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

[STT]

Look at Argentina. They have a more balanced situation.

Funny you should say that when immediately I think of Maradona on Argentina and their great success, even if he was covered by 3 or more players Maradona found a way to be invaluable and sometimes score directly despite all the blocking and cover the opposing team would give an obvious star like that.

I take the point though because for sure its true of team games not even not just football that the overall strength of a team is far harder to stop then just one star player who by themselves isnt enough to turn the tide of a weaker team.   A team that can pass and give themselves opportunities all over the field with speed poise and in their quality of direction with the ball is a joy to watch thats football at its best.

[alegotardo]

the eyes were all wrong because we didn't see anything special from Ronaldo during the Qatar World Cup. Regardless of the popularity of Ronaldo, it seems he was never a good player for his national team when they needed it. Ronaldo is a player who achieved many titles in the team he played for them but when we talk about the World Cup and national teams, we know Ronaldo got nothing there, in fact, Ronaldo couldn't have a good performance in the World Cup when he was a young player with better performed and now when he is older and out of his good form we can't expect anything from Ronaldo in the 2026 world cup even if he plays there,

Indeed, being a football star does not guarantee a World Cup trophy.
Before the Qatar Cup, the cup was starting with great stars who took to the field in search of their first world title and Messi was one of them. Apart from him, some players had a true "dynasty" when it came to the Ballon d'Or, and Cristiano Ronaldo is one of them alongside Messi.
However, there is also the case of Lewandovski, the Polish striker twice the best on the planet, who will hardly have the opportunity to win a World Cup as Poland is not one of the favorites to qualify for the World Cup.
On this same list is Neymar, another Brazilian player who could have had the opportunity to win in Qatar as one of the big favorites, but missed out on the final despite already participating in 4 World Cups.

Anyway... we can't just look at the stars, but at the cast as a whole.

[criptoevangelista]

Look at Argentina. They have a more balanced situation.

Funny you should say that when immediately I think of Maradona on Argentina and their great success, even if he was covered by 3 or more players Maradona found a way to be invaluable and sometimes score directly despite all the blocking and cover the opposing team would give an obvious star like that.

I take the point though because for sure its true of team games not even not just football that the overall strength of a team is far harder to stop then just one star player who by themselves isnt enough to turn the tide of a weaker team.   A team that can pass and give themselves opportunities all over the field with speed poise and in their quality of direction with the ball is a joy to watch thats football at its best.

I think a well-structured team tactically is much more dangerous than a team with a star who can unbalance the match. Today, tactical obedience and good coaches make much more of a difference on the field.

In the youth categories the fundamentals gave way to tactical training, we don't see as many young and extremely skilled boys emerging as in the past.

[Rampagoe004]

I think a well-structured team tactically is much more dangerous than a team with a star who can unbalance the match. Today, tactical obedience and good coaches make much more of a difference on the field.

In the youth categories the fundamentals gave way to tactical training, we don't see as many young and extremely skilled boys emerging as in the past.

I agree with you. Modern football places great importance on the tactical aspect and because of this we often see games that are very structured and no longer showcase individual skills like in the past. Currently players with one special ability are more needed than star players. I mean of course star players are great players but in the modern era of football what is needed in the national team are players who can match the coach's style of play. This is my personal opinion so tell me if I'm wrong. But I see that star players are needed in the squad but if they do not suit the tactics of the national team coach then they have to be replaced by other players.

[hyudien]

All eyes were on Cristiano Ronaldo at the Qatar World Cup, as if he was competing instead of Portugal, but it is natural that he gets a lot of attention, because he is one of the best players in the world and maybe many people think it is the last World Cup that will be held. played by Ronaldo.
In fact, Bruno's problems with Ronaldo were discovered not only in Portugal, but when Ronaldo was part of Manchester United, they were said to have had a bad relationship. However, Bruno himself denied what was rumored, but we also don't know whether this problem really happened or not and maybe they don't want the public to know.
In my opinion, Ronaldo's leadership in Portugal is still needed, because until now I have not seen any figure who can replace Ronaldo's role in providing motivation to his colleagues. I don't know whether they will be fine after Ronaldo leaves or not, but I hope they can be better even without Ronaldo.

