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

[TelolettOm]

Ireland is pulling up a big surprise right now against Portugal as they now lead 2 - 0, what a surprise. It would have been even more than this because in the 37 minutes Ogbene struck the post after beating the goalkeeper only for the ball to be saved by the post, that's when it would have been 2 - 0. Ireland are defending deep in their own half and is making the attacks of Portugal ineffective but once there's a breakaway, the take it and because Portugal has pre bodies forward, they find it hard to back track that quickly, Ireland is hitting them in the counter and it's really hurting them. Can Portugal score 2 goals or more to save their night without conceding again! Only the second half can tell.

Portugal's performance today was disastrous. They not only lost to Ireland, but also suffered a 2-0 defeat. Portugal couldn't score a single goal, as they usually do. Furthermore, Ronaldo received a red card in the 81st minute, even though, before that red card, Portugal was already trailing Ireland by two goals. Ireland had been holding on since their first goal in the 17th minute. Portugal was unlucky to lose and lose a player to a red card.

Now, he will miss the decisive match in the next round against Armenia.

Source: the first red card in Cristiano Ronaldo 's International career

[Roseline492]

France looks confident at home, and given their status, they have a good chance of winning. Ukraine is showing decent results, but the opponent is too strong.

As for the match between Iceland and Azerbaijan, a 2-0 result in favor of Iceland is quite expected. The Icelandic team, despite facing challenges in the tournament, managed to secure three points.

Just last month Ukraine won 5:3 to Iceland and today they receive a big losing score. France got lucky of penalty today, this is the second time of there match they have penalty, the first one came when they were against Iceland. After this matches today and seeing were Iceland and Ukraine is I'm already excited of seeing them both to play again but Ukraine will not miss the opportunity because they won when they got the chance on Iceland home so is going to be twice the advantage on Ukraine home. Norway and Italy won from the group I and they're both the leading countries there.

[Adbitco]

Ireland is pulling up a big surprise right now against Portugal as they now lead 2 - 0, what a surprise. It would have been even more than this because in the 37 minutes Ogbene struck the post after beating the goalkeeper only for the ball to be saved by the post, that's when it would have been 2 - 0. Ireland are defending deep in their own half and is making the attacks of Portugal ineffective but once there's a breakaway, the take it and because Portugal has pre bodies forward, they find it hard to back track that quickly, Ireland is hitting them in the counter and it's really hurting them. Can Portugal score 2 goals or more to save their night without conceding again! Only the second half can tell.

Portugal's performance today was disastrous. They not only lost to Ireland, but also suffered a 2-0 defeat. Portugal couldn't score a single goal, as they usually do. Furthermore, Ronaldo received a red card in the 81st minute, even though, before that red card, Portugal was already trailing Ireland by two goals. Ireland had been holding on since their first goal in the 17th minute. Portugal was unlucky to lose and lose a player to a red card.

Now, he will miss the decisive match in the next round against Armenia.

Source: the first red card in Cristiano Ronaldo 's International career

"CR7 left Portugal with 10 men on the day they could have sealed their qualification for the 2026 World Cup" I find that part very hypocritical and coming from a goal.com admin, we know better. Yes he was red carded no doubt about that but the writing saying he left them on the day that would have sealed their qualification was a different thing entirely. Portugal was already 2 goals down and time was far going. The team itself didn't look like people that wanted to win, yes they tried but they couldn't break the Irish defense and I love how they contained Portugal. Portugal hasn't been serious in their last 2 matches and this should be a wake up call for them, because of eventually they qualify, they will be meeting far stronger teams in the WC, is this how they will play!

[Ale88]

Norway crushed Estonia 4-1.

Not long ago, it seemed that the final match between Italy and Norway would be crucial in the battle for a direct spot in the 2026 World Cup. Now it has become clear that this game will hardly have any significance.

When points are tied, the goal difference across the entire qualifying group is taken into account. Norway currently has +29 (thanks to Haaland), while Italy has +10. For Italy, compensating for a 19-goal deficit in just two matches is virtually impossible. They would need to beat Moldova 10-0 and then Norway 5-0. That seems rather unlikely.

