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

[ozgr]

Bulgaria was much more in form compared to the first match and played well—they almost managed to score. They hit the post twice, and if even one of those shots had gone in, their confidence would have increased and the score could have been completely different. Turkey couldn’t dominate the game the way they did in the first match and didn’t display an effective performance. Kenan Yıldız and Arda Güler could have contributed to the score by scoring goals.

Türkiye has a good team, but the choices are really poor. Kerem definetely is not able to play as a central striker. They’ve tried it for several matches and it just doesn’t work. Why insisting on this? his height, physique, and finishing, Kerem simply isnt able to be a good striker.

First of all, the pitch was terrible. It’s embarrassing that we played a national team match on a field where even an amateur game shouldn’t be held and it could have easily caused injuries. I got tired watching the match because of the commentator. Why was he shouting so much?

Because of the poor pitch conditions and some bad luck, Turkey couldn’t score more goals. We took 20 shots and only 6 were on target, so there should have been a lot more goals. If the bulgarian team had been even slightly stronger it would have been a tough match.

[7juju]

Well said, after the shock loss to Ireland and the red card, I was like, Portugal still has one more game to play in ensuring they qualify directly and not going through the playoffs. I understand the feeling when you need to win but instead you're losing, I know those are the part of things that led to the elbowing. Those are things that can be avoided because they would have put a good performance against Armenia. That team isn't a match for Portugal and they will win even if they used their reserve players. Right now, Portugal is thrashing Armenia 5 - 1 at half time, this means the country has already sealed their first spot in the group long before the match is even over. That very red card would have been avoided, Ronaldo again let his emotions cloud his judgement forgetting that he has another game to play but he prevented himself from playing it.

Or we can say that the red card made us to see the potential in this Portugal team without Cr7?. I can't remember the last time that Portugal got this type of score in a match. But the first match that Ronaldo missed after the red card Portugal scored 9 goals in a single match. Maybe the coach need to start making important decisions when it comes to CR7 in the upcoming world cup if he wants his team to go far. Besides Ronaldo already said that winning the world cup is not his dream.

[stompix]

Despite this, Portugal is still qualifying for the World Cup with 11 points, while Italy, with 18 points, risks not making it... the rules urgently need to be changed.

Apples and Oranges
- Portugal plays in a 4-team group, Italy plays in a 5-team group
- That means an extra 6 points for Italy, so the difference isn't 7 points; it's 1
- If Italy loses against Norway, then Portugal would have qualified with 1 defeat and one draw, while Italy would have two losses
How is that not fair?

Unfair it would mean something like Bosnia losing in the play-offs and Romania going through, this despite Bosnia beating Romania in the direct matches.

[Wakate]

Hahahaha, Agreee. I have not seen such an aggressive gameplay from Portugal in a long time. Portugal secured a huge victory of 9 -1. I do not know why portugal played so aggressively  against Armenia in today's match. Portugal players were able to make a total of 34 shots, out of which 15 shots were on target. In addition , the  Portuguese players also controlled the match with 76% ball possession.

Maybe fans must have warned the team to play better this time which had resulted in beating Armenia 9-1 which is incredible but too extreme for this kind of defeat. It has been long I see this kind of aggression from Portugal and I hope they don't take their opposition team too personal to defeat them without pity. The match was extremely full of dramas and attempt to score with plenty of their goals on target.

[Stavri]

The Sweden game against Switzerland is something I would say was above average in the first half. Switzerland dominated for better part of the half after Breel Embolo's goal came in early enough and i was already saying it would be business as usual for Sweden where they won't have much registered shots at the enemy's goal but it's like they were ready to change the narrative today. Some would say its because Isak and Viktor Gyökeres aren't available while some would say it's because of the influence of the new coach.

Graham Potter will have to ginger his boys to do better in the second half because you don't win games by hiding behind the defense (which is very poor by the way) but by forcing the attack and taking advantage of counters because that's the only way you can make up for the things you lack. Second half would be tough because if anything, Sweden need this win more than anyone else.

