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

[slapper]

[img height=300]~

This man was one of the players I loved but after seeing all these statements I say to myself that i don't blame him after all, as a coach of one of the big countries in the world of football that could not give the team a qualification spot is suppose to affect him badly and he's just being frustrated. Knowing fully well that he can not get the first spot and losing it to Norway can make someone like Gattuso start complaining and saying things that doesn't make sense. He is not getting things right and the only way to kill this anger that is eating him up is by attracting unnecessary attention to let him feel important, he just wants to offend people. All these won't have come out from him if Italy had qualified for the world cup but a play off is a big passage to get that qualification he needed so he knows he can't do it that's why we are seeing all these nonsense coming from him, jealousy should be included to what's happening to him and I wish they sack him because he is doing a very bad job as the head coach of Italy, keeping him will only cause more disaster and with how things are going he won't be coaching Italy in the world cup, they should have checked his records if he has succeeded with any club he managed before making him the coach of Italy.

You're right he's frustrated but he's earned every bit of it. Five months to get ready to Norway at home, and the great strategic gimmick was to have Mancini physically bully Haaland as though it were the 90s. It backfired spectacularly. Norway was not merely winning, but they embarrassed Italy in their own house. The San Siro was silent as their team fell in twenty minutes

The deflection is what bothers me. Finger pointing at African world cup slots? Bashing fans who booed a dead act with Moldova? That is a manager who realizes that he is not up to the task and is blowing out at everybody but himself

The wasted talent is the true tragedy. Italy U21s are destroying it, but the senior team is psychologically in a shambles. In March they have a home semi final. However, when the final is in Sweden or North Macedonia (who have already beaten them prior), I would not put money on them

It is a dysfunctional system and Gattuso is not the man to turn it around

[Polkeins]

Frankly, I can't understand how Germany, a team capable of scoring six goals against Slovakia, lost the first match without scoring any goals. There was no rotation in that match either. Woltemade, Wirtz, Gnabry and Goretzka played. They all played in this match too, so the lineup was almost exactly the same. I interpret the loss in the first match as a betting fix, there's no other alternative. Germany has the strength to beat any team when they want to and they proved it today. They secured their World Cup ticket.

Despite various problems, one thing you definitely can't accuse the German team of is match fixing. Most likely, they just couldn't get themselves in the right frame of mind for their first game against Slovakia, who were playing at home and were highly motivated.
Yesterday's match was like a training session where the main team trains the reserves and the Slovaks had no chance at all. I don't remember any dangerous moments in front of the German side. Although Slovakia should also be motivated, because a victory over Germany would have taken Slovakia directly to the World Cup.
It seemed like this was the main match of the day yesterday, but in fact, Montenegro vs. Croatia and Malta vs. Poland turned out to be much more competitive.

[Alonso_]

I find this kind of statement very insulting and demeaning to an entire race. What's more annoying is that the continent his refering to has more countries in it than the continent he still wants more slots for. His sentimental, greedy and full of himself. A coach that even if you want to mention the best 200 coaches in the world, his name won't even be in the next 500, I wonder how the Italians ended up with someone like Gattuso as their coach. Imagine a team like Norway whopping Italy 4 - 1 even after they scored first, this to tell you the level of how he has reduced the team.
Another one from same man again, Gattuso needs to be checked mentally.

Well I think FIFA need to really do something about this statement, because I don’t see how possibly Gatuso would say something this hilarious about a continent it’s totally unreasonable and it sounds racist, I have been watching football for a very long time, and I understand previously Africa usually do have 6 slots in the World Cup and Europe you have 13 which is a high number and margin, and Africa have more countries and Sounth America who have fewer countries even have same slot as Africa, which was actually unfair, let’s now decide to see Europe as a footballing Nation, most of the countries in Europe aren’t footballing Nations, Belarus, Cyprus, Lithuania, San Marino, Gilbratar, Finland, Malta, Macedonia, numerous to mention so I don’t even understand why Europe should have so many slot right now 16, I think it’s even much compared to other continents.

