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

[Leviathan.007]

Yesterday, there was a statement made by Lionel Scaloni on the possibility of Lionel Messi playing for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup. According to Scaloni, it is up to Messi to take that decision. If he wants to play in FIFA 2026, then he will be allowed to do so. Scaloni also made a comment regarding one of the most promising Argentine players right now, Giovanni Simeone. The last time he played for Argentina was back in 2018, but had a very good season with Napoli recently (after a short stint with Hellas Verona).

There are still about 3 years and in that time period there will likely be many changes and the changes that occur can change Scaloni's statement earlier. Messi is a player who is highly respected in his national team so if Messi wants to then he will be able to play in the WC later even if he doesn't play full time.

2026 is not that near to us and we cannot even be sure about Argenita's coach Lionel Scaloni will stay in Argentina or not because even if he is under a contract with Argantina's national team still there is a possibility to say he won't be coaching Argentina in the next world cup and if we cannot be a hundred percent sure about the Lionel Scaloni so we cannot be even sure what happens during these three years for Messi but if Messi shows us this performance during these three years, yes he can definitely help Argentina in 2026.

[Sithara007]

There are still about 3 years and in that time period there will likely be many changes and the changes that occur can change Scaloni's statement earlier. Messi is a player who is highly respected in his national team so if Messi wants to then he will be able to play in the WC later even if he doesn't play full time.

I don't know whether Messi will be interested or not. My guess is that he will retire from international football by the end of this year, or sometime in 2024. There is nothing left for him to achieve, either in international football or club football. On top of that, it is not like Argentina doesn't have any younger players to replace Messi. They do have extremely promising players, including Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister and Alejandro Garnacho. Anyway, it is just too premature to talk about 2026 now.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

Yesterday, there was a statement made by Lionel Scaloni on the possibility of Lionel Messi playing for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup. According to Scaloni, it is up to Messi to take that decision. If he wants to play in FIFA 2026, then he will be allowed to do so. Scaloni also made a comment regarding one of the most promising Argentine players right now, Giovanni Simeone. The last time he played for Argentina was back in 2018, but had a very good season with Napoli recently (after a short stint with Hellas Verona).

Well, lets see what happens by then, it is very possible that Messi would play in the 2026 world cup, but this is if he hasn't retired by then, there were a lot of rumors around in 2022 world cup stating that that was the last world cup Messi would play for his country -Argentina, which is why it was very important for them to win the 2022 world cup which they did, if by 2026, Messi is still going to play again, they better not be expecting to win the cup again.

[shogun47]

Yesterday, there was a statement made by Lionel Scaloni on the possibility of Lionel Messi playing for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup. According to Scaloni, it is up to Messi to take that decision. If he wants to play in FIFA 2026, then he will be allowed to do so. Scaloni also made a comment regarding one of the most promising Argentine players right now, Giovanni Simeone. The last time he played for Argentina was back in 2018, but had a very good season with Napoli recently (after a short stint with Hellas Verona).

Well, lets see what happens by then, it is very possible that Messi would play in the 2026 world cup, but this is if he hasn't retired by then, there were a lot of rumors around in 2022 world cup stating that that was the last world cup Messi would play for his country -Argentina, which is why it was very important for them to win the 2022 world cup which they did, if by 2026, Messi is still going to play again, they better not be expecting to win the cup again.

Messi already stated that he will not yet retire from the Argentina team.

It is like it has been before in many cases. If he stays and he plays another good tournament, nobody will say anything and are fine with getting another chance to see him play. But if he participates and Argentina fails big time for whatever reason, everybody will say that Messi missed the right time to say goodbye.

In my opinion I think it is always the player's decision and for as long as he plays on that level and is able to help control a game like nobody else, why should he not give it another try? 2026 is a long time from now and many things could happen, injuries included. He also would have to play in Europe I guess, so there is not an option to do what Ronaldo did and then play the next World Cup. I don't think that would be realistic.

All those who say that you should stop when you have your best time neglect the fact that these people also love the sport and the live that comes with it. Giving something up is always hard and that is the same for everyone. If Messi stays healthy I think he will be able to play on a very high level for another few years. Will it be enough for the World Cup? I don't know, but there are examples of players who played good World Cups at that age. I think Argentina wouldn't complain if they have Messi on the bench and could bring him in a close game in the 70th minute. Even if he is 38 he would still be dangerous with free kicks alone. But also with smart shots on target.