I would say Switzerland has an average quality team, but even without having a top tier roster, they consistently qualify for tournaments. World Cup or Eurocup, it doesn’t matter... and they almost always make it. They have a very disciplined football culture, and even average players contribute remarkably well to the team.

[8rch7]

Congratulation for Portugal team qualified to World Cup 2026

The fantastic victory from Armenia over 9-1 make Portugal successful qualifying to World Cup 2026 and become the fourth of Europe continent national team after England, France and Croatia who have been qualified before. Indeed without Cristiano Ronaldo after absent due receiving red card last match not get difficult for Portugal winning over 9-1 and João Neves made hattrick for this match. In this group sad ending for Hungary national teams have leaded second position for longer time get eliminated from World Cup after losing last match from Ireland, secured three points make Ireland has second opportunity trough playoff round if want qualify to world cup.

Good by for Hungary and Liverpool's fans get little disappointed because their favorite player Dominik Szoboszlai not play at World Cup 2026.


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[DanWalker]

Congratulation for Portugal team qualified to World Cup 2026

The fantastic victory from Armenia over 9-1 make Portugal successful qualifying to World Cup 2026 and become the fourth of Europe continent national team after England, France and Croatia who have been qualified before. Indeed without Cristiano Ronaldo after absent due receiving red card last match not get difficult for Portugal winning over 9-1 and João Neves made hattrick for this match. In this group sad ending for Hungary national teams have leaded second position for longer time get eliminated from World Cup after losing last match from Ireland, secured three points make Ireland has second opportunity trough playoff round if want qualify to world cup.

A memorable night for Portugal. We have  seen Portugal's very inconsistent performance in the World cup qualifiers. Portugal did not play well in the previous two matches beither. They lost to teams like Ireland. But the team performed  incredibly well in today's match. Portugal scored 9 goals. This is something I find hard to believe. Anyway , portugal really played well. If they can perform like that in the World Cup, then something good is definitely waiting for them.

[ajanwalker]

This young player (Parrott) has scored five goals in the last two matches, and these five goals are incredibly valuable for Irish football.
He scored two goals against Portugal in the previous match, which led to a 2-0 victory over Portugal. Today, he scored three goals against Hungary, which led to a 2-3 Irish victory.
I'd say Parrott's value has increased by at least €30 million with these goals. He gave us a truly remarkable performance.
I looked at his match statistics this year. He's also having a high-scoring season with Az Alkmaar. Will he stay at Az next year? It's very difficult

[Lannakosa]

Today we have the decisive match in Group D between Ukraine and Iceland. Technically, it's a home match for Ukraine, but they'll be playing in Warsaw, which should still be easier than the away game in Iceland. A draw would be enough for Iceland in this match, and I think that's what they'll be focusing on. However, their defense isn't the best, so I think Ukraine can score today, and I really hope Ukraine can win today. A win would only mean second place and a playoff spot.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Hey guys, what a match Portugal played! What a way to qualify for the World Cup! 9-1, that's something for the history books, but I especially loved Neves' free-kick goal, wow, what a goal! Another thing I loved is that Ireland went to the playoffs, good for them for coming back against Hungary.

[fuguebtc]

The match is going to be held in a while. Undoubtedly, this is a one-sided match. We can assume that France will win the match. Azerbaijan is not a strong squad. They have only 1 point in 5 matches. On the other hand, France has already qualified for the World Cup by earning 13 points in 5 matches.

This match is not that important for France. Because even if they lose this match, the top spot of the table will be occupied by France. France is 6 points ahead of Iceland.

Mbappe and Camavinga will not be with the squad due to injuries. Ekitike will be in the center of the attack. Besides, players like Nkunku and Konate are in the squad. Manager Deschamps did not keep important players like Barcola, Cherki, Kante and Saliba in the starting XI.

