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

[Ale88]

The names on the list are simply dreadful, I don't know how else describe them. Of course it's not Ancelotti's fault, those are the players Brazil is currently producing. Once they had Roberto Carlos and then Marcelo, now there is Alex Sandro. They used to have defenders like Lucio and Thiago Silva and now the best one is Marquinhos, which is very good, but not as good the the others I mentioned. Midfielders? Players like Juninho Pernambucano often times weren't even called because they had better players, now he would be by far the best midfielder. And maybe it's better not to talk about the strikers: the fact that a 33 year old Neymar is the best attacking player they have speaks volume. Let's see if Raphinha keeps playing like he did last season.

Carlo Ancelotti has what it takes to do well, we don't understand some of his choices but he certainly had his reasons.
He has successfully coached teams of the calibre of Real Madrid for many years, and i think he will be able to do well with Brazil too.
I am very sure of it.

Clearly Ancelotti wants to experiment because Brazil will qualify at the World Cup, so he's calling up several different players to test them. It makes sense since he is a new manager and he also has to get to know the players, creating a personal relationship with them without feeling anyone already excluded from the project. What I was pointing out was the low level of these names, that is not Ancelotti's fault of course, those are the players he has available right now, it simply shows how bad the Brazilian national team is right now.

That's interesting perspective, and It is a wise thing to do if he's experimenting with this players to know which player he will be using in the upcoming world cup competition in US, Canada and Mexico because the current state of the Brazilian national team really looks concerning with the list of the players called up which has sparked debate.

It's nothing new at the end, many new managers call up players they never even talked to because they want to understand how they are as a person, not only as football player. Unfortunately some players are bad apples and they want to avoid that situation. I remember for example Balotelli with Italy and Benzema with France, just to name a few.

[DanWalker]

It’s quite interesting that Ancelotti decided to leave out names like Vinícius Jr, Rodrygo, and Militão, especially since they’ve been almost untouchable starters for Brazil in recent years. But considering the circumstances, his decision makes sense. Brazil has already secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup, so these last two games are more about testing options than grinding out results. By resting his Real Madrid trio, Ancelotti can both protect them from unnecessary fatigue and injuries while also giving opportunities to players who normally don’t get many minutes.

Yes, it makes sense to give Vinícius Rodrygo & Militão a break after Brazil has finished. In order to test depth & control workload & injury risk Ancelotti is obviously using the final qualifiers & Vinícius may even be suspended for the first game. Although fans hold in disfavor rollouts that feel like assessment, resting stars runs the risk of play havoc with onfield rhythm, so it is a in the field decision rather than an obvious one. imo  balance is more paramount than drama 

[LUCKMCFLY]

but it's not just a demographic issue, children aren't made for other reasons but that's not the problem, especially in Italy players don't come because it's difficult, you need knowledge and it's a rotten system that doesn't want to change because it's convenient for certain people who are there

One of the things I admire most about Italy and almost all of Europe is its high level of education Sometimes children know many things that in other countries are learned even at university and not to the degree seen in Europe, I think that the culture is undergoing an additional change and the blame lies partly with the parents for allowing certain comforts such as the telephone, the PC and the fact that they only want to be influencers and not doctors, engineers, athletes. I think it all starts there.

[Despairo]

World Cup qualification will begin in the next two days, I think it's predicable which country will qualify for the next round except Group C. It's quite competitive, Denmark #21, Greece #39 and Scotland #47. But if we take a look with their recent history, Greece improve a lot compared to Scotland.

What make it interesting is Italy, personally I think they won't qualify in this season.

[bryant.coleman]

What make it interesting is Italy, personally I think they won't qualify in this season.

I guess that doesn't surprise anyone anymore. 

Italy is placed in the same group as Norway and Israel, and at the moment they have just 3 points from 2 matches. They won against the weakest team in the group (Moldova), but then lost against Norway by a margin of 3-0.

[ShowOff]

What make it interesting is Italy, personally I think they won't qualify in this season.

