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

[verdinio]

If Brazil had appointed Carlo Ancelotti as their team manager just before the World Cup, I would have said with great confidence that Brazil would not have done well from that time until the World Cup tournament. But Brazil appointed Carlo Ancelotti as their national team manager almost a year ago, so Carlo Ancelotti has had enough time to work with the Brazilian players and make decisions about important positions for different players.

He would have still given Brazil what he has already given them all this while he has been with them because he is not a learner or someone whom has not coached before so definitely he would have still get his hand on what would bring effectiveness to his team, though even at this early appointment of him, Brazil did not do as the squad they have because if you count Brazilian players one after another you would no the quantity and quality they have as players but there is no good utility of those players in there national team because even as Carlo Ancelotti is an experience person but they still didn't please well because if there qualifying was something from the 4th position then they wouldn't have qualified from the group.

Yes exactly, you are right, Carlo Ancelotti is an experienced person and deserves all the respect in the world, especially from the Brazilian players who for now seem to follow him in everything, however they seem to be there and it seems that Don Carlo is trying to impart a style of play to them even if they are still very difficult to manage, I'm sure he will succeed.

[Ale88]

You have a point here but I feel the FIFA new interest in increasing the Spot is definitely a good strategy to foster world peace. It has always been same set of people featuring in the world cup, including these unknown countries could help bring them to limelight and let people know their existence. Thanks goodness for the game of football, most countries would have remained irrelevant always till infinity. There's nothing absurd about watching Uzbekistan Vs New zealand as it's part of the game. It would even be so good for we gamblers, at least you would see a sure odd straight win or over 4.5 even though the game of football starts and ends with surprises.

If the name of the tournament is "World" Cup, then you need to have representation from all around the world. When you reduce the number of participants to just 32, it is being reduced to a Latin American and European competition with little relevance to the other regions. This time, there will be adequate representation from all the regions, including Oceania. Countries such as Uzbekistan and Jordan will participate for the first time ever. And that is the way to go.

I'm not saying that we need to deny the possibility to participate to some federations, it's called World Cup exactly for that reason and I'm happy when we see some underdog qualifying: in the past it happened with Togo, Angola, North Korea, it's fun. But at the same time the World Cup is supposed to be for the very best teams, and now there are going to be 48 teams taking part to the competition out of 211 national teams, that means almost 1 team each 4 will qualify. For me it's too much.
It's like if at the Olympics, at the 100 meters final, instead of 8 runners qualify 14 or 16, would it make sense?

[CLS63]

If Brazil had appointed Carlo Ancelotti as their team manager just before the World Cup, I would have said with great confidence that Brazil would not have done well from that time until the World Cup tournament. But Brazil appointed Carlo Ancelotti as their national team manager almost a year ago, so Carlo Ancelotti has had enough time to work with the Brazilian players and make decisions about important positions for different players. Before taking charge of Brazil, Carlo Ancelotti was the Real Madrid manager and there were about four Brazilian players in that team, but Carlo Ancelotti knows them very well.

There is still a lot of time left before the World Cup starts, so if they plan well and if the players can play according to that plan, then Brazil will achieve something good in the 26th World Cup.

This is literally the first time Ancelotti is managing a national team. I think this area also needs some experience. Handling a national team has its own differences than a club. You are trying to handpick the best options from the pool full of tons of players from that nation.

For now I can't say Brazil have had a great performance under his management. But he should be given time. It is only 4 official matches and they have already secured their place in the next World Cup.

[imamusma]

~~

He would have still given Brazil what he has already given them all this while he has been with them because he is not a learner or someone whom has not coached before so definitely he would have still get his hand on what would bring effectiveness to his team, though even at this early appointment of him, Brazil did not do as the squad they have because if you count Brazilian players one after another you would no the quantity and quality they have as players but there is no good utility of those players in there national team because even as Carlo Ancelotti is an experience person but they still didn't please well because if there qualifying was something from the 4th position then they wouldn't have qualified from the group.

Yes exactly, you are right, Carlo Ancelotti is an experienced person and deserves all the respect in the world, especially from the Brazilian players who for now seem to follow him in everything, however they seem to be there and it seems that Don Carlo is trying to impart a style of play to them even if they are still very difficult to manage, I'm sure he will succeed.

