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

[katanic97]

Source

Imagine a country withdraw themselves due to the ongoing conflict happened in their country. Yet, they potentially to be pinalized by FIFA if they are withdrawing themselves from World Cup 2026. If they really get a ban by FIFA after their country bombed. I have no word for FIFA other than "disgusting".
If it's happening, i'm sure this World Cup is gonna be absolute joke.

I understand FIFA rules forces team to play in the spot that they earned. However, it's kinda weird if FIFA keeps force them to play when their country is under serious conflict. At this point i think FIFA is only wanting to impose them fines. 

The President of the host nation has said that the security of the Iranian football national team and its officials is not guaranteed. FIFA wants these players to go and risk their lives in a nation that is an enemy. Can FIFA guarantee the security of these patriotic Iranians?  FIFA would prove that it is biased if Iran is sanctioned for withdrawing from the competition. If any country deserves a sanction, it should be the US for making it difficult for people to enjoy the World Cup.   

It’s only natural for Trump to say that – he can’t exactly come across as a madman in front of FIFA! It’s only natural for him to say things that aren’t true, but unfortunately we all know the exact opposite is the case: Iran won’t be a welcome guest at this World Cup, and I feel sorry for them – they’d earned their place in the competition and now have to withdraw because of the internal conflict in their country

Yeah, politics should never mix with sport, but somehow it always does. I feel bad for Iran too, at the end of the day, it's just football, and the world cup is the biggest tournament any national team can play in. I'm not really sure which country could replace them if they pull out, but from what’s being said in the media, Iraq is the most likely option

[Shadiq]

Yeah, politics should never mix with sport, but somehow it always does. I feel bad for Iran too, at the end of the day, it's just football, and the world cup is the biggest tournament any national team can play in. I'm not really sure which country could replace them if they pull out, but from what’s being said in the media, Iraq is the most likely option

Politics in sports is a very disgusting thing, I don't like politics in sports at all. However, I support the steps taken by Iran for the safety of their players. We have seen how brutal Trump is towards his enemies before. How they killed innocent children and ordinary people in Palestine. His brutality is also seen in the Epstein file. In this regard, the Iranian authorities will certainly not want to see their players in such danger, especially when there is an ongoing war between Iran and the United States. Trump may choose to capitalize on Iranian players to blackmail Iran. The current World Cup will certainly create some controversy over the ongoing war. This World Cup may even be the most scandalous World Cup in history.

[giorgione]

For me I feel he could have still called Neymar to their squad list. Even though he doesn't play much at least he will be a good utility player. The last world cup, Neymar was super fantastic and on best among the squad. This Brazil team needs a leader, look at Argentina and Portugal they added their best players to the upcoming world cup. I saw Andy Santo on list and I was wondering, whether he is even as good as Neymar. Ancelotti should rethink this , Neymar is a great player. It's quite disappointing that one of the best players won't be in this world cup.

Neymar is undoubtedly one of the best players there has been in recent times, but then time after time his condition has gotten worse and now his level is not at all comparable to Neymar of the past, so it is not possible to call him up for such important matches and he has also had many chances.

[banana33]

I also think Neymar should be called up for these last friendlies. If Ancelotti thinks he's not 100% physically fit, he doesn't need to play the full 90 minutes of every game. Just having him in the squad already provides a huge boost, whether it's coming off the bench or simply being a reference figure for younger players.

About Andrey Santos, he's a promising and talented midfielder, but he's still developing and isn't a regular starter at Chelsea, which currently has many quality options in midfield. This doesn't mean he lacks potential, but he's nowhere near Neymar at this stage of his career.

There will still be the final squad announcement before the World Cup, let's hope Neymar isn't left out.

I don't think Ancelotti needs to test a player if he thinks he isn't capable of playing a match in his team, i would trust him, and it wouldn't take me long to understand that the lack of call-up is just due to the fact that he isn't constant and Ancelotti no longer considers him an incisive player like he used to be.