If the Italian national team fails to qualify, it will be the third consecutive time since 2014 that they have missed out on the 2026 World Cup. Based on their current performance, Italy chances are very slim, in addition to needing to win all their remaining matches, they also have to hope that Norway and Israel drop points. Everything now depends on Gattuso. With the squad depth they have, they should at least be able to secure a playoff spot.

Overall, perhaps Gattuso will be able to turn things around in the future, even though many people doubt his managerial quality. Italy will face Estonia, which in my opinion is an easy match. Italy should not waste this opportunity to secure all three points. It's rumored that Gattuso has not included Federico Chiesa in the squad list for this match.

[mcdouglasx]

What do you think about the Argentina-Venezuela match this coming Thursday to be played in Argentina? It is a very important match for the Vinotinto who are on the verge of a play-off, although the tide is not in their favor since Argentina is playing at home and is a clearly superior team. Venezuela has made milestones in the past when put in these important situations. On the other hand, an Argentina team, leading the group, without pressure, could transfer its game more to a joga bonito than a technical and conservative match, being Mesi's last home match in the qualifiers of the year.

[Slow death]

World Cup qualification will begin in the next two days, I think it's predicable which country will qualify for the next round except Group C. It's quite competitive, Denmark #21, Greece #39 and Scotland #47. But if we take a look with their recent history, Greece improve a lot compared to Scotland.

What make it interesting is Italy, personally I think they won't qualify in this season.

I'm avoiding betting on Italy. I don't see their national coach being able to improve the team, and the squad isn't very strong compared to the squad they had years ago when they managed to qualify and go far in the World Cup. My attention is on the England team; they've improved a lot with Tuchel's arrival, but I saw in the press that Tuchel didn't call up Alexander-Arnold to play against Andorra and Serbia and instead called up Elliot Anderson, who currently plays for Nottingham Forest.

This surprised me, since Alexander-Arnold plays for Real Madrid, which is a good team, better than Nottingham Forest. Perhaps the fact that he left Liverpool, where he played regularly, for Real Madrid, where he's been sitting on the bench, may have influenced this decision. Now, look at Italy; the coach doesn't have as many player options as the England coach does.

[boltz]

World Cup qualification will begin in the next two days, I think it's predicable which country will qualify for the next round except Group C. It's quite competitive, Denmark #21, Greece #39 and Scotland #47. But if we take a look with their recent history, Greece improve a lot compared to Scotland.

What make it interesting is Italy, personally I think they won't qualify in this season.

Well Italy is trying desperately to revive their national squad before WC begins and I hope they do because it will be a disaster for them to miss 2 WC in a row as that never happened before for them.

Yes , group C is actually competitive but from those 3 , I think Greece might the one who qualifies because Denmark is in a decline for 2 years and Scotland can make great games but also super bad games too...

[Donneski]

What do you think about the Argentina-Venezuela match this coming Thursday to be played in Argentina? It is a very important match for the Vinotinto who are on the verge of a play-off, although the tide is not in their favor since Argentina is playing at home and is a clearly superior team. Venezuela has made milestones in the past when put in these important situations. On the other hand, an Argentina team, leading the group, without pressure, could transfer its game more to a joga bonito than a technical and conservative match, being Mesi's last home match in the qualifiers of the year.

Venezuela knowing what's at stake in that game are expected to go all out for a good result but playing against an Argentina side that's ranked as the no.1 team in the world, I don't think they'll be able to leave with a point from that game. Argentina leads the group just like you rightly said are surely gonna feature in the next edition of the FIFA World Cup why their opponents will need a good result to still remain in a good place to qualify but that doesn't mean Argentina will let them get a result in the Argentine soil. My prediction is that Argentina will win that game with at least 2-goal margin.

[Ale88]

What make it interesting is Italy, personally I think they won't qualify in this season.

I don't think Italy can qualify directly to the World Cup because we've lost 3-0 against Norway and even if we win every single match, including the second match with Norway, I don't think we can score as many goals as them. Our attack is by far the worst part of the team. We may eventually qualify through the play-offs.

