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

[Ale88]

Many of the teams that were once favorites aren't as strong as they once were, and many emerging teams are starting to seriously threaten. What do you think?

And who are those emerging teams that are starting to seriously threaten standard contenders?

I am asking because I seriously don't see anyone new capable of finishing in top 3, let alone winning the WC.

He's saying that past favorites need to be very careful with the newcomer teams that will be in this World Cup. For example, Brazil, which was feared in the past, could very well lose against Japan or Morocco today. The French national team also can't underestimate their opponents. In the last World Cup, we saw Argentina against Saudi Arabia, and what happened? In this World Cup, there will be more teams, and that's why we might not see Argentina, Brazil, and France as champions, and we might see other teams. It's possible that this will happen.

I'm sorry but how can you consider Japan, a team that qualified 8 times in a row to the WC, as an emerging team? And even Morocco qualified in 2018 and 2022, when they did surprise everyone (and let's not forget that European teams have several Moroccan players).

Argentina lost against Saudi Arabia, there always is some surprise, but we must admit that Saudi Arabia were also extremely lucky because they shot twice, and they scored twice. And this is always the only example people keep bringing up when we talk about weak teams taking part in the WC. The day this will become the norm instead of the exception then I'll change my point of view.

[8rch7]

England is certainly a very strong team and one of the favorites to win the World Cup title, but there is still a long way to go. There are also many other strong teams like France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, etc., who are also legitimate contenders for the title. England is always very close, twice finalists at the EURO, but something is always missing for that final step and to win the title, as if they lack confidence and a winning mentality, always losing crucial final and semifinal matches. Croatia and Ghana will be big challenges for England already in the group stage, and according to some projections of the draw, the path to the final could even be easier if they finish second in the group.

Talking about winning mentality actually England less having it, I remember at Euro 2020 final playing at home and support by fans not enough to be the winner and Italy success defeating England trough penalty kick. But now England manage by difference manager has much experienced winning trophy with club and Tuchel has winning mentality adopting by England at World Cup 2026. Look unbeaten performance of England in qualifier match by winning all 8 matches, England scored 22 goals of 8 matches in qualifier match and most success achievement in qualifying match not conceded one goal yet.
Its fantastic performance of England team in qualifying match and faced several top national teams like Serbia and Albania beside has Andorra and Latvia.

[Sithara007]

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Its fantastic performance of England team in qualifying match and faced several top national teams like Serbia and Albania beside has Andorra and Latvia.

None of these teams can be considered strong. Serbia used to be the toughest team from the Balkans, during the time of Dragan Stojković, Predrag Mijatović and Siniša Mihajlović. But that was almost three decades ago and now they are a shadow of their former self. Albania is improving, but not yet a top tier team in UEFA. The less talked about Andorra, that better. Latvia is dying, in terms of demographics. Real test for England would come when they face Croatia and Ghana in Group L. And trust me, even Panama is a good team. And their opening match is going to be against Croatia.

[allthebitandbobs]

England is certainly a very strong team and one of the favorites to win the World Cup title, but there is still a long way to go. There are also many other strong teams like France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, etc., who are also legitimate contenders for the title. England is always very close, twice finalists at the EURO, but something is always missing for that final step and to win the title, as if they lack confidence and a winning mentality, always losing crucial final and semifinal matches. Croatia and Ghana will be big challenges for England already in the group stage, and according to some projections of the draw, the path to the final could even be easier if they finish second in the group.

I am not so sure about that. England is always a great football country but to raise their own British good players is not an easy task for them apparently, because premier league mostly have players from around the world and not from England that much, so they do not have that many great players.

I can easily see them losing once again, when was the last time they even worn a world cup?
I do not think it happened in a long long time, can't remember anytime during my lifetime.

So I think they may just lose once again, as a national team they are not that great, just because premier league is great doesn't mean that England will be great. I think other teams will do just fine, teams like Argentina and France are still quite good.

[Daniel91]

England is certainly a very strong team and one of the favorites to win the World Cup title, but there is still a long way to go. There are also many other strong teams like France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, etc., who are also legitimate contenders for the title. England is always very close, twice finalists at the EURO, but something is always missing for that final step and to win the title, as if they lack confidence and a winning mentality, always losing crucial final and semifinal matches. Croatia and Ghana will be big challenges for England already in the group stage, and according to some projections of the draw, the path to the final could even be easier if they finish second in the group.