At the club level, Ancelotti is a very successful and experienced manager, but everything seems very different when he becomes a national team manager. But, even though Ancelotti performance hasn't been very satisfying so far, he has at least ensured that the Brazilian national team has qualified for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. Speaking of respect, I think all the players in the dressing room highly respect and admire him. Even the legends of the Brazilian national team also highly respect and support him, that is a big advantage. Managing a national team is not as easy as managing a club, but over time, I think Ancelotti will succeed in making Brazil a team to be reckoned with at the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

[Sithara007]

I'm not saying that we need to deny the possibility to participate to some federations, it's called World Cup exactly for that reason and I'm happy when we see some underdog qualifying: in the past it happened with Togo, Angola, North Korea, it's fun. But at the same time the World Cup is supposed to be for the very best teams, and now there are going to be 48 teams taking part to the competition out of 211 national teams, that means almost 1 team each 4 will qualify. For me it's too much.
It's like if at the Olympics, at the 100 meters final, instead of 8 runners qualify 14 or 16, would it make sense?

Yes. It is for the best teams. And that is why the top-48 teams qualify. Personally I don't care how many athletes take part in the 100 meters final at the Olympics. For me, both 8 and 16 would be fine. One of the reasons why FIFA expanded the competition to 48 teams is due to the fact that teams in Asia and Africa were making rapid strides in football. Previously these regions were under-represented. To make sure that the best teams from these regions qualify for the world cup, the spots need to be increased. If the total number remains the same, then it will mean that spots for Europe may get reduced. FIFA wanted to avoid that and thereby increased the total number of participants.

[Ale88]

I'm not saying that we need to deny the possibility to participate to some federations, it's called World Cup exactly for that reason and I'm happy when we see some underdog qualifying: in the past it happened with Togo, Angola, North Korea, it's fun. But at the same time the World Cup is supposed to be for the very best teams, and now there are going to be 48 teams taking part to the competition out of 211 national teams, that means almost 1 team each 4 will qualify. For me it's too much.
It's like if at the Olympics, at the 100 meters final, instead of 8 runners qualify 14 or 16, would it make sense?

Yes. It is for the best teams. And that is why the top-48 teams qualify. Personally I don't care how many athletes take part in the 100 meters final at the Olympics. For me, both 8 and 16 would be fine. One of the reasons why FIFA expanded the competition to 48 teams is due to the fact that teams in Asia and Africa were making rapid strides in football. Previously these regions were under-represented. To make sure that the best teams from these regions qualify for the world cup, the spots need to be increased. If the total number remains the same, then it will mean that spots for Europe may get reduced. FIFA wanted to avoid that and thereby increased the total number of participants.

I'm sorry but where are all the Asian and African teams that are quickly growing? The only teams from those continents that have been getting consistent results are Japan and South Korea. Then sometimes there is Ivory Coast, sometimes it's Ghana, last time it was Morocco but usually all these teams get good results for one or two World Cups, after that they disappear again because the golden generation is gone. Where are now Nigeria, Camerun, Egypt, etc?
And, again, allowing 1 team each 4 to qualify is just ridiculous, the World Cup is not a competition for the best teams anymore, it's just a huge tournament with a bunch of useless matches until the knockout stage. Clearly all this is made because FIFA wants to make as much money as possible, they don't care about the teams.

[joniboini]

48 really feels like a lot. Then again, we start with 13 teams, then grow to 32 teams, not sure what the right number is since there are other factors in play here. Wanting to make money is definitely one of them, but is there any data on how much FIFA actually make with the current format and what's the diffrence if they allow 48 teams to participate? If it's about best of the best what if they shrink it back to 13 teams again?

[KTChampions]

48 really feels like a lot. Then again, we start with 13 teams, then grow to 32 teams, not sure what the right number is since there are other factors in play here. Wanting to make money is definitely one of them, but is there any data on how much FIFA actually make with the current format and what's the diffrence if they allow 48 teams to participate? If it's about best of the best what if they shrink it back to 13 teams again?

Theoretically, the more teams play in the finals, the greater the audience interest (if your team is there, you'll definitely watch) and the more money will be made. But in practice, I don't think anyone will watch the game between Oceania and Bolivia except those from those countries. A large number of useless games only diminishes the tournament's value, and many people only start watching from the playoffs. I don't know what the optimal number of teams should be (definitely not 13), but the most important thing is that these teams should be the best of the best, and not assembled based on geographical principles.

