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

[Ale88]

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.

Seriously, I don't know what you are talking about. These are Gattuso's words during his first press conference as Italy's manager, feel free to translate the article: https://www.fifa.com/it/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/gennaro-gattuso-ct-italia-conferenza-stampa

He never said he could fix everything, quite the contrary, he said his first goal is to talk with the players because he is confident they still have talent and the goal is to bring Italy back to the World Cup. What else should have said? We are shit and we're gonna fail?

Gattuso is a very straightforward person, I don't like him as a manager but as human being he is great, and he is not a liar. I don't recall any declaration like "I assure you I'm gonna fix everything", maybe I missed them, please do me a favor and send a link, thanks!

[Slow death]

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.

Even if they are lucky enough to get through the playoffs and qualify, given the poor quality they have shown, I highly doubt they will go far in the World Cup. Perhaps the Italian federation will be happy with just qualifying, because I highly doubt the Italian Football Federation would have high expectations for this national team if they qualify. If they don't get through the playoffs, then I see the coach's job at high risk. I highly doubt they will keep him if they don't get through the playoffs.

[Ale88]

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.

Even if they are lucky enough to get through the playoffs and qualify, given the poor quality they have shown, I highly doubt they will go far in the World Cup. Perhaps the Italian federation will be happy with just qualifying, because I highly doubt the Italian Football Federation would have high expectations for this national team if they qualify. If they don't get through the playoffs, then I see the coach's job at high risk. I highly doubt they will keep him if they don't get through the playoffs.

Of course the Italian Federation would be happy with the qualification. And so would the fans, including me. We all know there is no way to win the World Cup with the current players, nobody would even dream of that, but that is not the goal. Qualifying to the WC would mean bring back some confidence, experience, and young players would grow.

[Synchronice]

Will this world cup be mostly for the US citizens? I think that many people had a hope that they would get a US visa easily because of the FIFA World Cup 2026 but seeing what's happening in the USA, I think that many people won't go there because they'll be detained by ICE. ICE doesn't care whether you are really for the football or not, they won't let you watch matches, will probably spend weeks in detention center and your journey, what was supposed to be beautiful, will become a nightmare.
Canada sounds the best out of these three but I bet the final will be in the USA.

[tygeade]

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?

I agree, it is not his fault at all. I mean don't get me wrong, Gattuso didn't take over and suddenly made the team something amazing neither, it is not his fault that they are in this position but it is not his talent that brought them out of it neither, we will see how playoffs goes. I think they will be in world cup, but finding a manager that will fit this teams needs was a difficult chore and they are still having trouble.

Mancini, Gattuso, Spaletti, basically all the Italy managers in the recent years were subpar, except the Europe cup win last time they won something, that was good but that's about it and nothing more. Italy may or may not go to world cup, but even if they do, they won't do something great. Spain is where my money is, those guys look amazing.

[BitBakerr1]

I just can’t wait for the World Cup to start, World Cup is the most exciting and interesting football tournament in the world it comes with a different spirit and the players usually put in there best to make sure they lift the trophy, I know we all have countries that we all think may lift the trophy but usually World Cup comes with surprises and that’s what makes it so special, Messi has lift the World Cup in his time it will also be interesting if Cristiano Ronaldo also do same this two players are the best players the world has produced in the same era and they will remain the best, FIFA should do something about the ticket the price is just too much because of the ticket a lot of people that wanted to go and support there country will not go anymore.

[Sarah Azhari]

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.

Italy has seen a decline in the quality of its players over the past two decades, as evidenced by its two failures to qualify for the World Cup. The Italian Football Federation must make major improvements to produce high-quality players capable of maintaining a high level of performance over the long term, as was the case in 2006, when the Italian team's exceptional quality led to its World Cup victory. If nothing changes, Italy will again fail to qualify for the World Cup. If that happens, it would be a tragic tragedy for a team once so respected on the international stage to suddenly sink.

[Uruhara]

I just can’t wait for the World Cup to start, World Cup is the most exciting and interesting football tournament in the world it comes with a different spirit and the players usually put in there best to make sure they lift the trophy, I know we all have countries that we all think may lift the trophy but usually World Cup comes with surprises and that’s what makes it so special, Messi has lift the World Cup in his time it will also be interesting if Cristiano Ronaldo also do same this two players are the best players the world has produced in the same era and they will remain the best, FIFA should do something about the ticket the price is just too much because of the ticket a lot of people that wanted to go and support there country will not go anymore.

All soccer fans are eagerly awaiting the World Cup. and believe me, even though the tickets are quite expensive, there will always be many who want them. But the prices were indeed crazy before. However, for fans whose national teams have qualified for the World Cup, tickets to watch the games are quite cheap, only around 60 USD.¹ and this is available for 104 games, including the final. However, for those whose countries did not qualify for the World Cup, they will have to prepare for more expensive tickets.

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Reference:
1. https://www.fifa.com/id/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/harga-tiket-baru-untuk-piala-dunia-fifa-2026

[dollyamo]

I agree, it is not his fault at all. I mean don't get me wrong, Gattuso didn't take over and suddenly made the team something amazing neither, it is not his fault that they are in this position but it is not his talent that brought them out of it neither, we will see how playoffs goes. I think they will be in world cup, but finding a manager that will fit this teams needs was a difficult chore and they are still having trouble.

