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

[Nahl]

We have already discussed about Italy several times in this thread. They still have a good chance of making the cut for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Italy, I would say were a bit unlucky this time. They were placed in a tough group along with Norway and Israel. And their second round path is also not that easy. In the first match they will take on Northern Ireland. If they manage to win that one, they need to face the winners from the Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina match. At least on paper, Italy are the overwhelming favourites to win these matches. 

Let's say that they have a good chance of qualifying for the next World Cup and i think it is very likely that they will do it, Norway was practically perfect and Italy sat down and waited a little too long and Norway punished them for this they have to pay and do the play off

Italy journey is not smooth for qualification stage that because they only finish at runner up place under Norway and this condition makes them have to through an playoff stage against North Ireland this march and assuming Italy won from North Ireland for the final round they have to faced the winner between Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina so, Italy have to hard struggle before reach to world cup but seeing Italy opponents on the papet that shouldn't be a problem and as long as they can perform i think it's not hard to beat their opponents

[Shadiq]

This is true, you have to be a "team", before you are just talented. Playing long times together and getting used to each other is also a big part of this. Which is why France did so well in the past two world cups because it was basically bunch of people who played for many years together and still seen as the team to beat on this world cup too because they do play together for a long time. Argentina also won because most of those players played together for many years as well.

Team performance does not require playing together for many years or a long time, but rather trusting each other and helping each other score goals rather than scoring them yourself. If you look at Argentina, they give more importance to assisting than scoring, they fight around Messi on the field. They play well now because the whole team plays with the same plan and with the same goal, which was not the case before Scaloni came to the team.

In the upcoming World Cup, we will also see Spain as a strong team, because they prefer to play as a team, but in terms of experience, they will struggle. I have doubts about France. The reason for the defeat in the last World Cup final was overconfidence. They missed some opportunities where they could have scored a goal with a pass, but they are too lazy to pass. Maybe they will not make these mistakes in the upcoming World Cup.

[Franctoshi]

I think that Italy is no longer performing as it once was, it is clearly so, and everyone knows it, obviously there is always a chance if they qualify for the World Cup that national team is completely transformed and becomes a very difficult team to beat, it has always been like this

Unfortunately yes, it's been 2 or 3 World Cups now that we haven't been at the top and not even at the European Championships
Unfortunately, we have to resign ourselves, my friend, we have to understand that there is a time for everything.
Maybe in 10 years everything will change and we'll be back as strong as we once were, never mind...

This is a true life situation that happened to Italy, a time to rise or shine and a time to fall. Italy is currently experiencing their football downtime on the international stage and will definitely bounce back in no  time if they get the right coach, the appropriate players, and a good management team in place  at the same time. Italy is one of the football countries that I admire so much about their style of play when it comes to the World Cup and wouldn't wait to have them back in full form on the world stage.

[hyudien]

Italy journey is not smooth for qualification stage that because they only finish at runner up place under Norway and this condition makes them have to through an playoff stage against North Ireland this march and assuming Italy won from North Ireland for the final round they have to faced the winner between Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina so, Italy have to hard struggle before reach to world cup but seeing Italy opponents on the papet that shouldn't be a problem and as long as they can perform i think it's not hard to beat their opponents

It is sad to see that the euro 2020 winner has to go through the play offs for a world cup ticket, even this is the third time they have to fight in the play offs. If you look at the opponent, on paper, Italy is indeed favored but considering this is the biggest competition, you can't underestimate any country, you have to remember they were eliminated by Macedonia in the previous edition, I just hope Italy passes, not to repeat the previous two editions, because I miss seeing them play in the world cup.

[KTChampions]

I'm sorry, but a group containing Norway, Israel, Estonia and Moldova is not a tough group. All they needed to do was be better than Norway, but they couldn't even get one point from them in two matches.
Right now, they just need to find a way to win Northern Ireland and focus on winning whoever qualifies between Wales and Bosnia.

I think they will be in group B with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland if they qualify. That is a group they can qualify out of. Based on Italy's current form, it will be difficult, but Canada and Qatar are not very exceptional to make things extremely difficult for Italy.
I guess they have to first focus on qualifying for the World Cup, but personally, I doubt Italy will make it to that World Cup. beating N. Ireland and then Wales is a big hurdle.