[retreat]

At the club level, Ancelotti is a very successful and experienced manager, but everything seems very different when he becomes a national team manager. But, even though Ancelotti performance hasn't been very satisfying so far, he has at least ensured that the Brazilian national team has qualified for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. Speaking of respect, I think all the players in the dressing room highly respect and admire him. Even the legends of the Brazilian national team also highly respect and support him, that is a big advantage. Managing a national team is not as easy as managing a club, but over time, I think Ancelotti will succeed in making Brazil a team to be reckoned with at the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

It's true that Brazil's performance has improved slightly, but I don't think it's enough to prove whether Ancelotti can improve the Brazilian national team. They only finished fifth, below Ecuador, their lowest finish, so there's not much to prove. Even without Ancelotti, they could still qualify if they perform like this. So I still think that Ancelotti won't be able to change the situation of the Brazilian national team that much.

[Lukakur]

This is literally the first time Ancelotti is managing a national team. I think this area also needs some experience. Handling a national team has its own differences than a club. You are trying to handpick the best options from the pool full of tons of players from that nation.

For now I can't say Brazil have had a great performance under his management. But he should be given time. It is only 4 official matches and they have already secured their place in the next World Cup.

exactly, it's the first time he's leading a national team and it can't be easy for him to go and select the best players to try to win, then in Brazil where there are a lot of strong players who can make the difference, I certainly wouldn't want to be in his shoes.

[Sithara007]

I'm sorry but where are all the Asian and African teams that are quickly growing? The only teams from those continents that have been getting consistent results are Japan and South Korea. Then sometimes there is Ivory Coast, sometimes it's Ghana, last time it was Morocco but usually all these teams get good results for one or two World Cups, after that they disappear again because the golden generation is gone. Where are now Nigeria, Camerun, Egypt, etc?
And, again, allowing 1 team each 4 to qualify is just ridiculous, the World Cup is not a competition for the best teams anymore, it's just a huge tournament with a bunch of useless matches until the knockout stage. Clearly all this is made because FIFA wants to make as much money as possible, they don't care about the teams.

How many upsets we had in the 2022 edition? I don't remember the exact number, but they were far more frequent than any of the previous editions. And in most cases, the upsets were done by the Asian/African teams, and the European or Latin American teams were on the receiving end. Saudi Arabia managed to defeat Argentina early on, by a margin of 2-1. This was done by a rapidly improving Asian team, not by Japan/Korea. Asian team Australia managed to defeat both Danmark and Tunisia in Group D. Germany was knocked out of the second stage by Japan. Same happened to Belgium, after they lost to Morocco. How many more examples do you need?

[$weetne$$]

At the club level, Ancelotti is a very successful and experienced manager, but everything seems very different when he becomes a national team manager. But, even though Ancelotti performance hasn't been very satisfying so far, he has at least ensured that the Brazilian national team has qualified for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. Speaking of respect, I think all the players in the dressing room highly respect and admire him. Even the legends of the Brazilian national team also highly respect and support him, that is a big advantage. Managing a national team is not as easy as managing a club, but over time, I think Ancelotti will succeed in making Brazil a team to be reckoned with at the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

It's true that Brazil's performance has improved slightly, but I don't think it's enough to prove whether Ancelotti can improve the Brazilian national team. They only finished fifth, below Ecuador, their lowest finish, so there's not much to prove. Even without Ancelotti, they could still qualify if they perform like this. So I still think that Ancelotti won't be able to change the situation of the Brazilian national team that much.

Qualifying for the world cup is enough to see that Ancelotti is already doing well with the team, before he joined them, they were struggling with it and for someone who has done club coaches most part of his coaching career, the switch is not expected to be a perfect one at a goal and that is because the resources he gets at club is not same as that he will be given at countries and he does not have that privilege of been able to buy players the way he does at the club sides.  He may be able to change the situation at Brazil but it will take time as it is a different niche and he has been doing good so far.

