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

[Sithara007]

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.

After his departure from the Saudi Professional League, Neymar has played a total of 23 matches for Santos in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. During the last three months, he has played 3 matches. I am not sure whether he is 100% fit. But what are the other options for Carlo Ancelotti? This is no longer the Brazilian team of the 1990s. Back then, Brazil had a dozen world class players in their squad. At the moment, they have only Neymar. IMO, irrespective of whether he is 100% fit or not, he needs to be included in the squad. And remember that Brazil is being placed in a tough group in the group phase. They have Morocco and Scotland for company.

[KTChampions]

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.

Ancelotti is not a gambler and will not take a player who can randomly make +300% impact or (with a much higher probability) get injured or show a terrible performance. Neymar doesn't fit into Ancelotti's plans at all, I understand perfectly why. The problem for Ancelotti is that if Brazil performs worse than expectations (which are incredibly inflated relative to the team's real capabilities), then he will be remembered for everything, and especially for not taking Neymar.

[cande86]

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.

Neymar has always been in the infirmary and i don't understand how anyone can feel offended after a failed call-up like the one the other day, Ancelotti has done his job and i understand that he may have seemed a bit unsympathetic or resentful of Neymar but he couldn't have called him up, better if he kept him for the summer games

[8rch7]

You can't separate between politic and sport exactly in football, maybe you can remember well with Silvio Berlusconi as the former of Milan and have crucial position in political. The same in World Cup 2026 many crucial problem faced when any country make attack to other country easily banned but looks at Israel and United State current attacking Venezuela and Iran but FIFA never giving punishment until right now US still comfortable as the host of World Cup 2026.
I don't know about FIFA when my country Indonesia banned as the host of World Cup U20 after our government reject the Israeli national team and FIFA moving to other country, but what happen right now when United State not guarantee with Iran national team safety?

[Lida93]

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.

For me, I think it would be a good thing for Brazil and Neymar if he gets another call up to the Brazilian national team or perhaps he gets included in the World Cup list, it's been quite a while since he got excluded due to some reasons beyond his control, though Carlo Ancelotti has been hinting at a possible return for the former Barcelona player but right now it seems it isn't the right time for the player to get this long awaited call up and I think it is best that everyone respects the decision of the coach, I don't see how this would affect the player's World Cup chances but I know Neymar is so eager to return to the national team.

[jostorres]

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.

I do not think that Brazil is depending on Neymar, in general they just depend on good players and they do not have a team that is as good as it used to have.

Back in the day, they would have players all around the world at the best clubs, some at the same club some not so much, but these days they do not.

Ederson is their GK, who is 32 and not that great anymore, Vini and Rodrygo from Madrid and maybe one or two other players who are decent but they do not have eleven players who are all great, which is their problem.

[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.

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.

How can Brazil be dependent on Neymar when since 2022 he played only 6 matches with the national team? And his last appearance was in late 2023, so almost 3 years ago by the time the World Cup will start. Considering how bad many Brazilian players are, Neymar could be called up but the problem is not his quality rather than his physical condition. Ancelotti can't call a player who barely plays.

[Hanadawa]

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 and sports are almost inseparable, although some argue that politics shouldn't overlap. There are some sports that can indeed separate politics and sports. But in this discussion, I believe we can never separate football and politics. Football, especially the World Cup, is an international stage and attracts the attention of everyone around the world. At this level, a team represents its country, both culturally and politically. Even the president will attend the World Cup to watch his country.

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.

I think so too. Even though he's past his prime, Neymar remains one of the GOATs and a truly iconic Brazilian legend. He still has a huge influence on the mentality of other Brazilian players. I doubt Neymar will be on fire at this year's World Cup. But he can provide moral support for other Brazilian players, and I think Neymar is the only one who truly has a significant influence on the Brazilian national team right now.

[Sithara007]

How can Brazil be dependent on Neymar when since 2022 he played only 6 matches with the national team? And his last appearance was in late 2023, so almost 3 years ago by the time the World Cup will start. Considering how bad many Brazilian players are, Neymar could be called up but the problem is not his quality rather than his physical condition. Ancelotti can't call a player who barely plays.

Even if he is not 100% fit, he needs to be included in the squad. Because at the moment, Brazil has very few players capable of replacing him. They have players such as Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha, João Pedro and Gabriel Martinelli. But none of these players are capable of replacing Neymar. And the question is not even regarding his fitness. I know that Carlo Ancelotti doesn't like Neymar, and the dislike is mainly due to personal issues. Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) need to step in here and send a strong message to Ancelotti that personal preferences should be kept out of team selection.

[banana33]

I think so too. Even though he's past his prime, Neymar remains one of the GOATs and a truly iconic Brazilian legend. He still has a huge influence on the mentality of other Brazilian players. I doubt Neymar will be on fire at this year's World Cup. But he can provide moral support for other Brazilian players, and I think Neymar is the only one who truly has a significant influence on the Brazilian national team right now.

I'm sorry not to see him play, it could indeed certainly be his last World Cup and I understand the motivations of both Ancelotti and Neymar.
However, he could also make him play little or bring him in at the end of some matches, he has to understand Neymar's mood a little.

[bitgolden]

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.

On top of that, are we really sure that Neymar is even good anymore?
I mean I have seen some highlights and I have to say he doesn't even look that great anymore.

All those injuries made him much slower, he is not as agile as he used to be and that prevents him from playing like he used to, all of that wonders that he had at Barcelona is long gone, and even PSG times are gone by the looks of it.

You knew that he is semi-retired and only continue to play the moment he was sent from Saudi Arabia.

