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

[Slow death]

I have read many posts in this thread talking about the Saudi league evolving and even some people rush to say that the Saudi league is better than Ligue 1 and Bundesliga, which in my opinion is completely absurd. Having some popularity does not mean that the league is already good. People are commenting out of emotion and are forgetting that in the Saudi league the number of foreign players who are good compared to the number of foreign players who are good in Ligue 1 and Bundesliga, we will see that in Ligue 1 and Bundesliga there are many more foreign players who are good players.

Now let's suppose that in Ligue 1 and Bundesliga they fire all foreigners and then in the Saudi league they also fire all foreigners, then which of the leagues would continue to present good football? bundesliga and ligue1. I would like people who believe that the Saudi league is evolving to start talking about the names of native players who are getting on the same level as the Europeans: who are earning a lot of money in salary and fame.

[PremiumcryptoHub]

Well for a country who hasn't been on the football map and been on the business enough and now they have seen that there's so much they could achieve with football and so they would want to explore the football business and so they had to do that which they are doing now, the buying of all of this players they are buying now so they will be able to get the country as a whole gets on the football map of the world.

Maybe you are wrong to say that, Saudi Arabia was not on the football map. If you review the history of football in Saudi Arabia, this team has been playing football for a long time. (Maybe since 1956). However, currently Saudi Arabia wants the clubs that are in their country to become more popular. That is why they are looking to buy different players from all over the world or they have already bought many players.

There are many football fans who have never heard of Saudi league before or know about this league, but nowadays Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Neymar are playing in this Saudi league for which everyone now knows about it. If they can buy the best players regularly then maybe this Saudi league can gradually become more popular in the future.

[Jody.Drummer]

Well for a country who hasn't been on the football map and been on the business enough and now they have seen that there's so much they could achieve with football and so they would want to explore the football business and so they had to do that which they are doing now, the buying of all of this players they are buying now so they will be able to get the country as a whole gets on the football map of the world.

Maybe you are wrong to say that, Saudi Arabia was not on the football map. If you review the history of football in Saudi Arabia, this team has been playing football for a long time. (Maybe since 1956). However, currently Saudi Arabia wants the clubs that are in their country to become more popular. That is why they are looking to buy different players from all over the world or they have already bought many players.

There are many football fans who have never heard of Saudi league before or know about this league, but nowadays Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Neymar are playing in this Saudi league for which everyone now knows about it. If they can buy the best players regularly then maybe this Saudi league can gradually become more popular in the future.

But their next step must also be clear, now that they have gained popularity, don't let this happen in a short time so that they sink again because they can't take advantage of the momentum. If I'm not mistaken, China once did the same thing with their breakthrough in bringing in star players, but what's happening now? Yes, they can't take advantage of that moment, so when their star players leave they sink again.
This will be very successful when Saudi Arabia can maintain it, even this will be very successful if in the end they don't need to spend a lot of money on a player to maintain popularity.

[bering]

Shocking news came from Indonesia, there are many rumors about PSSI plans to make major changes to the Indonesian national team and all of that cannot be separated from Shin Tae-yong future as coach there, he has become coach who has been proud and even considered great coach because of his success in leading the Indonesian national team so far in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round.
Dismissal of Shin Tae-yong is certainly heavy blow for all Indonesians and if the dismissal is really carried out by PSSI then it could cause the Indonesian national team to decline like what happened to Saudi Arabia, the remaining matches in the qualifying round are very important to determine whether Indonesia will be able to qualify or not and when the decline occurs it can be very detrimental.