Mancini, Gattuso, Spaletti, basically all the Italy managers in the recent years were subpar, except the Europe cup win last time they won something, that was good but that's about it and nothing more. Italy may or may not go to world cup, but even if they do, they won't do something great. Spain is where my money is, those guys look amazing.

Gattuso is following a path that not even the previous top coaches have been able to keep going, it is clear that this is just an excuse and they know that Gattuso will be able to spur the bowers well who will surely know how to follow the rules that a Gernade like Gattuso gives him

[Daniel91]

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...

In fact, the Italian national team failed to qualify for the last 2 World Cups because as the second-placed team they failed to pass the additional qualifications.
In the qualifications for this World Cup they also finished as the second-placed team (behind Norway) and must play additional qualifications again.
Many football fans love Italian football and hope that we will finally see Italy at the World Cup, but the fact is that Italian football has been in a major crisis for a long time, not only the national team but also the Italian clubs and the league.

[martinom]

I just can?t wait for the World Cup to start, World Cup is the most exciting and interesting football tournament in the world it comes with a different spirit and the players usually put in there best to make sure they lift the trophy, I know we all have countries that we all think may lift the trophy but usually World Cup comes with surprises and that?s what makes it so special, Messi has lift the World Cup in his time it will also be interesting if Cristiano Ronaldo also do same this two players are the best players the world has produced in the same era and they will remain the best, FIFA should do something about the ticket the price is just too much because of the ticket a lot of people that wanted to go and support there country will not go anymore.

The World Cup also brings me a lot of happiness and emotion, i must say that this comedy is the best there is despite the lack of players the World Cup always brings me a lot of joy and i think this thing is very contagious for everyone, Clearly even if Italy will not play

[$weetne$$]

The World Cup also brings me a lot of happiness and emotion, i must say that this comedy is the best there is despite the lack of players the World Cup always brings me a lot of joy and i think this thing is very contagious for everyone, Clearly even if Italy will not play

The fact that the world cup has to act like some kind of global unifyer gets some really excited because it becomes something people does look forward to, people wants to see the actions from their countries and others, at that point the game becomes the global language and everyone understands it well enough to wanting to get the a share in the funa nd unity it brings.

[m4r1o]

Italy has seen a decline in the quality of its players over the past two decades, as evidenced by its two failures to qualify for the World Cup. The Italian Football Federation must make major improvements to produce high-quality players capable of maintaining a high level of performance over the long term, as was the case in 2006, when the Italian team's exceptional quality led to its World Cup victory. If nothing changes, Italy will again fail to qualify for the World Cup. If that happens, it would be a tragic tragedy for a team once so respected on the international stage to suddenly sink.

Italy is doing something that the other teams are not doing, they are trying to redo the whole process to try to put everything in place, of course the gap with the other teams is very wide but let's say that they are trying to find the right players

[Ale88]

Will this world cup be mostly for the US citizens? I think that many people had a hope that they would get a US visa easily because of the FIFA World Cup 2026 but seeing what's happening in the USA, I think that many people won't go there because they'll be detained by ICE. ICE doesn't care whether you are really for the football or not, they won't let you watch matches, will probably spend weeks in detention center and your journey, what was supposed to be beautiful, will become a nightmare.
Canada sounds the best out of these three but I bet the final will be in the USA.

First of all I want to say that I really dislike what ICE are doing, going after people who are just trying to make a living working hard. But at the same time let's not spread unnecessary fear: fans who are going to the USA will have a regular touristic permit/visa, so why should they be detained? Do you think ICE will stand in front of the stadiums arresting random tourists with regular visas while the whole world is watching? Even for someone stupid like Trump would be too much.

[AmoreJaz]

First of all I want to say that I really dislike what ICE are doing, going after people who are just trying to make a living working hard. But at the same time let's not spread unnecessary fear: fans who are going to the USA will have a regular touristic permit/visa, so why should they be detained? Do you think ICE will stand in front of the stadiums arresting random tourists with regular visas while the whole world is watching? Even for someone stupid like Trump would be too much.

If there's nothing wrong with their temporary visa, then, there's no reason for them to be in prison. Because before they go to any other country, they should make sure that they won't have problem in terms of their visa or other docs related to it. I don't think USA will just arrest in a live coverage if everyone follows their visa protocols.

I just can’t wait for the World Cup to start, World Cup is the most exciting and interesting football tournament in the world it comes with a different spirit and the players usually put in there best to make sure they lift the trophy, I know we all have countries that we all think may lift the trophy but usually World Cup comes with surprises and that’s what makes it so special, Messi has lift the World Cup in his time it will also be interesting if Cristiano Ronaldo also do same this two players are the best players the world has produced in the same era and they will remain the best, FIFA should do something about the ticket the price is just too much because of the ticket a lot of people that wanted to go and support there country will not go anymore.

This is why most will just prefer to watch via at the comfort of their homes. It will be cheaper rather than watching it in physical. Especially these days, it is much cheaper to just watch the games inside your homes.