I'm Italian and I can tell you that after the defeat in Norway it was clear that Norway would have won the group because they already had a huge goal difference. Right now Norway's GD is +29, Italy is +12, and there are not too many teams leading their group with a better GD than Italy. Some of them, Austria for example, have a slightly better GD just because they scored 14 goals against San Marino. And no other team have a 20+ GD, maximum is +19, so the amount of goals Norway scored is insane. I'll be honest, Norway are a better team than Italy at the moment, at the same time is not really fair that a team that lost 1 game won't be able to qualify directly at the World Cup. Italy are in the same position of Bolivia that lost 10 games out of 18 and they have a -18 GD. Clearly the qualification system would need to be revised somehow.

[CroverNo01]

Portugal's performance today was disastrous. They not only lost to Ireland, but also suffered a 2-0 defeat. Portugal couldn't score a single goal, as they usually do. Furthermore, Ronaldo received a red card in the 81st minute, even though, before that red card, Portugal was already trailing Ireland by two goals. Ireland had been holding on since their first goal in the 17th minute. Portugal was unlucky to lose and lose a player to a red card.

Now, he will miss the decisive match in the next round against Armenia.

Source: the first red card in Cristiano Ronaldo 's International career

Portugal winning games but no longer in good shape' they are just not playing like the professional team they're. Just tell me in a team that they have the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernado Silva, Bruno Fernandes and so many starlets, scoring goals will be huge challenge for them. We're yet to see the best performing actions of Portugal, this is never what we will decides because Portugal got humbled and their defeats shocked the universe. Ronaldo class was lowered last night. That foul ball was necessary? Absolutely not and that's highly unprofessional for a high class player like Ronaldo.

[armanda90]

I'm Italian and I can tell you that after the defeat in Norway it was clear that Norway would have won the group because they already had a huge goal difference. Right now Norway's GD is +29, Italy is +12, and there are not too many teams leading their group with a better GD than Italy. Some of them, Austria for example, have a slightly better GD just because they scored 14 goals against San Marino. And no other team have a 20+ GD, maximum is +19, so the amount of goals Norway scored is insane. I'll be honest, Norway are a better team than Italy at the moment, at the same time is not really fair that a team that lost 1 game won't be able to qualify directly at the World Cup. Italy are in the same position of Bolivia that lost 10 games out of 18 and they have a -18 GD. Clearly the qualification system would need to be revised somehow.

Almost impossible mission for Italy qualifying directly to World Cup 2026 without playoff round, remaining three points behind Norway and must win above 9 goals for last games if want make Norway drop to 2nd standings. Don't comparison with the weakness national teams during Norway performance in phase group qualifying match not unbeaten yet and Norway won all 7 of 7 qualifying matches including defeat Italy at the first meeting.

I want to say early congratulation for Norway is the first time qualifying to World Cup after waiting last several edition, for Italy is another nightmare because have bad experienced when facing playoff round always difficult for qualifying to world cup, last three edition in a row Italy failed participants at World Cup and wish in the playoff round will face not really strong national team.

Last qualifying match : Italy vs Norway at 17th November

[Fivestar4everMVP]

France looks confident at home, and given their status, they have a good chance of winning. Ukraine is showing decent results, but the opponent is too strong.

As for the match between Iceland and Azerbaijan, a 2-0 result in favor of Iceland is quite expected. The Icelandic team, despite facing challenges in the tournament, managed to secure three points.

Just last month Ukraine won 5:3 to Iceland and today they receive a big losing score. France got lucky of penalty today, this is the second time of there match they have penalty, the first one came when they were against Iceland. After this matches today and seeing were Iceland and Ukraine is I'm already excited of seeing them both to play again but Ukraine will not miss the opportunity because they won when they got the chance on Iceland home so is going to be twice the advantage on Ukraine home. Norway and Italy won from the group I and they're both the leading countries there.

Speaking or commenting (rather) on Ukraine and Iceland, the fact that Ukraine managed to beat Iceland on their own soil (Iceland) doesn't not mean that they can't also be beaten by the same Iceland.