[banana33]

I'm avoiding betting on Italy. I don't see their national coach being able to improve the team, and the squad isn't very strong compared to the squad they had years ago when they managed to qualify and go far in the World Cup. My attention is on the England team; they've improved a lot with Tuchel's arrival, but I saw in the press that Tuchel didn't call up Alexander-Arnold to play against Andorra and Serbia and instead called up Elliot Anderson, who currently plays for Nottingham Forest.

This surprised me, since Alexander-Arnold plays for Real Madrid, which is a good team, better than Nottingham Forest. Perhaps the fact that he left Liverpool, where he played regularly, for Real Madrid, where he's been sitting on the bench, may have influenced this decision. Now, look at Italy; the coach doesn't have as many player options as the England coach does.

I think and hope that this time Italy can go to the World Cup, confidence is high and the team is focused on the objective, I understand that it is not an easy thing and that reaching that result can bring problems, but they have to do it and for this reason I have given them confidence with my bet on them to go through to the next round

[sana54210]

What make it interesting is Italy, personally I think they won't qualify in this season.

I don't think Italy can qualify directly to the World Cup because we've lost 3-0 against Norway and even if we win every single match, including the second match with Norway, I don't think we can score as many goals as them. Our attack is by far the worst part of the team. We may eventually qualify through the play-offs.

After facing humiliating defeat against Norway surely now it's going to be challenging job for them to have top spot in this group; their 6 games remaining with Norway is coming Italy which could be not easy for Italy because they have good improvement and can create problems for Italy.

Upcoming game against Estonia will be important because from here their fans will be known about their strategy and their performance because now every game is important for them, and they needed to play as this is last game of qualifier for them, and they have nothing remaining into their basket. Few countries already done good development and now level of performance is also at the top in European countries which are bringing new countries in front.

[cande86]

What make it interesting is Italy, personally I think they won't qualify in this season.

I don't think Italy can qualify directly to the World Cup because we've lost 3-0 against Norway and even if we win every single match, including the second match with Norway, I don't think we can score as many goals as them. Our attack is by far the worst part of the team. We may eventually qualify through the play-offs.

It's a shameful thing that Italy has to do all this to get through and go and play the World Cup, but in a few days we'll know who we are and what we'll do and if we go and play the World Cup, I believe in it as a good Italian, I always hope so even if the last few times haven't gone so well.

[Victorybit1]

What make it interesting is Italy, personally I think they won't qualify in this season.

I don't think Italy can qualify directly to the World Cup because we've lost 3-0 against Norway and even if we win every single match, including the second match with Norway, I don't think we can score as many goals as them. Our attack is by far the worst part of the team. We may eventually qualify through the play-offs.

The Italian team have really decreased in terms of performance and even production of talented players or should I say world class players that have impacted in the activeness or even the reputation of that the Italy holds in the football world. If they continue like this it will be really difficult and hard for them to meet up with even qualifying for other competitions and even when they continue it would be hard for them to progress further especially in the big stages like the world cup.

[Oshio-man]

What do you think about the Argentina-Venezuela match this coming Thursday to be played in Argentina? It is a very important match for the Vinotinto who are on the verge of a play-off, although the tide is not in their favor since Argentina is playing at home and is a clearly superior team. Venezuela has made milestones in the past when put in these important situations. On the other hand, an Argentina team, leading the group, without pressure, could transfer its game more to a joga bonito than a technical and conservative match, being Mesi's last home match in the qualifiers of the year.

I don't think Argentina Coach will allow his team to lose at home, than to add their international players to be part of this match tomorrow, and no matter how prepared Venezuela will prepare against Argentina will not be successful, I don't think they will smell victory from Argentina home because they will play this match as if they are playing the FIFA world cup final, base on the kind players they have in the team, even though other players are not going to perform well in this match, Messi will definitely going to show his real color in this match to let people know that he still remain strong and talented in the football career not to let his team lose at home.