I never expect Indonesia football federation will take dare decision by sack Shin Tae-yong because i thought he will continue to train Indonesia until 3rd qualification stages ended but unfortunately on March later Indonesia will playing with new manager which in my opinion this is very risky because new manager means new strategies which all of the players should be adapt quickly with Indonesia next manager later

So far it wasn't announced yet who is the replacement of Shin Tae-yong but according to the rumour new manager will came from European countries however speaking about 3rd qualification stages on Group C this Group is unique because some of managers from the countries who playing at this Group has been sacked because before Indonesia we know Saudi Arabia and Australia has new manager

[Docnaster]

Shocking news came from Indonesia, there are many rumors about PSSI plans to make major changes to the Indonesian national team and all of that cannot be separated from Shin Tae-yong future as coach there, he has become coach who has been proud and even considered great coach because of his success in leading the Indonesian national team so far in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round.
Dismissal of Shin Tae-yong is certainly heavy blow for all Indonesians and if the dismissal is really carried out by PSSI then it could cause the Indonesian national team to decline like what happened to Saudi Arabia, the remaining matches in the qualifying round are very important to determine whether Indonesia will be able to qualify or not and when the decline occurs it can be very detrimental.

I'm still in serious doubt that the Indonesian Football Federation are trying to sack Shin Tae-yong who is regarded as one of the best national team managers in Asia at the moment for his contributions to the national team and how he helped them reach 2026 FIFA World Cup finals. If Shin Tae-yong is sacked, I strongly doubt Indonesia will have a good outing during the next edition of the FIFA World Cup. Hopefully the news isn't true because I don't think they'll be able to get a manager who understands the players better than Shin Tae-yong at this moment

[Akbarkoe]

Shocking news came from Indonesia, there are many rumors about PSSI plans to make major changes to the Indonesian national team and all of that cannot be separated from Shin Tae-yong future as coach there, he has become coach who has been proud and even considered great coach because of his success in leading the Indonesian national team so far in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round.
Dismissal of Shin Tae-yong is certainly heavy blow for all Indonesians and if the dismissal is really carried out by PSSI then it could cause the Indonesian national team to decline like what happened to Saudi Arabia, the remaining matches in the qualifying round are very important to determine whether Indonesia will be able to qualify or not and when the decline occurs it can be very detrimental.

I never expect Indonesia football federation will take dare decision by sack Shin Tae-yong because i thought he will continue to train Indonesia until 3rd qualification stages ended but unfortunately on March later Indonesia will playing with new manager which in my opinion this is very risky because new manager means new strategies which all of the players should be adapt quickly with Indonesia next manager later

So far it wasn't announced yet who is the replacement of Shin Tae-yong but according to the rumour new manager will came from European countries however speaking about 3rd qualification stages on Group C this Group is unique because some of managers from the countries who playing at this Group has been sacked because before Indonesia we know Saudi Arabia and Australia has new manager

And his successor is Patrick Kluivert who comes from Europe and his track record is not much better than Shin Tae Yong, I think that Sty will last a long time in Indonesia until the last decision whether to qualify or not to the World Cup but because of the performance given to Indonesia More decreased making this situation more depressed and the main choice is to replace the coach.

Of course this risk is also a difficult consideration where the new coach will have to adapt as well as the players who have to adapt to the coach to be able to understand what is the strategy on the field.

[Lidger]

Saudi Arabia is trying their best and spending a lot of money to popularize their country's football league but still they haven't made their country's league so popular. The players whose careers are over in the European League basically come to play for different clubs in the Saudi League. Not that young players are not offered in Saudi league but young players are offered huge amount of money but young players don't want to come to Saudi league to enhance their career. But if Saudi Arabia keeps trying more in the future, I believe they will be able to take this link to a better level in the future. If any club from the Saudi League gets the opportunity to play in the Champions League, then the popularity of this league will increase further.

We have seen that they is spending a lot of money to popularize their country's football league and they are looking to buy many of the best players. They have already bought several other players including Ronaldo Neymar. But one thing to note is the players that Saudi Arabia has already bought those players are too old. Moreover, this league has become much more popular since Cristiano Ronaldo came to Al Nassr club in Saudi Arabia. If Saudi Arabia can buy young players then maybe their league will become much more popular. At present, another older player may join the club in Saudi Arabia.

