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

[aipercoin]

I have nothing against all countries being represented when it comes to football referees, but then everyone should be clearly told that they must respect the same rules of the game - and if we already have VAR, why isn't it always used when a controversial situation occurs? It turns out that VAR is an excellent tool for directing matches in the desired direction, I have no doubt that it will be the same next year in the US.

A VAR is a tool that must be used, this must be an example for everyone, now and today these tools must be used more and more to prevent bad things that happen in football and i also have no doubts that it will also be used in this World Cup, no doubt!

[Adbitco]

I have nothing against all countries being represented when it comes to football referees, but then everyone should be clearly told that they must respect the same rules of the game - and if we already have VAR, why isn't it always used when a controversial situation occurs? It turns out that VAR is an excellent tool for directing matches in the desired direction, I have no doubt that it will be the same next year in the US.

A VAR is a tool that must be used, this must be an example for everyone, now and today these tools must be used more and more to prevent bad things that happen in football and i also have no doubts that it will also be used in this World Cup, no doubt!

Of course VAR will be used in the world cup but it always boils down to the individual referee that's incharge of the game wether he will make the right call after VAR review, that's another thing entirely. We have been watching several leagues were referees after watching the replay,still manages to do something else. I think FIFA took a good note of this and took the pains of selecting the referees for the world cup. As I heard, no single La Liga referee was called to the world cup, that shows how shitty they have been while discharging their duties.

[martinom]

Not underestimate with Croatia, after seeing England team performance in qualifier matches without loss yet I don't think difficult for England defeating Croatia, Ghana and Panama at phase group matches. I am optimistic football is coming home for this time and England as top candidate team for winning FIFA World Cup 2026. Thomas Tuchel as England manager has good statistic since appointed head coach and never loss during qualifier matches indeed many fans not favorite England candidate winner team.

For the match system with World Cup new format I am still confusing after England if qualify to next round which one team possibility will face? After phase group matches will play knock out round match or will draw group phase again? I don't know more about match of World Cup 2026

Yes, i agree, and not even considering the fact that these players are trying to get back into shape to try to return to the way they were when they played the final against France and in my opinion it is extremely feasible, right now i am not saying that there is any problem, but i have to say that they can do it.

[Not your key not your BTC]

I have nothing against all countries being represented when it comes to football referees, but then everyone should be clearly told that they must respect the same rules of the game - and if we already have VAR, why isn't it always used when a controversial situation occurs? It turns out that VAR is an excellent tool for directing matches in the desired direction, I have no doubt that it will be the same next year in the US.

A VAR is a tool that must be used, this must be an example for everyone, now and today these tools must be used more and more to prevent bad things that happen in football and i also have no doubts that it will also be used in this World Cup, no doubt!

VAR will definitely be used at the World Cup. The problem isn't VAR itself, but the changing interpretations of refereeing decisions, which sometimes lead to controversy. We often see controversial situations left unchecked, even though the technology is readily available. On the one hand, VAR is praised as a tool for ensuring fairness, but on the other, it can be seen as a tool that can control the course of a match when not applied consistently. Hopefully, the use of VAR at the World Cup will not cause controversy.

[ILuckyGuyI]

I hate especially one thing about 2026 World Cup. The hosts' being USA, Mexico and Canada!

Because man, the games are going to be at night or dawn in my timezone.    It's going to make me feel like I'm staying awake to watch NBA games. The whole Europe would be pretty much the same though.

At least I hope to see an organization worth watching. I already don't like the format change from 32 to 48 teams...

[abaeze]

Brazil should be able to stroll past the group stages.

Dunno man, I don't trust Brazil one bit and I already decided that I won't put any money on them, no matter against who they are playing at the WC.

I already lost enough betting on them at the qualifications.

Last time I bet on Brazil it was in 2024 (I think), it was the Copa America probably, and they drew 1-1 against Costa Rica. Probably the worst Costa Rica team in the last 20 years. I still believe Brazil will go through the group stage but I won't be betting on them. It's going to be interesting to see them playing against Morocco and Scotland, they are not easy teams at all.

You are right, you can no longer "auto-bet" Brazil based on the name. Their performance is erratic according to the current strategy and style of play, and they get into trouble if they face a tough opponent. Fans have high expectations for Brazil, but their discipline and the beauty of their previous games are no longer visible. Therefore, it is not right to bet directly on the name of Brazil, but one should bet on the team's performance.