[Solokan]

The Malta vs Poland match was won by Poland with a score of 2-3. Of course, in that match, the two teams competed fiercely, and I saw that Malta's defense was really strong even though they were attacked a lot by Poland. However, due to the excessive number of attacks from Poland, Malta's goal was finally breached, and in the end, Poland scored more goals than Malta, resulting in Poland winning with a score of 2 -3.

Source: https://gunungkidul.pikiran-rakyat.com/peristiwa/amp/pr-2539799426/total-cetak-4-gol-3-assist-lewandowski-kembali-jadi-bintang-lapangan-dalam-pertandingan-malta-vs-polandia
Lewandowski played well in that match because he scored a goal, and Pawel and Zielinski also played well because they also scored goals against Malta. Now, of course, Malta must admit that Poland is stronger than them, and Malta will not qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Surely, many Maltese citizens are sad because their country did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup. However, Poland still has a chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup through the playoffs. Do you think Poland will qualify for the 2026 World Cup or not?

[Sexylizzy2813]

[img height=300]~

This man was one of the players I loved but after seeing all these statements I say to myself that i don't blame him after all, as a coach of one of the big countries in the world of football that could not give the team a qualification spot is suppose to affect him badly and he's just being frustrated. Knowing fully well that he can not get the first spot and losing it to Norway can make someone like Gattuso start complaining and saying things that doesn't make sense. He is not getting things right and the only way to kill this anger that is eating him up is by attracting unnecessary attention to let him feel important, he just wants to offend people. All these won't have come out from him if Italy had qualified for the world cup but a play off is a big passage to get that qualification he needed so he knows he can't do it that's why we are seeing all these nonsense coming from him, jealousy should be included to what's happening to him and I wish they sack him because he is doing a very bad job as the head coach of Italy, keeping him will only cause more disaster and with how things are going he won't be coaching Italy in the world cup, they should have checked his records if he has succeeded with any club he managed before making him the coach of Italy.

You're right he's frustrated but he's earned every bit of it. Five months to get ready to Norway at home, and the great strategic gimmick was to have Mancini physically bully Haaland as though it were the 90s. It backfired spectacularly. Norway was not merely winning, but they embarrassed Italy in their own house. The San Siro was silent as their team fell in twenty minutes

The deflection is what bothers me. Finger pointing at African world cup slots? Bashing fans who booed a dead act with Moldova? That is a manager who realizes that he is not up to the task and is blowing out at everybody but himself

The wasted talent is the true tragedy. Italy U21s are destroying it, but the senior team is psychologically in a shambles. In March they have a home semi final. However, when the final is in Sweden or North Macedonia (who have already beaten them prior), I would not put money on them

It is a dysfunctional system and Gattuso is not the man to turn it around

After leading in the early minutes of the first half I was expecting the Italians to keep moving forward to get more goals since they said they need up to 9+ goals to get an automatic qualification for the world cup but they could not even hold on to the ball and it got me asking, who's Norway when Italy was on fire as of then? This is to show that the fear factors is no longer there in the national team of Italy and if you check both squad you see that the Norway players are more hungry to get something in that game in as much as they have secured their place in the world cup but the other side they are hoping on hope to get the job done and that's where Gattuso showed us that he doesn't have any plan other than complain and look for who to drag, what a waste.
Don't say you wouldn't put your money on them because you can still change your mind, Italy can still fight back that's if is not Gattuso that is managing the team but if he's the one I don't see them bring anything new.

[vivekdhyani1]

Gianni Infantino and USA president Donald Trump have announced the 'FIFA pass,' a new system that will expedite the visa process for fans who attend the 2026 World Cup.