Since no club in the Saudi League has been guaranteed to play in the Champions League so far, this league is not very reliable for young footballers. But when one or two teams from this Saudi League get the opportunity to play in the Champions League, it will be seen that many young players are coming to the Saudi League considering the money and the opportunity to play in the Champions League.

Maybe it will be much more difficult for clubs in Saudi Arabia. If a club in Saudi Arabia wants to play in the Champions League, they need to improve a lot, if they can't improve themselves, they may never qualify for the Champions League. The clubs that are currently in Saudi Arabia, the players of the clubs are not always able to perform well, even there are not many skilled players. Moreover, there is a lot of difference between the performance of various European clubs and the performance of Saudi Arabian clubs. Perhaps this is where Saudi Arabia lags behind. So the clubs in Saudi Arabia should buy many talented and skilled players who will make this Saudi league more popular and help them qualify for the Champions League.

I see a lot of improvement in Saudi league clubs. When Cristiano Ronaldo first came to the Saudi League, there was not much competition between the different clubs in the Saudi League, but after Ronaldo's arrival, other clubs began to compete. When Ronaldo came to the Saudi league, other clubs thought that if they could not bring players of Ronaldo's caliber into the league, they would be left behind in the competition, so other teams in the league continued to make big offers for big players from Europe. And the competition gradually increased, now the Saudi league has developed several fierce rival teams who are always trying to stay ahead of each other on and off the field. If this competition only increases then in a few years it will be seen that the best clubs from the Saudi League will qualify to play in the Champions League.

[babygun]

Saudi Arabia is trying their best and spending a lot of money to popularize their country's football league but still they haven't made their country's league so popular. The players whose careers are over in the European League basically come to play for different clubs in the Saudi League. Not that young players are not offered in Saudi league but young players are offered huge amount of money but young players don't want to come to Saudi league to enhance their career. But if Saudi Arabia keeps trying more in the future, I believe they will be able to take this link to a better level in the future. If any club from the Saudi League gets the opportunity to play in the Champions League, then the popularity of this league will increase further.

We have seen that they is spending a lot of money to popularize their country's football league and they are looking to buy many of the best players. They have already bought several other players including Ronaldo Neymar. But one thing to note is the players that Saudi Arabia has already bought those players are too old. Moreover, this league has become much more popular since Cristiano Ronaldo came to Al Nassr club in Saudi Arabia. If Saudi Arabia can buy young players then maybe their league will become much more popular. At present, another older player may join the club in Saudi Arabia.

Not every club in the Saudi League is worried about spending money, but their league has not yet become as popular as the European leagues, so many young players are turning down big-money offers. Because they have taken big steps and if they stick to their decision and if they keep trying then someday their league will become much more popular. Basically, footballers pay more attention to club level football than whether the club can play in the Champions League. Since no club in the Saudi League has been guaranteed to play in the Champions League so far, this league is not very reliable for young footballers. But when one or two teams from this Saudi League get the opportunity to play in the Champions League, it will be seen that many young players are coming to the Saudi League considering the money and the opportunity to play in the Champions League.

The main question is if these clubs will ever get there? I think they will be able to convince more young players also as a lot of players can be persuaded if you offer them enough money. Some of them will decline it as they want to play in the best leagues but throw enough money and a lot of players can be persuaded.

[Pandu Geddon]

I see a lot of improvement in Saudi league clubs. When Cristiano Ronaldo first came to the Saudi League, there was not much competition between the different clubs in the Saudi League, but after Ronaldo's arrival, other clubs began to compete. When Ronaldo came to the Saudi league, other clubs thought that if they could not bring players of Ronaldo's caliber into the league, they would be left behind in the competition, so other teams in the league continued to make big offers for big players from Europe. And the competition gradually increased, now the Saudi league has developed several fierce rival teams who are always trying to stay ahead of each other on and off the field. If this competition only increases then in a few years it will be seen that the best clubs from the Saudi League will qualify to play in the Champions League.