[Adbitco]

Man of the moment, Troy Parrott. He was the reason Portugal had to sit out and extra game before the earned qualification. He scored the 2 goals that saw off Portugal few days ago and today again, the AZ Alkmaar forward has banged a hat trick to seal the comeback win for his team. That's 5 goals in two matches, before these 2 matches, I think Ireland were in 3rd position behind Portugal and Hungary but today they are second to Portugal and have qualified for the playoffs rounds.

[aylabadia05]

Congratulation for Portugal team qualified to World Cup 2026

The fantastic victory from Armenia over 9-1 make Portugal successful qualifying to World Cup 2026 and become the fourth of Europe continent national team after England, France and Croatia who have been qualified before. Indeed without Cristiano Ronaldo after absent due receiving red card last match not get difficult for Portugal winning over 9-1 and João Neves made hattrick for this match. In this group sad ending for Hungary national teams have leaded second position for longer time get eliminated from World Cup after losing last match from Ireland, secured three points make Ireland has second opportunity trough playoff round if want qualify to world cup.

Good by for Hungary and Liverpool's fans get little disappointed because their favorite player Dominik Szoboszlai not play at World Cup 2026.

Congratulations to Portugal. Portugal has never missed a major tournament since the birth of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Nine goals in over 90 minutes secured Portugal a place. However, this major victory was without Ronaldo.
A draw against Hungary and a loss to Ireland saw Portugal close out Group F with a 9-1 victory.

Hungary lost its hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. They had maintained their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup after leading 2-1, but those hopes were dashed by Troy Parrott.
The AZ Alkmaar player shattered the Hungarian public's hopes with a hat trick.
Troy Parrott also injured Portugal, leading to a two-goal defeat, both of which he scored.

[xzone]

We got a win by 2-0 against Bulgaria yesterday. As Spain beat Georgia as well this means we have secured the 2nd place in Group E officially.

However from the look of the group of course there is no way we are getting past Spain. Unless we beat them by 7-0 in our final match which is impossible!  

At least it's guaranteed we are one of the seeded teams. Now it's time to hope for being in Pot 1. It's highly likely for now as long as there aren't too surprising results in the last round.

If Türkiye had used the right tactics and strategies in the first match against Spain and not conceded so many goals, perhaps we would be chasing a different dream now. Everyone knows it's impossible to score seven goals against Spain; Türkiye has no chance
If they had lost the first match by conceding at least two or three goals, we would be watching the next match with a different excitement. Still, we also put in a good performance, winning against Bulgaria

[Just Say]

Portugal are completely dominating because we can see that this team is showing different levels of their strength in this qualifier match without Ronaldo against Armenia, this game has already been going on for 15 minutes but Veiga scored a goal in just 7 minutes, giving the mentally demoralized Portugal team an early lead,It is certain that this team's lineup is weakened without Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese team left the field with a completely disappointing result against the Irish team, in which we saw one of the most iconic players receive a red card,But in today's match, one of PSG's most reliable players, Goncalo Ramos, has entered the field as his replacement. Despite being the visiting team, Armenia is showing great courage in this qualifier as they are counter-attacking a lot and it is hoped that they will be able to score goals very soon.

Armenia drew! It was no walk in the park for Portugal. Spertsyan scored the equaliser in the 18th minute.
Despite this, Portugal is still qualifying for the World Cup with 11 points, while Italy, with 18 points, risks not making it... the rules urgently need to be changed.

Armenia managed to equalize in the 18th minute of this World Cup qualifier, but from then on, Portugal did not stop, meaning their players did not stop, have you ever wondered if a team could score nine goals in the qualifiers?Portugal made the impossible possible because they played the game carefree and uninhibited. Surely Portugal has the potential to be the best without Ronaldo, we will likely see the same promising form from this team in the main round of the upcoming World Cup, as they did today against Armenia.