They say once beaten, twice are you shy, if a rematch if this two countries is going to happen, especially on Ukraine soil, I believe the Icelandic team will go prepare harder than ever to make sure they retaliate, they will make sure they do everything within their power to return the favor.
But anyways, I personally have never watched Ukraine and Iceland play before, if I have, then it must be a long time ago and I've completely forgotten what their respective performances were, but I want to believe that even if Ukraine appear stronger, they should not be unbeatable by Iceland even if its by mistake, they can still be beaten 😁

[Gost ms]

Ireland is pulling up a big surprise right now against Portugal as they now lead 2 - 0, what a surprise. It would have been even more than this because in the 37 minutes Ogbene struck the post after beating the goalkeeper only for the ball to be saved by the post, that's when it would have been 2 - 0. Ireland are defending deep in their own half and is making the attacks of Portugal ineffective but once there's a breakaway, the take it and because Portugal has pre bodies forward, they find it hard to back track that quickly, Ireland is hitting them in the counter and it's really hurting them. Can Portugal score 2 goals or more to save their night without conceding again! Only the second half can tell.

Portugal's performance today was disastrous. They not only lost to Ireland, but also suffered a 2-0 defeat. Portugal couldn't score a single goal, as they usually do. Furthermore, Ronaldo received a red card in the 81st minute, even though, before that red card, Portugal was already trailing Ireland by two goals. Ireland had been holding on since their first goal in the 17th minute. Portugal was unlucky to lose and lose a player to a red card.

Now, he will miss the decisive match in the next round against Armenia.

Source: the first red card in Cristiano Ronaldo 's International career

Portugal's performance was very disappointing. We never expected anything like this from Portugal. Especially Portugal's defense seemed very weak. Because whenever the Irish players attacked, they were able to break the Portugal defense very easily. The first goal was scored due to the mistake of the Portuguese goalkeeper.

Ronaldo did this move intentionally and he did it very strongly. He may have received a red card because of his own fault, first he received a yellow card, then when he gestured with his hands and eyes, the referee checked again and then he was given a red card. After Ronaldo received a red card, all the spectators in the gallery made fun of Ronaldo a lot. It was very beautiful to see.

[Tonimez]

Ireland is pulling up a big surprise right now against Portugal as they now lead 2 - 0, what a surprise. It would have been even more than this because in the 37 minutes Ogbene struck the post after beating the goalkeeper only for the ball to be saved by the post, that's when it would have been 2 - 0. Ireland are defending deep in their own half and is making the attacks of Portugal ineffective but once there's a breakaway, the take it and because Portugal has pre bodies forward, they find it hard to back track that quickly, Ireland is hitting them in the counter and it's really hurting them. Can Portugal score 2 goals or more to save their night without conceding again! Only the second half can tell.

Portugal's performance today was disastrous. They not only lost to Ireland, but also suffered a 2-0 defeat. Portugal couldn't score a single goal, as they usually do. Furthermore, Ronaldo received a red card in the 81st minute, even though, before that red card, Portugal was already trailing Ireland by two goals. Ireland had been holding on since their first goal in the 17th minute. Portugal was unlucky to lose and lose a player to a red card.

Now, he will miss the decisive match in the next round against Armenia.

Source: the first red card in Cristiano Ronaldo 's International career

This is the worst that can ever happen to Christiano Ronaldo this period. I feel for him and I sympathise with him. I blame the coach for not sealing this qualification from their last game. After scoring two goals, and was taken off, the team could not hold the pressure anymore. The team just played against Ronaldo this time. I felt so bad for him in their last game. He fought the fight, scored the goals but was betrayed. For this caption, well, it can be anyone even though I will blame Ronaldo for knowing how important the night is to him and still extending an elbow against an opponent. The game of football is a game of emotions and allowing oneself to be overtaken by emotions was a big mistake.

What could have been a history has been shattered. No more securing this world cup final and no more world cup in his career as he already acknowledged that he would retire before the next world cup. Congratulations to him on the feat achieved already. The game of football is crazy, fans easily forget players effort after a single mistake.