I am not so sure about that. England is always a great football country but to raise their own British good players is not an easy task for them apparently, because premier league mostly have players from around the world and not from England that much, so they do not have that many great players.

I can easily see them losing once again, when was the last time they even worn a world cup?
I do not think it happened in a long long time, can't remember anytime during my lifetime.

So I think they may just lose once again, as a national team they are not that great, just because premier league is great doesn't mean that England will be great. I think other teams will do just fine, teams like Argentina and France are still quite good.

Yes, I agree. The English league is the best in the world, but the key role in the top English teams is mostly played by foreign players, not domestic ones. When was the last and actually the only time England became world champion? That was way back in 1966, almost 60 years ago, when today's players weren't even born. Someone mentioned that England was very good in the World Cup qualifiers and takes that as proof that England is a favorite in the World Cup. Seriously? A group with Serbia, Albania, Andorra, and Latvia was simply too weak to draw such conclusions. England didn't have a single serious and worthy opponent in that group. After all, Croatia also finished the qualifications with almost a 100% record, nearly all wins and only 1 draw (However, nobody considers Croatia a favorite to win the world championship due to that fact.). To win the World Cup title, England will still have to defeat much more serious opponents than Andorra or Albania, teams like France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, etc., and England still has to prove that they can do that.

[Rikafip]

Serbia used to be the toughest team from the Balkans, during the time of Dragan Stojković, Predrag Mijatović and Siniša Mihajlović.

They used to be the toughest team in the Balkans if you don't count Croatia as a Balkan country. If you do, the answer is a little bit different. 

[banana33]

They are arguing that Africa and other continents don't have good teams that will make the competition entertaining. They claim that stadiums will be empty when these lowly placed countries are playing. They think that European teams deserve more slots because they have a developed football system that will give the world cup more publicity and fun.

My prayer is that some of these underrated teams will end up shocking the world. Just as Morrocco took the world by storm in Qater, something similar should happen net year.

I don't know if something like this will happen, but i would be happy if teams considered minor can do something big like what happened with Morocco in Qatar. It was certainly a nice surprise, but now we can't say every year that there will definitely be surprises.

[Yabani]

People expect a surprise in every tournament; there's no guarantee that Morocco will be drawn every year. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. If a smaller team occasionally pulls off a surprise, that's when the tournament becomes even more exciting, but those expecting a shock in every match shouldn't get their hopes up; the ball is round, and not that round.

[Sarah Azhari]

England is certainly a very strong team and one of the favorites to win the World Cup title, but there is still a long way to go. There are also many other strong teams like France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, etc., who are also legitimate contenders for the title. England is always very close, twice finalists at the EURO, but something is always missing for that final step and to win the title, as if they lack confidence and a winning mentality, always losing crucial final and semifinal matches. Croatia and Ghana will be big challenges for England already in the group stage, and according to some projections of the draw, the path to the final could even be easier if they finish second in the group.

Talking about winning mentality actually England less having it, I remember at Euro 2020 final playing at home and support by fans not enough to be the winner and Italy success defeating England trough penalty kick. But now England manage by difference manager has much experienced winning trophy with club and Tuchel has winning mentality adopting by England at World Cup 2026. Look unbeaten performance of England in qualifier match by winning all 8 matches, England scored 22 goals of 8 matches in qualifier match and most success achievement in qualifying match not conceded one goal yet.
Its fantastic performance of England team in qualifying match and faced several top national teams like Serbia and Albania beside has Andorra and Latvia.

Yes, England is indeed a team lacking a champion mentality, as evidenced by their failure to win titles in several World Cups and European Championships. Even with a squad packed with star players, they have never won a title at international level. I believe this situation persists for England, even though Tuchel is currently the coach. This is his first time coaching a national team, and while Tuchel has won titles at club level, the national team is a different story. So, let's see how far Tuchel takes England in the upcoming World Cup. Will he be able to create history for the English public or will he be a failure, despite his current good performance?

[dollyamo]

I am not so sure about that. England is always a great football country but to raise their own British good players is not an easy task for them apparently, because premier league mostly have players from around the world and not from England that much, so they do not have that many great players.

