determined by his performance in Miami. But many hope that Lionel Messi can play the next World Cup. Another rumor is that Lionel Messi will join Barcelona after spending one season in Miami.

Yes, without a doubt, the fans of Inter Miami are aware that their team will be one of the best in the MLS , and this can lead them to grow the team and the League as such , but we all know here that the MLS does not have any player. it has made him reach the Top 1 , and Messi is clearly a player who will always be there, the bad thing is that MLS is seen as retirement for these players, and it is a calmer, more relaxed football, the fans there are not As in South America or in Europe , they are somewhat calmer , I think Messi went there to have more peace of mind,  he was not happy for 2 years.

Romeo Beckham ready to turn down chance to play with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami

Great stars will always be great wherever they go, especially the lesser team or countryside. Messi has been linked with many places in recent times, there are speculations that he is going to Saudi Arabia, a close relation claims that he would be back in Barcelona and now the USA claims are coming on board. Although this is not popular as I've never heard or read about it before. My guess is that Messi would find his part in either Barcelona or Saudi Arabia and you should know that the Saudi option would be for the money.

He would soon retire, so I believe gathering all the money possible is a very good and wise option now. The next world cup might also be his last, by then he should be 40-1 years, he can't predictably play in the next 2.

Yes, eventually Messi can result in causing or arousing emotions around the world , as you say, he can accept an offer from Arabia to have some good extra money to spend and enjoy apart from what he has already reaped in Europe, but if in Arabia They can even give you much more than what you got in Europe. It would be crazy to refuse it, right? However, Messi is Messi, I don't know what things he can think of to stay in a team like Inter Miami , I think it's more because of the influence of David Beckham than anything, it's difficult , however, I saw that Beckham made him the The same offer to CR7 to play alongside Messi and thus make a great duo for Inter Miami, and despite the fact that the league is low, or at least I see it that way , it would be interesting , just that the level of futbol It would be something else that we are not used to seeing.

[shogun47]

Yes, eventually Messi can result in causing or arousing emotions around the world , as you say, he can accept an offer from Arabia to have some good extra money to spend and enjoy apart from what he has already reaped in Europe, but if in Arabia They can even give you much more than what you got in Europe. It would be crazy to refuse it, right? However, Messi is Messi, I don't know what things he can think of to stay in a team like Inter Miami , I think it's more because of the influence of David Beckham than anything, it's difficult , however, I saw that Beckham made him the The same offer to CR7 to play alongside Messi and thus make a great duo for Inter Miami, and despite the fact that the league is low, or at least I see it that way , it would be interesting , just that the level of futbol It would be something else that we are not used to seeing.

I think the global competition for sports is becoming more intense every day. There is also a subject that is called Sports Economics, which is on the rise and it has some sub-disciplines that also relate to the impact of sports on economics and politics. The Wikipedia article incomplete, but there are interesting sources about it. You can't ignore sports when politics are supposed to have a global impact. The MLS is now also waking up I think. Other leagues will also wake up and not watch the SPL from the sidelines. But the consequences could be negative because what the SPL is doing feels more like a waste of money in times of high inflation and regional and national poverty. That's why we as consumers should also try to understand what's going on when we are following huge events like the World Cup.

[Leviathan.007]

It seems the world cup hosts are getting ready to host the world cup and there is some information about the stadiums hosting the world cup. But the increasing thing for me is about Canada and Mexico, because Canada will have only two stadiums and Mexico will have three stadiums for the world cup while all other games are going to be hosted in America.


http://stadiumdb.com/tournaments/world_cup/2026

[AndySt]

Well, we are just speculating about his future in this sport and just basing by his words as he announced last week that he already has no plans in joining the team and play for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. Now, many of us here thinks that what's with the rush because just joined the Inter-Miami and a few couple of weeks ago and now he's saying that he's not inclined to play in the next WC. I particularly don't believe that what he said was final because he still have 2 more years to decide.

In any case, Messi did not say that the decision not to play at the 2026 FIFA World Cup is final and all his recent statements are at the level of assumptions. A lot will depend on the physical health of Messi himself, and if you think sensibly, then the player may well play until that time. Well, if he still continues to play for the club until this deadline, then I think the issue of participation in the final part will be resolved. Another question is that, after all, for sure a football player will not participate in all the qualifying matches of his national team, especially in friendly matches, because age is age.