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

[Sithara007]

In my opinion, Ancelotti has the ability to restore Brazil to its true form, a team that is always a favorite at every World Cup event. However, Brazil playing style might change slightly to fit Ancelotti preferences. Meanwhile, the loss to Bolivia is understandable, as Ancelotti appeared to rotate most of his key players and give a chance to the second string players.

I am confident that over time, Ancelotti will succeed in improving the quality of the Brazilian national team in various aspects. With the squad depth he has, Ancelotti will eventually be able to do his job well. I hope that in the future, players like Neymar will get a chance to return to the squad, and it seems that Ancelotti will call him back.

Ancelotti alone can't do much. Brazil used to dominate global football a decade or two ago, but that is not the case now. They have progressively deteriorated over the years. And there is no quick fix for this. First of all, domestic leagues are not of a good quality and therefore the players exclusively rely on European leagues. And this means that there is a lack of team bonding and cohesion. Neymar definitely strengthens the team when he is in, but at the same time overdependence on one player is not good.

[DanWalker]

Ancelotti alone can't do much. Brazil used to dominate global football a decade or two ago, but that is not the case now. They have progressively deteriorated over the years. And there is no quick fix for this. First of all, domestic leagues are not of a good quality and therefore the players exclusively rely on European leagues. And this means that there is a lack of team bonding and cohesion. Neymar definitely strengthens the team when he is in, but at the same time overdependence on one player is not good.

I can not agree with you. Brazil's squad is still one of the strongest in the world. In forward , there are two talented forwards like Raphinha and Vini. Both performed well in the barcelona and madrid jerseys. But they do not  play well in the national team. I would say that if ancelotti can strengthen the bonding  between the  players and create a stable match  strategy, then we will see strong performances from Brazil. Brazilian players have the ability to play well. brazilian players perform well in European clubs.

[Gost ms]

In my opinion, Ancelotti has the ability to restore Brazil to its true form, a team that is always a favorite at every World Cup event. However, Brazil playing style might change slightly to fit Ancelotti preferences. Meanwhile, the loss to Bolivia is understandable, as Ancelotti appeared to rotate most of his key players and give a chance to the second string players.

I am confident that over time, Ancelotti will succeed in improving the quality of the Brazilian national team in various aspects. With the squad depth he has, Ancelotti will eventually be able to do his job well. I hope that in the future, players like Neymar will get a chance to return to the squad, and it seems that Ancelotti will call him back.

Ancelotti alone can't do much. Brazil used to dominate global football a decade or two ago, but that is not the case now. They have progressively deteriorated over the years. And there is no quick fix for this. First of all, domestic leagues are not of a good quality and therefore the players exclusively rely on European leagues. And this means that there is a lack of team bonding and cohesion. Neymar definitely strengthens the team when he is in, but at the same time overdependence on one player is not good.

Yes you are right, there was a time when football meant Brazil. But now it is not like that, now many countries have made their teams much stronger than before, now no one is less than anyone. If Brazil's domestic leagues improve, it will be very good for Brazil and many new players can come to Brazil. Brazil's domestic leagues need to improve. Currently Brazil has many good players who are very good players. But when they play for the national team, they can't do very well, they play very well in the league

[Sithara007]

I can not agree with you. Brazil's squad is still one of the strongest in the world. In forward , there are two talented forwards like Raphinha and Vini. Both performed well in the barcelona and madrid jerseys. But they do not  play well in the national team. I would say that if ancelotti can strengthen the bonding  between the  players and create a stable match  strategy, then we will see strong performances from Brazil. Brazilian players have the ability to play well. brazilian players perform well in European clubs.

Brazil's squad is still one of the strongest? Debatable.

For the last two decades or so, Brazilian players have underperformed while representing the national team. Back in the 90s and until the first decade of 2000, that was not the case. So do you think that Carlo Ancelotti can change this? He maybe able to rein in on Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, as he was their former coach at Real Madrid. Not sure about players such as Raphinha. If Ancelotti gets too strict, then the players will rebel against him. Indiscipline has become a part of life for some of the players.

[retreat]

How did Italy get to this point:

Norway - 1.39

Italy - 2.67

These are the bookmakers' opinions on who will win Group I. Theoretically, Italy could win all their remaining games (including the return game against Norway) and equal the points tally of first place (Norway). But according to the regulations, the first additional indicator taken into account is the difference between goals scored and goals conceded. Now Norway has +21 and Italy has +5... apparently in the next games against Israel and Modova Italy will try very hard to score as many as possible.

