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

[Volgastallion]

Yes i agree with the guy above me.

Brazil and brasilian tams seems like they lose their soul, they play like a normal team now, its not more that super dance, and samba. All the former brasilian players say the same about this new generation so they have to be in the correct.

[bering]

~snip~
Argentina, for me can easily be one of the early favourites on this event. Whereas, Brazil may be falling behind on this aspect but they are still considered to be one of the strong contenders. It is still interesting how they will perform inside the arena as there are still a lot of things that can happen. France, England, and Germany are also top teams to look out for.

Take note that this event is still about couple of years away, so definitely, there are so many things that can happen in between : injuries of those players involved, lineup, their dynamics and all, coaching, strategies developed...

Brazil may not be showing their best foot forward these days, but they still have time to rectify this situation. After all, they are considered to be one of the best on this sports.

Yeah, that's the thing. Brazil is still one of the best teams in history.

Just because they lose a game or two recently it doesn't mean that they are a bad team.

People simply got used to them winning every single game almost. I mean, they qualified to the previous world cup without losing a single game...

Brazil gold generation was happened on 2002 and in this year too Brazil won their last World Cup trophy and since that year i have to says Brazil was failed to regeneration their squad because although after that year some of good talented players appears but in fact those players were unable to bringing Brazil to performing well in world cup

But i have to agree with Ronaldinho opinion when he said the current squad of Brazil is one of the worst generations ever in the history of Brazilian football and some people indeed says this opinion is too extreme because in Brazil there are some of world class players available but we have to accepting the fact that Brazil now even very often unable to beat their opponents which from quality of squad is below to them and we can see it on Copa America when Brazil unable to beat Costa Rica or Colombia

Dorival Junior promising major changes in Brazil but so far there was no significant progress for Brazil but indeed Dorival Junior jobs in this team is very hard because he have to makes Brazil to performing well again and i think Brazil have to move on from their failure on Copa America and focus on qualification stages of world cup 2026 and the most important is Brazil have to improved their position because currently Brazil on 6th place from League Table of Conmebol zone

[criptoevangelista]

Yes i agree with the guy above me.

Brazil and brasilian tams seems like they lose their soul, they play like a normal team now, its not more that super dance, and samba. All the former brasilian players say the same about this new generation so they have to be in the correct.

Everything has changed, today a football player's priority is to do his marketing on social media, get good contracts and good sponsorships, is to please his followers

The sport has taken a backseat, today in case of defeat, the players go out to celebrate in a good restaurant, as Lucas Paquetá did... There is no patriotic feeling. They don't really care anymore.

[Rampagoe004]

Yes i agree with the guy above me.

Brazil and brasilian tams seems like they lose their soul, they play like a normal team now, its not more that super dance, and samba. All the former brasilian players say the same about this new generation so they have to be in the correct.

Everything has changed, today a football player's priority is to do his marketing on social media, get good contracts and good sponsorships, is to please his followers

The sport has taken a backseat, today in case of defeat, the players go out to celebrate in a good restaurant, as Lucas Paquetá did... There is no patriotic feeling. They don't really care anymore.

I think most Brazilian players have bad habits like night parties and drinking. In fact this has been the case for a long time but they are indeed blessed with extraordinary football talent. They were able to perform at the highest level with their bad habits even though they were inconsistent and only played for a few seasons. The current Brazilian players are even worse. They have social media so this makes them addicted to scrolling and interacting with lots of people and this will make them have no interest in football. I think the Brazilian legends have to do something to overcome Brazil's slump in form.

[virasog]

I think most Brazilian players have bad habits like night parties and drinking. In fact this has been the case for a long time but they are indeed blessed with extraordinary football talent. They were able to perform at the highest level with their bad habits even though they were inconsistent and only played for a few seasons. The current Brazilian players are even worse. They have social media so this makes them addicted to scrolling and interacting with lots of people and this will make them have no interest in football. I think the Brazilian legends have to do something to overcome Brazil's slump in form.

I do not get this argument. Do only Brazilian players go to night parties or drinking and rest of the football players around the world never drink?

I think instead of going into the personal activities of the players, we need to focus on how the player performs on the ground. Also, if a team is not performing well, there can be several reasons not limited to issues in team management, coaches or the overall infrastructure of that particular sport in that country.

And by the way, do you think that Brazil will not perform good in the upcoming World Cup? I think when the time will come, they may surprise many.

[criptoevangelista]

I think most Brazilian players have bad habits like night parties and drinking. In fact this has been the case for a long time but they are indeed blessed with extraordinary football talent. They were able to perform at the highest level with their bad habits even though they were inconsistent and only played for a few seasons. The current Brazilian players are even worse. They have social media so this makes them addicted to scrolling and interacting with lots of people and this will make them have no interest in football. I think the Brazilian legends have to do something to overcome Brazil's slump in form.

