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

[Weawant]

If until the 2026 World Cup, Argentina is still coached by Lionel Scaloni, of course he will understand better whether Lionel Messi as a core player can bring good things to the Argentine national team or not, but seeing how Argentinian players really respect Messi, it is very possible that he will still be there in the Argentina squad but not as a main player but will play when the coach feels it is necessary to use him to play because even though his physical condition has declined, his experience is very valuable for the Argentina squad.
However, it is also very important for young players to get a lot of playing time because regeneration is very necessary.

2026 is still three years away. Do you believe that Messi would still be motivated to take part in the next world cup? He has achieved whatever he wanted to achieve in football. So why should he carry on playing anymore? Lionel Scaloni may want him in the squad, but even if he includes him a lot of questions will be asked. Another factor that may impact his participation is the fact that Messi no longer plays in one of the stronger leagues. At this point he represents Inter Miami, in Major League Soccer (MLS).

By 2026 I doubt if Messi would participate in the world cup but then if turns out that they want him to I think nit will be basically for the purpose of business by this I mean more tickets would be sold and it will definitely attract tons of fans to that stadium to watch him play the last world cup appearance before he retires and it will automatically give the Argentine side more fans on days where the teams of those fans are not playing.

Secondly his presence in the team will serve as a motivating factor to new starts who will be playing along side Soni don't see his presence there as in anyway stopping others from coming to Play or getting an opportunity to rather it will be basically a moral boost to play with such a national hero just before he retires from national foot ball and just like last world cup, he will most likely be their captain.

But then age might not be on his side to play but then I feel he could be given some preference that's if the coach wants him and he accepts to play aswell. I don't think him playing in the MLS is not a factor that will cause him not to be selected as he is performing very well in the MLS as his influence on the league is obviously, ever since his arrival the MLS gained more attention that it has ever gotten so it's definitely not going to be a reason he will not be considered.

[1715661680]

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[1715661680]

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[nullama]

~snip~
2026 is still three years away. Do you believe that Messi would still be motivated to take part in the next world cup? He has achieved whatever he wanted to achieve in football. So why should he carry on playing anymore? Lionel Scaloni may want him in the squad, but even if he includes him a lot of questions will be asked. Another factor that may impact his participation is the fact that Messi no longer plays in one of the stronger leagues. At this point he represents Inter Miami, in Major League Soccer (MLS).

Yeah, I think Messi now is busier with media contracts, making ads, and things like that, more than football itself.

I think that is actually the smart thing to do for him as he will be able to make ads for longer than the amount of time he will be able to play soccer.

We still see ads with Pirlo for example.

[rdluffy]

As this is the active World Cup thread, I'll post it here
If many here are already thinking it's bad that the World Cup will be played in 3 countries, take a look at this news that just came out:

The 2030 World Cup will be played in 3 continents and 6 countries

A brief summary: Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay (South America) will play the first matches of each team in their own country, to celebrate the centenary of the World Cup
After that, the World Cup will be played "normally" in 3 countries: Portugal, Spain and Morocco (Europe and Africa).

It was FIFA's way of holding the World Cup where it prefers, while still paying tribute to the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup

So, what do you think? A good way for FIFA to please everyone?

[Hispo]

As this is the active World Cup thread, I'll post it here
If many here are already thinking it's bad that the World Cup will be played in 3 countries, take a look at this news that just came out:

The 2030 World Cup will be played in 3 continents and 6 countries

A brief summary: Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay (South America) will play the first matches of each team in their own country, to celebrate the centenary of the World Cup
After that, the World Cup will be played "normally" in 3 countries: Portugal, Spain and Morocco (Europe and Africa).

It was FIFA's way of holding the World Cup where it prefers, while still paying tribute to the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup

So, what do you think? A good way for FIFA to please everyone?

It is not going to please those who had intentions to attend to that World Cup and had a limited budget for airplane tickets and reservations.
Honestly, I am not sure it is a good idea to host such a huge event, it would create some inconvenients, like the difference of time for both the players and the fans who want to watch the matches.