[Sithara007]

Portugal's performance was very disappointing. We never expected anything like this from Portugal. Especially Portugal's defense seemed very weak. Because whenever the Irish players attacked, they were able to break the Portugal defense very easily. The first goal was scored due to the mistake of the Portuguese goalkeeper.

Ronaldo did this move intentionally and he did it very strongly. He may have received a red card because of his own fault, first he received a yellow card, then when he gestured with his hands and eyes, the referee checked again and then he was given a red card. After Ronaldo received a red card, all the spectators in the gallery made fun of Ronaldo a lot. It was very beautiful to see.

Portugal is still on top in Group F and most likely they will secure direct qualification to the FIFA World Cup of 2026. Unlike some of the other major teams, this time Portugal got placed in a very weak group. In Group F, they have Hungary, Armenia and the Republic of Ireland for company. But yesterday's loss to Ireland was quite unexpected. Last month, in the first leg Portugal won by a margin of 1-0 (goal scored by Rúben Neves during injury time), but this time they tasted defeat. 

[Rampagoe004]

Portugal's performance today was disastrous. They not only lost to Ireland, but also suffered a 2-0 defeat. Portugal couldn't score a single goal, as they usually do. Furthermore, Ronaldo received a red card in the 81st minute, even though, before that red card, Portugal was already trailing Ireland by two goals. Ireland had been holding on since their first goal in the 17th minute. Portugal was unlucky to lose and lose a player to a red card.

Now, he will miss the decisive match in the next round against Armenia.

Source: the first red card in Cristiano Ronaldo 's International career

Portugal's performance was very disappointing. We never expected anything like this from Portugal. Especially Portugal's defense seemed very weak. Because whenever the Irish players attacked, they were able to break the Portugal defense very easily. The first goal was scored due to the mistake of the Portuguese goalkeeper.

Portugal lost to Ireland. Portugal's performance was very bad and disappointing with what they got. Portugal's defense was no longer guarded by senior players, their defense was weak, making it very easy for Irish attackers to penetrate.
Not only that, Cristiano Ronaldo was also too aggressive in this match, instead of getting appreciation from the audience, only boos came out, Ronaldo was considered to have performed poorly so he got a red card. This was a bad match for Ronaldo, losing 2:0 to an unbalanced team.

[abhiseshakana]

Ireland is pulling up a big surprise right now against Portugal as they now lead 2 - 0, what a surprise. It would have been even more than this because in the 37 minutes Ogbene struck the post after beating the goalkeeper only for the ball to be saved by the post, that's when it would have been 2 - 0. Ireland are defending deep in their own half and is making the attacks of Portugal ineffective but once there's a breakaway, the take it and because Portugal has pre bodies forward, they find it hard to back track that quickly, Ireland is hitting them in the counter and it's really hurting them. Can Portugal score 2 goals or more to save their night without conceding again! Only the second half can tell.

Portugal's performance today was disastrous. They not only lost to Ireland, but also suffered a 2-0 defeat. Portugal couldn't score a single goal, as they usually do. Furthermore, Ronaldo received a red card in the 81st minute, even though, before that red card, Portugal was already trailing Ireland by two goals. Ireland had been holding on since their first goal in the 17th minute. Portugal was unlucky to lose and lose a player to a red card.

Now, he will miss the decisive match in the next round against Armenia.

Source: the first red card in Cristiano Ronaldo 's International career

Portugal's performance was very disappointing. We never expected anything like this from Portugal. Especially Portugal's defense seemed very weak. Because whenever the Irish players attacked, they were able to break the Portugal defense very easily. The first goal was scored due to the mistake of the Portuguese goalkeeper.

Ronaldo did this move intentionally and he did it very strongly. He may have received a red card because of his own fault, first he received a yellow card, then when he gestured with his hands and eyes, the referee checked again and then he was given a red card. After Ronaldo received a red card, all the spectators in the gallery made fun of Ronaldo a lot. It was very beautiful to see.