Well, let's say the eyes were all wrong because we didn't see anything special from Ronaldo during the Qatar World Cup. Regardless of the popularity of Ronaldo, it seems he was never a good player for his national team when they needed it. Ronaldo is a player who achieved many titles in the team he played for them but when we talk about the World Cup and national teams, we know Ronaldo got nothing there, in fact, Ronaldo couldn't have a good performance in the World Cup when he was a young player with better performed and now when he is older and out of his good form we can't expect anything from Ronaldo in the 2026 world cup even if he plays there,

Even though in the previous World Cup he didn't contribute much to his country, we also can't get rid of the fact that previously he also helped Portugal a lot. In this case we cannot blame the players, because they play as a team, and even whether a team declines or not is a very natural thing. Maybe we can see the journey of national teams that didn't even qualify for the World Cup finals, like Italy for example.
There are many things that influence their play, and it's not based on just one player. Will we also see Portuga's standout players at the Qatar World Cup? I do not think so.
Ronaldo is old, and his speed is no longer the same as when he was young, and it should also be remembered that Portugal was not that strong a country at first, after they lost many of their valuable players due to retirement. However, they have also won the UEFA EURO title before.

[marcous]

Even though in the previous World Cup he didn't contribute much to his country, we also can't get rid of the fact that previously he also helped Portugal a lot. In this case we cannot blame the players, because they play as a team, and even whether a team declines or not is a very natural thing. Maybe we can see the journey of national teams that didn't even qualify for the World Cup finals, like Italy for example.
There are many things that influence their play, and it's not based on just one player. Will we also see Portuga's standout players at the Qatar World Cup? I do not think so.
Ronaldo is old, and his speed is no longer the same as when he was young, and it should also be remembered that Portugal was not that strong a country at first, after they lost many of their valuable players due to retirement. However, they have also won the UEFA EURO title before.

There is no need to deny Ronaldo contribution to the Portuguese national team, he has given the best he has. But everything must come to an end, and he was nearing retirement time. Portugal must look far ahead, they will not always hope for Ronaldo, and they will definitely find other talents like Ronaldo in young players.

Ups and downs in a team performance will definitely occur, there are many factors behind this, the mentality of a player like Ronaldo will always be needed by every team. Portugal strength is still taken into account even though Ronaldo will no longer be strengthening it in the future, and now we are still curious about Ronaldo decision in the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

On the other hand, Portugal best achievement with Ronaldo is winning EURO, if he decides to retire from the national team then that will be his best achievement. I see that in every edition of the World Cup, new talents are always born that stand out. Ronaldo era is considered over, even though he is still playing well at the moment with Al Nassr.

[Webetcoins]

Even though in the previous World Cup he didn't contribute much to his country, we also can't get rid of the fact that previously he also helped Portugal a lot. In this case we cannot blame the players, because they play as a team, and even whether a team declines or not is a very natural thing. Maybe we can see the journey of national teams that didn't even qualify for the World Cup finals, like Italy for example.
There are many things that influence their play, and it's not based on just one player. Will we also see Portuga's standout players at the Qatar World Cup? I do not think so.
Ronaldo is old, and his speed is no longer the same as when he was young, and it should also be remembered that Portugal was not that strong a country at first, after they lost many of their valuable players due to retirement. However, they have also won the UEFA EURO title before.

No one having any doubt about quality and abilities of the Ronaldo but here we have to blame Portuguese soccer system which is completely failed to give required support, and they were not able to have anything good in last few years while he was on his peak and doing impressive work for his clubs and also have heart for the national team now as we all know every good thing is having an end so he is also now 39 years old and most chances he will play his last big event with his national team in 2026 with no chance for them to have any historic success because still things are not favourable for them while they are lack of quality which is needed for the win.

Now after few weeks we will have Euro2024 which is surely going to be another big event but still things are not good as we have few top teams with impressive quality and consistency which can't allow them to have something here as well with things are needed good work and strategy if they can do for this World cup in few years.

