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

[KTChampions]

I don’t see Mbappe missing out on this World Cup because that injury definitely seems to be something that he can recover from before the World Cup. I don’t think Mbappe injury actually requires surgery or deep surgery like that which means he will recover just in time. If he actually does miss the World Cup that will be a huge blow to France because regardless of his form he is there best attacker
~

At first they wrote that he had a back of the thigh injury, now they are writing something related to the hamstring. I think that if the injury is not so serious that surgery is necessary, then conservative treatment will be enough so that he doesn’t miss the World Championship. The problem is that it seems like Mbappé isn't making a difference anymore. He scores a lot of goals, but he's not exactly carrying the team on his shoulders. I'm not convinced he's critically important for the French national team.

[SuperBitMan]

I don’t see Mbappe missing out on this World Cup because that injury definitely seems to be something that he can recover from before the World Cup. I don’t think Mbappe injury actually requires surgery or deep surgery like that which means he will recover just in time. If he actually does miss the World Cup that will be a huge blow to France because regardless of his form he is there best attacker
~

At first they wrote that he had a back of the thigh injury, now they are writing something related to the hamstring. I think that if the injury is not so serious that surgery is necessary, then conservative treatment will be enough so that he doesn’t miss the World Championship. The problem is that it seems like Mbappé isn't making a difference anymore. He scores a lot of goals, but he's not exactly carrying the team on his shoulders. I'm not convinced he's critically important for the French national team.

He has been constantly having injuries over and over again ever since he came to Real Madrid and that’s very bad for a footballer, if things continue like this no one will take him serious anymore I will advise him to stay out till the end of this season because one of the reasons he has not fully recovered from his injury is because he has never fully recovered before always coming back so he should recover fully so he can play the World Cup very well.
He is a very good player and his very important in the French national team, they really need him even if his not doing well in the club, since they have not lifted a trophy however his always doing his part in Real Madrid by scoring remember it’s a team work even if I think Real Madrid would have been better without him.

[aipercoin]

Luka Modri? is indeed needed by Croatia in the coming World Cup, and if he wouldn't make it (which is mostly unlikely), they had better reshuffle the whole midfield, for his style is unique, and I don't think they can find a style replacement for him. Well, there's still time, as his zygomatic fracture takes about a month or so to fully heal.

And for Croatia in the midst of Panama, England, Ghana, with England being the first to play against, I believe Croatia is fit for the task. Being 11th in FIFA ranking is not a joke. No country should be taken lightly, but England is the only issue I see here, and if England is not careful, anything can happen.

I believe that there is time to evaluate whether a replacement is necessary for him and that there is still a long time to go, it would certainly be a serious loss for them that they absolutely cannot afford to lose, that's for sure, i must say that they are truly at a lower level without him, i really think so.

[paco92x]

Luka Modric in terms of experience and performances let's say that he has no rivals in Europe and practically given his age, still at very high levels, Croatia is certainly no longer the one in the final against France, but let's say that he can still do a lot, it will certainly be interesting to understand what he will do.

It will be good to see him in the World Cup and I think that, even at his age, he is still our best midfielder. However, some bright stars are also on the rise, so we think that even after Modrić, we can hope to have quality in the midfield. But when the final whistle blows in his final game, a whole nation will be sad and proud at the same moment to have had a player like him represent our country.

[bastisisca]

I am not sure how dependent Croatia is on Modric. They have quite a few young players, but none of them have achieved the level of fame that he has managed to achieve. All that said, the Croatian national football team continues to outperform, compared to their counterparts in Serbia and Bosnia. The main issue for them is that in the next 2-3 years, they need to replace a number of their players who are close to retirement. These players are Luka Modri?, Andrej Kramari?, Ante Budimir and Ivan Peri?i?.

Fame is not something you can spend on the football pitch, what is needed is innate skill, and very few people have this, and also experience and this is achieved by playing.
In Italy we have cut off the experience of young Italian talents, so in the national team we have people who don't know how to play well.

[rezakurnia66]

Luka Modric in terms of experience and performances let's say that he has no rivals in Europe and practically given his age, still at very high levels, Croatia is certainly no longer the one in the final against France, but let's say that he can still do a lot, it will certainly be interesting to understand what he will do.