[Creeper0]

You are right, you can no longer "auto-bet" Brazil based on the name. Their performance is erratic according to the current strategy and style of play, and they get into trouble if they face a tough opponent. Fans have high expectations for Brazil, but their discipline and the beauty of their previous games are no longer visible. Therefore, it is not right to bet directly on the name of Brazil, but one should bet on the team's performance.

After Neymar Jr., we have not had a star player in the Brazil team who can lead the team from the front. Instead, we have got several world-class players who think they are the best and try to play alone. Despite having the best players in the league in their attack line, they cannot create good chemistry among themselves and fail to score. The defense is also a bit weak. Even if Ancelotti tries to organize the team towards the end, this team will not be very effective in the World Cup. The Brazil team needs to be organized from the beginning and good chemistry needs to be developed among the players. If there are several best players in the team, it is very difficult for that team to succeed, all 11 players in the team have to be ordinary players and play ordinary games.

[Ale88]

At least I hope to see an organization worth watching. I already don't like the format change from 32 to 48 teams...

It's kind of funny that when I was criticizing this format many users were pissed at what I was saying because, in their opinion, this new format is perfect to help football grow in more countries. Now, after we finally see how shitty the group stage is going to be, I see more and more users unhappy with this World Cup. Because, sure, on paper it's nice to see these teams qualifying but then when you actually realize how many useless matches there are going to be it's no fun anymore.

[KTChampions]

I hate especially one thing about 2026 World Cup. The hosts' being USA, Mexico and Canada!

Because man, the games are going to be at night or dawn in my timezone.    It's going to make me feel like I'm staying awake to watch NBA games. The whole Europe would be pretty much the same though.

At least I hope to see an organization worth watching. I already don't like the format change from 32 to 48 teams...

Friend, that's not the worst thing. You need to be prepared for the fact that even if you can change your schedule to watch games at night, your schedule might get thrown out the window. Simply because there's a storm and the game will be paused for a few hours  Given the number of games, I'm sure this will definitely happen here and there. Because each game impacts the next, these delays could reach absolutely absurd levels. Due to the fact that the game must be played on a specific date, postponements are not possible.

[icebar]

You are right, you can no longer "auto-bet" Brazil based on the name. Their performance is erratic according to the current strategy and style of play, and they get into trouble if they face a tough opponent. Fans have high expectations for Brazil, but their discipline and the beauty of their previous games are no longer visible. Therefore, it is not right to bet directly on the name of Brazil, but one should bet on the team's performance.

After Neymar Jr., we have not had a star player in the Brazil team who can lead the team from the front. Instead, we have got several world-class players who think they are the best and try to play alone. Despite having the best players in the league in their attack line, they cannot create good chemistry among themselves and fail to score. The defense is also a bit weak. Even if Ancelotti tries to organize the team towards the end, this team will not be very effective in the World Cup. The Brazil team needs to be organized from the beginning and good chemistry needs to be developed among the players. If there are several best players in the team, it is very difficult for that team to succeed, all 11 players in the team have to be ordinary players and play ordinary games.

If the team is not fully strength to play in the World Cup, then there is no chance to raise expectations for that team because. On the World Cup stage, everyone tries to his best. Many small teams also get the opportunity to make big differences. If the Brazilian team has to do well, then if they only gain confidence in Neymar, there will be no possibility of the team moving forward much. Now the team has to move away from relying only on Neymar. Someone else has to be brought in to lead in his place. If you want to play in a team with only you, the results will not be good, which is why you have to focus on making the chemistry with everyone.

[snipie]

A VAR is a tool that must be used, this must be an example for everyone, now and today these tools must be used more and more to prevent bad things that happen in football and i also have no doubts that it will also be used in this World Cup, no doubt!

VAR is a tool that is supposed to help achieve a better accuracy for fouls and penalties mainly but it turns out to be not that helpful in all games and very controversial in some of them.
The problem of VAR is the quality of images taken and the angle of the screen which is quite bad in many matches. Sometimes you wonder whether it is a penalty or not from an angle that barely shows anything. The referee is stuck in a problematic situation and fans claim penalty or not depending from which side they are aligned with..
VAR decision should only be taken by a referee outside of the field and in case of an error by the main referee. No need to ask the main referee to stop the game to see a weird images that barely showed something.