But no matter how much Italy tries to score in the remaining matches, I'm not convinced they can beat Norway in points. They seem to have the upper hand, and they're just waiting for the remaining matches to qualify for the World Cup. As for Italy, I'm confident they'll advance to the next qualifying round via the playoffs. Although it will be a more difficult process, they should be able to qualify through this route.

[giorgione]

I can not agree with you. Brazil's squad is still one of the strongest in the world. In forward , there are two talented forwards like Raphinha and Vini. Both performed well in the barcelona and madrid jerseys. But they do not  play well in the national team. I would say that if ancelotti can strengthen the bonding  between the  players and create a stable match  strategy, then we will see strong performances from Brazil. Brazilian players have the ability to play well. brazilian players perform well in European clubs.

Brazil's squad is still one of the strongest? Debatable.

For the last two decades or so, Brazilian players have underperformed while representing the national team. Back in the 90s and until the first decade of 2000, that was not the case. So do you think that Carlo Ancelotti can change this? He maybe able to rein in on Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, as he was their former coach at Real Madrid. Not sure about players such as Raphinha. If Ancelotti gets too strict, then the players will rebel against him. Indiscipline has become a part of life for some of the players.

I don't think they've had players with disappointing performances, on the contrary I think Brazilian players are still very strong and they're not just myths left, there are some remarkable players but they can't get together and they don't play well together, and that's why Carlo Ancelotti can do well.

[hyudien]

But no matter how much Italy tries to score in the remaining matches, I'm not convinced they can beat Norway in points. They seem to have the upper hand, and they're just waiting for the remaining matches to qualify for the World Cup. As for Italy, I'm confident they'll advance to the next qualifying round via the playoffs. Although it will be a more difficult process, they should be able to qualify through this route.

Yes, mathematically, it is very difficult for Italy to match Norway goal difference or surpass Norway points tally. I call it a miracle but there is one chance: they have to beat Norway and pray that Norway suffers another defeat, whether to Israel or Estonia, that could be a turning point for them. The problem is as I said it will take a miracle, maybe they will have to start in the play off round and then continue their nightmare like in the previous two WC editions.

[LUCKMCFLY]

But, as I said, it's not a problem that is affecting only Italy: if we take a look at the current Brazil squad, or even Germany, the names are quite mediocre. The stars are still players like Neuer, Kimmich, Marquinhos, Casemiro, and they are all old players. Where are the stars born after 2000? Vinicius? Wirtz? They are good but I'd take Neymar and Ozil over those two, without even thinking about it.

You're right about that. Personally, I'll say one thing: there aren't any players like the ones before now. Only Neymar Jr., for me he's the only one who has the "Joga Bonito" (Beautiful Game) For me, Brazil's current players aren't good, neither Vini nor Raphinha If they had been around during Ronaldo's era, they would have been cleaning up the bench But it's like you say, things are difficult now because there aren't any players with that kind of heart like the ones from before.

[cande86]

In my opinion, Ancelotti has the ability to restore Brazil to its true form, a team that is always a favorite at every World Cup event. However, Brazil playing style might change slightly to fit Ancelotti preferences. Meanwhile, the loss to Bolivia is understandable, as Ancelotti appeared to rotate most of his key players and give a chance to the second string players.

I am confident that over time, Ancelotti will succeed in improving the quality of the Brazilian national team in various aspects. With the squad depth he has, Ancelotti will eventually be able to do his job well. I hope that in the future, players like Neymar will get a chance to return to the squad, and it seems that Ancelotti will call him back.

Ancelotti alone can't do much. Brazil used to dominate global football a decade or two ago, but that is not the case now. They have progressively deteriorated over the years. And there is no quick fix for this. First of all, domestic leagues are not of a good quality and therefore the players exclusively rely on European leagues. And this means that there is a lack of team bonding and cohesion. Neymar definitely strengthens the team when he is in, but at the same time overdependence on one player is not good.

