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

[Frankolala]

I agree with what you said Neymar with his presence is not important in the national team but what the team needs is him. Brazil has always been known as a team that produces many young players and gives the best game every time the world cup takes place, as for Neymar's response he will not be able to lead the match after experiencing many injuries and believe Neymar with his presence in the Brazilian national team other young players will easily collaborate to create goals against the opponent. Neymar's recovery period is over to young players should also be given more time everything will be under control.

I think Neymar can no longer make a difference. Clearly, Ancelotti has seen this and I don't think he will change his opinion.
Now we'll see what decision he'll make for the near future but I don't think he's interested in calling up Ney for the national team.

Brazil has a lot of talented players that can do the job better than Neymar. Neymar didn't play football for long in form. After he left for SPL, he was ravaged by injury and was unable to play on the pitch for long. This was why he had to leave SPL for Brazil league in Santos FC because he can't meet up with the expectations from him. He hasn't shown any good improvement yet.

[giorgione]

This is the best news I have been waiting for. Remember that there have been speculation on whether Christiano Ronaldo will play in their opening game until now. FIFA just cleared him saying he is serving only one match ban from his previous red card which he picked against Ireland. The report revealed that his suspension for the game against Armenia is his penalty and no further match ban will be carried over to the world cup. This is a big news for football fans and Ronaldo's fans around the world.

This world cup is going to witness histories broken and New ones set. Talents have lived and I don't think any other generation will be lucky to witness two lions like Christiano Ronaldo and Messi that will hold the world stand still for over 20 years. This is greatness and we can't wait to hop into America next year.

I don't know why they're picking on Ronaldo, let's say it could be his last cup and they're playing pranks to frame him, he doesn't seem very smart to me, but you know their beloved pupil of all time was Messi and always will be, now let's see what everyone will do

[martinom]

I believe you are underestimating how different this will be compared to Qatar. In Qatar, when one country did not bring 20-30k fans, then it was largely a matter of money, distance, or interest. They could go; the vast majority of them simply preferred not to. Here, for Iran and Haiti, it's the opposite: a chunk of people would literally sell everything to follow this team... and aren't allowed in the country at all

Federations can fool around with fake titles, all right. However that does not resolve the underlying emotional disconnect:
- Haitian fans on the island finally see their team back at a World Cup after 50 years and still have to watch from home while Little Haiti in Miami throws the party
- Iranian players strike in front of mostly diaspora who have been protesting the regime over the years. In Qatar the regime brought in 300 or more loyalists to drown that out. In the US, those guys are exactly who the system is built to filter out

Even if they bring a bus full of ?staff?, the feeling stays the same: for people in Iran and Haiti, this World Cup is on TV only, not in real life at the stadium. The noise of the stadium will be there, yet so many of the people it belongs to are on the wrong side of a border

I also think real fans would sell literally anything to follow their team to such a big event.
Certainly as a percentage of the population they will be in the minority, but it is right that there should be participation.
It will certainly be a world championship on TV for Haitians and Iranians, I believe that even to a minimal extent some will participate, similar occasions for them are more unique than rare, this situation is very sad, but it has the flavor of redemption.

[aipercoin]

Haiti is a poor country for sure. But that doesn't mean that each and every Haitian is poor. Do you really think that people like Wyclef Jean will not be able to afford traveling to the United States? Like other third world countries, Haiti is incredibly corrupt and this in turn has made many millionaires there. BTW, first we should congratulate Haiti for qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026. This is the second time that they are playing in the competition, and they overcame tough challenges from Honduras and Nicaragua during the CONCACAF third round qualifiers.

That it's a country with a high poverty rate is for sure, but that doesn't mean they all live in shacks.
Let us also remember that the great players, the champions came from poor families, an example for all Pelè, as Maradona could be, like all the Brazilians who played in the favelas as children, even Cristiano Ronaldo experienced financial difficulties as a child.
Underestimating them is a big mistake, they managed to qualify and this is a beautiful achievement for them.