• People who plan the World Cup matches in the USA will be prioritized for tourist visas

• The process and verification is still exactly the same, but have a shorter wait time

• Having a ticket for a match does NOT guarantee entry to the USA, but will prioritize a faster appointment

• Despite this, Trump and Infantino recommend everyone with plans to visit the USA for the World Cup to start the process as soon as possible, not at the last moment

Source : https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/soccer/president-trump-unveils-fifa-pass-world-cup-rcna244499

[Majestic-milf]

There’s no team Spain can’t steamroll. They’re like a machine, scoring in every possible way. They pull away without even tiring themselves or stressing at all. They finish the match in the first half and then just take it easy in the second. 

Lolz, sadly true. It's just like they are the only big team that has not reduced their standards. We've seen the likes of Italy, Germany and even England struggle to get goals and be precise but that's not the case with Spain. They meet Turkey tonight and normally, I'd give a straight win to them but somehow, I'm having this feeling that they'd struggle to beat Turkey. Not like Spain's opponents can match them on a normal day but it would seem like they would just want to present a stubborn front but it won't deter Spain since they would definitely collect all three points.

[*Ace*]

Gianni Infantino and USA president Donald Trump have announced the 'FIFA pass,' a new system that will expedite the visa process for fans who attend the 2026 World Cup.

• People who plan the World Cup matches in the USA will be prioritized for tourist visas

• The process and verification is still exactly the same, but have a shorter wait time

• Having a ticket for a match does NOT guarantee entry to the USA, but will prioritize a faster appointment

• Despite this, Trump and Infantino recommend everyone with plans to visit the USA for the World Cup to start the process as soon as possible, not at the last moment

Source : https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/soccer/president-trump-unveils-fifa-pass-world-cup-rcna244499

It's all a big ploy to rake in as much money as possible, nothing more.
I'm sorry to say it, but if you think about it, that's the crux of this decision!
Who knows how much it will cost to go to the stadium for a World Cup match.
I just hope it will be an event to remember for many years to come. I think that after Germany 2006, subsequent editions have declined considerably in terms of the overall beauty of the event.

[execijutiere]

Germany comfortably defeated Slovakia. Scoring a total of 6 goals against their opponents, Germany secured first place in the group with this victory. Slovakia had beaten them 2-0 in their first match, but this time Germany showed no mercy and scored 6 goals. Slovakia finished second.
Northern Ireland managed to defeat Luxembourg 1-0 and finished the group with 9 points. Luxembourg finished the group without earning a single point.

[satscraper]

[

Another shameful result came from Nigeria. They failed in the Afcon last season, yet they're now officially out from WC 2026. They lost to the Conge through pen. They had Osimhen and Lookman on their side, but that's not enough to help them to get into the WC 2026.

Yeah, Nigeria being out of  World Cup knocked me into the middle of next week. I like how Osimhen plays for Galatasaray ^{in fact, he is one of my favorite players}, but this time he didn’t help. I don’t know what the matter is; either his recent injury prevented him from playing to the best of his ability, or it’s his general lassitude, or something else. But the fact speaks for itself, i.e. we will not see Nigerian team facing the leading teams at the 2026 World Cup.

[AprilioMP]

I wouldn't call Mbappé a failure. Kylian already has a World Cup winner's medal in his collection — he won that title with the French national team back in 2018 in Russia. Sure, it's disappointing to carry your team to a World Cup final and then lose on penalties. If France had won that match, Mbappé would have been a two-time world champion. It was unfortunate for the French side, but I still wouldn't consider Mbappé a failure because of that.

I missed the post you quoted... I mean, seriously, how can someone call Mbappé a failure? He played in 2 different World Cups and he reached the final in both occasion, winning the tournament when he was only 19 years old and then, four years later, he didn't win but he scored an hat-trick in the final. Without considering all the other trophies and personal achievements during his career. I'm sorry but it's ridiculous to call Mbappé that way.