This really surprised me, because I thought that Portugal would win this match, or at least they would get 1 point, but it turned out that my guess was wrong, and it was Ireland who turned out to be the winner. Portugal dominated the match, but unfortunately, they didn't have a good finishing touch in this match, and they even had difficulty penetrating the penalty box. When all efforts still failed to produce a goal, Ireland surprisingly managed to get a second goal, and I think this indirectly had quite an impact on the mentality of the Portuguese players. Maybe that's why Ronaldo got a red card, as he was very frustrated because he kept failing to find the net.

[Jatiluhung]

Portugal's performance today was disastrous. They not only lost to Ireland, but also suffered a 2-0 defeat. Portugal couldn't score a single goal, as they usually do. Furthermore, Ronaldo received a red card in the 81st minute, even though, before that red card, Portugal was already trailing Ireland by two goals. Ireland had been holding on since their first goal in the 17th minute. Portugal was unlucky to lose and lose a player to a red card.

Now, he will miss the decisive match in the next round against Armenia.

Source: the first red card in Cristiano Ronaldo 's International career

The match result was quite disappointing. From this match, we can see that a defensive and counter-attacking strategy can sometimes be very effective when facing a strong attacking opponent. Waiting for the opponent to be caught off guard in the defensive line and then launching a counter-attack is indeed very effective. In this match, although Portugal controlled more of the ball and had more attacks, they failed to penetrate Ireland's quite solid defense. This was because Ireland focused their strength on defense and launched attacks when they had the opportunity. And that succeeded in leading them to victory against a team that was actually heavily favored in this match. It was unfortunate that Cristiano Ronaldo received a red card. But Portugal will fight better in the next match, even without Cristiano Ronaldo.

[Luzin]

Maybe that's why Ronaldo got a red card, as he was very frustrated because he kept failing to find the net.

A frustrated GOAT. LOL. Red card and a loss. Many predicted that Portugal could win easily. But everyone was wrong; Ireland played with full spirit and worked hard. This red card will make Ronaldo miss the decisive match against Armenia. Portugal must win against Armenia if they want to qualify comfortably. If they do qualify, the suspension will continue into the first match of the group stage. Can they win and qualify? Portugal should be able to play well even without Ronaldo. There are still many other players performing well.

[landheer]

"CR7 left Portugal with 10 men on the day they could have sealed their qualification for the 2026 World Cup" I find that part very hypocritical and coming from a goal.com admin, we know better. Yes he was red carded no doubt about that but the writing saying he left them on the day that would have sealed their qualification was a different thing entirely. Portugal was already 2 goals down and time was far going. The team itself didn't look like people that wanted to win, yes they tried but they couldn't break the Irish defense and I love how they contained Portugal. Portugal hasn't been serious in their last 2 matches and this should be a wake up call for them, because of eventually they qualify, they will be meeting far stronger teams in the WC, is this how they will play!

This defeat should have taught the Portuguese national team a lesson and helped them perform better in their next match. They may have been a little complacent with their seemingly easy wins in previous matches. This caught them off guard and didn't expect Ireland to mount a strong counterattack. Portugal's defense seemed unprepared for the match.

The next match against Armenia will be a truly tense one, as Portugal must win decisively to automatically qualify for the World Cup.

[davis196]

Portugal losing against Ireland isn't such a big deal, because Portugal needs a draw against Armenia in order to qualify for the World Cup.
Ronaldo got frustrated because he didn't score a goal. Getting a red card for the first time at the age of 40 playing for his national team is hilarious. I don't think that Roberto Martino is the right guy for Portugal. The Portuguese defense had problems and Martino isn't a coach, who favors defensive play. France defeating Ukraine was pretty much expected and the match was very boring. Mbappe can't stop scoring for France.

[AprilioMP]

France only needs three more points to secure qualification from Group D. If France currently has 10 points, then gaining three more points would bring their points tally to 13 and automatically qualify.
Against Ukraine, France has a good chance of winning. Even if they draw, France can secure their spot against Azerbaijan in their final match.

