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

[Qzino]

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.

Mbappe is undoubtedly a key player in the French national team, and he is well-experienced in his line of action, so the French government can go to any extent to make sure he is back on his feet soon to join their national team. But since his injury is nothing too serious, there is every possibility that he could recover quickly to join his national team for the forthcoming World Cup.
We wish him a speedy recovery and a good outing in this forthcoming World Cup tournament.

[Ale88]

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.

In my opinion Spain are the clear favorite for the upcoming World Cup, especially thanks to Yamal. Argentina are a good team but they still rely on a 39-year-old player who is now playing in the MLS. I find interesting that nobody is mentioning Portugal because it Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't get in the way (I mean pretending to always play), they are a serious candidate: Vitinha, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes, Bruno Fernades, Bruno Silva, Ruben Dias, just to mention a few.

[Sithara007]

In my opinion Spain are the clear favorite for the upcoming World Cup, especially thanks to Yamal. Argentina are a good team but they still rely on a 39-year-old player who is now playing in the MLS. I find interesting that nobody is mentioning Portugal because it Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't get in the way (I mean pretending to always play), they are a serious candidate: Vitinha, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes, Bruno Fernades, Bruno Silva, Ruben Dias, just to mention a few.

I don't agree with your opinion.

Spain is a good team, but I will not consider them in the top-3. Argentina, France and England are the strongest teams in this edition of the FIFA World Cup, IMO. And if you look at odds provided by Polymarket, France are the favorites at 16%, followed by Spain at 15%. England and Argentina are at 11% and 9% respectively. According to Stake.com, Spain is at 5.50 and France is at 6.25. England, Brazil and Argentina are next at 7.00, 9.00 and 9.00 respectively. Goal.com has Spain at the top, with 5.50. France is at 7.00. Also, I don't agree with the assumption that Argentina is overdependent on Messi. They have talented young players such as Julián Alvarez, Nicolás González and Enzo Fernández.

[Ale88]

In my opinion Spain are the clear favorite for the upcoming World Cup, especially thanks to Yamal. Argentina are a good team but they still rely on a 39-year-old player who is now playing in the MLS. I find interesting that nobody is mentioning Portugal because it Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't get in the way (I mean pretending to always play), they are a serious candidate: Vitinha, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes, Bruno Fernades, Bruno Silva, Ruben Dias, just to mention a few.

I don't agree with your opinion.

Spain is a good team, but I will not consider them in the top-3. Argentina, France and England are the strongest teams in this edition of the FIFA World Cup, IMO. And if you look at odds provided by Polymarket, France are the favorites at 16%, followed by Spain at 15%. England and Argentina are at 11% and 9% respectively. According to Stake.com, Spain is at 5.50 and France is at 6.25. England, Brazil and Argentina are next at 7.00, 9.00 and 9.00 respectively. Goal.com has Spain at the top, with 5.50. France is at 7.00. Also, I don't agree with the assumption that Argentina is overdependent on Messi. They have talented young players such as Julián Alvarez, Nicolás González and Enzo Fernández.

France of course are one of the main candidates too, I was talking about THE main candidate in my opinion. The odds are not that important because I see in your post that England, Argentina and Brazil are all at 7.00: how can this Brazil have the same odds as England and Argentina that are clearly superior? Brazil would need a miracle to win the World Cup.

[m4r1o]

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.

Unfortunately, injuries happen and when you are unlucky, it happens that these injuries coincide with a very important sporting event such as the World Cup and for footballers this is the event of events that can become the fulfillment of a dream, even just playing it, sorry but that's the case, but it may be that they manage to recover.

[Lucius]

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.

Name me one country that has a population of less than 4 million and has won three medals at world championships in the last 30 years? By the way, Croatia has only existed as an independent country since 1991, so I wonder how many medals it would have had if it had existed since the world championships were held?

What I want to say is that Croatia has a continuity of producing very good and excellent players, and no one can say that it is not a strong team by any criteria.

[cande86]

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.

I believe that participation in the World Cup will happen for Luka Modric. i think it is possible for him to be there, also because it is truly an added value. Clearly regarding the accident, i believe that there is the possibility of avoiding an accident like this. These are game clashes that happen. Nothing can be done.

[Lida93]

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.