I don't know if their league is improving or not, because before Ronaldo came there, they were very little noticed by the world. His arrival made many eyes interested in the Saudi League and the clubs there that started bringing in European players. But we don't know how the competitive situation was in the Saudi League before.
Saudi Arabia has to prepare many things that I think are related to the readiness of their national team, too. Not only for the agenda of the World Cup next year, which they are currently not sure to qualify for but also for the long-term agenda related to them hosting the World Cup.

[Fiatless]

The main question is if these clubs will ever get there? I think they will be able to convince more young players also as a lot of players can be persuaded if you offer them enough money. Some of them will decline it as they want to play in the best leagues but throw enough money and a lot of players can be persuaded.

Some players are not motivated by money. They want to play in competitive leagues and win prestigious awards. It will be difficult to attract young players who still have many fruitful years ahead to the SPL. Even old players who want to play in the big league, have turned down offers from clubs from the Gulf league. A good example is Luka Modric who turned down lucrative offers because he wants to remain in Real Madrid.

I don't know if their league is improving or not, because before Ronaldo came there, they were very little noticed by the world. His arrival made many eyes interested in the Saudi League and the clubs there that started bringing in European players. But we don't know how the competitive situation was in the Saudi League before.
Saudi Arabia has to prepare many things that I think are related to the readiness of their national team, too. Not only for the agenda of the World Cup next year, which they are currently not sure to qualify for but also for the long-term agenda related to them hosting the World Cup.

The signing of these top stars might have brought enough exposure to the Saudi league, but I doubt if the league has developed. The quality of play is still poor and the officiating has not improved. In my area, I have never seen anybody watching a SPL game. It till most European Leagues decades to evolve to this level. So the SPL needs more time to develop to the level of competing with top clubs in Europe.

[Adbitco]

The main question is if these clubs will ever get there? I think they will be able to convince more young players also as a lot of players can be persuaded if you offer them enough money. Some of them will decline it as they want to play in the best leagues but throw enough money and a lot of players can be persuaded.

Some players are not motivated by money. They want to play in competitive leagues and win prestigious awards. It will be difficult to attract young players who still have many fruitful years ahead to the SPL. Even old players who want to play in the big league, have turned down offers from clubs from the Gulf league. A good example is Luka Modric who turned down lucrative offers because he wants to remain in Real Madrid.

I don't know if their league is improving or not, because before Ronaldo came there, they were very little noticed by the world. His arrival made many eyes interested in the Saudi League and the clubs there that started bringing in European players. But we don't know how the competitive situation was in the Saudi League before.
Saudi Arabia has to prepare many things that I think are related to the readiness of their national team, too. Not only for the agenda of the World Cup next year, which they are currently not sure to qualify for but also for the long-term agenda related to them hosting the World Cup.

The signing of these top stars might have brought enough exposure to the Saudi league, but I doubt if the league has developed. The quality of play is still poor and the officiating has not improved. In my area, I have never seen anybody watching a SPL game. It till most European Leagues decades to evolve to this level. So the SPL needs more time to develop to the level of competing with top clubs in Europe.

The Saudi still has a long way to go, yes they are pumping in a lot of money into the league to see it succeed but will it be sustained for a long period of time? Its sorely because football has changed from the normal fighting for glory, bragging rights and the badge you're representing to fighting for money. Years ago when football was football, i don't think Saudi league could be able to land most of the big names they have now. These guys would still be in their various clubs fighting for the badge. That's my opinion though.

[Fiatless]

Shocking news came from Indonesia, there are many rumors about PSSI plans to make major changes to the Indonesian national team and all of that cannot be separated from Shin Tae-yong future as coach there, he has become coach who has been proud and even considered great coach because of his success in leading the Indonesian national team so far in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round.
Dismissal of Shin Tae-yong is certainly a heavy blow for all Indonesians and if the dismissal is really carried out by PSSI then it could cause the Indonesian national team to decline like what happened to Saudi Arabia, the remaining matches in the qualifying round are very important to determine whether Indonesia will be able to qualify or not and when the decline occurs it can be very detrimental.