Ronaldo's replacement in this match was Paris Saint-Germain's reliable player Goncalo Ramos, who has the talent to score goals, which he proved to us once again in this glorious match. It's amazing to think that two players from the same team have scored hat-tricks in a single match indeed Neves and Man United player Fernandes have scored three goals each for their team.

[Joca97]

Hey guys, what a match Portugal played! What a way to qualify for the World Cup! 9-1, that's something for the history books, but I especially loved Neves' free-kick goal, wow, what a goal! Another thing I loved is that Ireland went to the playoffs, good for them for coming back against Hungary.

Portugal just smashed Armenia really easily and the funny thing in 25th minute it was 1-1 and Portugal just went on a rampage after that. Hungary lost in the last second of the game and it was really unlucky for them. Hungary just needed a draw to qualify for the playoff but just couldnt hold out

[dezoel]

Hey guys, what a match Portugal played! What a way to qualify for the World Cup! 9-1, that's something for the history books, but I especially loved Neves' free-kick goal, wow, what a goal! Another thing I loved is that Ireland went to the playoffs, good for them for coming back against Hungary.

This is good announcement from Portugal as they score 9 goals without Cristiano Ronaldo with two hat-tricks from Neves and Fernandes done good damage to Armenian defense with this thumbing win it looks like fans are going to be had many surprises in coming FIFA World Cup where few teams are going to have their mark.

In another match, Ireland come from behind and stun Hungary for having their spot into next round of qualifications Parrott score hat-trick and score in injury time which give his team win in this crucial game and chance to keep their hopes alive for World Cup spot. Now four games are already started as England which is first team to qualify for world cup going to face Albania and Serbia hosting Latvia while France in Baku for their last game

[MinoRaiola]

- If Italy loses against Norway, then Portugal would have qualified with 1 defeat and one draw, while Italy would have two losses
How is that not fair?

Unfair it would mean something like Bosnia losing in the play-offs and Romania going through, this despite Bosnia beating Romania in the direct matches.

I think there is a high chance, that Italy losing today. They didnt participate the last two WorldCups, so this would be the 3th. Norway is currently better than Italy and they won the first game 3-0, so very strong. Italy has a chance of finishing on place one in the table, but they must win 9-0, which not will happen. I watch a little of the game today, and i think Haaland score one goal today. The Italians have a very good defense, but their offense is not strong enough.

[Die_empty]

This young player (Parrott) has scored five goals in the last two matches, and these five goals are incredibly valuable for Irish football.
He scored two goals against Portugal in the previous match, which led to a 2-0 victory over Portugal. Today, he scored three goals against Hungary, which led to a 2-3 Irish victory.
I'd say Parrott's value has increased by at least €30 million with these goals. He gave us a truly remarkable performance.
I looked at his match statistics this year. He's also having a high-scoring season with Az Alkmaar. Will he stay at Az next year? It's very difficult

Troy Parrott is the Republic of Ireland's hero in this World Cup qualifiers. His hat trick today gave his country a slot in the playoffs.  Hungary was in a better position to take the second position because it needed only a draw. And the Hungarians were ahead in the game until Parrott equalised, and an extra-time goal gave them the result they wanted. Five goals in two games is an extraordinary feat for the 23-year-old AZ Alkmaar player. It wouldn't be long until a top club in Europe will show interest in signing him.

[Wakate]

In the past matches, we have seen that winning  matches was a big challenge for Portugal. Portuga l lost their last match against Ireland. They also  failed to win against  hungary. Portugal has been in a very bad shape in the past few matches. I was  surprised by this team's sudden great performance. Portugal  scored 9 goals. I don't remember the last time I saw so many goals in a match. Even though  the match was one-sided, we enjoyed the match a lot.

Since Portugal has lost few matches in the past especially the one with Ireland that made me to lost my bet because I added them to my stake making me unfortunate to have lost due to Portugal playing pattern. Defeating Armenia means nothing to me because we don't know what the future has for Portugal even with thwir aggressiveness playing with Armenia.