[tsaroz]

What do you think about the Argentina-Venezuela match this coming Thursday to be played in Argentina? It is a very important match for the Vinotinto who are on the verge of a play-off, although the tide is not in their favor since Argentina is playing at home and is a clearly superior team. Venezuela has made milestones in the past when put in these important situations. On the other hand, an Argentina team, leading the group, without pressure, could transfer its game more to a joga bonito than a technical and conservative match, being Mesi's last home match in the qualifiers of the year.

I don't think Argentina Coach will allow his team to lose at home, than to add their international players to be part of this match tomorrow, and no matter how prepared Venezuela will prepare against Argentina will not be successful, I don't think they will smell victory from Argentina home because they will play this match as if they are playing the FIFA world cup final, base on the kind players they have in the team, even though other players are not going to perform well in this match, Messi will definitely going to show his real color in this match to let people know that he still remain strong and talented in the football career not to let his team lose at home.

Argentina again is putting itself as the contender for the upcoming world cup. They are the best team in South America and Venezuela would have no chance even getting a draw out of Argentina. It would not matter to Venezuela as well, win lose or draw, Venezuela's direct spot to world cup is already lost and their Inter-confederation play-offs spot is nearly secure. The only way they'd lose it is have a loss against Argentina and Bolivia winning against Brazil which is nearly impossible. If Bolivia had an easier competitor, Venezuela might have been in a lot of pressure but in my opinion, they are completely safe from that chance.

[m4r1o]

Venezuela knowing what's at stake in that game are expected to go all out for a good result but playing against an Argentina side that's ranked as the no.1 team in the world, I don't think they'll be able to leave with a point from that game. Argentina leads the group just like you rightly said are surely gonna feature in the next edition of the FIFA World Cup why their opponents will need a good result to still remain in a good place to qualify but that doesn't mean Argentina will let them get a result in the Argentine soil. My prediction is that Argentina will win that game with at least 2-goal margin.

Yes, in my opinion, the Argentine team is the super favourite to win a lot more, it's also true that this will be Messi's last year, the last tournament for one of the greatest players ever, who knows, maybe he'll repeat what he did at the last World Cup, bringing them another cup.

[pewboy]

If the Italian national team fails to qualify, it will be the third consecutive time since 2014 that they have missed out on the 2026 World Cup. Based on their current performance, Italy chances are very slim, in addition to needing to win all their remaining matches, they also have to hope that Norway and Israel drop points. Everything now depends on Gattuso. With the squad depth they have, they should at least be able to secure a playoff spot.

Overall, perhaps Gattuso will be able to turn things around in the future, even though many people doubt his managerial quality. Italy will face Estonia, which in my opinion is an easy match. Italy should not waste this opportunity to secure all three points. It's rumored that Gattuso has not included Federico Chiesa in the squad list for this match.

This would be a great thing, it must include Federico Chiesa because he is a player who can give a lot to the team and especially to this match which is the most important of their season, I understand that the moment is difficult and Gattuso could have been chosen to be the sacrificial lamb, but they have to make it

[Volgastallion]

What do you think about the Argentina-Venezuela match this coming Thursday to be played in Argentina? It is a very important match for the Vinotinto who are on the verge of a play-off, although the tide is not in their favor since Argentina is playing at home and is a clearly superior team. Venezuela has made milestones in the past when put in these important situations. On the other hand, an Argentina team, leading the group, without pressure, could transfer its game more to a joga bonito than a technical and conservative match, being Mesi's last home match in the qualifiers of the year.

I don't think Argentina Coach will allow his team to lose at home, than to add their international players to be part of this match tomorrow, and no matter how prepared Venezuela will prepare against Argentina will not be successful, I don't think they will smell victory from Argentina home because they will play this match as if they are playing the FIFA world cup final, base on the kind players they have in the team, even though other players are not going to perform well in this match, Messi will definitely going to show his real color in this match to let people know that he still remain strong and talented in the football career not to let his team lose at home.

Not only that, the other day i was seeing the LMS and in the after game Messi declares something like it can be his last game at home with the national team in argentinian soil, so for sure Argentina is gonna play like no tomorrow to give Messi a huge farewell, Venezuela hopes are in their last game at home.