[Agbe]

Yeah, politics should never mix with sport, but somehow it always does. I feel bad for Iran too, at the end of the day, it's just football, and the world cup is the biggest tournament any national team can play in. I'm not really sure which country could replace them if they pull out, but from what’s being said in the media, Iraq is the most likely option

Politics in sports is a very disgusting thing, I don't like politics in sports at all. However, I support the steps taken by Iran for the safety of their players. We have seen how brutal Trump is towards his enemies before. How they killed innocent children and ordinary people in Palestine. His brutality is also seen in the Epstein file. In this regard, the Iranian authorities will certainly not want to see their players in such danger, especially when there is an ongoing war between Iran and the United States. Trump may choose to capitalize on Iranian players to blackmail Iran. The current World Cup will certainly create some controversy over the ongoing war. This World Cup may even be the most scandalous World Cup in history.

Let me tell you Political activities in football.  In football has happened again on Africa. Senegal won the AFCON (African Nations Cup) in the field with a clear clean goal but the football body in Africa, CAF, has given a verdict yesterday that Morocco won the Cup. Till now we don't know which of the law enacted that verdict, that is a pure Politics. As for the Iran, the politics is not clear, but I have a politics view on the power balancing which making the Iran to withdraw from the tournament. And Iran government is trying to safeguard his citizens from unnecessary attack if there will be any. And FIFA is trying to make sure that every qualified team should play. FIFA is interested on their benefits of the WC. If Iran finally will not participate, Irag or United Arab will replace them in the slot. And that is another strong politics on ground.
There are different news. We will confirm everything when the World Cup finally starts.

[Italian Panic]

Neymar is undoubtedly one of the best players there has been in recent times, but then time after time his condition has gotten worse and now his level is not at all comparable to Neymar of the past, so it is not possible to call him up for such important matches and he has also had many chances.

Brazil has always been an incredible talent factory and has no major trouble replacing someone like him. Neymar possesses incredible technical ability, but he decided to become an ex - football player more time ago, first by playing in a rather unsportsmanlike manner and training poorly, and then by moving to Saudi Arabia, with nothing to do but make money. Then he returns to Santos and is often out of physical shape. If at 34 years old he want to play in a World Cup he have to train twice as hard as everyone else and stay in top condition. It’s a shame that a player like him won’t be there, but perhaps he should learn from cr7, messi and modrić how to stay physically competitive.

[verdinio]

Because they are playing the playoffs too, it's not only about friendly matches. The nationals league are not playing anyway. And the teams that are already qualified of course will take this opportunity to test the players one last time before the beginning of the competition. Not playing a single match for 4-5 months before the World Cup doesn't make sense, the managers need to see how the teal will perform while approaching the group stage phase.

yeah, these are the most important matches for the Italian national football team and everyone knows it, they absolutely must qualify, and they must do it on behalf of the entire nation who are calling them to play in the World Cup after so many years, they will be followed by the entire nation and they know it, they will give their best.

[SquallLeonhart]

While I respect the hell out of Ancelotti, I think Brazil squad just doesn't have what it takes to win anything right now. I know that they are famously a great team, but in this case I do not see them doing anything great at all, the squad is not better than at least three teams, probably four.

I think France is better, Argentina is still better, and Spain has gotten insanely good recent years so they are looking better too. England may play better or not, I am not sure about that part. So all in all I would say that this isn't that easy for Brazil to win and they will probably lose yet another world cup.

[Die_empty]

Brazil has always been an incredible talent factory and has no major trouble replacing someone like him. Neymar possesses incredible technical ability, but he decided to become an ex - football player more time ago, first by playing in a rather unsportsmanlike manner and training poorly, and then by moving to Saudi Arabia, with nothing to do but make money. Then he returns to Santos and is often out of physical shape. If at 34 years old he want to play in a World Cup he have to train twice as hard as everyone else and stay in top condition. It’s a shame that a player like him won’t be there, but perhaps he should learn from cr7, messi and modrić how to stay physically competitive.