[Renampun]

Yesterday, there was a statement made by Lionel Scaloni on the possibility of Lionel Messi playing for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup. According to Scaloni, it is up to Messi to take that decision. If he wants to play in FIFA 2026, then he will be allowed to do so. Scaloni also made a comment regarding one of the most promising Argentine players right now, Giovanni Simeone. The last time he played for Argentina was back in 2018, but had a very good season with Napoli recently (after a short stint with Hellas Verona).

reportedly messi still has the strength to set a personal record as the player with the most appearances in the world cup. scaloni said he really appreciates messi and he definitely won't want to replace messi's position when messi has a strong desire to return to playing in the 2026 world cup, messi has good physical qualities and also good leadership as captain.

other news is that marca wrote that cristiano ronaldo still has a strong desire to play in the 2026 world cup (I'm sure he wants to set a personal record in the world cup) but it's still confusing because it's certain that the portugal coach will think hard about it, because in the world cup 2026 cristiano is so old.

[Leviathan.007]

Messi already stated that he will not yet retire from the Argentina team.

It is like it has been before in many cases. If he stays and he plays another good tournament, nobody will say anything and are fine with getting another chance to see him play. But if he participates and Argentina fails big time for whatever reason, everybody will say that Messi missed the right time to say goodbye.

In my opinion I think it is always the player's decision and for as long as he plays on that level and is able to help control a game like nobody else, why should he not give it another try? 2026 is a long time from now and many things could happen, injuries included. He also would have to play in Europe I guess, so there is not an option to do what Ronaldo did and then play the next World Cup. I don't think that would be realistic.

All those who say that you should stop when you have your best time neglect the fact that these people also love the sport and the live that comes with it. Giving something up is always hard and that is the same for everyone. If Messi stays healthy I think he will be able to play on a very high level for another few years. Will it be enough for the World Cup? I don't know, but there are examples of players who played good World Cups at that age. I think Argentina wouldn't complain if they have Messi on the bench and could bring him in a close game in the 70th minute. Even if he is 38 he would still be dangerous with free kicks alone. But also with smart shots on target.

That's true and Messi said before that he will not retire from Argentina's national team but he can't be sure about 3 years later especially if you know he is 35 right now and playing at 38yo for Argentina in the world cup is not something any player can do unless he can prepare himself sell for the next world cup also scaloni said Messi will play for Argentina at 2026 but we cannot even be sure if scaloni will stay in Argentina at 2026. But if Messi plays for Argentina in 2026 he can be the true legend of Argentina.

[rahmad2nd]

~snip~

The system does play a major role and it doesn't necessarily mean that you are either defensive or offensive, it can also mean both for as long as all players understand what to in which situation.

~snip~

That is why I think France will still be a favorite in 2026 as their team has many young talented players who already play on the highest level and Dechamps will still be the coach in 2026. I think he is doing a great job and even though there are all these individual top stars, he understands how to manage them and how to teach them a strategy.

System, not defensive or offensive. system, is a technique applied by the coach. related to both defensive and offensive, it is the strategy and formation part. So the system is very important, but not all coaches have a good system.

Here I will not participate in discussions about Pep Guardiola, Maradona and Brazil. what caught my attention was Francis. as we know, France has a depth of talented players in every line, even though Benzema has retired from the national team. no wonder, if Francis has always been one of the strongest challengers in the 2026 world cup later. and yes, coach Francis is still occupied by Didier Deschamps.

I have to admit, that Deschamps is a smart coach who has a high experience requirement. that's why, he was able to bring Francis to the final match twice in the 2018 world cup and the 2022 world cup, unfortunately, in the 2022 world cup Francis had to be defeated by Argentina. I have something to highlight about France, actually Deschamps doesn't have a very good system. but he has experience and high intelligence, that's why when France trailed two goals ahead of Argentina.

Descamps replaced Dembele and Giroud, adding Thuram, Muani and also K.Coman. he was able to break the concentration and tactics used by Scaloni. however, in the end France had to lose in a shootout. regardless of it all, we all agree. in the 2026 world cup later, France will still be a tough team that is always the favourite.  But, there are other challengers who are no less strong than France.

[SirLancelot]

Yesterday, there was a statement made by Lionel Scaloni on the possibility of Lionel Messi playing for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup. According to Scaloni, it is up to Messi to take that decision. If he wants to play in FIFA 2026, then he will be allowed to do so. Scaloni also made a comment regarding one of the most promising Argentine players right now, Giovanni Simeone. The last time he played for Argentina was back in 2018, but had a very good season with Napoli recently (after a short stint with Hellas Verona).

