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

[Bobrox]

Left three years before FIFA World Cup 2026 start and all possibilities happening for Lionel Messi, actually right now he not plays on higher level competition by joining Inter Miami FC are playing in MLS League. But who has accurate predicting with Lionel Messi will back to Europe competition after his contract over with Inter Miami? Messi has chance for playing in FIFA World Cup 2026. Its not final decision when Lionel Messi announce him self retired from national teams, he has made many time announcement when Argentina loss in Copa America final but few months later he return back playing for national teams.

Messi has completed achievement with Argentina, won Copa America and World Cup seems enough for him but I believe before retired from football he want to play last participant in FIFA World Cup 2026.

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[Blitzboy]

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The US has all it takes to host the world cup. They have quality facilities,tight security and good infrastructures, which makes them far better than Qatar. US will spend less because they will only have few things to put in place.

The problem is that the country us already populated and might make them reduce the number of fans that they will grant access to the country for the world cup. One thing I know is that it will be well organized and people will complain less and will feel happy because it has been so many people dreams to be in the US,and I think that the world cup will be a good opportunity.

Undoubtedly, the U.S. with its top-notch infrastructure seems an ideal World Cup host. Yet, aren't the intricacies of such a prestigious gig more than just amenities? Cultural and social facets matter too.

Given our current demographic and immigration policies, could there be a cap on fan inflow? Yet, America's cultural mosaic may promise a one-of-a-kind, inclusive World Cup. And, we've showcased adeptness in managing big-ticket international events.

Still, lets not forget, hosting is not merely about national prestige or a tourist surge. It's a significant investment needing meticulous planning. Could it strain resources and services? Hence, a well-rounded strategy ensuring the pros eclipse the costs and potential hiccups is imperative.

[MarjorieZimmermanGinger]

Agree, nothing positive happen for the game of soccer or for the soccer in Qatar as this was completely waste of money and show of money which have to stop, and same mentality is going to Saudi Arab campaign which are now looking for hosting this event in 2030 even I have been feeling it's not easy for them but as Qatar done things like this can create momentum for them as well because we all know how corrupt is FIFA which is having not good history for things like these.

These number are not a big deal for Qatar and they do have the ability to spend that much finances. The World Cup is a football event that many countries have been waiting for and Qatar also knows they can do business by hosting them, because there is no target whatsoever from football results for their national team. So I think it's purely business that they are trying to capitalize on and we can also see how lavishly they prepared the event.

With now, we are already had increase in teams and three countries are going to host is another good chapter because with these things could be much better and easy to manage for many countries now in the USA we will have better facilities and quality as well which could be good for the soccer fans.

Maybe the United States' ability to prepare for the next World Cup will not be much different from Qatar and they will also try to do something more organized like what Qatar did, but it looks like the amount of budget that will be spent will not exceed Qatar. Every country that gets the chance to be the host will definitely be competing to make something different from the previous World Cup.

Facilities, safety and quality of service are the first needs that must be considered and this is something that is very important to ensure. Because If failing to do so will have a big impact on the host and I believe the United States is much better prepared in these three respects.

[Leviathan.007]

I always found it a  bit weird to calculate how much Qatar spent on the cup because technically speaking they didn't spend that much on the cup but on the nation. Like they included every road, hospital, hotel, school, houses, and of course stadiums. Now I can understand stadiums, maybe hotels could make "some" sense, but when we are talking about roads? Really? I have seen they had a line that said 1.3 billion on the roads, come on man if you didn't had that specific road then you should have and don't include that.

I think it's overblown and they added every single thing that is possible into the calculation and made a wrong one. That way it looked so high that they actually deserved to get it but I feel like they didn't deserve it at all.

They really spent this huge amount of money because they didn't have enough facilities for the world cup and they were not ready for it all, in fact, Qatar spent money to build what they never had before and they wanted to build it perfectly.
While other countries when were chosen to host the world cup they could even spend more than Qatar but they were wise enough to avoid spending this huge amount of money and just like America and Canada for the next world cup in 2026.

[KTChampions]

I always found it a  bit weird to calculate how much Qatar spent on the cup because technically speaking they didn't spend that much on the cup but on the nation. Like they included every road, hospital, hotel, school, houses, and of course stadiums. Now I can understand stadiums, maybe hotels could make "some" sense, but when we are talking about roads? Really? I have seen they had a line that said 1.3 billion on the roads, come on man if you didn't had that specific road then you should have and don't include that.

I think it's overblown and they added every single thing that is possible into the calculation and made a wrong one. That way it looked so high that they actually deserved to get it but I feel like they didn't deserve it at all.

Spending on infrastructure for the country really can not be considered spending on hosting the World Cup, but if this infrastructure is redundant at normal times (when there is no influx of tourists)? After all, before the World Cup, I didn't hear that there was a shortage of roads, electricity, hospitals or anything like that in Qatar. This means that additional spending on infrastructure was necessary and they can still be taken into account as spending on holding the World Cup.