It's quite funny (or shameful) that the groups at the World Cup are no stronger, and maybe even weaker, than the World Cup qualifying groups. For example, Group E: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand. Or Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde. Sure, some team might spring a surprise (like Uruguay or, as we've already seen, Morocco), but that's complete nonsense. The qualifying groups are dull, then the group stage at the finals is just as dull. Not a single death group or drama. This is not what I expect from a big tournament.

[Lida93]

We have already discussed about Italy several times in this thread. They still have a good chance of making the cut for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Italy, I would say were a bit unlucky this time. They were placed in a tough group along with Norway and Israel. And their second round path is also not that easy. In the first match they will take on Northern Ireland. If they manage to win that one, they need to face the winners from the Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina match. At least on paper, Italy are the overwhelming favourites to win these matches. 

Let's say that they have a good chance of qualifying for the next World Cup and i think it is very likely that they will do it, Norway was practically perfect and Italy sat down and waited a little too long and Norway punished them for this they have to pay and do the play off

Italy's problems started when they replaced coach Spalletti with Genaro Gattuso due to his inefficiency to handle the Italian national team, the team had already suffered some defeats that has already jeopardise their chances of securing a ticket for the World Cup. So it became difficult for Gattuso to get the job due to how resilient the Norwegian team were at that moment.

[jostorres]

it's been 2 or 3 World Cups now that we haven't been at the top and not even at the European Championships
Unfortunately, we have to resign ourselves, my friend, we have to understand that there is a time for everything.
Maybe in 10 years everything will change and we'll be back as strong as we once were, never mind...

In last few years, sportsmen and sports are easy ways to blackmail any country with banning any country has never been favourable, but now things are happening, and few countries are using their influence for this like I watch Russians are not allowed while Israel is allowed to participate in all sports.

Hypocrisy is at its best, and they are doing as they want to go ahead with their policies and targets, here need few things which always encourage sportsmen to stay into their zone and give their best because this will bring better environment in this world and minds which are still not accepting truth.

[Ruttoshi]

Italy's problems started when they replaced coach Spalletti with Genaro Gattuso due to his inefficiency to handle the Italian national team, the team had already suffered some defeats that has already jeopardise their chances of securing a ticket for the World Cup. So it became difficult for Gattuso to get the job due to how resilient the Norwegian team were at that moment.

The big mistake the FIGC did was to underestimate Spelleti and overhyped Gattuso who has little knowledge on how to fix the team. Gattuso only has mouth and good on paper. He's not good on field. He came up with a  game strategy that isn't smart enough to outplay his opponents.

I didn't expect Italy to be left out in this tournament because they are good contenders since they have the quality and players. It's a shame that Gattuso couldn't take this squad to the world cup. However, improving the team should be his main priority.

[LUCKMCFLY]

It is sad to see that the euro 2020 winner has to go through the play offs for a world cup ticket, even this is the third time they have to fight in the play offs. If you look at the opponent, on paper, Italy is indeed favored but considering this is the biggest competition, you can't underestimate any country, you have to remember they were eliminated by Macedonia in the previous edition, I just hope Italy passes, not to repeat the previous two editions, because I miss seeing them play in the world cup.

At least Italy has a chance , they have a good opportunity to qualify in the Playoffs , I would feel great if I had that chance At least they're not completely eliminated , they're still in the running European and global Teams have Raised their level of football, and it's a fact that this World Cup will be very exciting more teams, more Football!

[jaberwock]

For sure Italy will do fine, they are going to be in the world cup, but at the same time we have to remember that it is playoffs and there is never a guarantee. You may do fine, you may do terrible, you never know what's going to happen so you have to be careful.

This is why I think Italy will have to face some trouble, and because of that it is not going to be easy and we are going to end up with something that will take a while for people to end up getting the deserved right they want. Italy "may" lose a game, every team may lose games, just because you are better doesn't mean you will win, it is a higher possibility that they will win both games, it is a very good chance, but it is not a zero chance that they will lose.

[Dump3er]

That sounds kind of baseless to me. I doubt that there were no political controversies in Russia in 2018 considering they annexed Crimea shortly before that. There were controversies in all those World Cups, but the nature of those conflicts might have differed. I think no matter what you do or expect from World Cups, it is literally impossible to host a World Cup fully free of any negative circumstances that involve politics. There is so much going on in the political world that perfect peace and harmony is not attainable.