This news came as a shock to me because Indonesia still has the chance to qualify for the next round of the World Cup qualifiers. Apart from Japan, no national team in the group has qualified. The head of the Indonesia Football Association (PSSI) Erick Thohir said that:

The national team need a leadership that implements strategies as agreed with the players, communicates better, and implements better programmes for our national team,”

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/sports/2025/1/6/indonesia-sack-football-coach-shin-in-search-of-fifa-world-cup-2026-spot

Does it mean that Shin Tae-yong doesn't have these qualities? In my own perspective, he had them qualities, except there is something the football association is not letting us know. His replacement will be announced on January 11th, let's see who this would be. Sacking a coach at this time might bring some disorganization to the squad.

[AmoreJaz]

I see a lot of improvement in Saudi league clubs. When Cristiano Ronaldo first came to the Saudi League, there was not much competition between the different clubs in the Saudi League, but after Ronaldo's arrival, other clubs began to compete. When Ronaldo came to the Saudi league, other clubs thought that if they could not bring players of Ronaldo's caliber into the league, they would be left behind in the competition, so other teams in the league continued to make big offers for big players from Europe. And the competition gradually increased, now the Saudi league has developed several fierce rival teams who are always trying to stay ahead of each other on and off the field. If this competition only increases then in a few years it will be seen that the best clubs from the Saudi League will qualify to play in the Champions League.

I don't know if their league is improving or not, because before Ronaldo came there, they were very little noticed by the world. His arrival made many eyes interested in the Saudi League and the clubs there that started bringing in European players. But we don't know how the competitive situation was in the Saudi League before.
Saudi Arabia has to prepare many things that I think are related to the readiness of their national team, too. Not only for the agenda of the World Cup next year, which they are currently not sure to qualify for but also for the long-term agenda related to them hosting the World Cup.

Before Ronaldo came into the picture, we really have no idea or good knowledge about the Saudi League. It was like because of him, the world got the chance to look at what they have. Because of such lucrative offer, they got the contract from this top player but we are still missing some of the pieces what they do have in that leage. Definitely, if they have the chance for World Cup, they would surely grab that opportunity. And maybe, employment of Ronaldo is the first step to achieve such target.

[bitcampaign]

Shocking news came from Indonesia, there are many rumors about PSSI plans to make major changes to the Indonesian national team and all of that cannot be separated from Shin Tae-yong future as coach there, he has become coach who has been proud and even considered great coach because of his success in leading the Indonesian national team so far in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round.
Dismissal of Shin Tae-yong is certainly a heavy blow for all Indonesians and if the dismissal is really carried out by PSSI then it could cause the Indonesian national team to decline like what happened to Saudi Arabia, the remaining matches in the qualifying round are very important to determine whether Indonesia will be able to qualify or not and when the decline occurs it can be very detrimental.

This news came as a shock to me because Indonesia still has the chance to qualify for the next round of the World Cup qualifiers. Apart from Japan, no national team in the group has qualified. The head of the Indonesia Football Association (PSSI) Erick Thohir said that:

The national team need a leadership that implements strategies as agreed with the players, communicates better, and implements better programmes for our national team,”

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/sports/2025/1/6/indonesia-sack-football-coach-shin-in-search-of-fifa-world-cup-2026-spot

Does it mean that Shin Tae-yong doesn't have these qualities? In my own perspective, he had them qualities, except there is something the football association is not letting us know. His replacement will be announced on January 11th, let's see who this would be. Sacking a coach at this time might bring some disorganization to the squad.