With the recent form of Neymar Jr., I don't think he has what it takes to be in the World Cup squad of Brazil. Neymar is not as good as he was a few years ago due to injuries and other factors. Even if Carlo Ancelotti wants to add him to the squad it should be for off-the-pitch activities like motivating players and supporting them. It's not a shame that he would not be in the squad is just that he has passed his prime time and should allow younger players to contribute to the team.

[Sithara007]

While I respect the hell out of Ancelotti, I think Brazil squad just doesn't have what it takes to win anything right now. I know that they are famously a great team, but in this case I do not see them doing anything great at all, the squad is not better than at least three teams, probably four.

I think France is better, Argentina is still better, and Spain has gotten insanely good recent years so they are looking better too. England may play better or not, I am not sure about that part. So all in all I would say that this isn't that easy for Brazil to win and they will probably lose yet another world cup.

Let me get this straight. Brazil is very dependent on Neymar. May not be at a level that the Portuguese are dependent on Ronaldo, but still the dependency is there. Now the difference here is that Ronaldo is a very reliable player, while Neymar is not so much so. He gets injured very often, and once that happens the Brazilian campaign gets derailed (similar to what happened during the 2022 Qatar edition). If you ask me whether Brazil rank among the top-5 teams who are favoured to become the champions in this edition, then my answer would be no.

[slapper]

Carlo Ancelotti has just officially announced the squad for the final friendlies before the World Cup, in which Brazil will face France and Croatia.

These matches will be important tests for Brazil, facing teams like France and Croatia will give a clearer idea of ​​how competitive this Brazilian team really is at an international level.

I thought Ancelotti would field a team more similar to the one that will compete in the World Cup, but he surprised us by bringing in several new names that had never been called up before. And still no sign of Neymar being called up again...

Honestly, I keep wondering what the point is of having friendly matches now, knowing that the World Cup games are so close, and teams are playing in many competitions: the European Champions League, the Europa League, local league cups, and the main local leagues. With so many games and so little rest, why does FIFA still have this terrible habit of scheduling friendly matches when the World Cup is approaching?

Player injuries usually last weeks or months, and any injury now to an important Brazilian player could result in a very big loss for the club and for the Brazilian national team itself. In my opinion, Ancelotti should have called up less important players for this friendly, but knowing him, he wouldn't do that; he will play very seriously to win.

But the French coach is the type of coach who wouldn't field all his best players; I believe he'll field less prominent players. Knowing that Mbappé was injured, I highly doubt the coach would start him from the beginning.

These aren't even realy "friendlies". Not the way we used to think about it.

I get the injury fear. Rodrygo already blew his ACL. Going down the entire tournament. Militao out too. So the injury anxiety is very real. But is that also exactly why these games must take place? He needs to know that WHO steps up when everything breaks.

You're actually right about Deschamps but maybe not for the reasons you think. Mbappe just came back from a knee thing and played the Champions League literally the day before camp. Real Madrid's doctors will have their say. He's getting, if we're lucky, 20 minutes.

I still cringe at the scheduling of the game by FIFA. Completely agree there. These players are tired humans and not machines. Vinicius on his own has played so many games this season I honestly freak watching him. And he's basically the whole of Brazil's attack now that Rodrygo's gone.

Brazil has not won a World Cup since 2002. Twenty-four years. Ancelotti is not wasting a single game.

[Hewlet]

Yeah, politics should never mix with sport, but somehow it always does. I feel bad for Iran too, at the end of the day, it's just football, and the world cup is the biggest tournament any national team can play in. I'm not really sure which country could replace them if they pull out, but from what’s being said in the media, Iraq is the most likely option

If a country gets bullied by a threat of ban or eventually gets banned because they withdrew from the world cup for safety reasons, it only goes to show the dark side of our sporting system and obviously it's something that's condemnable to the peak. The world cup can be the biggest football tournament a nation wants to be a part of but that's never to the detriment of the lives of players involved in. What's going to be the joy of playing in a tournament that my safety is not guaranteed at all?

[Spaceman1000$]

Source

Imagine a country withdraw themselves due to the ongoing conflict happened in their country. Yet, they potentially to be pinalized by FIFA if they are withdrawing themselves from World Cup 2026. If they really get a ban by FIFA after their country bombed. I have no word for FIFA other than "disgusting".
If it's happening, i'm sure this World Cup is gonna be absolute joke.