It is a clear example of globalization, if you asked me, how technology, communications and infrastructure is getting us closer to each other as time passes. That is a good or bad thing, depending whom you ask.

[shogun47]

As this is the active World Cup thread, I'll post it here
If many here are already thinking it's bad that the World Cup will be played in 3 countries, take a look at this news that just came out:

The 2030 World Cup will be played in 3 continents and 6 countries

A brief summary: Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay (South America) will play the first matches of each team in their own country, to celebrate the centenary of the World Cup
After that, the World Cup will be played "normally" in 3 countries: Portugal, Spain and Morocco (Europe and Africa).

It was FIFA's way of holding the World Cup where it prefers, while still paying tribute to the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup

So, what do you think? A good way for FIFA to please everyone?

It is not going to please those who had intentions to attend to that World Cup and had a limited budget for airplane tickets and reservations.
Honestly, I am not sure it is a good idea to host such a huge event, it would create some inconvenients, like the difference of time for both the players and the fans who want to watch the matches.

It is a clear example of globalization, if you asked me, how technology, communications and infrastructure is getting us closer to each other as time passes. That is a good or bad thing, depending whom you ask.

But there is something I didn't really understand. Wasn't Saudi Arabia full into the race for the World Cup 2030? I thought that was one of the main reasons why they signed Ronaldo and all those players for so much money. As far as I understood, wasn't it their initiative to convince the committee and get public support to become the hosts?

Regarding the number of countries and continents involved, I think it isn't a bad thing. Imagine how many people only get to see one World Cup in their home country once in a lifetime, if at all. This solution caters to more people getting the opportunity to become witnesses of a major sports event in their home country.

[romero121]

As this is the active World Cup thread, I'll post it here
If many here are already thinking it's bad that the World Cup will be played in 3 countries, take a look at this news that just came out:

The 2030 World Cup will be played in 3 continents and 6 countries

A brief summary: Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay (South America) will play the first matches of each team in their own country, to celebrate the centenary of the World Cup
After that, the World Cup will be played "normally" in 3 countries: Portugal, Spain and Morocco (Europe and Africa).

It was FIFA's way of holding the World Cup where it prefers, while still paying tribute to the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup

So, what do you think? A good way for FIFA to please everyone?

It is not going to please those who had intentions to attend to that World Cup and had a limited budget for airplane tickets and reservations.
Honestly, I am not sure it is a good idea to host such a huge event, it would create some inconvenients, like the difference of time for both the players and the fans who want to watch the matches.

It is a clear example of globalization, if you asked me, how technology, communications and infrastructure is getting us closer to each other as time passes. That is a good or bad thing, depending whom you ask.

But there is something I didn't really understand. Wasn't Saudi Arabia full into the race for the World Cup 2030? I thought that was one of the main reasons why they signed Ronaldo and all those players for so much money. As far as I understood, wasn't it their initiative to convince the committee and get public support to become the hosts?

Regarding the number of countries and continents involved, I think it isn't a bad thing. Imagine how many people only get to see one World Cup in their home country once in a lifetime, if at all. This solution caters to more people getting the opportunity to become witnesses of a major sports event in their home country.

Maybe Saudi Arabia have got the plans to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup and as a preparation they're much focused in making the Saudi Arabia Pro League popular and have signed popular players. The reality is different, it is the FIFA to decide the host. 2022 FIFA hosted by West Asia country Qatar and once again the 2030 FIFA World Cup by another West Asia Country Saudi Arabia won't be considered that easily.

The plan for the matches to be hosted in three continents and 6 countries is simply different. However the opportunity provided for the small nations to watch FIFA matches on their home country is something great for them and welcoming move from FIFA.

[shogun47]

But there is something I didn't really understand. Wasn't Saudi Arabia full into the race for the World Cup 2030? I thought that was one of the main reasons why they signed Ronaldo and all those players for so much money. As far as I understood, wasn't it their initiative to convince the committee and get public support to become the hosts?

Regarding the number of countries and continents involved, I think it isn't a bad thing. Imagine how many people only get to see one World Cup in their home country once in a lifetime, if at all. This solution caters to more people getting the opportunity to become witnesses of a major sports event in their home country.