If in the 2022 final, France is able to win the match vs Argentina, then Kylan Mbappe will be the player who has won two World Cup finals and buried the dream of Lionel Messi, who really wants to lift the World Cup trophy in the history of his football career.
Those who say Mbappe is a loser probably don't mean to say it because it could be a mistake made unintentionally.
Kylan Mbappe may still have a chance to win the 2026 world cup if you look at the current strength of the French squad.

[martinom]

His performance in the 2018 world cup is a devastating one and anyone who witnessed that tournament will forever put some respect on Mbappe's name. He is still the only player with a world cup final hatrick. Such records of history only happened the first time in 1966 when Geoff Hurst of England Netted a hatrick against Germany in the world cup final. Here we are, lucky to witness same in our generation from Mbappe. France is back to the top of their group already and we hope to witness this team again next year.

I understand what you mean about seeing certain teams qualify, that's already a victory.
Unfortunately, there's no way I'll continue. i have to say that this year i was very surprised by Norway, who are really strong with Haaland dominating.

[emrecemsan]

I find this kind of statement very insulting and demeaning to an entire race. What's more annoying is that the continent his refering to has more countries in it than the continent he still wants more slots for. His sentimental, greedy and full of himself. A coach that even if you want to mention the best 200 coaches in the world, his name won't even be in the next 500, I wonder how the Italians ended up with someone like Gattuso as their coach. Imagine a team like Norway whopping Italy 4 - 1 even after they scored first, this to tell you the level of how he has reduced the team.
Another one from same man again, Gattuso needs to be checked mentally.

I also don't think the same as Gattuso. Why would he make such statement all of a sudden I wonder?    He must be really frustrated with their results and maybe he doesn't know what he is saying.

First he should look at the way they play. They have 0 competitiveness against serious teams. Norway destroyed them in both matches easily.

Even if they qualify for the World Cup after playoffs they can't do much in the main tournament in this way.

[Sim_card]

I find this kind of statement very insulting and demeaning to an entire race. What's more annoying is that the continent his refering to has more countries in it than the continent he still wants more slots for. His sentimental, greedy and full of himself. A coach that even if you want to mention the best 200 coaches in the world, his name won't even be in the next 500, I wonder how the Italians ended up with someone like Gattuso as their coach. Imagine a team like Norway whopping Italy 4 - 1 even after they scored first, this to tell you the level of how he has reduced the team.
Another one from same man again, Gattuso needs to be checked mentally.

Well I think FIFA need to really do something about this statement, because I don’t see how possibly Gatuso would say something this hilarious about a continent it’s totally unreasonable and it sounds racist, I have been watching football for a very long time, and I understand previously Africa usually do have 6 slots in the World Cup and Europe you have 13 which is a high number and margin, and Africa have more countries and Sounth America who have fewer countries even have same slot as Africa, which was actually unfair, let’s now decide to see Europe as a footballing Nation, most of the countries in Europe aren’t footballing Nations, Belarus, Cyprus, Lithuania, San Marino, Gilbratar, Finland, Malta, Macedonia, numerous to mention so I don’t even understand why Europe should have so many slot right now 16, I think it’s even much compared to other continents.

You know how radical Gatuso was when he was a player. I am not surprised that he cannot change even at old age. Who is he blaming for Italy shameful loss towards a country like Norway. A racist will always speak like one. Nobody should take his words serious.

[mandown]

Germany played very well, but Slovakia was equally poor. Slovakia couldn't make a difference. Germany scored four goals in the first half. If Germany hadn't weakened their attack in the second half, they could have scored more. Substitutes scored in the second half. Baku came on in the 64th minute and scored in the 67th. Ouedraogo came on in the 77th minute and scored two minutes later. Germany won 6-0. It was a demoralizing result for Slovakia.