I do not get this argument. Do only Brazilian players go to night parties or drinking and rest of the football players around the world never drink?

I think instead of going into the personal activities of the players, we need to focus on how the player performs on the ground. Also, if a team is not performing well, there can be several reasons not limited to issues in team management, coaches or the overall infrastructure of that particular sport in that country.

And by the way, do you think that Brazil will not perform good in the upcoming World Cup? I think when the time will come, they may surprise many.

I think it's very difficult for Brazil to surprise us again, especially with this generation of players... what happens is that children and young people no longer want to play football... 20, 25 years ago it was common to see people playing football in the streets, children receiving footballs as gifts for their birthdays and Christmas... nowadays they ask for cell phones and tablets. I believe that the internet killed many good potential players of the future. This is a worrying type of addiction that is affecting people at an increasingly younger age.

[nullama]

~snip~
I think it's very difficult for Brazil to surprise us again, especially with this generation of players... what happens is that children and young people no longer want to play football... 20, 25 years ago it was common to see people playing football in the streets, children receiving footballs as gifts for their birthdays and Christmas... nowadays they ask for cell phones and tablets. I believe that the internet killed many good potential players of the future. This is a worrying type of addiction that is affecting people at an increasingly younger age.

I am not too sure about that, if you are a young player in Brazil, and you are in the poor areas there, you have nothing to look forward to.

Rivaldo for example had so many issues growing up but he still managed to become a massive star.

The thing is that in Brazil, and other third world countries soccer is your ticket out of poverty. Literally.

You don't have to become the next super star, but if you are an OK Brazilian player, you will be able to secure an OK career.

It's not what most people in the US or other first world countries think though.

[Franctoshi]

I think it's very difficult for Brazil to surprise us again, especially with this generation of players... what happens is that children and young people no longer want to play football... 20, 25 years ago it was common to see people playing football in the streets, children receiving footballs as gifts for their birthdays and Christmas... nowadays they ask for cell phones and tablets. I believe that the internet killed many good potential players of the future. This is a worrying type of addiction that is affecting people at an increasingly younger age.

I kind of disagree with your thoughts or don't think this is the case here, football is basically an inborn thing or talent and I don't believe someone who has football blood running inside of him will neglect football, even plus the fact that footballers earn huge amount of money weekly, taking you for instance, in my country a lot of young star dream here is to play in an international football, so in this aspect, I kind of think that that Brazil is experiencing a decline in the number of born talented footballers that they used to have as compared to what we saw back days of Pele, Ronaldo, and that of Ronaldinho's era.

[Sim_card]

Yes i agree with the guy above me.

Brazil and brasilian tams seems like they lose their soul, they play like a normal team now, its not more that super dance, and samba. All the former brasilian players say the same about this new generation so they have to be in the correct.

I agree with you about what the old Brazilian players said because I remembered that Ronaldinho said that he is not going to Germany to watch his country match or support them because he knows that they will disappoint him and the nation which was true. The absence of Neymar is a big problem to them because he was the one that was putting all his possible best to see that the team goes far. Currently, Brazil national team are like vegetables.

[Sithara007]

I am not too sure about that, if you are a young player in Brazil, and you are in the poor areas there, you have nothing to look forward to.

Rivaldo for example had so many issues growing up but he still managed to become a massive star.

The thing is that in Brazil, and other third world countries soccer is your ticket out of poverty. Literally.

You don't have to become the next super star, but if you are an OK Brazilian player, you will be able to secure an OK career.

It's not what most people in the US or other first world countries think though.

Well.. this might have been the story 2-3 decades ago, but now the situation has changed significantly. Economic growth during the last one decade or so has been really good and people living in extreme poverty has gone down steeply. Football is still one of the avenues for the poor in favelas to get out of poverty. But it is no longer the "only" avenue. In general, this means that the importance of football for individual Brazilians has gone down. It is a means of entertainment now, and no longer a serious career option.

[Leviathan.007]

Yes i agree with the guy above me.

Brazil and brasilian tams seems like they lose their soul, they play like a normal team now, its not more that super dance, and samba. All the former brasilian players say the same about this new generation so they have to be in the correct.

I agree with you about what the old Brazilian players said because I remembered that Ronaldinho said that he is not going to Germany to watch his country match or support them because he knows that they will disappoint him and the nation which was true. The absence of Neymar is a big problem to them because he was the one that was putting all his possible best to see that the team goes far. Currently, Brazil national team are like vegetables.