Yes you are right, there was a time when football meant Brazil. But now it is not like that, now many countries have made their teams much stronger than before, now no one is less than anyone. If Brazil's domestic leagues improve, it will be very good for Brazil and many new players can come to Brazil. Brazil's domestic leagues need to improve. Currently Brazil has many good players who are very good players. But when they play for the national team, they can't do very well, they play very well in the league

Yes, it's true, there are players who wouldn't even make the bench in Brazil in 2000 or before, they are stratospheric players, without any sense.
But I understand that times have changed and that another Roberto Carlos or Ronaldo phenomenon will never be born again.

[Ale88]

~~

It will be impossible for Italy to score many goals to the point that their goals will be the same with that of Norway because +21 goals difference is a big number. This is the main reason why Norway is put as the country to finish on the first position in Group I.

The only way for Italy to take over the first position from Norway is if they win all the rest of their matches and that's not possible because they will clash with Norway who looks stronger than them on the pitch. Italy have really lost their pace in the world cup in recent of times. Something needs to be done in order to improve the team performance.

In any case, Italy should at least be able to finish as the runner up in Group I and continue their journey through the playoffs to secure a spot in the upcoming 2026 World Cup. Most likely, Norway will successfully finish as group winners, they have been impressive and are undefeated so far.
Overall, Italy chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup are still open, even though they have to go through a tough path to achieve it. Despite being underestimated by many, Gattuso is slowly leading the Italian national team revival.

Norway for sure are going to win the group and, as Italian, the only thing I can say is kudos to them, they absolutely deserve to win the group: they always played well, they are hungry, and they are the best generation Norway has seen in a long time. I hope we'll make it to the playoffs, we are so unpredictable at this point...

[pewboy]

Brazil's squad is still one of the strongest? Debatable.

For the last two decades or so, Brazilian players have underperformed while representing the national team. Back in the 90s and until the first decade of 2000, that was not the case. So do you think that Carlo Ancelotti can change this? He maybe able to rein in on Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, as he was their former coach at Real Madrid. Not sure about players such as Raphinha. If Ancelotti gets too strict, then the players will rebel against him. Indiscipline has become a part of life for some of the players.

Times have certainly changed but we cann't say that the old players were more disciplined than these ones, I think that times have changed but the behavior of some players remains the same, like they used to spend evenings and late at night, they still do today.

[Sithara007]

Times have certainly changed but we cann't say that the old players were more disciplined than these ones, I think that times have changed but the behavior of some players remains the same, like they used to spend evenings and late at night, they still do today.

The old players also used to party a lot. But the difference is that they used to be fit when they are on field. But the younger generation doesn't simply care, especially when they are playing for the national squad. Indiscipline has been severe in Brazil, compared to other teams from the CONMEBOL confederation such as Argentina and Uruguay. But now the situation has become critical. During the initial stages of CONMEBOL qualifiers, Brazil was not even in top-5 position in the points table.

[Ale88]

Times have certainly changed but we cann't say that the old players were more disciplined than these ones, I think that times have changed but the behavior of some players remains the same, like they used to spend evenings and late at night, they still do today.

The old players also used to party a lot. But the difference is that they used to be fit when they are on field. But the younger generation doesn't simply care, especially when they are playing for the national squad. Indiscipline has been severe in Brazil, compared to other teams from the CONMEBOL confederation such as Argentina and Uruguay. But now the situation has become critical. During the initial stages of CONMEBOL qualifiers, Brazil was not even in top-5 position in the points table.

I wouldn't even say that they used to be fit because if we make a physical comparison, today's players are almost like robots compared to 30 years ago: I remember that in the '90s it was almost weird to hear about a 35-year-old player, it sounded like super old, and many player at 32-33 years old were ending their carriers. Now you see players like Ronaldo, Modric, Thiago Silva, Pepe, etc, still playing at high level at 40 or 40+ years old, it's crazy!
But to get back to what you were saying, in that case those players from the past were simply incredibly good, Maradona himself declared that he played several times in horrible physical conditions and yet he was making the difference on the pitch. Do we want to talk about Ronaldinho? He would train coming directly from the club, without sleeping. The new players rely more on their physical condition rather than technique and fantasy, that is the real difference.