[wiss19]

Look at Argentina. They have a more balanced situation.

Funny you should say that when immediately I think of Maradona on Argentina and their great success, even if he was covered by 3 or more players Maradona found a way to be invaluable and sometimes score directly despite all the blocking and cover the opposing team would give an obvious star like that.

I take the point though because for sure its true of team games not even not just football that the overall strength of a team is far harder to stop then just one star player who by themselves isnt enough to turn the tide of a weaker team.   A team that can pass and give themselves opportunities all over the field with speed poise and in their quality of direction with the ball is a joy to watch thats football at its best.

I think a well-structured team tactically is much more dangerous than a team with a star who can unbalance the match. Today, tactical obedience and good coaches make much more of a difference on the field.

In the youth categories the fundamentals gave way to tactical training, we don't see as many young and extremely skilled boys emerging as in the past.

There is no doubt we are talking about soccer which is game of 11 players and here having just one star is never been good and ideal with having few good quality players are much better and beneficial as we have examples in recent time with not only national teams with also clubs like Bayer Leverkusen done amazing stuff and win titles without having star all teams is good, and every player is giving his best for this win.

With same, we can go for the Argentina which is also well-balanced and giving his best we need teams like these on all levels and things like these can bring better results instead of going for the star which is never been beneficial like we have only Cristiano Ronaldo which is having nothing to do for his team as there is no strong depth in team, and they are lack of quality which is important while you are going to win big events.

[temple]

Even though in the previous World Cup he didn't contribute much to his country, we also can't get rid of the fact that previously he also helped Portugal a lot. In this case we cannot blame the players, because they play as a team, and even whether a team declines or not is a very natural thing. Maybe we can see the journey of national teams that didn't even qualify for the World Cup finals, like Italy for example.
There are many things that influence their play, and it's not based on just one player. Will we also see Portuga's standout players at the Qatar World Cup? I do not think so.
Ronaldo is old, and his speed is no longer the same as when he was young, and it should also be remembered that Portugal was not that strong a country at first, after they lost many of their valuable players due to retirement. However, they have also won the UEFA EURO title before.

There is no need to deny Ronaldo contribution to the Portuguese national team, he has given the best he has. But everything must come to an end, and he was nearing retirement time. Portugal must look far ahead, they will not always hope for Ronaldo, and they will definitely find other talents like Ronaldo in young players.

Ups and downs in a team performance will definitely occur, there are many factors behind this, the mentality of a player like Ronaldo will always be needed by every team. Portugal strength is still taken into account even though Ronaldo will no longer be strengthening it in the future, and now we are still curious about Ronaldo decision in the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

On the other hand, Portugal best achievement with Ronaldo is winning EURO, if he decides to retire from the national team then that will be his best achievement. I see that in every edition of the World Cup, new talents are always born that stand out. Ronaldo era is considered over, even though he is still playing well at the moment with Al Nassr.

But the truth is that he is still delivering. I saw a video from Ibrahimovich where he said that he listens to all the criticism about Ronaldo, but it is a fact that Ronaldo is the best scorer in the Saudi Professional League. Now everyone will say that it is a bad league and that is of course true if you compare that league to the top leagues in Europe, but Ronaldo is probably still good enough to elevate his performance such that he can compete with European top teams. Everything must come to an end, that is correct, but why should something come to an end for someone when he is still able to be the best scorer in his league and to score a lot of goals for his national team?

Have a look at the scorer list for the Portugal national team in 2023. Ronaldo was the best scorer with 10 goals and Fernandes was second best with 6 goals. How does it make sense to want his career to come to an end abruptly?

[beerlover]

I think a well-structured team tactically is much more dangerous than a team with a star who can unbalance the match. Today, tactical obedience and good coaches make much more of a difference on the field.

In the youth categories the fundamentals gave way to tactical training, we don't see as many young and extremely skilled boys emerging as in the past.