Undoubtedly the most valuable asset in the French national team at the moment, I can't imagine France in the World Cup without Kylian Mbappe, he has played in two World Cups and have being very impactful for his country in both tournaments at Russia and Qatar respectively.
These frequent injury problems could be very detrimental to the player and might even affect his fitness level and also have some negative effect on his mentality, so it's better he starts thinking about the World Cup and not his club since there's nothing more to play for this season at Madrid.

[Sithara007]

France of course are one of the main candidates too, I was talking about THE main candidate in my opinion. The odds are not that important because I see in your post that England, Argentina and Brazil are all at 7.00: how can this Brazil have the same odds as England and Argentina that are clearly superior? Brazil would need a miracle to win the World Cup.

Agreed. It is illogical to have the same odds for Argentina and Brazil. The former is miles ahead of the latter and Brazil will not even figure in top-10 in my list. Probably Stake will modify their odds, as we get closer to the kickoff. Brazil is in poor shape, and it is not yet know whether Neymar will be included in the squad for the world cup. Carlo Ancelotti is yet to announce the squad BTW, and he need to do that before 25th May. It is well known that he is against the inclusion of Neymar in the playing XI. That said, they do have very good players such as Vinícius Júnior, Richarlison and Raphinha, who are in the good books of Ancelotti. 

[banana33]

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.

I think that these players always want to wait and play, they also try to keep their physical efforts at bay, this is normal and regular if they always want to do well, clearly this is a job they have to do to conserve their energy and show off all their best performances during the world cup.

[Fiatless]

What I want to say is that Croatia has a continuity of producing very good and excellent players, and no one can say that it is not a strong team by any criteria.

Croatia has established itself as one of the most successful underdogs in the history of the World Cup. One silver medal and two bronze with a population of four million is commendable. I remember watching Davor Šuker leading Croatia to win third place after beating the Netherlands in their first World Cup appearance in 1998. He went ahead to win the Golden Boot and the Silver Ball. He was my favourite player when I was younger. I hope Luka Modric would be fit for the world cup and I wish Croatia all the best.

[Unsoldier]

Information regarding Iran's participation in the World Cup became clear today. FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated: "Of course, Iran will play in the United States of America. The reason for that is simple, because we have to unite. We have to bring people together." I am very glad that the Iranians will be playing in the World Cup; I hope the military conflict with the US does not interfere with their performance.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cewp1pxyqggo

[Ale88]

Information regarding Iran's participation in the World Cup became clear today. FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated: "Of course, Iran will play in the United States of America. The reason for that is simple, because we have to unite. We have to bring people together." I am very glad that the Iranians will be playing in the World Cup; I hope the military conflict with the US does not interfere with their performance.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cewp1pxyqggo

So... It became clear because Infantino told everything is ok? Why don't we ever hear some declarations directly from the Iranian football association? Because of course Infantino must pretend everything is under control, what is he supposed to say? The World Cup begins in 2 months and we have no clue about Iran's intentions?

[Sithara007]

Information regarding Iran's participation in the World Cup became clear today. FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated: "Of course, Iran will play in the United States of America. The reason for that is simple, because we have to unite. We have to bring people together." I am very glad that the Iranians will be playing in the World Cup; I hope the military conflict with the US does not interfere with their performance.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cewp1pxyqggo

The ceasefire is still in place, and there have been no new reports of any bombings or ballistic missile attacks from either side. Only the naval blockade remains in place. But even then, will Iran take the risk of sending it's team to the United States? For that to happen, they need to get assurances from FIFA regarding the safety of the players. And given the current scenario I don't think that FIFA is in a position to provide any of that. The issue here is that the longer this drags on, it gets more difficult for FIFA to get Iran replaced by any other team. If they pulls out at the last minute, then the 2026 edition will have 47 participants instead of 48.

[TastyChillySauce00]

It seems fans are trying to explore the way to attend at the world cup without paying a lot of money. It's such a very smart move by Tartan Army to charter school bus to avoid non sense fees charged by US regulators in the transport. I think all of football fans who keen to go to US will be exploring this loophole by chartering any non-FIFA licensed transport.
We may be seeing more create idea showed by fans from other countries to avoid the non sense cost applied to the all of infrastructure to go to the WC. No doubt that this has to be the worst WC. It's because the regulators are robbing fans from other countries instead of treat them all like tourists.