Luka Modric playing 33 games in Serie A this season and no doubt he can participants at World Cup 2026 and exactly will be the last world cup in his career, I think Croatia team still need him and Modric keep become good role model for other player. Interested for the World Cup 2026 we can see many older players not only Luka Modric have been 40 years old but also has Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi many of them are the important players for their national teams.
Lets make bit prediction which one older players will perform well in World Cup 2026 will bring their national team reach the higher round as the last their appearance in World Cup?

[bitgolden]

As per info from the Croatian newsletters, Modrić will definitely end his Seria A season, but will be available for the World Cup in North America. He will be playing with a face mask; the injury is only at high risk in the first couple of weeks. Later, wearing the face mask is necessary with no strong consequences. So, there is some good news for him and all the Croatia fans.

Thankfully, he is still available to play in the World Cup --- because the icon of Croatia is Luka Modric even though he is old he is still able to play full time 90 minutes, because he always maintains his fitness.
By using a mask to protect against injury again then I hope it does not reduce his quality on the field, I think Modric can still play better in the World Cup later.

I would say he will not matter as much as people think. While I am sure he will be back, dude is 40 years old and while he is still a decent player, I do not think that he is good enough to change anything for the team.

Croatia isn't as good as last world cup, or the one before that, they are looking worse to me, and I am sensing that they are going to end up with some bad results on this one. We should not be expecting much from this on this world cup, with more teams on the way as well, they should be knocked off earlier.

[banana33]

It is a face injury, so should not impact his game. Anyway, the first match for Croatia in the tournament is still around 1.5 months away. Modri? may not play in Serie A anymore this season, and there is a chance that he may announce his retirement after the world cup. His contract assures him of a salary of around ?3.5 million per year from AC Milan, but those numbers are not extremely important given his career earnings so far. The contract is structured in such a way to end in 2026, with an option to extend it to another season. I have a feeling that Modri? may opt against the extension of this contract, given his age and injury issues.  

he still has a lot of time to recover everything he has to do, he will have some mega treatments, i don't understand the people who are insulting Locatelli for the foul, there are game clashes that are fortuitous and this is one of those that couldn't have been done otherwise the boy certainly didn't do it intentionally.

[Volgastallion]

We are aproaching to this new world cup and as far as i see i dont have a clear favorite to lift the title of world champion, maybe the title defender argentina and the eurocup winner Spain are the two best options but still didnt see clearly them as super favorites.

Germany lacks a lot of things, England is England always having problems, Brazil is not what we used to see, so not so many teams remain with real chances.

[MArsland]

It is a face injury, so should not impact his game. Anyway, the first match for Croatia in the tournament is still around 1.5 months away. Modri? may not play in Serie A anymore this season, and there is a chance that he may announce his retirement after the world cup. His contract assures him of a salary of around ?3.5 million per year from AC Milan, but those numbers are not extremely important given his career earnings so far. The contract is structured in such a way to end in 2026, with an option to extend it to another season. I have a feeling that Modri? may opt against the extension of this contract, given his age and injury issues.  

he still has a lot of time to recover everything he has to do, he will have some mega treatments, i don't understand the people who are insulting Locatelli for the foul, there are game clashes that are fortuitous and this is one of those that couldn't have been done otherwise the boy certainly didn't do it intentionally.

According to the news, Modric has undergone surgery on his left cheek and was successful so he can recover before the world cup and participate with his national team, I will not blame anyone for the incident, in a match especially it is a big match, such incidents are not impossible to happen I also do not see that there is an element of deliberation, it was purely accidental, I'm sure Locatelli also did not want it to happen.

[giorgione]

Modrid has not yet lost his chance to participate in World Cup. There are still enough time for him to recover. His country is also feeling very optimistic with it. Even if he can't recover like what his country expected, he can still use a protective mask to keep play in the World Cup.

So i think we shall not feel worry about him because i believe his doctor is also thinking what best solution for him to still be able to participate in his last World Cup.