[Sithara007]

I wouldn't even say that they used to be fit because if we make a physical comparison, today's players are almost like robots compared to 30 years ago: I remember that in the '90s it was almost weird to hear about a 35-year-old player, it sounded like super old, and many player at 32-33 years old were ending their carriers. Now you see players like Ronaldo, Modric, Thiago Silva, Pepe, etc, still playing at high level at 40 or 40+ years old, it's crazy!
But to get back to what you were saying, in that case those players from the past were simply incredibly good, Maradona himself declared that he played several times in horrible physical conditions and yet he was making the difference on the pitch. Do we want to talk about Ronaldinho? He would train coming directly from the club, without sleeping. The new players rely more on their physical condition rather than technique and fantasy, that is the real difference.

Well.. may be true. But I can say one thing with surety. Coaches back then used to command a lot more respect and used to be quite strict with discipline. Mário Zagallo, Cesare Maldini, Aimé Jacquet and Philippe Troussier of South Africa are good examples. But now if a coach tries to get strict, the players rebel against him and in the end he most probably leaves the team. I hope that doesn't repeat with Carlo Ancelotti. An Italian managing the Brazilian team will be the first time ever, BTW.

[8rch7]

Yes, mathematically, it is very difficult for Italy to match Norway goal difference or surpass Norway points tally. I call it a miracle but there is one chance: they have to beat Norway and pray that Norway suffers another defeat, whether to Israel or Estonia, that could be a turning point for them. The problem is as I said it will take a miracle, maybe they will have to start in the play off round and then continue their nightmare like in the previous two WC editions.

Norway have 6 points remaining right now on current standings group of qualifier match but Italy have one match left, just get advantage for Norway will face Italy at the last games weeks of qualifying match.
If can win upcoming two qualifying matches later against Israel and Estonia have chance get qualifying to World Cup in other side Italy loss points from several matches left. Better for Norway finish at 1st standings position if want easily qualify to World Cup 2026 how difficulty have to face several top team if finish at 2nd place.
Bad memorize for Italy if finish 2nd standings have to face other top team at playoff round how last several years ago Italy loss at qualifying round and eliminate for participating at World Cup 2018.

[Ahli38]

In my opinion, Ancelotti has the ability to restore Brazil to its true form, a team that is always a favorite at every World Cup event. However, Brazil playing style might change slightly to fit Ancelotti preferences. Meanwhile, the loss to Bolivia is understandable, as Ancelotti appeared to rotate most of his key players and give a chance to the second string players.

I am confident that over time, Ancelotti will succeed in improving the quality of the Brazilian national team in various aspects. With the squad depth he has, Ancelotti will eventually be able to do his job well. I hope that in the future, players like Neymar will get a chance to return to the squad, and it seems that Ancelotti will call him back.

Ancelotti alone can't do much. Brazil used to dominate global football a decade or two ago, but that is not the case now. They have progressively deteriorated over the years. And there is no quick fix for this. First of all, domestic leagues are not of a good quality and therefore the players exclusively rely on European leagues. And this means that there is a lack of team bonding and cohesion. Neymar definitely strengthens the team when he is in, but at the same time overdependence on one player is not good.

I think Neymar won't play for Brazil, where Carlo Ancelotti Brazil's coach said that Neymar needs to be in good physical condition or even fit to be part of Brazil's World Cup squad. We can see that Neymar is not in good technical condition, where he has suffered several injuries in previous matches. So Neymar's performance in joining the national team is still in doubt. And this will greatly affect matches that require high physical intensity. Well, I think Neymar is no longer fit to play for the Brazilian national team. He may still have extraordinary talent. However without adequate physical condition he will affect the performance of the Brazilian national team. What Brazil needs right now is integrity and harmony among the existing players. And Carlo Ancelotti needs to give good guidance to all players so that they can compete and even give their best performance for the team. Even in the previous match against Bolivia I only saw one good opportunity through Luiz Henrique around the 40th minute. But unfortunately it was thwarted by the Bolivian goalkeeper. So I think there is still a lot of improvement needed for the Brazilian national team. And I think the current squad has been strengthened by some great players, where this only requires technical improvements from Ancelotti.

[Ale88]

I wouldn't even say that they used to be fit because if we make a physical comparison, today's players are almost like robots compared to 30 years ago: I remember that in the '90s it was almost weird to hear about a 35-year-old player, it sounded like super old, and many player at 32-33 years old were ending their carriers. Now you see players like Ronaldo, Modric, Thiago Silva, Pepe, etc, still playing at high level at 40 or 40+ years old, it's crazy!
But to get back to what you were saying, in that case those players from the past were simply incredibly good, Maradona himself declared that he played several times in horrible physical conditions and yet he was making the difference on the pitch. Do we want to talk about Ronaldinho? He would train coming directly from the club, without sleeping. The new players rely more on their physical condition rather than technique and fantasy, that is the real difference.