It has been always obvious that Messi would be able to play whenever he wants to, he just has too much sway and influence inside the team to let him go. Dude could be 40+ years old and still could play. It is about him being able to contribute that is the question, for 2026 he will be in a difficult age, not saying he will be bad, I don't even know if he will ever be bad until he retires, he could literally retire when he is still good, but it will be a difficult one for sure.

We are talking about around 38 years old or so right? That's very rough, still doable but very tough. I think he can play and he will, but he will not be as good as he has been.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Canada and Mexico will host 10 matches each.

Nice of USA to share but isnt it slightly ironic the Mexico is by far the most popular soccer/fútbol  playing nation out of the three but only will do 12% of the total.    I just wonder on the thinking behind not doing an equal split, maybe it suits all three countries just fine as USA is by far the most capable of hosting any sporting event; however in terms of audience and attendance it looks funny.    USA are advancing in this sport alot I think so in a few years time I might be completely wrong to worry about it at all.

back in my childhood days, Brazil was the best country in terms of football,

Still are some would say though I'm glad for Messi he got his dream win.

Soccer in the USA has grown a lot, I do not deny it, the MLS is one of the leagues that are famous, but when we refer to Mexico things can change, I have never been to that beautiful country, but some friends tell me that since children, there is a lot of activity with a soccer ball, children play in the streets, in the parks, I cannot deny that Mexicans also have baseball as a powerful sport, but when it comes to soccer, it identifies them even more, so it can be That is one of the reasons why they have allowed them to have those matches, because they are very fanatical, and if we compare it with US soccer, I think the Mexicans are superior in technique.

[Sithara007]

Soccer in the USA has grown a lot, I do not deny it, the MLS is one of the leagues that are famous, but when we refer to Mexico things can change, I have never been to that beautiful country, but some friends tell me that since children, there is a lot of activity with a soccer ball, children play in the streets, in the parks, I cannot deny that Mexicans also have baseball as a powerful sport, but when it comes to soccer, it identifies them even more, so it can be That is one of the reasons why they have allowed them to have those matches, because they are very fanatical, and if we compare it with US soccer, I think the Mexicans are superior in technique.

Latin America as a whole is crazy about football, and it is not just Mexico. In case of Mexico, they are located close to the United States and therefore they were included in the combined bid to host FIFA 2026. The situation is entirely different in the United States and Canada. In the US, baseball (MLB), American football (NFL), basketball (NBA) and ice-hockey (NHL) are far more popular when compared to soccer. The same can be said in Canada as well, where NHL is the most popular league. But during the recent years, MLS has gained popularity (especially among the new immigrants).

[nullama]

~snip~
Soccer in the USA has grown a lot, I do not deny it, the MLS is one of the leagues that are famous, but when we refer to Mexico things can change, I have never been to that beautiful country, but some friends tell me that since children, there is a lot of activity with a soccer ball, children play in the streets, in the parks, I cannot deny that Mexicans also have baseball as a powerful sport, but when it comes to soccer, it identifies them even more, so it can be That is one of the reasons why they have allowed them to have those matches, because they are very fanatical, and if we compare it with US soccer, I think the Mexicans are superior in technique.

Sure, but there's simply no comparison with South America, or Europe.

When there's a world cup match involving their home country there, the whole country stops and watches the game.

It's nowhere close in the US. Sure, there are some fans, but it's so fragmented. In South America it's 99% football. Nothing comes close to it.

[Sithara007]

It's nowhere close in the US. Sure, there are some fans, but it's so fragmented. In South America it's 99% football. Nothing comes close to it.

I don't know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing. In Latin America, there is so much focus on football that all the other sports items get sidelined. And this is one of the reasons why these countries perform poorly in Olympics (when compared to the United States and Canada). But then it is their choice. In the US, the focus is more on their own "local" sports (such as baseball), as well as for athletics. And as a result, they always top the Olympic medal chart. Priorities matter. Americans give a higher priority to the Olympics, while for the Latin Americans, higher in order is FIFA world cup.