Hopefully, speedy recovery for him. I don't wanna see him miss his last biggest football competition.

im also very optimistic about this, i don't understand how we can't recover from this injury, its clear that he will put his all into taking part in the next world cup, in addition to the fact that i think it will also be the last one for him, even more so he will do everything to be there and participate.

[pewboy]

At his 40 age, his body recovery will be slower than young players but he is still a world class player with general good performance quality in this season. So Croatia will try to wait for his recovery till the end and perhaps he will be called for World Cup 2026 and be used there properly with a protective mask. This is surely a last World Cup for Modric and he will not want to miss it by this injury reason while as said he will be able to recover but likely not too ready for World Cup.

Just get hurt, even just half a time and then you're out.
For me, signing players who are too old is a risk and a danger. Even if it's good on their part, you always have to hope that he doesn't get hurt. Clearly his experience would really give a lot to the team.

[snipie]

I believe that there is time to evaluate whether a replacement is necessary for him and that there is still a long time to go, it would certainly be a serious loss for them that they absolutely cannot afford to lose, that's for sure, i must say that they are truly at a lower level without him, i really think so.

I am seeing several cases of famous players being injured or having surgery few weeks before the FIFA World Cup. I hope that no one of them miss that opportunity to kick some records in their career.
Modric, although he is an aged player, remains a mastermind for the Croatian national football team. His absence will reduce drastically their chances to advance. I suppose he can recover quickly, even partially, and play with a protective mask.
I see also talks about Kylian Mbappe. I believe that the French national football team will struggle a lot without him in the attack line.

[Lucius]

I would say he will not matter as much as people think. While I am sure he will be back, dude is 40 years old and while he is still a decent player, I do not think that he is good enough to change anything for the team.

Croatia isn't as good as last world cup, or the one before that, they are looking worse to me, and I am sensing that they are going to end up with some bad results on this one. We should not be expecting much from this on this world cup, with more teams on the way as well, they should be knocked off earlier.

Worse in what way compared to the last two World Championships? Apart from Modric being injured (he should be ready by the start of the competition), I don't see what you see as any degradation in the team's play?

They lost to Brazil and beat Colombia in friendly matches, but they passed their group in the qualifiers without defeat and with only 4 goals conceded. Besides, they have a coach who is not world-famous, but is better than 90% of those everyone has heard of - and yet everyone underestimates them as before, which is only a big advantage for a team that comes from a country of 3.5 million people.

[Cryptoprincess101]

I don’t see Mbappe missing out on this World Cup because that injury definitely seems to be something that he can recover from before the World Cup. I don’t think Mbappe injury actually requires surgery or deep surgery like that which means he will recover just in time. If he actually does miss the World Cup that will be a huge blow to France because regardless of his form he is there best attacker
~

At first they wrote that he had a back of the thigh injury, now they are writing something related to the hamstring. I think that if the injury is not so serious that surgery is necessary, then conservative treatment will be enough so that he doesn’t miss the World Championship. The problem is that it seems like Mbappé isn't making a difference anymore. He scores a lot of goals, but he's not exactly carrying the team on his shoulders. I'm not convinced he's critically important for the French national team.

Of course, Mbappe is an important player to the France national team but that doesn't mean they don't have alternatives if he is unfit due to an injury. France can still make a perfect squad at the world cup without him because they have Ousmane Dembele and Hugo Ekitike as forwards who can manage the frontline and there is also Michael Olise at the midfield who can supply assists and can also score. Nevertheless, Mbappe should not use because of the world cup and put himself in a difficult situation by trying to manage an injury, he should be properly examined and treated adequately before assessing his fitness. There's a new season after the world cup which he needs to be fit too so he should not make a bad situation to become worse.

[Die_empty]

I am seeing several cases of famous players being injured or having surgery few weeks before the FIFA World Cup. I hope that no one of them miss that opportunity to kick some records in their career.
Modric, although he is an aged player, remains a mastermind for the Croatian national football team. His absence will reduce drastically their chances to advance. I suppose he can recover quickly, even partially, and play with a protective mask.
I see also talks about Kylian Mbappe. I believe that the French national football team will struggle a lot without him in the attack line.