I think that these competitions must be independent of what happens in war zones, of course you cannot spit out a World Cup where there is a war, but you must allow national teams to participate in war so as to defuse the situation, it seems ridiculous to me to exclude sportsmen

That is wishful thinking because hosting sports events of that magnitude inevitably contains politics. Sport events are a legit means of taking influence on many incidents around the world. The exclusion of sportsmen can be a viable action in special cases, but in general it should not be like that. Now you can see that the US government has published a list of countries that are blocked from visiting the World Cup. Venezuelans can't support their team and I think Ivory Coast and Senegal is excluded. It is sad because the teams can play and they get exceptions because they are sportsmen, but the message said that supporters and journalists will be excluded unless they get exceptions via other ways.

[Ale88]

We have already discussed about Italy several times in this thread. They still have a good chance of making the cut for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Italy, I would say were a bit unlucky this time. They were placed in a tough group along with Norway and Israel. And their second round path is also not that easy. In the first match they will take on Northern Ireland. If they manage to win that one, they need to face the winners from the Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina match. At least on paper, Italy are the overwhelming favourites to win these matches. 

Let's say that they have a good chance of qualifying for the next World Cup and i think it is very likely that they will do it, Norway was practically perfect and Italy sat down and waited a little too long and Norway punished them for this they have to pay and do the play off

Italy's problems started when they replaced coach Spalletti with Genaro Gattuso due to his inefficiency to handle the Italian national team, the team had already suffered some defeats that has already jeopardise their chances of securing a ticket for the World Cup. So it became difficult for Gattuso to get the job due to how resilient the Norwegian team were at that moment.

Eh? I'm absolutely not a Gattuso fan but how can you say it's his fault? When he was managing Italy at the Euro Cup the team was a disaster, and losing 3-0 in Norway immediately compromised the World Cup qualification. And let's not forget about Mancini, who managed to lose against North Macedonia. So, how are all these fails Gattuso's fault?

[Iamgoat]

This is a true life situation that happened to Italy, a time to rise or shine and a time to fall. Italy is currently experiencing their football downtime on the international stage and will definitely bounce back in no  time if they get the right coach, the appropriate players, and a good management team in place  at the same time. Italy is one of the football countries that I admire so much about their style of play when it comes to the World Cup and wouldn't wait to have them back in full form on the world stage.

Honestly speaking Italy is not the force it used to be in the past and previous ones and there is no benefit to pretend otherwise. I will also say what has weakened Italy's performance over time is poor transitioning of players, lack of proper plannings and their over reliant on their past glories. It is always sad to see a team so deeply rooted in good football identity missing out in major tournaments as Italy is never a small football nation team. This is why I also think if they can bring the right and experienced coach on board and also take some.solid and serious management decisions, rebuild such momentum and come back stronger.

[retreat]

It is sad to see that the euro 2020 winner has to go through the play offs for a world cup ticket, even this is the third time they have to fight in the play offs. If you look at the opponent, on paper, Italy is indeed favored but considering this is the biggest competition, you can't underestimate any country, you have to remember they were eliminated by Macedonia in the previous edition, I just hope Italy passes, not to repeat the previous two editions, because I miss seeing them play in the world cup.

Every country has its worst period in football, and Italy is currently going through that. They have struggled to qualify for the World Cup in recent years because they lack quality players capable of competing at the international level. However, they now have the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup, albeit through the play-offs. They should be able to get through that successfully with the performance they have, and I am confident that they can win and qualify for the World Cup.

[Die_empty]

The big mistake the FIGC did was to underestimate Spelleti and overhyped Gattuso who has little knowledge on how to fix the team. Gattuso only has mouth and good on paper. He's not good on field. He came up with a  game strategy that isn't smart enough to outplay his opponents.

I didn't expect Italy to be left out in this tournament because they are good contenders since they have the quality and players. It's a shame that Gattuso couldn't take this squad to the world cup. However, improving the team should be his main priority.

Rating a coach who has spent less than one year in the Italian national team like this is harsh. The team was already going through some challenges during the days of Spelletti, and the former Fiorentina manager was hired to put the squad in order. He needs time to put the team into a good shape.