[tbterryboy]

Argentina won the last World Cup and FIFA contributed to Argentina becoming the champion, but many people said at the time, but there is no truth to it. Argentina played well and they were able to win the World Cup, but there were some controversial penalty decisions that were actually criticized. Ronaldo is the best player of this generation, there is no doubt about it and not only Donald Trump, there are many other big leaders and big celebrities who are fans of Ronaldo's football, so they can meet Ronaldo personally or give him some gifts. This does not mean that Trump will directly contribute to Cristiano Ronaldo winning the 2026 World Cup. We should put all these thoughts aside and enjoy the World Cup and support good players and good teams.

They won the last World Cup, you deservedly forgot to mention. Let's not give the impression they stole anything because that's not true. Right now, they remain the strongest team in my opinion and the favorite to win again.
The others are all on the rebound.

I agree that Argentina is still one of the strongest team they have few enough good players no other team is currently ready like them for coming FIFA World Cup without any doubt they are having enough team depth to win again this title.

Few European teams are also ready but mostly are depended on one player just because of this surely not going to help them for having better chance of win because they are having not strong depth like Argentina but in last few years things are taking changes and many teams are giving surprising performance. Competition is increasing, and many countries are doing good improvement with the 48 teams this is going to be had another level of soccer entertainment for fans in 2026.

[verdinio]

And that is exactly the reason I wrote that I don't think everybody is poor but when you talk about a country where the 77.5% of people live on less than $2.00 a day I wouldn't create an international case out of the blue. Watching World Cup games is the last of the problems. And reading your comment I understand that the people who could afford the trip are the most corrupted ones, should I feel sorry for them?

In fact, every time we talk about countries like this, the disparity is so strong that there are millionaires, very few, and many who die doing it, who knows why, perhaps it is due to the corruption that is rampant, to organised crime, surely everything is in the hands of a few.

[changaa]

People always talk shit about every single champion, in some cases they are real when they are super clearly, but most of the times are just conspiracy theories. Argentina arrives to the world cup with one of the most longest ever unbeaten run, they lsot it at the first game but after it they smash every opponent, in some games they show some doubts but was made by themselves, in example to Netherlands they were 2 goals above and they let go that diference, against Croatia was a no game they destroy it, and in the final Argentina was far better than France for 80 minute.

Easy to speak badly from behind a television or perhaps from the stands of a stadium, at that moment when you play the Champions are the ones who have to play, concentrate and also carry on personal challenges.
Argentina is a team that has always carried on the name and characteristics of a great team, badmouthing will definitely not change the way you play.
You're right 80 minutes of dominance in that final, they didn't have to concede any goals for that very reason anyway.

[Loyang]

This is the best news I have been waiting for. Remember that there have been speculation on whether Christiano Ronaldo will play in their opening game until now. FIFA just cleared him saying he is serving only one match ban from his previous red card which he picked against Ireland. The report revealed that his suspension for the game against Armenia is his penalty and no further match ban will be carried over to the world cup. This is a big news for football fans and Ronaldo's fans around the world.

This world cup is going to witness histories broken and New ones set. Talents have lived and I don't think any other generation will be lucky to witness two lions like Christiano Ronaldo and Messi that will hold the world stand still for over 20 years. This is greatness and we can't wait to hop into America next year.

I don't know why they're picking on Ronaldo, let's say it could be his last cup and they're playing pranks to frame him, he doesn't seem very smart to me, but you know their beloved pupil of all time was Messi and always will be, now let's see what everyone will do

I believe Cristiano Ronaldo is a very good and very skilled player. But we all have to remember one thing, it is not possible to win by relying on just one player. Almost every player in a team has to play well for a team to win. If a team relies on just one person, it will never be able to win. There are still many matches, they have to play well in all the matches. We must not forget that there are still many good teams.