I think there is a balance, I do agree that a full around team is better than a team with just a star, but I also think that you can't just have no star and expect to do well. Look at Belgium for example, we are talking about a team that had Lukaku, Thibious, Kevin De Bruyne and all that, a team with stars, but they didn't do well. Because, they were not that great with the team chemistry. On the other hand, look at last finals, Argentina with Messi, and France with Mbappe, so they both had their stars as well.

This is why I believe that you do need stars, but you also need to have a team that plays well together as well, they are both very important. You can't just have one and not the other and assume you will do fine.

[iBaba]

I think a well-structured team tactically is much more dangerous than a team with a star who can unbalance the match. Today, tactical obedience and good coaches make much more of a difference on the field.

In the youth categories the fundamentals gave way to tactical training, we don't see as many young and extremely skilled boys emerging as in the past.

Teamwork is great than a one man army squad where one star player is greater than other players in the pitch and they cannot corroborate the effort of the star player with good teamwork support. It is the easiest way a club can overwork their star player and produce little results.

A typical example stems from the Portugal National Team where one of the G.O.A.T player of football history, Cristiano Ronaldo struggles to win the trophy but cannot because he's literally the biggest player there and others cant measure up their performance with the star player. I had adviced long ago for Portugal to look for great performing players to form the first 11 squad.

Now I think they're trying to build up the squad with the coming of the likes of left winger, Joao Felix of Barcelona, attacking midfielder Bernardo Silver of Man City, Nunes of Man City, Reuben Dias of Man City, and Pepe amongst others.

[criptoevangelista]

There is no doubt we are talking about soccer which is game of 11 players and here having just one star is never been good and ideal with having few good quality players are much better and beneficial as we have examples in recent time with not only national teams with also clubs like Bayer Leverkusen done amazing stuff and win titles without having star all teams is good, and every player is giving his best for this win.

With same, we can go for the Argentina which is also well-balanced and giving his best we need teams like these on all levels and things like these can bring better results instead of going for the star which is never been beneficial like we have only Cristiano Ronaldo which is having nothing to do for his team as there is no strong depth in team, and they are lack of quality which is important while you are going to win big events.

The problem in my opinion with having a star is that coaches will inevitably be pressured to maintain a game that is extremely dependent on the star, this usually happens with slightly smaller clubs... the team has a tactic based solely on this player. So, when the star player is absent or injured... the whole team loses.

I think there is a balance, I do agree that a full around team is better than a team with just a star, but I also think that you can't just have no star and expect to do well. Look at Belgium for example, we are talking about a team that had Lukaku, Thibious, Kevin De Bruyne and all that, a team with stars, but they didn't do well. Because, they were not that great with the team chemistry. On the other hand, look at last finals, Argentina with Messi, and France with Mbappe, so they both had their stars as well.

This is why I believe that you do need stars, but you also need to have a team that plays well together as well, they are both very important. You can't just have one and not the other and assume you will do fine.

That's really true... there has to be a balance for the team's chemistry to work well and inevitably there has to be a good atmosphere in the team, like for example Argentina in 2022 or even a good example was Brazil 2002.

Now look at PSG, with so many above-average players, they had some relationship problems that hurt the entire team.

Teamwork is great than a one man army squad where one star player is greater than other players in the pitch and they cannot corroborate the effort of the star player with good teamwork support. It is the easiest way a club can overwork their star player and produce little results.

A typical example stems from the Portugal National Team where one of the G.O.A.T player of football history, Cristiano Ronaldo struggles to win the trophy but cannot because he's literally the biggest player there and others cant measure up their performance with the star player. I had adviced long ago for Portugal to look for great performing players to form the first 11 squad.

Now I think they're trying to build up the squad with the coming of the likes of left winger, Joao Felix of Barcelona, attacking midfielder Bernardo Silver of Man City, Nunes of Man City, Reuben Dias of Man City, and Pepe amongst others.

This Portuguese team, even with Cristiano, will be very difficult to achieve something relevant... They couldn't do it in the early 2000s with several stars... unfortunately it won't happen now... I think I've already commented on this in some thread here

[Leviathan.007]

I think a well-structured team tactically is much more dangerous than a team with a star who can unbalance the match. Today, tactical obedience and good coaches make much more of a difference on the field.