I understand FIFA rules forces team to play in the spot that they earned. However, it's kinda weird if FIFA keeps force them to play when their country is under serious conflict. At this point i think FIFA is only wanting to impose them fines. 

The President of the host nation has said that the security of the Iranian football national team and its officials is not guaranteed. FIFA wants these players to go and risk their lives in a nation that is an enemy. Can FIFA guarantee the security of these patriotic Iranians?  FIFA would prove that it is biased if Iran is sanctioned for withdrawing from the competition. If any country deserves a sanction, it should be the US for making it difficult for people to enjoy the World Cup.   

It’s only natural for Trump to say that – he can’t exactly come across as a madman in front of FIFA! It’s only natural for him to say things that aren’t true, but unfortunately we all know the exact opposite is the case: Iran won’t be a welcome guest at this World Cup, and I feel sorry for them – they’d earned their place in the competition and now have to withdraw because of the internal conflict in their country

Yeah, politics should never mix with sport, but somehow it always does. I feel bad for Iran too, at the end of the day, it's just football, and the world cup is the biggest tournament any national team can play in. I'm not really sure which country could replace them if they pull out, but from what’s being said in the media, Iraq is the most likely option

In situations like this, I feel the reasonable one should be FIFA, they should be considered in delivering judgment to this particular issue. Iran is clearly at war with the US, it is fair for them not to come to the competition because it's like sending your people to your enemies territory, and Iran wouldn't want to compromise the safety of her people, so exciting the tournament comes naturally to them. But FIFA should understand this and give reasonably judgement.

[bastisisca]

I also think Neymar should be called up for these last friendlies. If Ancelotti thinks he's not 100% physically fit, he doesn't need to play the full 90 minutes of every game. Just having him in the squad already provides a huge boost, whether it's coming off the bench or simply being a reference figure for younger players.

About Andrey Santos, he's a promising and talented midfielder, but he's still developing and isn't a regular starter at Chelsea, which currently has many quality options in midfield. This doesn't mean he lacks potential, but he's nowhere near Neymar at this stage of his career.

There will still be the final squad announcement before the World Cup, let's hope Neymar isn't left out.

I don't know, i think he didn't call him up not because he doesn't like him or because he's not strong.
but why in his opinion can't he handle matches like that?
Of course Neymar is against it but the truth remains, physically he is not like 4 years ago, this is a shame but the reality is this

[Ale88]

While I respect the hell out of Ancelotti, I think Brazil squad just doesn't have what it takes to win anything right now. I know that they are famously a great team, but in this case I do not see them doing anything great at all, the squad is not better than at least three teams, probably four.

I think France is better, Argentina is still better, and Spain has gotten insanely good recent years so they are looking better too. England may play better or not, I am not sure about that part. So all in all I would say that this isn't that easy for Brazil to win and they will probably lose yet another world cup.

Ancelotti doesn't have anything to do with the current situation. He is simply working with the players he has available. Right now Brazil have no Ronaldo, no Rivaldo, no Ronaldinho, they have no real stars like they used to have. And please don't mention Vinicius because he played almost 50 games scoring only 8 goals. Ronaldo scored 8 goals just during the 2002 World Cup...

[Sithara007]

I don't know, i think he didn't call him up not because he doesn't like him or because he's not strong.
but why in his opinion can't he handle matches like that?
Of course Neymar is against it but the truth remains, physically he is not like 4 years ago, this is a shame but the reality is this

Polymarket has already put up a bet for Neymar's inclusion in Brazil's world cup squad (right now stands at 41% chance of exclusion). Exclusion from the warmup match doesn't mean much IMO. He is the backbone of Brazilian team, and the coach will include him in the final squad whether he personally likes him or not. That said, during the past few years his form has remained wobbly. During the 2022 World Cup, he had to pull out due to an injury, which effectively ended the Brazilian campaign. And then he joined the Saudi Professional League, and after playing just a couple of matches in two years he returned back to Brazil.