Maybe Saudi Arabia have got the plans to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup and as a preparation they're much focused in making the Saudi Arabia Pro League popular and have signed popular players. The reality is different, it is the FIFA to decide the host. 2022 FIFA hosted by West Asia country Qatar and once again the 2030 FIFA World Cup by another West Asia Country Saudi Arabia won't be considered that easily.

The plan for the matches to be hosted in three continents and 6 countries is simply different. However the opportunity provided for the small nations to watch FIFA matches on their home country is something great for them and welcoming move from FIFA.

Ok now I see that their planning for the bid for the World Cup 2030 ceased this June. But what I didn't know is that Saudi Arabia will probably host the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and they immediately announced that their bid will be prepared for the World Cup 2034 as the FIFA already announced that the World Cup will take place in Asia or Oceania region.

This would give them another 10 years to boost their Saudi Professional League further and then go all out when they indeed become the hosts for those World Cup. The point is that the more players they sign with huge followings, the harder it becomes for the FIFA to reject their bid. These guys are strategists in and out and I expect them to pump money into soccer relentlessly until then.

[Leviathan.007]

Surely letting Messi play in the next World Cup will not be good for Argentine and their team because even if we consider Messi can have a good performance in when he is a 39 year old palyer, but still, Argentine should give more space to the younger players and let them play to see better performance from them in the next years.

In the end, it will depend on whether Messi wants to play or not. I am 80% sure that he will pull out of the tournament and may retire from active football much before 2026. Right now he has a deal with one of the MLS clubs and I am not sure whether he will extend that deal or not. In case he doesn't retire by then, the Argentine coach will be in a lot of dilemma. If he prefers some of the younger player ahead of Messi, and if that player doesn't perform well, then he will be in a lot of trouble. We all know what happened to Fernando Santos after Qatar 2022.

I don't see Messi as a player that will retire in the next two years. He might not be playing in a top league recently but his performance is still high. He has helped to change the fortune of a relatively unknown club. Argentina's national team coach made it clear immediately after the team won the World Cup that Messi is always welcomed in the national team. Coach Lionel Sebastián Scaloni understands that Messi's experience will always benefit the team and he can serve as a form of motivation even if his performance reduces. I foresee that unless Messi is injured or faces any other problems, he will be given the privilege of joining the world champion for the next World Cup. I don't also think that he is taking the space of younger players rather he will be on the team to guide them and also assist the coach in some ways. Age isn't always a barrier to some players they are just special.

This Lionel Sebastián Scaloni can't be sure even about himself if he can sit and coach Argentina in the next World Cup in 2026 or not.
We are talking about the next two years and everything is possible, for example, if Messi gets injured during this time, I'm sure there will be more chance to win this palyer in the 2026 world cup and it's still soon to say if he can play there or not.

[Docnaster]

But there is something I didn't really understand. Wasn't Saudi Arabia full into the race for the World Cup 2030? I thought that was one of the main reasons why they signed Ronaldo and all those players for so much money. As far as I understood, wasn't it their initiative to convince the committee and get public support to become the hosts?

Regarding the number of countries and continents involved, I think it isn't a bad thing. Imagine how many people only get to see one World Cup in their home country once in a lifetime, if at all. This solution caters to more people getting the opportunity to become witnesses of a major sports event in their home country.

Maybe Saudi Arabia have got the plans to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup and as a preparation they're much focused in making the Saudi Arabia Pro League popular and have signed popular players. The reality is different, it is the FIFA to decide the host. 2022 FIFA hosted by West Asia country Qatar and once again the 2030 FIFA World Cup by another West Asia Country Saudi Arabia won't be considered that easily.

The plan for the matches to be hosted in three continents and 6 countries is simply different. However the opportunity provided for the small nations to watch FIFA matches on their home country is something great for them and welcoming move from FIFA.

Ok now I see that their planning for the bid for the World Cup 2030 ceased this June. But what I didn't know is that Saudi Arabia will probably host the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and they immediately announced that their bid will be prepared for the World Cup 2034 as the FIFA already announced that the World Cup will take place in Asia or Oceania region.