I can easily see them losing once again, when was the last time they even worn a world cup?
I do not think it happened in a long long time, can't remember anytime during my lifetime.

So I think they may just lose once again, as a national team they are not that great, just because premier league is great doesn't mean that England will be great. I think other teams will do just fine, teams like Argentina and France are still quite good.

England has a very respectable footballing history, as all states are full of players in clubs, but for years now national clubs have been made up of foreigners and therefore the chances for players from their own nation to show off their skills are diminishing. Now who could England field? I would not give any hasty assessments, however, frankly speaking.

[LUCKMCFLY]

I personally think Ancelotti *should* call Neymar. If he's good to play, he should be there in case he is needed.

You are undoubtedly right, and that's what I've always said. Ney represents the best of Brazilian football I know his injuries keep him on the edge, but he's the only one on the team with the personality to bring good news If Ancelotti doesn't take him, I think he'll be in serious trouble.

[Jewan420]

I personally think Ancelotti *should* call Neymar. If he's good to play, he should be there in case he is needed.

You are undoubtedly right, and that's what I've always said. Ney represents the best of Brazilian football I know his injuries keep him on the edge, but he's the only one on the team with the personality to bring good news If Ancelotti doesn't take him, I think he'll be in serious trouble.

Without Neymar, the current Brazil team has no big names or big personalities. So without Neymar, there will be no excitement among Brazil fans in the World Cup or much support from outside. Although the locals in Brazil will support Brazil, it will not encourage foreign fans like me to watch Brazil play. Carlo Ancelotti must contact Neymar and try his best to get him into the team. Without Neymar, Brazil is out of rhythm, and a worthy replacement for him has not yet been created in the Brazil team.

[Lucius]

An official complaint has been submitted to FIFA's Ethics Committee, alleging "repeated breaches" of FIFA's duty of political neutrality by its president, Gianni Infantino, while also requesting an investigation into the process that saw United States President Donald Trump receive the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.

The complaint has been made by FairSquare, a non-profit organization and advocacy group which focuses mainly on global labour migration rights, political repression and sport.

In the sporting realm, the organization says it promotes “better, more democratic governance to prevent sporting institutions contributing to harm and suffering.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6873068/2025/12/09/fifa-infantino-trump-peace-prize-complaint/?source=twitteruk

The man who practically demands the Nobel Peace Prize has apparently found a consolation prize This doesn't surprise me at all, because these are people who reward each other and make deals that bring them profit, and then sell everything like a football competition. When I see who all are members of that famous ethics committee, they wouldn't rule against Infantino even if he had declared the US the winner before the competition even started.


By the way, it seems that many have already heard the story that the world champion will be Portugal

During the final pit stop buzz at the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Djokovic surprised viewers by seamlessly switching from rallies to roars. In a chat with content creator Mohammed Adnan, he delivered a concise verdict on the 2026 tournament: “Portugal. And they will beat Mexico in the final.

[martinom]

I'm sorry but how can you consider Japan, a team that qualified 8 times in a row to the WC, as an emerging team? And even Morocco qualified in 2018 and 2022, when they did surprise everyone (and let's not forget that European teams have several Moroccan players).

Argentina lost against Saudi Arabia, there always is some surprise, but we must admit that Saudi Arabia were also extremely lucky because they shot twice, and they scored twice. And this is always the only example people keep bringing up when we talk about weak teams taking part in the WC. The day this will become the norm instead of the exception then I'll change my point of view.

In fact you are not entirely wrong, an emerging team or national team is a national team that has never been seen before, we can say that Switzerland is also a team that participates quite consistently in the World Cup, so that is not an emerging team either.

[cande86]

Yes, in fact, in the end what matters most is the fact of having the decision within human reach, which is the one that makes the biggest mistakes. Obviously, this thing then ultimately proves to be the most fragile at the moment of judgment. Obviously, right now, things cannot change, unless, as is hypothesized, but it is still science fiction, there is the use of AI to automate the thing.

Honestly i think there will be a time when all the technology available will be applied to football and that will also be the reason why this sport will go into decline, obviously this is a very remote possibility that will not be instantaneous, but it will certainly happen and it will be gradual.