In my opinion, this is an unreasonable reason for us as football lovers, some of the reasons put forward by Erick Thohir are really baseless and do not even match what happened on the field, If you need a leader who is able to implement the strategy agreed upon with the players then why did they extend his term of service until 2027, if he really did not implement what was promised at the beginning, clearly this is a fatal mistake for PSSI who were too quick to terminate Shin Tae-yong's contract.

Even so, there was a leak thrown by Italian Reporter Fabrizio Romano who said that the new coach for Indonesia is Patrick Kluivert, whether or not Patrick Kluivert is able to continue Shin Tae-yong's performance to bring Indonesia to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

[irhact]

The Saudi still has a long way to go, yes they are pumping in a lot of money into the league to see it succeed but will it be sustained for a long period of time? Its sorely because football has changed from the normal fighting for glory, bragging rights and the badge you're representing to fighting for money. Years ago when football was football, i don't think Saudi league could be able to land most of the big names they have now. These guys would still be in their various clubs fighting for the badge. That's my opinion though.

I don't think the Saudi's will fall off but I think they'll keep improving as they continue to invest into sports in general and not just football. From hosting the world cup, they'll host other sport important tournaments and before we know, Sauid Arabia will become a ground for sport events. Thie have the money for funding and to achieve dreams as something like this, you need money. I also think it all depends on how well the world cup tournament goes that'll determine the future of sports events in Saudi Arabia. I don't think though that they'll disappoint as Qatar didn't disappoint when it was their turn to host the world cup. Football is a global sport and we can use it to unit the world.

[baeva]

Saudi Arabia is trying their best and spending a lot of money to popularize their country's football league but still they haven't made their country's league so popular. The players whose careers are over in the European League basically come to play for different clubs in the Saudi League. Not that young players are not offered in Saudi league but young players are offered huge amount of money but young players don't want to come to Saudi league to enhance their career. But if Saudi Arabia keeps trying more in the future, I believe they will be able to take this link to a better level in the future. If any club from the Saudi League gets the opportunity to play in the Champions League, then the popularity of this league will increase further.

We have seen that they is spending a lot of money to popularize their country's football league and they are looking to buy many of the best players. They have already bought several other players including Ronaldo Neymar. But one thing to note is the players that Saudi Arabia has already bought those players are too old. Moreover, this league has become much more popular since Cristiano Ronaldo came to Al Nassr club in Saudi Arabia. If Saudi Arabia can buy young players then maybe their league will become much more popular. At present, another older player may join the club in Saudi Arabia.

Since no club in the Saudi League has been guaranteed to play in the Champions League so far, this league is not very reliable for young footballers. But when one or two teams from this Saudi League get the opportunity to play in the Champions League, it will be seen that many young players are coming to the Saudi League considering the money and the opportunity to play in the Champions League.

Maybe it will be much more difficult for clubs in Saudi Arabia. If a club in Saudi Arabia wants to play in the Champions League, they need to improve a lot, if they can't improve themselves, they may never qualify for the Champions League. The clubs that are currently in Saudi Arabia, the players of the clubs are not always able to perform well, even there are not many skilled players. Moreover, there is a lot of difference between the performance of various European clubs and the performance of Saudi Arabian clubs. Perhaps this is where Saudi Arabia lags behind. So the clubs in Saudi Arabia should buy many talented and skilled players who will make this Saudi league more popular and help them qualify for the Champions League.

I see a lot of improvement in Saudi league clubs. When Cristiano Ronaldo first came to the Saudi League, there was not much competition between the different clubs in the Saudi League, but after Ronaldo's arrival, other clubs began to compete. When Ronaldo came to the Saudi league, other clubs thought that if they could not bring players of Ronaldo's caliber into the league, they would be left behind in the competition, so other teams in the league continued to make big offers for big players from Europe. And the competition gradually increased, now the Saudi league has developed several fierce rival teams who are always trying to stay ahead of each other on and off the field. If this competition only increases then in a few years it will be seen that the best clubs from the Saudi League will qualify to play in the Champions League.