Italy is not yet out of the World Cup. They can still qualify if they could win in the playoffs. Their next match will be agasint Northen Irelland in the playoff semi finals. 

[SquallLeonhart]

The might and influence of states like the US is one that gives them so much power to wheel at almost anytime, they are able to influence quite a number of things globally of which this sports is included, like you have rightly put, our expectations will be concerned more with the successful hosting of the World Cup and a good spirit of sportsmanship displayed at every and any point necessary.

While there will be problems behind the scenes, I think USA will do a good organization itself. Like maybe visas getting rejected for some fans and what not from "unwanted" places by USA and all of that, I am sure that will happen.

But the reality is that, when it comes to organization itself, the fun, the entertainment, it will be much better than Qatar. The half time shows, the parties, the stadiums, basically everything will be more fun to watch at home. People at home wouldn't know what is going on. Only downside will be from the people who face the real trouble.

[KTChampions]

For sure Italy will do fine, they are going to be in the world cup, but at the same time we have to remember that it is playoffs and there is never a guarantee. You may do fine, you may do terrible, you never know what's going to happen so you have to be careful.

This is why I think Italy will have to face some trouble, and because of that it is not going to be easy and we are going to end up with something that will take a while for people to end up getting the deserved right they want. Italy "may" lose a game, every team may lose games, just because you are better doesn't mean you will win, it is a higher possibility that they will win both games, it is a very good chance, but it is not a zero chance that they will lose.

It turns out that you are confident, but not at all sure?  Considering that these will be games in the 1-game format, and not a home-away game, I would say that the randomness will be quite high, since anything can happen in one individual game. Neither Northern Ireland nor Wales look weak - at the very least, they're capable of holding out until the penalty shootout, where luck might not be on Italy's side. In terms of odds, I'd give Italy a 55-60% chance of qualifying.

[$weetne$$]

This is a true life situation that happened to Italy, a time to rise or shine and a time to fall. Italy is currently experiencing their football downtime on the international stage and will definitely bounce back in no  time if they get the right coach, the appropriate players, and a good management team in place  at the same time. Italy is one of the football countries that I admire so much about their style of play when it comes to the World Cup and wouldn't wait to have them back in full form on the world stage.

Maybe if they get to qualify from the play off, it will help boost their minds to improving even in the face of this down times we see them going through currently, truly it is a phase that most football teams at a time gets to go through, both national and club teams gets to have downtime where their players are not probably as good as they were in the past but with consistent work and improvement they later get even better.

[Lida93]

Italy's problems started when they replaced coach Spalletti with Genaro Gattuso due to his inefficiency to handle the Italian national team, the team had already suffered some defeats that has already jeopardise their chances of securing a ticket for the World Cup. So it became difficult for Gattuso to get the job due to how resilient the Norwegian team were at that moment.

Eh? I'm absolutely not a Gattuso fan but how can you say it's his fault? When he was managing Italy at the Euro Cup the team was a disaster, and losing 3-0 in Norway immediately compromised the World Cup qualification. And let's not forget about Mancini, who managed to lose against North Macedonia. So, how are all these fails Gattuso's fault?

Gattuso came in with a messianic approach assuring everyone that he could put everything in order for the team to get a World Cup ticket but forgot that it was the same players that the previous coaches were using, were also the same players at his disposal and he didn't make any changes or improvement on the squad. Yet was expecting to get a better result more better than his predecessors, rather his tenure became a disaster because he didn't know what exactly to do when he took over from Spalletti.

[dezoel]

Honestly speaking Italy is not the force it used to be in the past and previous ones and there is no benefit to pretend otherwise. I will also say what has weakened Italy's performance over time is poor transitioning of players, lack of proper plannings and their over reliant on their past glories. It is always sad to see a team so deeply rooted in good football identity missing out in major tournaments as Italy is never a small football nation team. This is why I also think if they can bring the right and experienced coach on board and also take some.solid and serious management decisions, rebuild such momentum and come back stronger.

I think it's more about the fact that they do not have a team that plays together for a long time. They had bunch of older players and they retired and now they got new ones but it is not a generation of players that play together for many games.

Most of the success at world cup comes from teams who play together for a long time, or superstars like Messi or Mbappe. If you do not have either, then you can't hope to do well. Italy neither has a talent like that, nor have even 5-6 players on field who played 3 world cups together.