[nullama]

~snip~
I don't know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing. In Latin America, there is so much focus on football that all the other sports items get sidelined. And this is one of the reasons why these countries perform poorly in Olympics (when compared to the United States and Canada). But then it is their choice. In the US, the focus is more on their own "local" sports (such as baseball), as well as for athletics. And as a result, they always top the Olympic medal chart. Priorities matter. Americans give a higher priority to the Olympics, while for the Latin Americans, higher in order is FIFA world cup.

Well, also the number of people matters...

The US has 334 million people

China also does great at the Olympics, with 1.4 billion...

Argentina for example has about 45 million.

[pawanjain]

Wow, this is really great. Now that 48 teams will be able to participate in the FIFA worldcup it will open up opportunities for other countries as well.
I wonder if India will be able to be one of those countries but I guess it's hard to be able to qualify for the FIFA world cup.
2026 is still far way and we don't know what more additional rules FIFA brings in this time.
Fifa 2022 was truly amazing with Argentina winning a victorious match. Let's what 2026 has in store for us.

[rdluffy]

Wow, this is really great. Now that 48 teams will be able to participate in the FIFA worldcup it will open up opportunities for other countries as well.
I wonder if India will be able to be one of those countries but I guess it's hard to be able to qualify for the FIFA world cup.
2026 is still far way and we don't know what more additional rules FIFA brings in this time.
Fifa 2022 was truly amazing with Argentina winning a victorious match. Let's what 2026 has in store for us.

In the 2026 World Cup I am sure that there will be at least 2 to 3 teams participating for the first time in a World Cup.

About India, at least the suspension was lifted, and the country can try to qualify, but the road is hard, the Fifa ban showed that there are serious problems in the Indian soccer confederation.
There's 8 spots for Asia for 2026, India is 106th in FIFA Ranking, and only 19th in AFC

In my predictions, the "confirmed" countries that will qualify will be:

Japan
Iran
South Korea
Australia
Saudi Arabia

These 5 countries are in a better level than any others, so there's 3 spots remaining.
For the number of inhabitants that India has, it would be a great deal for FIFA if the country participated in a cup, and it would certainly help to draw attention to soccer in the country, but it is very difficult to qualify.

[Getmon]

Wow, this is really great. Now that 48 teams will be able to participate in the FIFA worldcup it will open up opportunities for other countries as well.
I wonder if India will be able to be one of those countries but I guess it's hard to be able to qualify for the FIFA world cup.
2026 is still far way and we don't know what more additional rules FIFA brings in this time.
Fifa 2022 was truly amazing with Argentina winning a victorious match. Let's what 2026 has in store for us.

Forty eight teams in total, that is a plus sixteen more. This is a good chance. The continents of America, Europe, and Africa all have strong teams and are likely to take the majority of the new participants. Asia will have an additional two to four teams and Middle East teams are good in the region.

India is currently ranked 106 on the FIFA ranking list. India still has time to further improve its ranking and quality, so it is not impossible. However, aggressive football programs at a young age are the best way to build a future team. Because India is primarily a cricket playing nation, there may be little interest in football there. 

https://www.transfermarkt.com/wettbewerbe/fifa

[YOSHIE]

We shall discuss everything from qualification, preparation, and then the commencement of the actual Fifa world cup in 2026. 

I've been paying attention to the thread of the upcoming world cup 2026, three countries are hosting at once, as @noormcs5 said and also several other sources.

2026 FIFA World Cup

The tournament will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in three North American countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The United States will host 60 matches, including every match from the quarterfinals onward, while neighboring Canada and Mexico will each host 10 matches, making a total of 80 matches.[1] The tournament will be the first hosted by three nations.[2][3] Argentina are the defending champions.

In the quote above I started to think.
my view especially for fans and spectators if the world cup tournament venues are placed in 16 cities of three countries, fans who want to watch live will cost an additional three times as much, I think this will make it difficult for viewers who want to watch the 2026 world cup live. what else is the world economy deteriorating.

From the location I saw and where the 2026 world cup is taking place.


Fans and spectators will pay 3X more, when compared to the world cup that has been completed in one country/other country, such as Qatar 2022 and others, I think this will have a direct negative impact on fans who want to watch live, be it lodging costs, transportation costs and many other costs that must be incurred. if they want to watch world cup 2026 in three different countries and different cities.