[tiCeR]

I always found it a  bit weird to calculate how much Qatar spent on the cup because technically speaking they didn't spend that much on the cup but on the nation. Like they included every road, hospital, hotel, school, houses, and of course stadiums. Now I can understand stadiums, maybe hotels could make "some" sense, but when we are talking about roads? Really? I have seen they had a line that said 1.3 billion on the roads, come on man if you didn't had that specific road then you should have and don't include that.

I think it's overblown and they added every single thing that is possible into the calculation and made a wrong one. That way it looked so high that they actually deserved to get it but I feel like they didn't deserve it at all.

Spending on infrastructure for the country really can not be considered spending on hosting the World Cup, but if this infrastructure is redundant at normal times (when there is no influx of tourists)? After all, before the World Cup, I didn't hear that there was a shortage of roads, electricity, hospitals or anything like that in Qatar. This means that additional spending on infrastructure was necessary and they can still be taken into account as spending on holding the World Cup.

There is some natural limit to the infrastructure requirements for a country of the size of Qatar. But if a small country like that hosts a World Cup and wants to impress the worldwide audience, there is no need to say that they are spending a lot of money that they would not spend on infrastructure otherwise. They are not hosting a World Cup every few years and would need additional infrastructure permanently. KTChampions correctly said that there was no shortage of anything that was publicly talked about and yet they spent hundreds of billions toward infrastructure upgrades and improvements. Workers began dismantling stadiums in December 2022 already and while there is no need to dismantle any additional streets, it doesn't mean that new streets or hotels still have been built for the only purpose to serve guests during the World Cup. 

[Jody.Drummer]

Every decision he makes must come with risks, be it big or small risks. and I agree with you on this even though he talks about family as the reason, it doesn't guarantee whether that's the only reason, and maybe there are other reasons that are more private and can't be published.
And also I agree with you, he took a risk too when he went to Miami, because maybe there were expectations pinned on him that if those expectations couldn't be met then it would turn someone who values him into hate. As happened to him before at Paris Saint Germain.

I wouldn't think he is taking any more risks than he did before in his career. He himself said that it is finally the time to relay and play soccer without pressure. I think that says a lot about the risk and pressure he is going to face. It won't be big. He will still play excellently and the crowd will enjoy him. I can understand how he is looking forward to this.

My guess is that he has deep business involvement in the US considering that Apple and Adidas are also involved in the deal between him and Inter Miami. He wants more time to be dedicated to his family and business besides playing soccer. The national team would be traveling around the globe and he said he wants to take a break for 2023? Or for a fully year? I am not sure about that but in about a year there is the Copa America and if he is in shape I doubt that whoever is the coach would not ask him to come and play. However, if Messi likes his new life and doesn't want any more pressure than necessary, it is also possible that he will say goodbye then to the national team.

As I said before, we know what other reasons are behind his decision, and that is indeed his right. If you feel that there is a business behind his decision, then that is very reasonable because he will definitely think about business when he really quits the world of football.
Precisely this is a great step for a player to do something that will make money when he retires from football. and it seems that all the players do this too, yes they start pioneering careers in business to prepare everything they need in old age. And with the great name he has of course it helps him in developing and realizing it.

[shogun47]

As I said before, we know what other reasons are behind his decision, and that is indeed his right. If you feel that there is a business behind his decision, then that is very reasonable because he will definitely think about business when he really quits the world of football.
Precisely this is a great step for a player to do something that will make money when he retires from football. and it seems that all the players do this too, yes they start pioneering careers in business to prepare everything they need in old age. And with the great name he has of course it helps him in developing and realizing it.

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

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

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

[Leviathan.007]

As I said before, we know what other reasons are behind his decision, and that is indeed his right. If you feel that there is a business behind his decision, then that is very reasonable because he will definitely think about business when he really quits the world of football.
Precisely this is a great step for a player to do something that will make money when he retires from football. and it seems that all the players do this too, yes they start pioneering careers in business to prepare everything they need in old age. And with the great name he has of course it helps him in developing and realizing it.

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

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

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

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

[Jody.Drummer]

As I said before, we know what other reasons are behind his decision, and that is indeed his right. If you feel that there is a business behind his decision, then that is very reasonable because he will definitely think about business when he really quits the world of football.
Precisely this is a great step for a player to do something that will make money when he retires from football. and it seems that all the players do this too, yes they start pioneering careers in business to prepare everything they need in old age. And with the great name he has of course it helps him in developing and realizing it.

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

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

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

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

Yes, it was his decision, whatever the background to his decision, actually we don't have the right to fully know because it is indeed part of privacy if the player doesn't want to say and only says what he wants to say.
Now that Miami is his new place, I just hope he can play as expected, or in the sense that he won't have the same problems he had before at Paris Saint Germain when the Paris Saint Germain fans turned their backs on him.
It could happen, but I don't think it will happen the second time in the last 2 seasons.