[pewboy]

At the club level, Ancelotti is a very successful and experienced manager, but everything seems very different when he becomes a national team manager. But, even though Ancelotti performance hasn't been very satisfying so far, he has at least ensured that the Brazilian national team has qualified for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. Speaking of respect, I think all the players in the dressing room highly respect and admire him. Even the legends of the Brazilian national team also highly respect and support him, that is a big advantage. Managing a national team is not as easy as managing a club, but over time, I think Ancelotti will succeed in making Brazil a team to be reckoned with at the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

I believe that Ancelotti is easily capable of leading a national team like Brazil, I think he can do it easily, the fact that he is now undecided on which player to bring is something that happens to everyone, the choice to exclude Neymar in my opinion makes sense, and if he chose him there must be a reason

[bastisisca]

It's true that Brazil's performance has improved slightly, but I don't think it's enough to prove whether Ancelotti can improve the Brazilian national team. They only finished fifth, below Ecuador, their lowest finish, so there's not much to prove. Even without Ancelotti, they could still qualify if they perform like this. So I still think that Ancelotti won't be able to change the situation of the Brazilian national team that much.

The coach who administers and manages Brazil is certainly not someone born yesterday, he is a good and experienced coach, it is no coincidence that he wanted to undertake this whole adventure, to prove something to himself also because i don't think he has financial problems anymore

[giorgione]

At the club level, Ancelotti is a very successful and experienced manager, but everything seems very different when he becomes a national team manager. But, even though Ancelotti performance hasn't been very satisfying so far, he has at least ensured that the Brazilian national team has qualified for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. Speaking of respect, I think all the players in the dressing room highly respect and admire him. Even the legends of the Brazilian national team also highly respect and support him, that is a big advantage. Managing a national team is not as easy as managing a club, but over time, I think Ancelotti will succeed in making Brazil a team to be reckoned with at the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

It's true that Brazil's performance has improved slightly, but I don't think it's enough to prove whether Ancelotti can improve the Brazilian national team. They only finished fifth, below Ecuador, their lowest finish, so there's not much to prove. Even without Ancelotti, they could still qualify if they perform like this. So I still think that Ancelotti won't be able to change the situation of the Brazilian national team that much.

Qualifying for the world cup is enough to see that Ancelotti is already doing well with the team, before he joined them, they were struggling with it and for someone who has done club coaches most part of his coaching career, the switch is not expected to be a perfect one at a goal and that is because the resources he gets at club is not same as that he will be given at countries and he does not have that privilege of been able to buy players the way he does at the club sides.  He may be able to change the situation at Brazil but it will take time as it is a different niche and he has been doing good so far.

You have to give Carlo Ancelotti time, I understand that there is not yet total trust from the whole nation but with time you will see that this thing will change greatly, Ancelotti knows perfectly well what he is doing and it is never a coincidence, he is laying the foundations to build a team that in my opinion will be very successful, you will see

[AmoreJaz]

It's true that Brazil's performance has improved slightly, but I don't think it's enough to prove whether Ancelotti can improve the Brazilian national team. They only finished fifth, below Ecuador, their lowest finish, so there's not much to prove. Even without Ancelotti, they could still qualify if they perform like this. So I still think that Ancelotti won't be able to change the situation of the Brazilian national team that much.

Qualifying for the world cup is enough to see that Ancelotti is already doing well with the team, before he joined them, they were struggling with it and for someone who has done club coaches most part of his coaching career, the switch is not expected to be a perfect one at a goal and that is because the resources he gets at club is not same as that he will be given at countries and he does not have that privilege of been able to buy players the way he does at the club sides.  He may be able to change the situation at Brazil but it will take time as it is a different niche and he has been doing good so far.

You have to give Carlo Ancelotti time, I understand that there is not yet total trust from the whole nation but with time you will see that this thing will change greatly, Ancelotti knows perfectly well what he is doing and it is never a coincidence, he is laying the foundations to build a team that in my opinion will be very successful, you will see

People are not very patient and it is true, it would take time before someone can really see the improvement of the team. It is not an overnight task for a coach to build a stronger team. It would take time to hone the talents even if it is already there. They need to work harmoniously inside the field to bring out the best of their performance. Because even if they are the best athletes if they are not working there, I don't think they will achieve their targets as a team. Hence, it is also equally important that they have good relationship to give their best foot forward.