Playing in the World Cup is the dream or desire of every player. You see players cry because they would not compete. These are some of the players who might not make it to the World Cup because of injuries. Hugo Ekitike, Rodrygo, Xavi Simons, Serge Gnabry, Takumi Minamino, and Samu Aghehowa. Some players are injured, but they are hoping that they will be fit before the competition starts. Some of them are Estêvão, Lamine Yamal, Cristian Romero, Mohamed Salah, Eder Militão, and Luka Modric.

The major injury that has sidelined them for this long time is the rupture of the Achilles tendon and the anterior cruciate ligament.

https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/48607614/world-cup-injuries-ruled-play-hugo-ekitike-rodrygo-lamine-yamal

[changaa]

I would consider Croatia as one of the strongest teams from the UEFA confederation. They have performed consistently in FIFA championships over the time. During the 2022 edition, they finished at the third place. Back in 2018, they defeated England and entered the finals (where they lost to France). And this was achieved after they were placed in a tough group in 2014 (along with Brazil, Mexico and Cameroon), and failed to qualify for the knockout phase. Irrespective of whether Modri? is fully fit or not, I am expecting another strong performance from them.

Oh God let's not even exaggerate the strongest ones, no the strongest are others in my opinion.
Croatia is a tough team, infamous from certain points of view, but not strong.
If you put a good team on the field, you neutralize them very simply in reality.

[Jaycoinz]

I am seeing several cases of famous players being injured or having surgery few weeks before the FIFA World Cup. I hope that no one of them miss that opportunity to kick some records in their career.
Modric, although he is an aged player, remains a mastermind for the Croatian national football team. His absence will reduce drastically their chances to advance. I suppose he can recover quickly, even partially, and play with a protective mask.
I see also talks about Kylian Mbappe. I believe that the French national football team will struggle a lot without him in the attack line.

Playing in the World Cup is the dream or desire of every player. You see players cry because they would not compete. These are some of the players who might not make it to the World Cup because of injuries. Hugo Ekitike, Rodrygo, Xavi Simons, Serge Gnabry, Takumi Minamino, and Samu Aghehowa. Some players are injured, but they are hoping that they will be fit before the competition starts. Some of them are Estêvão, Lamine Yamal, Cristian Romero, Mohamed Salah, Eder Militão, and Luka Modric.

The major injury that has sidelined them for this long time is the rupture of the Achilles tendon and the anterior cruciate ligament.

https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/48607614/world-cup-injuries-ruled-play-hugo-ekitike-rodrygo-lamine-yamal

This has been a normal phenomenon in football as sometimes these injuries even give rise to the opportunity of other players to actually have the chance to be called and some of them even use that medium to go on and show how talented and capable they are also some gets big club offers after their wonderful performance in the world cup. We don't pray for any player to be injured especially in this particular period when the world cup is very near.

[retreat]

I see also talks about Kylian Mbappe. I believe that the French national football team will struggle a lot without him in the attack line.

Mbappe's injury is unfortunate because he is a key figure in the French national team. His absence from the squad could seriously impact their performance. Although the French national team still has several big names, losing Mbappe is still a shame for them. That's why, France is currently reportedly continuing to monitor the progress of his recovery, to ensure that it is going as well as possible. And fortunately, his injury is not so serious that it will keep him in bed for a long time, so it is expected that he will recover quickly, but he still needs time to recover and needs to be careful, or else he could be injured again.

[DiMarxist]

I see also talks about Kylian Mbappe. I believe that the French national football team will struggle a lot without him in the attack line.

Mbappe's injury is unfortunate because he is a key figure in the French national team. His absence from the squad could seriously impact their performance. Although the French national team still has several big names, losing Mbappe is still a shame for them. That's why, France is currently reportedly continuing to monitor the progress of his recovery, to ensure that it is going as well as possible. And fortunately, his injury is not so serious that it will keep him in bed for a long time, so it is expected that he will recover quickly, but he still needs time to recover and needs to be careful, or else he could be injured again.

Let's just be hopeful and pray that the injury will not keep him from partaking in the world cup which, is just by the Conner. Mpape is the engine room of the French national team so if Mpape is not there in the world cup things will be somehow difficult for the French national team. It will be very hard for any player to fill the space of mpape as far as that team is concerned, I wish him quick recovery.