This would give them another 10 years to boost their Saudi Professional League further and then go all out when they indeed become the hosts for those World Cup. The point is that the more players they sign with huge followings, the harder it becomes for the FIFA to reject their bid. These guys are strategists in and out and I expect them to pump money into soccer relentlessly until then.

The 2030 FIFA World Cup has been awarded to be co-hosted by Portugal, Spain and Morocco but the opening matches of the tournament will be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay and that's to the centenary anniversary of the FIFA World Cup which was first hosted in Uruguay.
FIFA in their statement said that they'll only accept bids for 2034 World Cup from countries in Asian Football Federation and Oceania Football Federation and that was the reason why Saudi Arabia had announced that they'll be bidding for the 2034 world Cup. It's not yet confirmed but it's believed that they're strong contenders to win the bid

[armanda90]

The 2030 FIFA World Cup has been awarded to be co-hosted by Portugal, Spain and Morocco but the opening matches of the tournament will be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay and that's to the centenary anniversary of the FIFA World Cup which was first hosted in Uruguay.
FIFA in their statement said that they'll only accept bids for 2034 World Cup from countries in Asian Football Federation and Oceania Football Federation and that was the reason why Saudi Arabia had announced that they'll be bidding for the 2034 world Cup. It's not yet confirmed but it's believed that they're strong contenders to win the bid

I don't know what crazy ideas from FIFA when getting host for upcoming World Cup 2030 with three national teams become the host and the opening matches play in difference countries host. Better make World Cup with single country host and give much opportunity for other national team qualify or participating in World Cup. Bad thing happen if have three of host close opportunity with other country qualifying or participating in World Cup because three host of World Cup automatically will get participants without qualifying round. Another an acceptable when host with difference continent and how difficult after knock out stage some national teams need time for playing in different continent. I think FIFA should realistic with upcoming World Cup edition don't take fee commission only but think how to make World Cup can easily for all participant teams.

[Sithara007]

This Lionel Sebastián Scaloni can't be sure even about himself if he can sit and coach Argentina in the next World Cup in 2026 or not.
We are talking about the next two years and everything is possible, for example, if Messi gets injured during this time, I'm sure there will be more chance to win this palyer in the 2026 world cup and it's still soon to say if he can play there or not.

Scaloni has been coaching the Argentine squad ever since 2018, and they have performed credibly under him. It is not just the World Cup win in 2022, but Argentina made some sort of a comeback during the last 3-4 years under Scaloni. Now they are the no.1 ranked side in the world. They do have exceptionally good players such as Lionel Messi and Emiliano Martínez, but the contribution from Scaloni in building the team bonding and tactics can't be ignored. Even for the 2026 tournament, they will be the most favored team to lift the trophy, with or without Messi.

[Strongkored]

2026 is still three years away. Do you believe that Messi would still be motivated to take part in the next world cup? He has achieved whatever he wanted to achieve in football. So why should he carry on playing anymore? Lionel Scaloni may want him in the squad, but even if he includes him a lot of questions will be asked. Another factor that may impact his participation is the fact that Messi no longer plays in one of the stronger leagues. At this point he represents Inter Miami, in Major League Soccer (MLS).

Will where he plays really influence the Argentine coach's decision to call him or not? I think not because Scaloni probably saw something else when calling him up but the question remains does Messi still want to play for Argentina? I was quite doubtful about that because he didn't look like a person who was very ambitious about setting records and so on, so when he didn't play in the next world cup it wasn't because he wasn't called up by the Argentine coach but because he chose to completely retire from the national team of his country, regarding all the achievements he has achieved while Ronaldo may still hope to play in the world cup to get it.

[rdluffy]

But there is something I didn't really understand. Wasn't Saudi Arabia full into the race for the World Cup 2030? I thought that was one of the main reasons why they signed Ronaldo and all those players for so much money. As far as I understood, wasn't it their initiative to convince the committee and get public support to become the hosts?