[Yabani]

I have nothing against all countries being represented when it comes to football referees, but then everyone should be clearly told that they must respect the same rules of the game - and if we already have VAR, why isn't it always used when a controversial situation occurs? It turns out that VAR is an excellent tool for directing matches in the desired direction, I have no doubt that it will be the same next year in the US.

A VAR is a tool that must be used, this must be an example for everyone, now and today these tools must be used more and more to prevent bad things that happen in football and i also have no doubts that it will also be used in this World Cup, no doubt!

I agree that VAR is necessary, but the real problem is inconsistent play. VAR works, but referees interpret situations differently, sparking unnecessary debate. If FIFA implemented VAR more rigorously and uniformly at the World Cup, we could see fewer controversial decisions, rather than relying on individual referees' interpretations. Justice should be a priority.

[Victorybit1]

I have nothing against all countries being represented when it comes to football referees, but then everyone should be clearly told that they must respect the same rules of the game - and if we already have VAR, why isn't it always used when a controversial situation occurs? It turns out that VAR is an excellent tool for directing matches in the desired direction, I have no doubt that it will be the same next year in the US.

A VAR is a tool that must be used, this must be an example for everyone, now and today these tools must be used more and more to prevent bad things that happen in football and i also have no doubts that it will also be used in this World Cup, no doubt!

I agree that VAR is necessary, but the real problem is inconsistent play. VAR works, but referees interpret situations differently, sparking unnecessary debate. If FIFA implemented VAR more rigorously and uniformly at the World Cup, we could see fewer controversial decisions, rather than relying on individual referees' interpretations. Justice should be a priority.

Some other football fans would even argue that VAR has kinda distorted the game of football to some level as goals and fouls are being cancel and also the tempo of the game is been haulted for VAR to confirm if a goal stands or not and all of it for some persons just don't go well, they football is becoming boring with all the added rules and regulations but for me I think it's necessary to make the game as fair as possible and enjoyable.

[PokerDiceMan]

I have nothing against all countries being represented when it comes to football referees, but then everyone should be clearly told that they must respect the same rules of the game - and if we already have VAR, why isn't it always used when a controversial situation occurs? It turns out that VAR is an excellent tool for directing matches in the desired direction, I have no doubt that it will be the same next year in the US.

A VAR is a tool that must be used, this must be an example for everyone, now and today these tools must be used more and more to prevent bad things that happen in football and i also have no doubts that it will also be used in this World Cup, no doubt!

Referees in the World Cup are certainly referees who are already competent and have extensive experience at the international and regional competition levels and, of course, are licensed. For example, experience in regional competitions such as the European Cup, African Cup, Asian Cup, and more, and have experience leading many matches. Because the World Cup is a major event, if there are referee errors that harm other countries, it would be very serious and reduce the legitimacy of the competition. For example, in the past World Cup in Korea and Japan, many said the referees were not competent, causing many big European teams to be controversially eliminated in the early rounds due to referee decisions.

[EL MOHA]

Of course VAR will be used in the world cup but it always boils down to the individual referee that's incharge of the game wether he will make the right call after VAR review, that's another thing entirely. We have been watching several leagues were referees after watching the replay,still manages to do something else. I think FIFA took a good note of this and took the pains of selecting the referees for the world cup. As I heard, no single La Liga referee was called to the world cup, that shows how shitty they have been while discharging their duties.

I think the only Laliga referee that would have been called is the retired Matheus Lahoz, this isn’t about Laliga alone but even the premier league is also one of those leagues with just too many controversial refereeing. Even UEFA of recent uses more of the referees from other leagues like Italian league and German league for officiating this days with just little or no number of Spanish or English league officials called. The last AFCON that was held opened my eyes to see that VAR can be used effectively and most importantly without delays in decision making.

Some other football fans would even argue that VAR has kinda distorted the game of football to some level as goals and fouls are being cancel and also the tempo of the game is been haulted for VAR to confirm if a goal stands or not and all of it for some persons just don't go well, they football is becoming boring with all the added rules and regulations but for me I think it's necessary to make the game as fair as possible and enjoyable.