Well.. may be true. But I can say one thing with surety. Coaches back then used to command a lot more respect and used to be quite strict with discipline. Mário Zagallo, Cesare Maldini, Aimé Jacquet and Philippe Troussier of South Africa are good examples. But now if a coach tries to get strict, the players rebel against him and in the end he most probably leaves the team. I hope that doesn't repeat with Carlo Ancelotti. An Italian managing the Brazilian team will be the first time ever, BTW.

It's not only coaches, many things changed in football, for the worse. I remember that one day they interviewed a former Manchester United player and he was explaining how the new young players didn't care about the club: when he was playing, after a defeat the dressing room would be quiet, players would be angry, and then he was mentioning Pogba and Lingard recording themselves after a loss while they were dancing. And of course if you give millions and millions per year to 20-something years old guys they think they are untouchable.

[laijsica]

Ancelotti alone can't do much. Brazil used to dominate global football a decade or two ago, but that is not the case now. They have progressively deteriorated over the years. And there is no quick fix for this. First of all, domestic leagues are not of a good quality and therefore the players exclusively rely on European leagues. And this means that there is a lack of team bonding and cohesion. Neymar definitely strengthens the team when he is in, but at the same time overdependence on one player is not good.

I can not agree with you. Brazil's squad is still one of the strongest in the world. In forward , there are two talented forwards like Raphinha and Vini. Both performed well in the barcelona and madrid jerseys. But they do not  play well in the national team. I would say that if ancelotti can strengthen the bonding  between the  players and create a stable match  strategy, then we will see strong performances from Brazil. Brazilian players have the ability to play well. brazilian players perform well in European clubs.

The lack of popularity of domestic leagues and insufficient financial budgets are largely to blame for the deteriorating situation. Another reason is the reluctance of the best and most talented players to participate in club tournaments held in the country. We will have to wait and see how great the time Ancelotti takes charge of the team will be for the Brazilian team in a few more months. He is still selecting the players and working to improve the coordination of the new players with the old players. The Brazilian team is still one of the strongest teams in the world. They have players playing for famous clubs in Europe and they contribute significantly to the national team in important tournaments.

You mentioned Neymar. I think Neymar time is up because he is getting older and he cannot stay on the field for a long time due to injuries. He had to return from the Saudi league because his presence was irregular due to injuries. There are many talented players in the Brazilian national team compared to him.

[banana33]

Norway have 6 points remaining right now on current standings group of qualifier match but Italy have one match left, just get advantage for Norway will face Italy at the last games weeks of qualifying match.
If can win upcoming two qualifying matches later against Israel and Estonia have chance get qualifying to World Cup in other side Italy loss points from several matches left. Better for Norway finish at 1st standings position if want easily qualify to World Cup 2026 how difficulty have to face several top team if finish at 2nd place.
Bad memorize for Italy if finish 2nd standings have to face other top team at playoff round how last several years ago Italy loss at qualifying round and eliminate for participating at World Cup 2018.

Of course I remember it, I've forgotten what it's like to watch your national team play a World Cup.
Unfortunately we have to watch Norway and hope they make a mistake, this would be very useful for us to be able to face a weaker team, usefull for a weak italy

[Ale88]

The lack of popularity of domestic leagues and insufficient financial budgets are largely to blame for the deteriorating situation.

Are we talking about the Brasileirão? I must admit that I don't follow to much South American football but what do you mean by "lack of popularity"? Are you taking about local fans? Or are you talking internationally? Because in the first case I don't think local fans are losing interest; and for the second case, Brazil has a great reputation for the national team but foreigners usually are not too attracted by the local leagues because they don't know many of the players. And players usually are not too interested in playing in Brazil because they prefer to stay in Europe, where the salaries are higher. There are exceptions of course (see Depay) but, again, those are exceptions. If I were a footballer to be honest I'd love to spend a few seasons playing between Brazil and Argentina just because of the passion of the fans, but I understand that the average football player just care about the money.