[Unsoldier]

This is the best news I have been waiting for. Remember that there have been speculation on whether Christiano Ronaldo will play in their opening game until now. FIFA just cleared him saying he is serving only one match ban from his previous red card which he picked against Ireland. The report revealed that his suspension for the game against Armenia is his penalty and no further match ban will be carried over to the world cup. This is a big news for football fans and Ronaldo's fans around the world.

This world cup is going to witness histories broken and New ones set. Talents have lived and I don't think any other generation will be lucky to witness two lions like Christiano Ronaldo and Messi that will hold the world stand still for over 20 years. This is greatness and we can't wait to hop into America next year.

I don't know why they're picking on Ronaldo, let's say it could be his last cup and they're playing pranks to frame him, he doesn't seem very smart to me, but you know their beloved pupil of all time was Messi and always will be, now let's see what everyone will do

I believe Cristiano Ronaldo is a very good and very skilled player. But we all have to remember one thing, it is not possible to win by relying on just one player. Almost every player in a team has to play well for a team to win. If a team relies on just one person, it will never be able to win. There are still many matches, they have to play well in all the matches. We must not forget that there are still many good teams.

You’re absolutely right — no team can win a major tournament by relying on just one player, even someone as iconic as Cristiano Ronaldo. But the good news for Portugal is that they don’t have to.

Right now the national team has a very strong core of players who can carry matches on their own.
Among the best are:
• Bernardo Silva — one of the smartest midfielders in the world
• Bruno Fernandes — a creative leader with top-class playmaking
• Ruben Dias — a rock in defense and a true organizer at the back

With this level of quality across the pitch, Portugal have a very realistic chance of becoming world champions.

[Ale88]

This is the best news I have been waiting for. Remember that there have been speculation on whether Christiano Ronaldo will play in their opening game until now. FIFA just cleared him saying he is serving only one match ban from his previous red card which he picked against Ireland. The report revealed that his suspension for the game against Armenia is his penalty and no further match ban will be carried over to the world cup. This is a big news for football fans and Ronaldo's fans around the world.

This world cup is going to witness histories broken and New ones set. Talents have lived and I don't think any other generation will be lucky to witness two lions like Christiano Ronaldo and Messi that will hold the world stand still for over 20 years. This is greatness and we can't wait to hop into America next year.

This is just a ridiculous decision and it's proof, once again, of FIFA's corruption. Ronaldo received a three-match ban for violent conduct because he hit, on purpose, an opponent with an elbow, and the rule is extremely clear: the three-match ban is automatic, there no discussion about it. But then, since he would miss the first two WC matches, they came up with the idea of a "one-year probation period" so they could suspend the ban. Clearly the rules are not the same for everyone, if you are Ronaldo they don't apply. And I have nothing against Ronaldo, he is an incredible person and football player, but is just a political decision which is unfair to every other football player.

[Lida93]

I think Neymar can no longer make a difference. Clearly, Ancelotti has seen this and I don't think he will change his opinion.
Now we'll see what decision he'll make for the near future but I don't think he's interested in calling up Ney for the national team.

Brazil has a lot of talented players that can do the job better than Neymar. Neymar didn't play football for long in form. After he left for SPL, he was ravaged by injury and was unable to play on the pitch for long. This was why he had to leave SPL for Brazil league in Santos FC because he can't meet up with the expectations from him. He hasn't shown any good improvement yet.

In as much as I have lots of respect for Neymar as a player, I don't think including him in the Brazilian squad is a brilliant idea because the player has gone past his prime and has experienced so much career threatening injuries that have affected his performance level and may not be able to give much and at such shouldn't be considered as a option when selecting players for the Brazilian squad for the upcoming World Cup, more, it is also important to understand that Neymar has a lot of character deficiencies that wouldn't be a good example for the young players and should be kept out of the team.