[Maslate]

Messi said the completed football which is absolutely right but he said after winning WC , that he has one small dream to achieve : to play at next WC being the world cup winner and he already made step nr 1 by transfer to Miami and be ready for 2026 so he only needs to wait for step 2 which is just letting time to pass and enjoy playing in USA as much as he can without getting any ugly injuries.

That's not the case anymore: Lionel Messi rules out playing at 2026 World Cup

Thinking that this decision might be sudden and hasty, I'm still looking forward that he'll be with his mates and play as the defending champions in the upcoming 2026 World Cup that will happen in North American countries. The national team will surely miss him if he will not play with them anymore in the said event and I don't think that they will just agree without having any serious discussion because I know that Messi can't just leave his mates suddenly.

[Queentoshi]

Now that Miami is his new place, I just hope he can play as expected, or in the sense that he won't have the same problems he had before at Paris Saint Germain when the Paris Saint Germain fans turned their backs on him.

Messi will not be the only player to have reacted to how the PSG fans treat their players. Players like Neymar and Mbappe have sometimes pointed to want to leave because of how uncomfortable they were. The owners of the club need to work to improve that and change that narrative against the club so that other big players will not become discouraged moving to the club in the future. Messi is a big player and him making statements about how uncomfortable the fans of PSG made him feel can have a big influence on how some other players will begin to see the club. With him now at Miami, it is a new chapter for him.

[Slow death]

~~~~

"Spending money" doesn't alone guarantee good results. According to reports, Qataris spent somewhere between $250 billion and $300 billion for hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022. This is almost 10 times when compared to the amount spent by Russia to host the 2018 edition. And I am sure that the cost of costing the 2026 World Cup would also be much smaller when compared to that for Qatar. But then, most of the money spent was used to showoff the wealth rather than to create facilities for the players and fans. In the end, the fans were unhappy about overpriced facilities with low quality.

And the thing about Qatar is they spend money but they didn't get good results because in the end there are many people they were unhappy there in Qatar because of their Alcohol rules or because workers were killed there.
Just the chart and compare the money they spent and you can see the difference.
However one reason for increasing the hosting cost can be the inflation rate but the difference is still much more than other hosts, I'm sure America will spend less than this.

countries where soccer is not widely played, do not have many large soccer stadiums, for this reason that when they apply to organize the world cup they are obliged to spend a lot of money in the construction of many stadiums, and with that it is not only the construction of stadiums, they are obliged to build roads that will give access to the stadiums, they will have to build hotels near the stadium, so all these things they need to build make them spend a lot of money. while for a country that already has soccer games at a very high level, and already has many stadiums with great capacities, they are not going to spend a lot of money on organizing the world cup

I remember that when south africa organized the world cup they already had some stadiums but they had to modernize them to suit what fifa wanted. in the case of the next world cup, i think that mexico will have to build more modern stadiums or modernize the ones they already have, the usa will also have to have good stadiums. I don't know if Canada has many big stadiums or not. but one thing for me is clear that the world cup in canada - mexico - united states will be a good thing, they are countries that have customs that many people like so they felt good in these countries

[Leviathan.007]

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

[swogerino]

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

I think Messi retired a bit early as for me going playing in USA means retirement for a player of his caliber.However it is also true that he will be 39 years old in the next World Cup and for many players this is quite an old age to be playing in big event like the World Cup.For me though Messi can be still of a great assist to Argentina in the upcoming World Cup so he should not exclude himself from the national team,he should leave that option open so if he feels like coming back for the upcoming World Cup and if he is in a good form even at 39 years of age he should come and play with the national team.As for the team he choose he choose a better team than Cristiano did as USA has a more quality national soccer league compared to Saudi.

[Sithara007]

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

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

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

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

[nullama]

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

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

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

The only way that I'm expecting to see Messi in the 2026 World Cup is through an ad 

And I'm sure he'll make more money from that than actually playing

[Strongkored]

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

It's difficult to stay on top at such an age, and forcing a 39-year-old player to stay in the squad later might be detrimental because Argentina has other talents who can also make a contribution at the upcoming World Cup, indeed Messi is not like most footballers run for the ball and with his style of play maybe he can still play effectively to help the country for the World Cup, but anyway, there is still around 3 years to make things change, so we'll see later whether he plays or not. But when it comes to keeping Messi in the Argentina squad so they can defend the title it will be different and it is difficult to predict whether they will be able to do it or not.

[Sithara007]

The only way that I'm expecting to see Messi in the 2026 World Cup is through an ad 

And I'm sure he'll make more money from that than actually playing

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

[shogun47]

As I said before, we know what other reasons are behind his decision, and that is indeed his right. If you feel that there is a business behind his decision, then that is very reasonable because he will definitely think about business when he really quits the world of football.
Precisely this is a great step for a player to do something that will make money when he retires from football. and it seems that all the players do this too, yes they start pioneering careers in business to prepare everything they need in old age. And with the great name he has of course it helps him in developing and realizing it.

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

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

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

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

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