In fact, it wasn't immediately after Ronaldo's arrival that high ranked players started arriving there, only after a while and while only Ronaldo played in the Saudi league among the world's stars - other clubs were successfully competing with Cristiano's club, so it's hardly the case here. But it is a fact6 that the level of play in Saudi Arabia has risen, which is a welcome development

[Sithara007]

Now it is 2025 and we have one year to go for the next world cup. I am quite excited for the 2026 edition, as we will be having a record 48 participants. There will be more representation from Asia and Africa. Oceania will also be represented this time (in all probability, it will be New Zealand). The diversity is going to be staggering. For the first time, we will have teams such as Indonesia and Uzbekistan in the world cup. Almost every nook and corner of the globe will be represented.

[AirtelBuzz]

I see a lot of improvement in Saudi league clubs. When Cristiano Ronaldo first came to the Saudi League, there was not much competition between the different clubs in the Saudi League, but after Ronaldo's arrival, other clubs began to compete. When Ronaldo came to the Saudi league, other clubs thought that if they could not bring players of Ronaldo's caliber into the league, they would be left behind in the competition, so other teams in the league continued to make big offers for big players from Europe. And the competition gradually increased, now the Saudi league has developed several fierce rival teams who are always trying to stay ahead of each other on and off the field. If this competition only increases then in a few years it will be seen that the best clubs from the Saudi League will qualify to play in the Champions League.

Yes the clubs in the Saudi League have improved a lot and they are much stronger now than before. One thing to remember is that even though Saudi Arabian clubs are very strong, they are still not as strong as European clubs. So the clubs of this league have to go a long way to play in the Champions League. Everyone knows that since Cristiano Ronaldo first came to the Saudi league, the popularity of this league has increased a lot. Saudi Arabia is buying the best players but their problem is that they are buying older players instead of young players. A team may never perform well with over-aged players.

[Sithara007]

Yes the clubs in the Saudi League have improved a lot and they are much stronger now than before. One thing to remember is that even though Saudi Arabian clubs are very strong, they are still not as strong as European clubs. So the clubs of this league have to go a long way to play in the Champions League. Everyone knows that since Cristiano Ronaldo first came to the Saudi league, the popularity of this league has increased a lot. Saudi Arabia is buying the best players but their problem is that they are buying older players instead of young players. A team may never perform well with over-aged players.

What is the proof? You are claiming that older players can never improve the performance of a club. But that is not true as far as Ronaldo is concerned. Ever since he joined Al Nassr, the performance of the club has improved a lot. The same can be Karim Benzema of Al Ittihad. Age discrimination is just like any other form of discrimination, and I don't believe that there is any solid basis for age shaming. IMO, performance should be the only metric. And in that regard, Ronaldo is one of the best in SPL. 

[Hirose UK]

~snip~

I never expect Indonesia football federation will take dare decision by sack Shin Tae-yong because i thought he will continue to train Indonesia until 3rd qualification stages ended but unfortunately on March later Indonesia will playing with new manager which in my opinion this is very risky because new manager means new strategies which all of the players should be adapt quickly with Indonesia next manager later

So far it wasn't announced yet who is the replacement of Shin Tae-yong but according to the rumour new manager will came from European countries however speaking about 3rd qualification stages on Group C this Group is unique because some of managers from the countries who playing at this Group has been sacked because before Indonesia we know Saudi Arabia and Australia has new manager

Decision to dismiss Shin Tae-yong has been widely circulated since some time ago when Indonesia was going to face China but many denied it and said that all the news was just gimmick spread to worsen the situation and reputation of PSSI, only now everything is clear and PSSI really did the dismissal with some specific reasons that are not so reasonable.

Patrick Kluivert is coach who has very big chance to be brought in and Patrick Kluivert name is currently being discussed by various news media as replacement for Shin Tae-yong, indeed Patrick Kluivert has experience in Europe but for some reason with the change of coach I don't believe that Indonesia can complete the third round of qualification well.