Regarding the number of countries and continents involved, I think it isn't a bad thing. Imagine how many people only get to see one World Cup in their home country once in a lifetime, if at all. This solution caters to more people getting the opportunity to become witnesses of a major sports event in their home country.

In particular, I didn't think it was possible for Saudi Arabia to host the 2030 World Cup, since the last one was held very close by, in Qatar

2018 - Europe-Asia
2022 - Asia
2026 - North America - Central America
2030 - Europe-Africa (and 3 games in South America)

It's possible that Arabia could bid again for 2034 and could have a chance along with Oceania or South America.

My opinion is that it wasn't a bad decision either, after all the people of South America will have a great opportunity to watch at least one World Cup match without having to travel to Europe/Africa


After my post about the stadiums: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5431360.msg62891459#msg62891459

I have another news, this time for the 2026 World Cup

The choice of the final stadium is now between 2 stadiums, Los Angeles has already been ruled out
New Jersey and Dallas are now the possible stadiums of the final, after Fifa members visited the stadiums in NFL games

I think they are going to choose Dallas, and you guys?

[shogun47]

But there is something I didn't really understand. Wasn't Saudi Arabia full into the race for the World Cup 2030? I thought that was one of the main reasons why they signed Ronaldo and all those players for so much money. As far as I understood, wasn't it their initiative to convince the committee and get public support to become the hosts?

Regarding the number of countries and continents involved, I think it isn't a bad thing. Imagine how many people only get to see one World Cup in their home country once in a lifetime, if at all. This solution caters to more people getting the opportunity to become witnesses of a major sports event in their home country.

In particular, I didn't think it was possible for Saudi Arabia to host the 2030 World Cup, since the last one was held very close by, in Qatar

2018 - Europe-Asia
2022 - Asia
2026 - North America - Central America
2030 - Europe-Africa (and 3 games in South America)

It's possible that Arabia could bid again for 2034 and could have a chance along with Oceania or South America.

My opinion is that it wasn't a bad decision either, after all the people of South America will have a great opportunity to watch at least one World Cup match without having to travel to Europe/Africa

You actually raised a good point here and I didn't think about that before. But I think there was more to that because initially Saudi Arabia was indeed planning to bid for the World Cup 2030 I think in cooperation with Egypt and Greece or something? But for some reason (not sure if it was political) one of them or even both withdrew and that might also have been the reason that Saudi Arabia stepped back.

As for 2034, the FIFA already announced that the Asian Football Confederation and Oceania Football Confederation will be eligible to bid.

[Sithara007]

Crazy news regarding the 2030 World Cup. FIFA will be providing direct entry to 6 teams (Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay). If you thought that giving direct entry to 3 teams in 2026 is unfair, then they have stepped up one level for the 2030 edition. This is just plain crazy. What is the point in having qualifier tournament, if there are so many teams with direct entry? What about 2034? Are they going to give direct qualification to 20 teams? I am not sure what FIFA is trying to achieve with all this BS.

[FanEagle]

Jesus Christ it's official, wikipedia got updated as well. That 2030 Saudi Arabia thing is obviously not happening and all that Ronaldo stuff basically blew up on their face, but at least they got a lot of viewership from it and they could just host the 2034 one if they keep this up, they are doing great anyway so as long as they do not ruin it, even if Ronaldo is gone, they could just keep it going with whatever year they could do that.

This seems like a bad way, but the three nations are just doing the first games, so it is not like it will be everywhere, after those first games in inaugural or whatever that's called, it's back to Spain.

Spain, Portugal and Morocco is actually closer to each other than Mexico, USA, Canada if you think about it, and that is why it makes sense. This is just some sort of way that Fifa is dealing with the world cup now, they want a lot of nations and constantly growing it. At this point we may start seeing home-away games as well and just make it everywhere.

[Hirose UK]

2026 is still three years away. Do you believe that Messi would still be motivated to take part in the next world cup? He has achieved whatever he wanted to achieve in football. So why should he carry on playing anymore? Lionel Scaloni may want him in the squad, but even if he includes him a lot of questions will be asked. Another factor that may impact his participation is the fact that Messi no longer plays in one of the stronger leagues. At this point he represents Inter Miami, in Major League Soccer (MLS).