[aipercoin]

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.

True, unfortunately in some ways modern football is fast and fun, even very spectacular.
On the other hand, the physical effort to which the players are subjected is very high and therefore the body cannot always withstand all the superhuman efforts to which they are subjected. Let's hope some can make it.

[Nahl]

It seems fans are trying to explore the way to attend at the world cup without paying a lot of money. It's such a very smart move by Tartan Army to charter school bus to avoid non sense fees charged by US regulators in the transport. I think all of football fans who keen to go to US will be exploring this loophole by chartering any non-FIFA licensed transport.
We may be seeing more create idea showed by fans from other countries to avoid the non sense cost applied to the all of infrastructure to go to the WC. No doubt that this has to be the worst WC. It's because the regulators are robbing fans from other countries instead of treat them all like tourists.

US has high transportation costs even the people have to spend $80 - $90 for one time travel which this is very expensive and i think what Scotland people did is very creative because it can reduced transportation fees during world cup and regardless all of it i can see Scotland people have very exticed to watch their national team playing that's why they will do anything to support their team and i think it's normal if Scotland people do not missed the opportunity to support the team

Finally after 28 years Scotland can playing again at the world cup and speaking about Scotland chances i think they can do much for the current world cup because because this is their gold generation in the last decaded and many of the players from Scotland national team currently playing at big teams such as Andrew Robertson from Liverpool or Scott McTominay who currently playing with Napoli and i think Scotland at least can advances to next round

[Lucius]

What I want to say is that Croatia has a continuity of producing very good and excellent players, and no one can say that it is not a strong team by any criteria.

Croatia has established itself as one of the most successful underdogs in the history of the World Cup. One silver medal and two bronze with a population of four million is commendable. I remember watching Davor Šuker leading Croatia to win third place after beating the Netherlands in their first World Cup appearance in 1998. He went ahead to win the Golden Boot and the Silver Ball. He was my favourite player when I was younger. I hope Luka Modric would be fit for the world cup and I wish Croatia all the best.

There's no doubt that he was a great player, but as a person he wasn't exactly famous in the eyes of his homeland. Besides having a gambling problem, he also liked to appropriate other people's things - once he stole valuable coins during a flight, and even though the flight attendants asked all the passengers and him personally, he didn't want to return them. He was later caught when he tried to sell them.

As for 1998, there are probably few people in this thread who remember that match - unfortunately, many believe that they could have gone to the final then, but one man (a Frenchman) played the match of his life that very night and sent Croatia into the fight for third place. A new opportunity is coming soon, and I hope that Croatia will once again show that it can go far in the competition.

[Agbe]

The ceasefire is still in place, and there have been no new reports of any bombings or ballistic missile attacks from either side. Only the naval blockade remains in place. But even then, will Iran take the risk of sending it's team to the United States? For that to happen, they need to get assurances from FIFA regarding the safety of the players. And given the current scenario I don't think that FIFA is in a position to provide any of that. The issue here is that the longer this drags on, it gets more difficult for FIFA to get Iran replaced by any other team. If they pulls out at the last minute, then the 2026 edition will have 47 participants instead of 48.

Yes the tension is gradually going down. For the risk taking, the Football Federation of Iran and FIFA will discuss that and agreed on a term for them to go and play if their matches fall on US. That is a play ground and US or Iran will not do anything to disrupt the events. The risk is not only on Iran but also in US. And FIFA will be held responsible for any action that will take place there. And people would blame FIFA that they could not provide an adequate security in the events. With all this analysis, I believe everything will be okay and seeing the ceasefire discussion.

[Sithara007]

True, unfortunately in some ways modern football is fast and fun, even very spectacular.
On the other hand, the physical effort to which the players are subjected is very high and therefore the body cannot always withstand all the superhuman efforts to which they are subjected. Let's hope some can make it.

Workload for the players has increased tremendously during the past few years. An average player now takes part in 40 to 60 club matches and anywhere up to 15 international matches per year. A few decades ago, the work load was half of this. With increased work load, comes increased risk of injury. Clubs are spending big amounts to purchase top players and therefore they force the players out in the field even if they are not 100% ready. Advances in medical science has alleviated the consequences to some extent, but it can't be eradicated completely.