[Sithara007]

Mixed signals are coming regarding Iran. According to Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), they will boycott the matches if they are being scheduled in the United States, but would participate in the tournament in case their matches are shifted to Mexico. On the other hand, some of the other countries have requested to move their matches from Mexico to the United States, given the drug violence in that country. Iran is placed in the same group as New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, and in case they participate, there is a good chance that they will qualify for the next round.

[teddybear]

Mixed signals are coming regarding Iran. According to Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), they will boycott the matches if they are being scheduled in the United States, but would participate in the tournament in case their matches are shifted to Mexico. On the other hand, some of the other countries have requested to move their matches from Mexico to the United States, given the drug violence in that country. Iran is placed in the same group as New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, and in case they participate, there is a good chance that they will qualify for the next round.

I don't think Iran has any plans of playing the World cup. They were inclined to play if their games was shifted to Mexico but I doubt it'll happen. US will not budge for such requests especially against a country they are currently at war against. Regarding Mexico, I'm sure it'll be safeguarded by the time World cup kicks about. US will help make sure there aren't any hiccups for the world cup. It is already not a good look that they are at war with another country while a major global event is going to take place in their country.
I do have a bad feeling about this World cup though. I think there's higher risk of terrorism happening in US than in Mexico, looking at the current political and military climate.

[bastisisca]

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.

Yes, I've heard that with the war and other things, the polymarket has become very famous. i know that Trump's son, Barron, hangs out there a lot and that he's made several questionable bets.

I hope he includes him personally, it would be nice to see him play for the last time in the World Cup.

[tygeade]

Brazil will not be that great with or without Neymar, they are just not a "team" as in great together. They may have some individual talent, there is no doubt about that, but individual talent means nothing if you are not a team. They literally got into world cup barely, and they had to defeat some very low ranked teams to be able to do that. They are not the best in south America, and not only that but they are not even looking like top three.

I think if we see them get knocked off on the group stage that would not be impossible. But whatever happens, Neymar or not, they are going to definitely not win the whole thing, they are nowhere near the level of other teams. It's been a while since they have been any good.

[Italian Panic]

Mixed signals are coming regarding Iran. According to Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), they will boycott the matches if they are being scheduled in the United States, but would participate in the tournament in case their matches are shifted to Mexico. On the other hand, some of the other countries have requested to move their matches from Mexico to the United States, given the drug violence in that country. Iran is placed in the same group as New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, and in case they participate, there is a good chance that they will qualify for the next round.

OK, let’s suppose Iran agrees to take part so that they can play their matches in Mexico. But if they pass to the next round and have to play their next matches in the united states, what will they do? Are we going to move the entire World Cup to Mexico just because Iran doesn’t want to play in the United States?
At this point, even if they let another nation take their place despite having qualified, the problem remains that by now someone has bet on Iran progressing to the next round, and we face the same issue as what happened in Africa: what about those who bet on Morocco winning? Now the bookmakers would have to pay them out. They’re making a huge confusion over nothing.

[YOSHIE]

OK, let’s suppose Iran agrees to take part so that they can play their matches in Mexico. But if they pass to the next round and have to play their next matches in the united states, what will they do? Are we going to move the entire World Cup to Mexico just because Iran doesn’t want to play in the United States?

It's interesting to discuss, I remember that the Iraqi national team during the turbulent football war under Saddam's responsibility often experienced torture when they lost, but during the conflict the Iraqi national team only focused on regional tournaments or certain regions such as the Middle East and Asia. that's the fact that I see.

I'm sure Iran will be the same as what happened to Iraq, if they boycott and take any action, the same thing will happen to Iranian football, maybe we will see them only focus on countries like Asia and the Middle East, Of course there is no story about going to the US, at least Mexico is not sure, because Mexico is also part of the US continent.

[JeffBrad12]

Mixed signals are coming regarding Iran. According to Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), they will boycott the matches if they are being scheduled in the United States, but would participate in the tournament in case their matches are shifted to Mexico. On the other hand, some of the other countries have requested to move their matches from Mexico to the United States, given the drug violence in that country. Iran is placed in the same group as New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, and in case they participate, there is a good chance that they will qualify for the next round.

It's double edge sword for Iran to be honest. If they still attend to the states games, they play in the country that bombed them. If they moved their games to the Mexico, there's no safety for their players caused by they play in the country that is still in the war between the govt vs cartels.
The only possible thing to request Fifa to relocate their games to Canada. However, i doubt FIFA will accept it caused by it likes give a special privilege to a team, and i believe other nations are gonna do the same.

[m4r1o]

Even if he is not 100% fit, he needs to be included in the squad. Because at the moment, Brazil has very few players capable of replacing him. They have players such as Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha, João Pedro and Gabriel Martinelli. But none of these players are capable of replacing Neymar. And the question is not even regarding his fitness. I know that Carlo Ancelotti doesn't like Neymar, and the dislike is mainly due to personal issues. Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) need to step in here and send a strong message to Ancelotti that personal preferences should be kept out of team selection.

Brazil can easily do without Neymar whether the fans want him or not, this player spends more time in the infirmaries than playing, now we can't expect him to be called up by Ancelotti, at least for now, he will certainly try to call him up when he is in better shape in the summer

[hyudien]

Brazil can easily do without Neymar whether the fans want him or not, this player spends more time in the infirmaries than playing, now we can't expect him to be called up by Ancelotti, at least for now, he will certainly try to call him up when he is in better shape in the summer

I've heard that Neymar has been working on his fitness and re-training his skills, but given the possibility of him never returning to his prime, and the fact that there are so many promising young, high-quality players in the Brazilian national team right now, I think the chances of Neymar fans and I seeing him participate in the World Cup are slim. Perhaps he should let this tournament go and let the current generation shine. And I'm quite confident that under Ancelotti leadership, Brazil can have a big say in this major event.