[Agbe]

Brazil is one country that has football heritage, that is why they are favorite when ever they are going into any tournament. But of recent That is gradually changing that is because, the Brazilian national team has not been building their team around young players. Anyone thinking about including Neymar into the Brazil squad for the world cup next year doesn't want the progress of the Brazilian national team Ancelotti should not fall into the temptation of bringing back Neymar into his squad. There are plenty of young players who read to play for this Brazilian team.

[ShowOff]

Brazil is one country that has football heritage, that is why they are favorite when ever they are going into any tournament. But of recent That is gradually changing that is because, the Brazilian national team has not been building their team around young players. Anyone thinking about including Neymar into the Brazil squad for the world cup next year doesn't want the progress of the Brazilian national team Ancelotti should not fall into the temptation of bringing back Neymar into his squad. There are plenty of young players who read to play for this Brazilian team.

In terms of age, Neymar is actually not too old to be part of the Brazilian national team. I think if Neymar is in his best form leading up to the World Cup, there is no harm in Ancelotti calling him up. Of course, there are also several young players who deserve the opportunity to strengthen the Brazilian team, but I think Ancelotti will aim to build a squad that blends both young and experienced players.

No one can deny the presence of talented young players in a team, but in an event as big as the World Cup, experienced players are clearly very much needed. Their role is to boost team mentality and increase bargaining strength in competition. Ancelotti is a manager with extensive experience in evaluating player quality, and I think he knows exactly which players are needed to make his job easier.

[DiMarxist]

Brazil is one country that has football heritage, that is why they are favorite when ever they are going into any tournament. But of recent That is gradually changing that is because, the Brazilian national team has not been building their team around young players. Anyone thinking about including Neymar into the Brazil squad for the world cup next year doesn't want the progress of the Brazilian national team Ancelotti should not fall into the temptation of bringing back Neymar into his squad. There are plenty of young players who read to play for this Brazilian team.

In terms of age, Neymar is actually not too old to be part of the Brazilian national team. I think if Neymar is in his best form leading up to the World Cup, there is no harm in Ancelotti calling him up. Of course, there are also several young players who deserve the opportunity to strengthen the Brazilian team, but I think Ancelotti will aim to build a squad that blends both young and experienced players.

No one can deny the presence of talented young players in a team, but in an event as big as the World Cup, experienced players are clearly very much needed. Their role is to boost team mentality and increase bargaining strength in competition. Ancelotti is a manager with extensive experience in evaluating player quality, and I think he knows exactly which players are needed to make his job easier.

In any country if the football team is not doing well. There are two major things that affecting the team which needs serious attention but because of the political mindset of the leaders, they would not look into those problems to solve the issue to bring back the team to fit. And Brazil is also facing that problem. In those days, when Countries want to play with Brazil, the other team players would be afraid. Brazil was making the football game more interesting in the world but today we barely hear the name. Causes.
1. There are no major players to carry the team to higher level again. Even if Neymar comes, he would not play like before again. And 2. Poor management.

[Sithara007]

Haiti is a poor country for sure. But that doesn't mean that each and every Haitian is poor. Do you really think that people like Wyclef Jean will not be able to afford traveling to the United States? Like other third world countries, Haiti is incredibly corrupt and this in turn has made many millionaires there. BTW, first we should congratulate Haiti for qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026. This is the second time that they are playing in the competition, and they overcame tough challenges from Honduras and Nicaragua during the CONCACAF third round qualifiers.

That it's a country with a high poverty rate is for sure, but that doesn't mean they all live in shacks.
Let us also remember that the great players, the champions came from poor families, an example for all Pelè, as Maradona could be, like all the Brazilians who played in the favelas as children, even Cristiano Ronaldo experienced financial difficulties as a child.
Underestimating them is a big mistake, they managed to qualify and this is a beautiful achievement for them.