In the youth categories the fundamentals gave way to tactical training, we don't see as many young and extremely skilled boys emerging as in the past.

I agree with you. Modern football places great importance on the tactical aspect and because of this we often see games that are very structured and no longer showcase individual skills like in the past. Currently players with one special ability are more needed than star players. I mean of course star players are great players but in the modern era of football what is needed in the national team are players who can match the coach's style of play. This is my personal opinion so tell me if I'm wrong. But I see that star players are needed in the squad but if they do not suit the tactics of the national team coach then they have to be replaced by other players.

That's a good point. Actually, that's the reason for some teams like Brazil have poor performance and they can't good their good performance anymore because the teams like Brazil will try to rely on the superstar players they had like Ronaldo and Pele or many other players while the other teams like Germany tried to have better teamwork and they used better tactics in the game and these tactics could make the team perform much better against the old and traditional teams.

[wiss19]

Modern football places great importance on the tactical aspect and because of this we often see games that are very structured and no longer showcase individual skills like in the past. Currently players with one special ability are more needed than star players. I mean of course star players are great players but in the modern era of football what is needed in the national team are players who can match the coach's style of play. This is my personal opinion so tell me if I'm wrong. But I see that star players are needed in the squad but if they do not suit the tactics of the national team coach then they have to be replaced by other players.

That's a good point. Actually, that's the reason for some teams like Brazil have poor performance and they can't good their good performance anymore because the teams like Brazil will try to rely on the superstar players they had like Ronaldo and Pele or many other players while the other teams like Germany tried to have better teamwork and they used better tactics in the game and these tactics could make the team perform much better against the old and traditional teams.

If I am not wrong we have both Brazil and Germany as most successful teams into FIFA history as both never rely on just one or two stars they have well-balanced squads which give them good advantages even sometime we have them on few players, but this never happen for the long time as they were full of quality and amazing skilled players but sadly in recent time we have problems for the both sides which are giving them problems, and they are trying to overcome, but this is not happening quickly.

With in European style we have mostly teams well-balanced as they bring good quality players from their academies and in South America mostly we have natural player those came from the streets and then give their best after having experience and improved quality which is big difference, but now things are completely changing because money is too much involved, and we are having star players those are doing by their own but still it's not giving them good to all.

[el kaka22]

I disagree, most of the world cup winners all had star players so far in the world. Lets take a look at the world cup winners all together, Argentina, who had Messi and France who had Mbappe and Germany who had Klose and so forth and so forth.

You could argue that all these players had star teammates along with them, so you could say that team matters, but you can't tell me that a team could win without a star player, every single team that won world cup had at least one star player, maybe more. This is why I believe that you are going to need star players. Sure Messi had Di maria, or others had other help, but there was always a star player anytime any team won. It is more possible to have teams filled with star players.

[temple]

I disagree, most of the world cup winners all had star players so far in the world. Lets take a look at the world cup winners all together, Argentina, who had Messi and France who had Mbappe and Germany who had Klose and so forth and so forth.

You could argue that all these players had star teammates along with them, so you could say that team matters, but you can't tell me that a team could win without a star player, every single team that won world cup had at least one star player, maybe more. This is why I believe that you are going to need star players. Sure Messi had Di maria, or others had other help, but there was always a star player anytime any team won. It is more possible to have teams filled with star players.

I think you are mixing up different player types here and mentioning Klose in the same breath with Mbappe and Messi is probably not correct.

I know that Klose scored the most goals at World Cups ever, but he is really nowhere near the gameplay level of Messi or Mbappe. He benefitted from collective effort and that is where I disagree about how the world cup winning teams were composed. Germany in 2014 was a team of very hard working team, but perfectly complementing each other and all of them were ripe to finally win a world cup.

In contrast, teams like France and Argentina have these insane individual players that were able to decide games with some of their magic. Mbappe was insane at the world cup 2018. I remember the run against Argentina that was about 60 meters or something when he won the penalty. Or Messi with so many decisive goals, one touch dribblings and then highest precision. Klose is completely different and if you want to call him world class, I can understand why, but I would never put him into the same category as guys like Messi, Ronaldo or Mbappe.