Compared to the last years, football has changed, players like Ronaldinho and Ronaldo in Brazil helped this team a lot and they usually had another strategy but Brazil should accept everything has changed.
They don't have these legendary players anymore and the other teams have better coaches with better knowledge while Brazil is just losing time over and over. If they don't evolve they will even have worse performance.  

[alegotardo]

Yes i agree with the guy above me.

Brazil and brasilian tams seems like they lose their soul, they play like a normal team now, its not more that super dance, and samba. All the former brasilian players say the same about this new generation so they have to be in the correct.

I agree, although an "idol" on the field doesn't win a trophy, he serves as an inspiration to the other players on the field.
And, unfortunately, the last Brazilian player who could come closest to this to date was Neymar.

However, at 32 years old, I no longer see Neymar with the psychological capacity to reinvent himself or to be an exceptional player. The last great Brazilian reference I had of a great player "out of the ordinary" was Ronaldinho Gaúcho, who managed to lift all possible cups in addition to the World Cup and also the FIFA best in the world trophy.

Since then, we no longer have a Brazilian player who is a "reference" and inspiration for others, and Brazil really needs a new idol in football.

[Rampagoe004]

I do not get this argument. Do only Brazilian players go to night parties or drinking and rest of the football players around the world never drink?

I think instead of going into the personal activities of the players, we need to focus on how the player performs on the ground. Also, if a team is not performing well, there can be several reasons not limited to issues in team management, coaches or the overall infrastructure of that particular sport in that country.

And by the way, do you think that Brazil will not perform good in the upcoming World Cup? I think when the time will come, they may surprise many.

Sorry, I seem to have given the wrong perception. I agree with you that it is not only Brazilian players who like to drink and party. Here I am just taking a reference or something that is common knowledge that most Brazilian players, especially star players, who of course are always in the media spotlight, are addicted to drinking and partying. Actually this is not a serious problem but as far as I know it is because Brazilian players are seen drinking and partying more often than most other star players in elite European competitions. Typically players with "superstar" status have a strict healthy lifestyle and intense training and will rarely drink and party. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[nullama]

~snip~
Well.. this might have been the story 2-3 decades ago, but now the situation has changed significantly. Economic growth during the last one decade or so has been really good and people living in extreme poverty has gone down steeply. Football is still one of the avenues for the poor in favelas to get out of poverty. But it is no longer the "only" avenue. In general, this means that the importance of football for individual Brazilians has gone down. It is a means of entertainment now, and no longer a serious career option.
~snip~

That's a very interesting graph.

Indeed things have changed for the better in the last couple of decades for Brazil, and yes, these days there are other ways of making money other than playing football.

I think as you mention, it is still a valid path, but simply there are more ways to do it these days.

Specially online, there are many ways to create things and make money online, even with a smartphone only.

[Volgastallion]

Yes i agree with the guy above me.

Brazil and brasilian tams seems like they lose their soul, they play like a normal team now, its not more that super dance, and samba. All the former brasilian players say the same about this new generation so they have to be in the correct.

Everything has changed, today a football player's priority is to do his marketing on social media, get good contracts and good sponsorships, is to please his followers

The sport has taken a backseat, today in case of defeat, the players go out to celebrate in a good restaurant, as Lucas Paquetá did... There is no patriotic feeling. They don't really care anymore.

I think most Brazilian players have bad habits like night parties and drinking. In fact this has been the case for a long time but they are indeed blessed with extraordinary football talent. They were able to perform at the highest level with their bad habits even though they were inconsistent and only played for a few seasons. The current Brazilian players are even worse. They have social media so this makes them addicted to scrolling and interacting with lots of people and this will make them have no interest in football. I think the Brazilian legends have to do something to overcome Brazil's slump in form.

Mmmm yes but nowadays is better than before or former players, they were worst in that nighlife, they always have problems with thtat but the national team keeps winning and dancing everyone, so i dont think that is the problem they are having today.

Seems to be a much deep crisis, or also most of the teams raise the level and they just are in the same one.

[criptoevangelista]

I think it's very difficult for Brazil to surprise us again, especially with this generation of players... what happens is that children and young people no longer want to play football... 20, 25 years ago it was common to see people playing football in the streets, children receiving footballs as gifts for their birthdays and Christmas... nowadays they ask for cell phones and tablets. I believe that the internet killed many good potential players of the future. This is a worrying type of addiction that is affecting people at an increasingly younger age.