[bitgolden]

Soccer in the USA has grown a lot, I do not deny it, the MLS is one of the leagues that are famous, but when we refer to Mexico things can change, I have never been to that beautiful country, but some friends tell me that since children, there is a lot of activity with a soccer ball, children play in the streets, in the parks, I cannot deny that Mexicans also have baseball as a powerful sport, but when it comes to soccer, it identifies them even more, so it can be That is one of the reasons why they have allowed them to have those matches, because they are very fanatical, and if we compare it with US soccer, I think the Mexicans are superior in technique.

Latin America as a whole is crazy about football, and it is not just Mexico. In case of Mexico, they are located close to the United States and therefore they were included in the combined bid to host FIFA 2026. The situation is entirely different in the United States and Canada. In the US, baseball (MLB), American football (NFL), basketball (NBA) and ice-hockey (NHL) are far more popular when compared to soccer. The same can be said in Canada as well, where NHL is the most popular league. But during the recent years, MLS has gained popularity (especially among the new immigrants).

By the looks of it, younger people do not care about any of these sports, not just one of them. Which means that it is not going to be easy to make a deduction out of this, maybe when they grow older, they will start to enjoy it a bit more? When you are young, you could go out and have a drink with your friends, but when you are old, you may rather stay at home and watch a football game, any type of football, it is a lot more fun that way.

I personally started to watch more and more sports when I got older, I will have to come clean and say that I used to enjoy NBA more, and not so much anymore, but I do still watch sports, just other ones, like F1 for example. Which means when you grow older, you may watch more sports and this could go back to how it was.

[Leviathan.007]

Soccer in the USA has grown a lot, I do not deny it, the MLS is one of the leagues that are famous, but when we refer to Mexico things can change, I have never been to that beautiful country, but some friends tell me that since children, there is a lot of activity with a soccer ball, children play in the streets, in the parks, I cannot deny that Mexicans also have baseball as a powerful sport, but when it comes to soccer, it identifies them even more, so it can be That is one of the reasons why they have allowed them to have those matches, because they are very fanatical, and if we compare it with US soccer, I think the Mexicans are superior in technique.

Latin America as a whole is crazy about football, and it is not just Mexico. In case of Mexico, they are located close to the United States and therefore they were included in the combined bid to host FIFA 2026. The situation is entirely different in the United States and Canada. In the US, baseball (MLB), American football (NFL), basketball (NBA) and ice-hockey (NHL) are far more popular when compared to soccer. The same can be said in Canada as well, where NHL is the most popular league. But during the recent years, MLS has gained popularity (especially among the new immigrants).

We know the Latin countries are crazy about football in their country but this time the world cup will be hosted in America and all the teams hosting the tournament will be from America. In my opinion, Mexico is more popular with football fans than the United States and Canada. As you have mentioned, football is not the first favorite sport in north America, so I hope the Mexican people and Mexican fans are more interested in football than their northern counterparts.

[KennyR]

Soccer in the USA has grown a lot, I do not deny it, the MLS is one of the leagues that are famous, but when we refer to Mexico things can change, I have never been to that beautiful country, but some friends tell me that since children, there is a lot of activity with a soccer ball, children play in the streets, in the parks, I cannot deny that Mexicans also have baseball as a powerful sport, but when it comes to soccer, it identifies them even more, so it can be That is one of the reasons why they have allowed them to have those matches, because they are very fanatical, and if we compare it with US soccer, I think the Mexicans are superior in technique.

Latin America as a whole is crazy about football, and it is not just Mexico. In case of Mexico, they are located close to the United States and therefore they were included in the combined bid to host FIFA 2026. The situation is entirely different in the United States and Canada. In the US, baseball (MLB), American football (NFL), basketball (NBA) and ice-hockey (NHL) are far more popular when compared to soccer. The same can be said in Canada as well, where NHL is the most popular league. But during the recent years, MLS has gained popularity (especially among the new immigrants).

We know the Latin countries are crazy about football in their country but this time the world cup will be hosted in America and all the teams hosting the tournament will be from America. In my opinion, Mexico is more popular with football fans than the United States and Canada. As you have mentioned, football is not the first favorite sport in north America, so I hope the Mexican people and Mexican fans are more interested in football than their northern counterparts.

Agreed, and based on the Olympics football winning data it is United States that have won more on the Women's Football. Canada too holds few bronze medals. In mens football it is Mexico that is dominant among the three and in the last Tokyo Olympic, Mexico have managed to win the bronze medal. This shows there is good teams and in particular Mexico have the good fab base for football. USA and Canada will spend more and the same could train the teams for a better position.