[maknyos]

England is certainly a very strong team and one of the favorites to win the World Cup title, but there is still a long way to go. There are also many other strong teams like France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, etc., who are also legitimate contenders for the title. England is always very close, twice finalists at the EURO, but something is always missing for that final step and to win the title, as if they lack confidence and a winning mentality, always losing crucial final and semifinal matches. Croatia and Ghana will be big challenges for England already in the group stage, and according to some projections of the draw, the path to the final could even be easier if they finish second in the group.

I am not so sure about that. England is always a great football country but to raise their own British good players is not an easy task for them apparently, because premier league mostly have players from around the world and not from England that much, so they do not have that many great players.

I can easily see them losing once again, when was the last time they even worn a world cup?
I do not think it happened in a long long time, can't remember anytime during my lifetime.

So I think they may just lose once again, as a national team they are not that great, just because premier league is great doesn't mean that England will be great. I think other teams will do just fine, teams like Argentina and France are still quite good.

The English national team has never lacked quality players, but their problem lies in the fact that the rivalries they bring from their clubs spill over into the national team, ultimately preventing them from performing at their best. I don't follow the English national team very closely these days, so I'm not sure if this is still an issue for them, but the last time I did follow them, this rivalry was still very much a part of the team.
If they could resolve that issue, I'm sure they would have achieved great success long ago. On the other hand, they also haven't found a coach who truly fits them.

[Rikafip]

The English national team has never lacked quality players, but their problem lies in the fact that the rivalries they bring from their clubs spill over into the national team, ultimately preventing them from performing at their best.

Yep, that's probably the reason why they didn't do anything when they had probably the best group of players. It was specially the problem between Arsenal and ManUre players who couldn't stand each other and brought that hatred into national team.

I don't follow the English national team very closely these days, so I'm not sure if this is still an issue for them, but the last time I did follow them, this rivalry was still very much a part of the team.

Nah, there's no issues anymore, and probably the reason why they achieved more with objectively worse players than they had in the 90s and 00s.

[beerlover]

I think it's quite too early to start talking about the impact of the additional teams in the forth coming World Cup, we really don:t know what FIFA intends to organise the tournament and at such should just assume that the presence of these additional teams might undermine the quality of the competition. I believe it would be rather nice if we give FIFA the benefit of the doubt because in the same vein UEFA also changed the format of the UCL and some people felt it was going to jeopardize the competition but it rather turned out to be a success in its very first edition.

I agree, still it's too early to give all about this new system because FIFA is having 211 members with 6 regions are working with these changes, surely they could be having something solid that would help soccer in long run and quality will be also improved.

Many are having discussion about few teams those are looking not good in quality, but things like these are surely going to take time for having better solution because if this system does not work properly and results will be not be as they are expecting then either new system or old one will be okay to go. For me, 3 from 48 countries are going to be good and have good chance of success because this will increase fan base and revenue as well, that's always the main business of FIFA.

[m4r1o]

None of these teams can be considered strong. Serbia used to be the toughest team from the Balkans, during the time of Dragan Stojkovi?, Predrag Mijatovi? and Sini?a Mihajlovi?. But that was almost three decades ago and now they are a shadow of their former self. Albania is improving, but not yet a top tier team in UEFA. The less talked about Andorra, that better. Latvia is dying, in terms of demographics. Real test for England would come when they face Croatia and Ghana in Group L. And trust me, even Panama is a good team. And their opening match is going to be against Croatia.

There are these teams that have qualified and those who haven't, i would say that if they are not at their level they have no reason to complain about not qualifying, if they are there it will certainly be right, now i don't know exactly if the regulation is fair for all national teams, but everyone agreed so what's the point of complaining now?

[verdinio]

He's saying that past favorites need to be very careful with the newcomer teams that will be in this World Cup. For example, Brazil, which was feared in the past, could very well lose against Japan or Morocco today. The French national team also can't underestimate their opponents. In the last World Cup, we saw Argentina against Saudi Arabia, and what happened? In this World Cup, there will be more teams, and that's why we might not see Argentina, Brazil, and France as champions, and we might see other teams. It's possible that this will happen.

The basic rule of every football world championship is to never underestimate the opponent, it is something that cannot and must not happen, because history teaches us that when you underestimate the opponent in the end the one who loses is always the one who underestimated the opponent and this happens often.