Not just other football fans even myself have same feelings towards VAR, don’t get me wrong I would fairness in the game but the those immediate joy when a team scores Those decisive goals are not longer there rather you wait in suspense for VAR recheck which kills some euphoria in the celebrations. To cap it off I don’t think VAR introduction has even effectively helped to even curb those things in the non VAR era.

[Iamgoat]

Of course VAR will be used in the world cup but it always boils down to the individual referee that's incharge of the game wether he will make the right call after VAR review, that's another thing entirely. We have been watching several leagues were referees after watching the replay,still manages to do something else. I think FIFA took a good note of this and took the pains of selecting the referees for the world cup. As I heard, no single La Liga referee was called to the world cup, that shows how shitty they have been while discharging their duties.

That’s it, the major problem is not often from the side of the VAR referee but from the physical referee who now has the final say on the officiating of the match, at least we understand VAR is technologically dream and will mostly work based on the commands they have given to him els. It is because of such things, fifa has taken it upon themselves to make the process more seriously this time and chose referees carefully which is another way of mitigating the human factor which will come into the transparency of the process else you will have many teams shifting blames to referees instead of accepting their failures

[Franctoshi]

Of course VAR will be used in the world cup but it always boils down to the individual referee that's incharge of the game wether he will make the right call after VAR review, that's another thing entirely. We have been watching several leagues were referees after watching the replay,still manages to do something else. I think FIFA took a good note of this and took the pains of selecting the referees for the world cup. As I heard, no single La Liga referee was called to the world cup, that shows how shitty they have been while discharging their duties.

That’s it, the major problem is not often from the side of the VAR referee but from the physical referee who now has the final say on the officiating of the match, at least we understand VAR is technologically dream and will mostly work based on the commands they have given to him els. It is because of such things, fifa has taken it upon themselves to make the process more seriously this time and chose referees carefully which is another way of mitigating the human factor which will come into the transparency of the process else you will have many teams shifting blames to referees instead of accepting their failures

In as much as it's under human supervision both the referee and the Var referee can be bias in their decisions sometimes, and we used to see it happen often even where both the referee and Var overlooked some serious tackles, or even when it's expected of the referee to take some action when called upon, since he the central referee has the final say, he can act biased sometimes by not considering some tackles a foul, penalty, yellow card or red card offenses.

[Sithara007]

I agree that VAR is necessary, but the real problem is inconsistent play. VAR works, but referees interpret situations differently, sparking unnecessary debate. If FIFA implemented VAR more rigorously and uniformly at the World Cup, we could see fewer controversial decisions, rather than relying on individual referees' interpretations. Justice should be a priority.

It is only a matter of time before VAR interpretation will be handled by Artificial intelligence. This will remove the personal bias and error which results from manual interpretation, and also make the process faster and more accurate. My guess is that it may take another 2-3 years to get to that stage. Already AI is being used in scoring in some of the sports disciplines such as boxing and gymnastics. Overall, I would say that Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has been a good addition to the sport of football. Some negatives remain, but in due course of time they will be taken care of.

[retreat]

Some groups are a real shit for sure, and worst of all is some players are gonna grow some big statistics playing against shit teams when in the past it was nearby to impossible to face a low tier team in the world cup, i dont like so much this new era rules where national teams which are weaker can participate in the name of "reaching more people across the world".

Same here, I don't really like the current World Cup format either. There are some countries that shouldn't have qualified because their teams aren't as good as the other countries that should be there. But that's FIFA, just because they want to reach more countries, the quality of the World Cup has decreased and some matches feel less interesting. Maybe I'll watch the World Cup more when it's in a more competitive stage, where the truly competitive teams face each other. In the beginning, I'll probably only watch a few matches.

[Rikafip]

Look who they give the best chance of winning first place, because Croatia isn't even in the top ten.
Italy, which has not even qualified yet, and Norway are bigger favorites than Croatia

If you bet, bookies underestimating team that you think will go far at the World Cup is a good thing.

I think that part of our football team sucess is in fact that our public never had high expectations from our team. No one put them under pressure that they had to reach for  semifinal or else they will be seen as a failure, like it happens with many of so called "big teams". For example, if let's say England was 2nd and 3rd at the last two WCs like we were, everything below that at the next WC would be seen as a disaster, while absolutely nothing will happen if we get kicked out at let's say 1/8 final.