[Publictalk792]

Polymarket has already put up a bet for Neymar's inclusion in Brazil's world cup squad (right now stands at 41% chance of exclusion). Exclusion from the warmup match doesn't mean much IMO. He is the backbone of Brazilian team, and the coach will include him in the final squad whether he personally likes him or not. That said, during the past few years his form has remained wobbly. During the 2022 World Cup, he had to pull out due to an injury, which effectively ended the Brazilian campaign. And then he joined the Saudi Professional League, and after playing just a couple of matches in two years he returned back to Brazil.

Dispute surrounding joining of Neymar in World Cup team is divided into two, his old fame and his body state that has not played much in last two years in Saudi Arabia. Although much of people still see him as skill leader, Brazilian coach has worked to make younger and faster team in his absence and this is why betting chances show high chance that he may not even be joined at all of 41%. People have heard about his shaky body and most are worried that his 2022 injury was step back to the team and there is real worry that bringing him back to field might be bad choice in case he is unable to give full 90-minute match. As long as he has just come back to playing in Brazil with Santos, he is only going to be joined as long as he can show that he can last well around next few weeks or coach picks to use him as super bench-player in last minutes of games. His future will lastly be whether he can prove to be body strong enough to match his talent before final team list is out.

[retreat]

For me I feel he could have still called Neymar to their squad list. Even though he doesn't play much at least he will be a good utility player. The last world cup, Neymar was super fantastic and on best among the squad. This Brazil team needs a leader, look at Argentina and Portugal they added their best players to the upcoming world cup. I saw Andy Santo on list and I was wondering, whether he is even as good as Neymar. Ancelotti should rethink this , Neymar is a great player. It's quite disappointing that one of the best players won't be in this world cup.

Until now, Neymar has not recovered 100%, so Anceloti cannot include him in the main squad because he is afraid that his poor condition will not allow him to play optimally and Anceloti cannot risk playing players who cannot play optimally and will disrupt the team's performance. Neymar is a great player, but he is past his prime, so even though it is quite a shame that he is not included in the main squad, people will not mind that too much because Anceloti also has his reasons. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't have another chance, he still has that if he is able to recover, but I don't think that he is capable enough to recover 100% in this short time.

[pewboy]

Politics in sports is a very disgusting thing, I don't like politics in sports at all. However, I support the steps taken by Iran for the safety of their players. We have seen how brutal Trump is towards his enemies before. How they killed innocent children and ordinary people in Palestine. His brutality is also seen in the Epstein file. In this regard, the Iranian authorities will certainly not want to see their players in such danger, especially when there is an ongoing war between Iran and the United States. Trump may choose to capitalize on Iranian players to blackmail Iran. The current World Cup will certainly create some controversy over the ongoing war. This World Cup may even be the most scandalous World Cup in history.

yes politics should never exist in sport but this has always been there unfortunately and will never change, times change but things are always the same, now i don't understand what they have to bring to football in particular, where they don't let a team participate because there are wars, i don't like this thing.

[banana33]

Dispute surrounding joining of Neymar in World Cup team is divided into two, his old fame and his body state that has not played much in last two years in Saudi Arabia. Although much of people still see him as skill leader, Brazilian coach has worked to make younger and faster team in his absence and this is why betting chances show high chance that he may not even be joined at all of 41%. People have heard about his shaky body and most are worried that his 2022 injury was step back to the team and there is real worry that bringing him back to field might be bad choice in case he is unable to give full 90-minute match. As long as he has just come back to playing in Brazil with Santos, he is only going to be joined as long as he can show that he can last well around next few weeks or coach picks to use him as super bench-player in last minutes of games. His future will lastly be whether he can prove to be body strong enough to match his talent before final team list is out.

Unfortunately, even if he is a great champion, the name is not enough, and Ancelotti knows it well.
It's not out of malice that he doesn't want him to play, of course, the reasons are different and everyone knows it.
If he proves he can get back into physical shape, for me, i see no reason. The problem is that he doesn't have the physical form that allows him to play.