[Sithara007]

Well I think FIFA need to really do something about this statement, because I don’t see how possibly Gatuso would say something this hilarious about a continent it’s totally unreasonable and it sounds racist, I have been watching football for a very long time, and I understand previously Africa usually do have 6 slots in the World Cup and Europe you have 13 which is a high number and margin, and Africa have more countries and Sounth America who have fewer countries even have same slot as Africa, which was actually unfair, let’s now decide to see Europe as a footballing Nation, most of the countries in Europe aren’t footballing Nations, Belarus, Cyprus, Lithuania, San Marino, Gilbratar, Finland, Malta, Macedonia, numerous to mention so I don’t even understand why Europe should have so many slot right now 16, I think it’s even much compared to other continents.

If Italy is performing well, and Gennaro Gattuso is saying this, then people would listen to him. Now I would say that he is just venting out his frustration, since Italy is struggling to qualify for the World Cup. Given the standings in UEFA Round 1 Qualifiers, Italy is not among the teams that directly qualified. If they can't even find a place among the top-12 teams in Europe, how they can even claim that they deserve to qualify for the world cup? And remember that they got thrashed by Norway (a team that failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup back in 2022). Perform first, and then talk.

[martinom]

I actually placed bet on the pre-market -4 handicap for Germany. I was expecting something like Germany 10-0 for this match, so the result kinda disappointing for me.

We all have bad times, even long ones. Look at Italy, who knows what they were trying to do, and they lost 4-1 to Norway.
Even Haaland was amused and not worried about the match. i have to say that Norway surprised me, very strong and coming out of the group stage undefeated. Incredible.

[MK-74]

Last night’s Germany vs. Slovakia match ended 6–0.
Germany played exceptionally well and, with this win, will qualify directly for the World Cup.
Leroy Sané scored 2 goals and provided 1 assist, and in my opinion, he was the star of the match.
We saw that Julian Nagelsmann made a very good decision by calling Sané back to the national team. He wasn’t considering him before.

[Scarlett_23]

Germany played very well, but Slovakia was equally poor. Slovakia couldn't make a difference. Germany scored four goals in the first half. If Germany hadn't weakened their attack in the second half, they could have scored more. Substitutes scored in the second half. Baku came on in the 64th minute and scored in the 67th. Ouedraogo came on in the 77th minute and scored two minutes later. Germany won 6-0. It was a demoralizing result for Slovakia.

Germany has flooded Slovakia with goals and is ready to play in the World Cup. Although they started the qualifying round with a loss, they had a great end.

Slovakia had to concede four goals before the break and two goals after the break. Germany faced various discussions and criticisms before the match.

Finally, they answered everything well with this game.

[BigBos]

Bruno Fernandes scored a hat trick as Portugal defeated Armenia in their final group match, securing their place in next year's World Cup. After their defeat in their previous match, they bounced back in this match.

The absence of Cristiano Ronaldo didn't affect their victory, as evidenced by their emphatic victory. They played exceptionally well in this match, perhaps due to their opponents being the bottom team in the group.

Portugal won the match in a truly remarkable way. And yes, Cristiano Ronaldo's absence did not really affect the Portuguese national team, because this team already has many outstanding star players. So, yes, defeating Armenia was predictable from the start. It was just unexpected to see this team score so many goals. Bruno Fernandes made a great achievement in that match. I hope he and his teammates can maintain that consistency. Because at the World Cup, the atmosphere will be different, and there won't be any easy opponents at all. Even the underdog teams won't be able to be underestimated once they're at the World Cup. Because everyone has earned their ticket to the World Cup through hard work and a tough fight.

Now, regarding this, there's a narrative that some people consider Cristiano Ronaldo a problem for Portugal. I don't understand why people speculate like that. His contribution to the game is still quite good, although perhaps different from when he was younger.

And actually, before Ronaldo, Portugal had never won anything; the title came after he arrived. Although, I don't deny that it was the hard work of the entire team. Perhaps if it happened to another player, it would be frustrating to hear such a narrative, but fortunately, it happened to Ronaldo, whose mentality we know.