The odds in this game are not interesting for those selecting France as the winner because it is at 1.2 while Ukraine is at +15 in many bookies. France is favourite in their group and should normally win that match.

Although the odds of picking France were slim, the 4-0 result clearly demonstrates France's dominance, which is still difficult to overcome for teams in the same group.
With their victory against Ukraine, France has already qualified, with a match remaining against Azerbaijan.

Although Azerbaijan is playing at home, I don't have the analysis to bet on them to win because Iceland has something I think I can hope for in the match against Azerbaijan.

The odds are way in favour of Iceland at 1.57 versus 6.6 for Azerbaijan on average.
In the next round, Azerbaijan odds are +25 while France is 1.1 which is very obvious. It is rather about how many goals will France score in that game which depends a lot from the outcome of their game against Ukraine, thus how many main squad players will play in front of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan also lost, despite playing at home.
After the results of the fifth match in Group D, the battle for second place is very tight between Iceland and Ukraine. Interestingly, Ukraine and Iceland must defeat each other to secure second place, which could allow one of them to advance to the qualifying rounds.
If the final match between Ukraine and Iceland ends in a draw, Iceland will take second place due to Iceland's superior goal scoring record.
This is where the most interesting bets come in.

[asriloni]

Portugal losing against Ireland isn't such a big deal, because Portugal needs a draw against Armenia in order to qualify for the World Cup.

Armenia's game is gonna be ez game for Portugal. They will still get direct qualification for WC 2026. I remind you how they beat Armenia 5-0 in the first leg. Beating Armenia is not going to be a hard job.

Beside that, i feel a bit disappoined with how CR7 was losing his control after being rage baited by Darra O'shea. He might not get a red card, if he even more calm to answer Darar's click bait. I've heard he potentially missing the first game of WC due to his red card.

[Polkeins]

To be honest, I don't really believe that Ukraine will be able to defeat France, which needs to win and play the last match of the qualifying round. I think that Iceland will also defeat Azerbaijan and everything will be decided in the last round for Ukraine and Iceland. To be honest, I think that the Serbia-England match will be more interesting, considering that Serbia needs to win in order to maintain its chances of securing second place in the group.

Most likely, Ukraine will end up without points today in the match against France, while Iceland will beat Azerbaijan because their motivation will be much higher. On one hand, a draw would be enough for France, and considering that, there’s some hope that Ukraine might manage to get a draw. However I think the probability of that is quite low. And if Ukraine loses while Iceland wins today, everything will be decided in the final match, and there I really hope that Ukraine will be stronger and able to beat Iceland. They have already managed to do it away earlier this year, and I believe they can repeat it once again.

France beat Ukraine as predicted and Ukraine lost their chance to score any points yesterday. Iceland did what we expected, so it looks like everything will be decided in the last match, where Ukraine and Iceland will battle it out for second place, as you wrote.
The bigger surprise was Portugal's defeat by Ireland and Ronaldo's sending off. To be honest, I thought that Portugal would be able to get at least one point and move on, but now it turns out that they need to score points in the last round to get out of the group.
It's a pity for Serbia, who played well but will most likely not make it to the World Cup, and we have to admit that England was magnificent in this qualifying cycle and deservedly leads the group.

[Cryptmuster]

Portugal lost to Ireland. Portugal's performance was very bad and disappointing with what they got. Portugal's defense was no longer guarded by senior players, their defense was weak, making it very easy for Irish attackers to penetrate.
Not only that, Cristiano Ronaldo was also too aggressive in this match, instead of getting appreciation from the audience, only boos came out, Ronaldo was considered to have performed poorly so he got a red card. This was a bad match for Ronaldo, losing 2:0 to an unbalanced team.

Ireland played well, especially their defensive play. As for Ronaldo, I think it's a bit controversial, but he had no right to play so aggressively with his elbows. He should have been prepared to play so close to him, and he shouldn't have given in to any provocations. Winning isn't always possible, and losses need to be accepted gracefully, and Ireland aren't the weakest team, especially when playing at home. This defeat wasn't devastating for Portugal, they're still the leaders of their group.