[Sithara007]

I disagree, most of the world cup winners all had star players so far in the world. Lets take a look at the world cup winners all together, Argentina, who had Messi and France who had Mbappe and Germany who had Klose and so forth and so forth.

You could argue that all these players had star teammates along with them, so you could say that team matters, but you can't tell me that a team could win without a star player, every single team that won world cup had at least one star player, maybe more. This is why I believe that you are going to need star players. Sure Messi had Di maria, or others had other help, but there was always a star player anytime any team won. It is more possible to have teams filled with star players.

I noted something here. You have mentioned the names of Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi in this post. But you never mentioned the name of Cristiano Ronaldo. He is perhaps more skilled when compared to the other two. But unfortunately, his team (Portugal) could not perform well in major FIFA tournaments. For that matter, Mbappé the world cup for France in 2018 but failed in 2022. But at least he was in the team that entered the finals in 2022.

[Strongkored]

Cristiano Ronaldo is an extraordinary star player but unfortunately he has not been able to lead his country to become World Cup champions but he is still an extraordinary star and apart from him other stars also have the same fate because they failed to bring their country to the World Cup title or did not make the squad for the national team his country when his country managed to win the World Cup like Karim Benzema, who did not play for France when the country won the World Cup.
With his current age, Ronaldo will find it increasingly difficult to achieve this dream title and apart from him some stars may also fail to win the World Cup, such as Erling Haaland because Norway is not a country that has a great squad to compete in the World Cup, maybe Haaland will be like Gareth Bale, a star player but unfortunately not from a country that has performed well in the World Cup.

[criptoevangelista]

I think a well-structured team tactically is much more dangerous than a team with a star who can unbalance the match. Today, tactical obedience and good coaches make much more of a difference on the field.

In the youth categories the fundamentals gave way to tactical training, we don't see as many young and extremely skilled boys emerging as in the past.

I agree with you. Modern football places great importance on the tactical aspect and because of this we often see games that are very structured and no longer showcase individual skills like in the past. Currently players with one special ability are more needed than star players. I mean of course star players are great players but in the modern era of football what is needed in the national team are players who can match the coach's style of play. This is my personal opinion so tell me if I'm wrong. But I see that star players are needed in the squad but if they do not suit the tactics of the national team coach then they have to be replaced by other players.

That's a good point. Actually, that's the reason for some teams like Brazil have poor performance and they can't good their good performance anymore because the teams like Brazil will try to rely on the superstar players they had like Ronaldo and Pele or many other players while the other teams like Germany tried to have better teamwork and they used better tactics in the game and these tactics could make the team perform much better against the old and traditional teams.

Brazil can no longer stand out in world football because it cannot be tactically good, Brazilian coaches have stopped in time. While football has evolved tactically, Brazilians are unable to adapt to this new moment, trying in vain to place responsibility for games under just one player (as they did with Neymar in recent years), until they prioritize tactical applications, it will continue being just another participant to just fulfill the schedule, with no chance of titles. unfortunately

[Rampagoe004]

That's a good point. Actually, that's the reason for some teams like Brazil have poor performance and they can't good their good performance anymore because the teams like Brazil will try to rely on the superstar players they had like Ronaldo and Pele or many other players while the other teams like Germany tried to have better teamwork and they used better tactics in the game and these tactics could make the team perform much better against the old and traditional teams.

Yes, you are right. Modern football has changed where the game has become very structured and collective. Each player has their own role that builds the overall game strategy. The coach must be able to build a solid squad and with very neat and structured tactics. The result is that modern football relies more on collective play than individual superstar skill. In the modern era, all players must be able to carry out their respective functions well.

I think in this era the players that are really needed are players who can adapt to various tactics and are able to fill the role that the coach wants to play. And they will become superstars in the future. I think that if in the 2026 World Cup many national teams use team collective games then there will be no players who stand out more than other players.