Will where he plays really influence the Argentine coach's decision to call him or not? I think not because Scaloni probably saw something else when calling him up but the question remains does Messi still want to play for Argentina? I was quite doubtful about that because he didn't look like a person who was very ambitious about setting records and so on, so when he didn't play in the next world cup it wasn't because he wasn't called up by the Argentine coach but because he chose to completely retire from the national team of his country, regarding all the achievements he has achieved while Ronaldo may still hope to play in the world cup to get it.

I not sure that at the 2026 World Cup Messi will still be on the list of players for Argentina and it looks like Lionel Scaloni will look for other options to replace Messi that they can rely on for that position because Messi will be 39 years old and this is quite an old age for striker who must always be active in every attack.

Argentina has quite lot of talented young players and Lionel Scaloni can call on some of them to really train them to become players who can have more competitive attacking game skills because many players can perform very well when playing with the national team.
I believe that at the 2026 World Cup Argentina will have strong enough squad that can compete even without Messi presence.

[Weawant]

As this is the active World Cup thread, I'll post it here
If many here are already thinking it's bad that the World Cup will be played in 3 countries, take a look at this news that just came out:

The 2030 World Cup will be played in 3 continents and 6 countries

A brief summary: Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay (South America) will play the first matches of each team in their own country, to celebrate the centenary of the World Cup
After that, the World Cup will be played "normally" in 3 countries: Portugal, Spain and Morocco (Europe and Africa).

It was FIFA's way of holding the World Cup where it prefers, while still paying tribute to the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup

So, what do you think? A good way for FIFA to please everyone?

This sound really interesting and engaging as it will involve so much than the regular, because it will means more resources, more logistics and should I say more stress both on the officials and the participants, I don't really know how comfortable this will be with most countries but until then let's wait to see how well this can play out with everyone.

The 100th anniversary of the world cup is indeed a big one that deserves to be celebrated in a very robust Mannar and if FIFA has chosen to carry everyone along to achieve a memorable celebration I don't think it's a bad idea but if it's aimed at satisfying everyone then it will definitely not make enough sense as everyone cannot be satisfied regardless of how well you try.

The challenge that will be faced by almost everyone is been able to attend all the games which will definitely cost the fans so much except they will be playing only in their various continents, but then the venue for the final game is another thing that will be of great consideration as they can never be fair enough with any venue they choose if they are trying to please everyone.

[Volgastallion]

Is a fucking joke man this 2030 world cup, i hope this doesnt ended up being that way, two continents distant 14.000 km one from another. 6 countries, no sense, bring back normal world cups in one country and that country have to be a football country, not a shit one.

[Leviathan.007]

As this is the active World Cup thread, I'll post it here
If many here are already thinking it's bad that the World Cup will be played in 3 countries, take a look at this news that just came out:

The 2030 World Cup will be played in 3 continents and 6 countries

A brief summary: Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay (South America) will play the first matches of each team in their own country, to celebrate the centenary of the World Cup
After that, the World Cup will be played "normally" in 3 countries: Portugal, Spain and Morocco (Europe and Africa).

It was FIFA's way of holding the World Cup where it prefers, while still paying tribute to the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup

So, what do you think? A good way for FIFA to please everyone?

It is not going to please those who had intentions to attend to that World Cup and had a limited budget for airplane tickets and reservations.
Honestly, I am not sure it is a good idea to host such a huge event, it would create some inconvenients, like the difference of time for both the players and the fans who want to watch the matches.

It is a clear example of globalization, if you asked me, how technology, communications and infrastructure is getting us closer to each other as time passes. That is a good or bad thing, depending whom you ask.

I still don't know why they are doing this every time, in 2026 FIFA let three countries host the World Cup and now it seems we're going to have many more hosts for the next World Cup which is a little bit weird.
Maybe FIFA is trying to make the World Cup decentred and that's why they want to have different hosts. But I think the best thing they could do was to wait and see the feedback in 2026 and then make the decision to make other countries host the World Cup.