[cande86]

I'm sorry but where are all the Asian and African teams that are quickly growing? The only teams from those continents that have been getting consistent results are Japan and South Korea. Then sometimes there is Ivory Coast, sometimes it's Ghana, last time it was Morocco but usually all these teams get good results for one or two World Cups, after that they disappear again because the golden generation is gone. Where are now Nigeria, Camerun, Egypt, etc?
And, again, allowing 1 team each 4 to qualify is just ridiculous, the World Cup is not a competition for the best teams anymore, it's just a huge tournament with a bunch of useless matches until the knockout stage. Clearly all this is made because FIFA wants to make as much money as possible, they don't care about the teams.

How many upsets we had in the 2022 edition? I don't remember the exact number, but they were far more frequent than any of the previous editions. And in most cases, the upsets were done by the Asian/African teams, and the European or Latin American teams were on the receiving end. Saudi Arabia managed to defeat Argentina early on, by a margin of 2-1. This was done by a rapidly improving Asian team, not by Japan/Korea. Asian team Australia managed to defeat both Danmark and Tunisia in Group D. Germany was knocked out of the second stage by Japan. Same happened to Belgium, after they lost to Morocco. How many more examples do you need?

I think the federation is increasingly having a hand in it, it's so unlikely that anyone would think that a club like Saudi Arabia could beat Argentina, given that they were the host nation, at the time I had doubts.
These players certainly played well and put their heart into it, but I still think that there was some kind of corruption involved

[Zlantann]

I think the federation is increasingly having a hand in it, it's so unlikely that anyone would think that a club like Saudi Arabia could beat Argentina, given that they were the host nation, at the time I had doubts.
These players certainly played well and put their heart into it, but I still think that there was some kind of corruption involved

There was nothing like corruption in the World Cup match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia.  If you watched the match you would have known that sometimes luck plays some role in sports.  Argentina was the better side in all ramifications but they couldn't score more than one goal. The Saudi team did a good defensive job that deprived the superstars in the Argentine team of the chance to score.

Anyway, we can also say that since it was the first game of the tournament, teams have not mastered their style of play.  As they played more games, the Argentina side became better and ended up winning the World Cup.

[Franctoshi]

I think the federation is increasingly having a hand in it, it's so unlikely that anyone would think that a club like Saudi Arabia could beat Argentina, given that they were the host nation, at the time I had doubts.
These players certainly played well and put their heart into it, but I still think that there was some kind of corruption involved

There was nothing like that in that match, haven't you seen such a scenario before, and besides both teams are not meeting regularly, and barely do Argentina understand their pattern of play, plus several other things.

There was nothing like corruption in the World Cup match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia.  If you watched the match you would have known that sometimes luck plays some role in sports.  Argentina was the better side in all ramifications but they couldn't score more than one goal. The Saudi team did a good defensive job that deprived the superstars in the Argentine team of the chance to score.

Anyway, we can also say that since it was the first game of the tournament, teams have not mastered their style of play.  As they played more games, the Argentina side became better and ended up winning the World Cup.

You're right, a team can prepare for you just to stop you and play defensively through out the game make it difficult for you to win, you know that’s what Mourinho used to do, leave the for you and play you defensively if he wants to draw you.

[Rabata]

At the club level, Ancelotti is a very successful and experienced manager, but everything seems very different when he becomes a national team manager. But, even though Ancelotti performance hasn't been very satisfying so far, he has at least ensured that the Brazilian national team has qualified for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. Speaking of respect, I think all the players in the dressing room highly respect and admire him. Even the legends of the Brazilian national team also highly respect and support him, that is a big advantage. Managing a national team is not as easy as managing a club, but over time, I think Ancelotti will succeed in making Brazil a team to be reckoned with at the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

It's true that Brazil's performance has improved slightly, but I don't think it's enough to prove whether Ancelotti can improve the Brazilian national team. They only finished fifth, below Ecuador, their lowest finish, so there's not much to prove. Even without Ancelotti, they could still qualify if they perform like this. So I still think that Ancelotti won't be able to change the situation of the Brazilian national team that much.

When players like Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and Endrik are in a team, the team is not a weak team. But if these good players cannot be used properly, it is not possible to get good results. How much Ancelotti can progress in using them well is the key factor. Although there is no doubt that Ancelotti is a great coach, will he be able to bring the Brazilian team to a reliable position in a short time or will he fail? Since the World Cup stage is completely different from club football in general, the coach must think differently because the time is very short.