I kind of disagree with your thoughts or don't think this is the case here, football is basically an inborn thing or talent and I don't believe someone who has football blood running inside of him will neglect football, even plus the fact that footballers earn huge amount of money weekly, taking you for instance, in my country a lot of young star dream here is to play in an international football, so in this aspect, I kind of think that that Brazil is experiencing a decline in the number of born talented footballers that they used to have as compared to what we saw back days of Pele, Ronaldo, and that of Ronaldinho's era.

It's okay to disagree, but think with me, imagine a child who naturally has the gift of playing football, and this gift was not even stimulated in any way because instead of playing sports or having a life consuming football, he was always stimulated in other areas of life, with the internet, games and social networks... in the past there wasn't much access to technology and children had to play with toys and footballs, this was the necessary stimulus to discover the natural gift of football, this discovery today is much more difficult.

[Leviathan.007]

Yes i agree with the guy above me.

Brazil and brasilian tams seems like they lose their soul, they play like a normal team now, its not more that super dance, and samba. All the former brasilian players say the same about this new generation so they have to be in the correct.

I agree, although an "idol" on the field doesn't win a trophy, he serves as an inspiration to the other players on the field.
And, unfortunately, the last Brazilian player who could come closest to this to date was Neymar.

However, at 32 years old, I no longer see Neymar with the psychological capacity to reinvent himself or to be an exceptional player. The last great Brazilian reference I had of a great player "out of the ordinary" was Ronaldinho Gaúcho, who managed to lift all possible cups in addition to the World Cup and also the FIFA best in the world trophy.

Since then, we no longer have a Brazilian player who is a "reference" and inspiration for others, and Brazil really needs a new idol in football.

The generation we are talking about in which they had some players like Ronaldo and Ronaldinho is now far and they should accept this. The only player left for Brazil to have the same Barzial playing style is Neymar while he is out of the good form and he is mostly injured. This means Brazil needs a revolution in the strategy they use because if they don't do that they will lose their place in the world.
Currently, the only player they have to rely on him is just Vini which can never be enough.
  

[Forsyth Jones]

Everything has changed, today a football player's priority is to do his marketing on social media, get good contracts and good sponsorships, is to please his followers

The sport has taken a backseat, today in case of defeat, the players go out to celebrate in a good restaurant, as Lucas Paquetá did... There is no patriotic feeling. They don't really care anymore.

It seems that the brazilian team is financed by vought from the boys series, where the players and directors are only focused on their own benefit than on the players actually playing well for the team and representing Brazilian legacy football.

[alegotardo]

The generation we are talking about in which they had some players like Ronaldo and Ronaldinho is now far and they should accept this. The only player left for Brazil to have the same Barzial playing style is Neymar while he is out of the good form and he is mostly injured. This means Brazil needs a revolution in the strategy they use because if they don't do that they will lose their place in the world.
Currently, the only player they have to rely on him is just Vini which can never be enough.

Vini is an excellent player, indeed, but he isn't "extraordinary".
And when we talk about extraordinary, I'm referring to being much more than a player who does "magic with the ball", he's also that player who sets an example in every way for other players, both on and off the field.
But what we saw in Vini Jr.'s last game was a yellow card "for nothing" because he didn't know how to control his emotions.

Again referring to Ronaldinho Gaúcho.... he joked with the ball, was exceptional in the game, and was also reprimanded a lot by opponents for his "debauched" way of playing, but he never lost his temper (that I remember).
He simply continued playing and responded with another dribble that was even more sensational than the previous one.

Unfortunately, at the end of his career he took some wrong turns in life, made investments in dishonest companies, participated in controversial advertising campaigns and even faced some criminal cases here in Brazil that tarnished his image a little. But none of this made us forget who he was.

I hope one day to see some extraordinary player play for Brazil again, both on and off the football field.

[Hirose UK]

~snip~

~snip~

The generation we are talking about in which they had some players like Ronaldo and Ronaldinho is now far and they should accept this. The only player left for Brazil to have the same Barzial playing style is Neymar while he is out of the good form and he is mostly injured. This means Brazil needs a revolution in the strategy they use because if they don't do that they will lose their place in the world.
Currently, the only player they have to rely on him is just Vini which can never be enough.

Yes, so far Brazil is the one that is talked about the most, they are one of the legendary teams that used to be in the World Cup final quite often when it was still filled with great, legendary players with quite beautiful playing skills.
Now we can't find Brazil style of play like before, you really are the only player who can still play with that style now is Neymar, but he has passed his glory days and now has to go through with conditions often injured.
Indeed, there are many players in the current era who have been able to show their talent and have made several great achievements in their careers in football, but that is only for European football because they have not been able to make the Brazilian national team the strongest.
Style of play has changed and these players now only show how their skills are only for one goals, there is no art or beauty in playing football, very different from the legendary Brazilian players who were once able to win the World Cup title.