And that partially explains the downfall of Brazil recently. The Confederação Brasileira de Futebol used to focus on these favelas until the 1990s, spending a lot of their funds in providing coaching as well as the necessary infrastructure. But later, this situation changed. A lot of the money was stolen, and the rest was diverted to the established clubs. And it took less than two decades for them to downgrade from world champions, to a team that is now struggling to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

[Ale88]

Haiti is a poor country for sure. But that doesn't mean that each and every Haitian is poor. Do you really think that people like Wyclef Jean will not be able to afford traveling to the United States? Like other third world countries, Haiti is incredibly corrupt and this in turn has made many millionaires there. BTW, first we should congratulate Haiti for qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026. This is the second time that they are playing in the competition, and they overcame tough challenges from Honduras and Nicaragua during the CONCACAF third round qualifiers.

That it's a country with a high poverty rate is for sure, but that doesn't mean they all live in shacks.
Let us also remember that the great players, the champions came from poor families, an example for all Pelè, as Maradona could be, like all the Brazilians who played in the favelas as children, even Cristiano Ronaldo experienced financial difficulties as a child.
Underestimating them is a big mistake, they managed to qualify and this is a beautiful achievement for them.

I don't get what you're saying. Football is not just money, that's true, because it's also culture. Are you comparing the kids playing in Argentina and Brazil with Haiti? Haiti has no football culture, they never produced a decent player in their history so, I'm sorry, but mentioning Maradona, Pelè and Cristiano Ronaldo all together with Haiti doesn't make much sense.

[mandown]

I think Neymar still knows how to put on a show when he gets the ball, but injuries and his dramatic on-field behavior have forced the team to rely on younger stars. Ronaldo is often called an old wolf, but he's still very good at what he does. After all, tournaments aren't won with a single star, at least not if the ball doesn't go off the rails! Teamwork is king, not drama.

[pewboy]

That it's a country with a high poverty rate is for sure, but that doesn't mean they all live in shacks.
Let us also remember that the great players, the champions came from poor families, an example for all Pelè, as Maradona could be, like all the Brazilians who played in the favelas as children, even Cristiano Ronaldo experienced financial difficulties as a child.
Underestimating them is a big mistake, they managed to qualify and this is a beautiful achievement for them.
And that partially explains the downfall of Brazil recently. The Confederação Brasileira de Futebol used to focus on these favelas until the 1990s, spending a lot of their funds in providing coaching as well as the necessary infrastructure. But later, this situation changed. A lot of the money was stolen, and the rest was diverted to the established clubs. And it took less than two decades for them to downgrade from world champions, to a team that is now struggling to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

Of course, when you're poor and hungry, you try much harder. i am not the only one saying this, the numbers say it.
All the best footballers were poor and not from wealthy families.
But in other contexts a good school helps, all the big tech companies and the CEOs are all from good families.

[8rch7]

I think Neymar still knows how to put on a show when he gets the ball, but injuries and his dramatic on-field behavior have forced the team to rely on younger stars. Ronaldo is often called an old wolf, but he's still very good at what he does. After all, tournaments aren't won with a single star, at least not if the ball doesn't go off the rails! Teamwork is king, not drama.

In my opinion, Neymar career with Brazil national team have been over not only about his consistency performance but also Neymar spent this season more injury than playing every match for Santos.
Currentky Brazil has many top youth talented player and  play well at higher level competition than Naymar playing for Santos not really top competition level. Since Carlo Ancelotti appointed as Brazil national team head coach never give chance for Neymar get national team calling, its mean Neymar era have been over and already replacing by top player from Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Martinelli and Estêvão played well with Chelsea, for Brazil fans I think is era forgetting with Neymar and build up with bew era regarding many top player having by Brazil for right now has higher quality level than Neymar.

[Yabani]

Friends, calling Neymar out is like the old-school coaching torture. He's injured, out of form, and young people are shining on stage. Now Neymar should be in the stands, acting as a role model for youngsters, not on the pitch. Besides, Ancelotti prefers to test the youth team rather than see him on the pitch; it makes sense, Brazil still dances the samba, but there are new rhythms now.