[Fiatless]

First of all I want to say that I really dislike what ICE are doing, going after people who are just trying to make a living working hard. But at the same time let's not spread unnecessary fear: fans who are going to the USA will have a regular touristic permit/visa, so why should they be detained? Do you think ICE will stand in front of the stadiums arresting random tourists with regular visas while the whole world is watching? Even for someone stupid like Trump would be too much.

The harassment from these ICE agents can be annoying. They are always questioning people based on their race, colour or accent. These fans will not spend the entire World Cup period in Stadiums. Some fans might want to visit some tourist sites and enjoy themselves. They might be subjected to embarrassing questioning which is not good. Trump has no respect for anybody or institution,.he does anything he wants in the name of making America great.

[Sithara007]

The harassment from these ICE agents can be annoying. They are always questioning people based on their race, colour or accent. These fans will not spend the entire World Cup period in Stadiums. Some fans might want to visit some tourist sites and enjoy themselves. They might be subjected to embarrassing questioning which is not good. Trump has no respect for anybody or institution,.he does anything he wants in the name of making America great.

Why should the fans face any issues from the ICE agents? Those who are traveling to the United States with a valid B1/B2 visa (for tourism) doesn't need to worry. The ICE agents target only those who are in US illegally. But at the same time, getting the B1/B2 visa can be a cumbersome process. When I received the visa a few years back, I had to submit tons of documents at the embassy. But then, if you want to attend the greatest sporting spectacle in the world, I guess you need to spend some time and effort. BTW, there is news from Bangladesh that the embassy is demanding a reimbursable bond of $15,000 per capita for all those who are applying for the US visa.

[Ale88]

First of all I want to say that I really dislike what ICE are doing, going after people who are just trying to make a living working hard. But at the same time let's not spread unnecessary fear: fans who are going to the USA will have a regular touristic permit/visa, so why should they be detained? Do you think ICE will stand in front of the stadiums arresting random tourists with regular visas while the whole world is watching? Even for someone stupid like Trump would be too much.

The harassment from these ICE agents can be annoying. They are always questioning people based on their race, colour or accent. These fans will not spend the entire World Cup period in Stadiums. Some fans might want to visit some tourist sites and enjoy themselves. They might be subjected to embarrassing questioning which is not good. Trump has no respect for anybody or institution,.he does anything he wants in the name of making America great.

Usually ICE go to working site like restaurants, constructions, Home Depot parking lots, street vendors, etc etc, I never heard about ICE going after people in touristic places because things could really escalate at international level: imagine you don't know exactly what is going on, you see a bunch of masked people, with no ID badge or any type of identification, going toward you and your family, what would you think? Maybe you try to defend your family and they shoot you, just to find out you are a tourist with a regular visa. Naaah, it would be a huge shitstorm at that point, not worth the risk.

[Daniel91]

The harassment from these ICE agents can be annoying. They are always questioning people based on their race, colour or accent. These fans will not spend the entire World Cup period in Stadiums. Some fans might want to visit some tourist sites and enjoy themselves. They might be subjected to embarrassing questioning which is not good. Trump has no respect for anybody or institution,.he does anything he wants in the name of making America great.

Why should the fans face any issues from the ICE agents? Those who are traveling to the United States with a valid B1/B2 visa (for tourism) doesn't need to worry. The ICE agents target only those who are in US illegally. But at the same time, getting the B1/B2 visa can be a cumbersome process. When I received the visa a few years back, I had to submit tons of documents at the embassy. But then, if you want to attend the greatest sporting spectacle in the world, I guess you need to spend some time and effort. BTW, there is news from Bangladesh that the embassy is demanding a reimbursable bond of $15,000 per capita for all those who are applying for the US visa.

Fans will probably not have problems with ICE but with border services (immigration officers) at the airports.
They will have to prove financial capacity, personal itinerary, accommodation, etc. If they fail to prove this, they will not be allowed to enter the US, even if they have tickets for the matches.
Another big problem for all fans will be the astronomical prices of football tickets, huge accommodation costs, travel costs, etc.
This will certainly be the most expensive football World Cup ever and the average fan will have a hard time raising the necessary finances to attend and watch the matches in person.

[7juju]

Will this world cup be mostly for the US citizens? I think that many people had a hope that they would get a US visa easily because of the FIFA World Cup 2026 but seeing what's happening in the USA, I think that many people won't go there because they'll be detained by ICE. ICE doesn't care whether you are really for the football or not, they won't let you watch matches, will probably spend weeks in detention center and your journey, what was supposed to be beautiful, will become a nightmare.
Canada sounds the best out of these three but I bet the final will be in the USA.

What you are saying doesn't make any sense. So you think that ICE will randomly arrest anyone in the street or around the stadium when they know that the world cup is going on and fans of different countries will be in their country to support their national teams. If you go to the US legally for the world cup why will you be detained? There's definitely going to be documents that will indicate that you came to the country for the world cup. Everything you said here are all lies. The US will be safe for the world cup and their traveling fans. Saying that ICE don't care if you are there to watch football or not is a false information you are spreading, and it's not healthy for the community.