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

[Webetcoins]

We find this big, next world cup will be in Spain and Portugal and Morocco, which is fine and not a big deal to be fair, still wider than I would like it to be, but at least it's fine. But there will be games in Argentina and Paraguay and Uruguay!

All the way across the Atlantic, I understand that it's not all games, still, some teams will have to travel for that, makes no sense to me at all.

At least 2034 will be in Saudi Arabia, while I dislike them personally, I am glad that it's back to just being one nation, makes it simpler for all that are involved.

[Ale88]

Portugal as one of the favorites?

Nope. Not even in top-10.

At this point I am extremely interested to read your list of these 10 teams that are clearly better than Portugal. Please, go ahead.

They have the best football player in the world with them.

I really hope you are not talking about the 41-year-old guy who plays in Saudi Arabia, are you?

But it is in defense and mid-field that they struggle.

They struggle with the midfielders? What kind of sport do Vitinha and João Neves play? Without even mentioning Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes. The PSG duo are among the best midfielders in the world, and for you they struggle?

And unless you have a balanced team, you can't face the top teams like France and Argentina.

Did you ever take a look at Argentina's defenders? The only decent one is Romero.

[Jewan420]

Everybody has their preference, right? For me, Portugal looks more promising, they are part of the team that is well compact from attack to defense. Their players in their respective clubs are doing very well.

What other team do you have in mind, besides Spain, Argentina, and France to win the 2026 WC.

Playing in a club and playing on the international stage are not the same. If you evaluate the performance of the players in the club, then you can't exclude Brazil from the list of favorites either. Because every player in Brazil is a key player for his own club and the performance is also great. Portugal is not yet a favorite to win the World Cup as an international team.

I am not thinking of any other team to win the World Cup except Argentina, France and Spain, but I have Portugal in mind until the semi-finals.

[tygeade]

I don't believe with what Infantino said. He's looking for a short term solution and he tries to keep Iran's participation as a escapegoat. He knows even if he let Iran to take the spot, but they are not coming. So what's the different by not allowing them to take the spot? It's just a smartplay from FIFA.

I think we're all know FIFA is always caring by themselves. If they were serious in welcoming Iran to the US, they would be changing the venue.

I think they should go, they should really go. That way, we will see who USA really is. What are they going to do? Jail someone from the Iranian team? A player? A staff? A worker from Iranian football federation? Hell even a fan? Let it happen, that would be great for Iran, yes you will be putting one person at risk of being jailed, but that would also show the whole world that Iran went to world cup and USA was the one who did the crime, and they can use that to PR all over the world how bad USA really is.

USA will have to be smart about it, they have to be really really careful during the world cup, there are many nations who hate USA because of what they have done all over the world, but the security is very important this summer.

[retreat]

I don't know what was going through Gianni Infantino's mind when he called Palestine Football Association President Jibril Rajoub to shake hands with Basim Sheikh Suliman, the vice president of Israel's soccer governing body. He knew how bad the relationship between the two countries was, but he still tried to get them to shake hands, which made the situation awkward. If he wanted to spread a message of peace and unity, it wouldn't have been the right time, given the pressure from Israel on Palestine and the double standards FIFA has imposed on Israel. This is why I call Gianni Infantino a clown. He doesn't understand anything and is just a puppet of a wealthy country.

[Oluwa-btc]

Francis and Spain are many people's favorites to win the World Cup this year.

Brazil? The team is still unstable and I'd rather have Argentina who I think is OK than Brazil.

Portugal is a great team with great depth now, I can't predict now, because in the World Cup it might be a different scenario, but I hope it's not too bad.

Spain Actually and Argentina. They're the only worthy side. I want to  say Portugal but I can not because of the manager Roberto Martinez.

Carlos Ancelotti just came in, I don't see them winning not even with him. They need a Brazilian in charge of the job.

A good set of lions lead by a goat will forever be weak asf. I don't have mo faith in Roberto Martinez, I have seen more than enough during the qualifies.

[Accardo]

Portugal is indeed one of the favorites in this World Cup. In the group stage, Portugal was in an easier group and they would certainly qualify for the round of 16, even as group winners. This World Cup will be Ronaldo's last. Ronaldo is very ambitious to win the World Cup trophy before retiring. Ronaldo's presence in the Portuguese national team squad is crucial because he is indeed the most influential player. Perhaps in this World Cup Ronaldo is no longer playing like at the peak of his career due to his age, but Ronaldo still has a good goal-scoring instinct and his presence on the field is worth watching for opposing teams. In terms of player quality, Portugal has great players, and I hope Portugal can go far in this World Cup.

Ronaldo would be a strong tactical assistant to his team mates, which would be of huge impact to the performance of the boys in this world cup, but they've never stayed consistent in reaching the last stages of the past world cup events. Their chances isn't that strong this time around too. Ronaldo could be eager or anxious of having a taste of the trophy before hanging his boots, yet it's not recorded that way, he could do it, sure, but Portugal has not recorded a strong experience in winning this competition, which is the kind of factor that should be looked into very closely, the round of 16 and quarterfinals is normally their bus stop, and it won't be surprising to watch them repeat stopping at that stage this year.

[Ale88]

They need a Brazilian in charge of the job.

Oh, yes, because all the last Brazilian managers obtained brilliant results, didn't they? After Tite, who managed the team from 2016 until 2022 with acceptable results (I'm being kind), they had Ramon Menezes for a few months in 2023, then Fernando Diniz until 2024 (who made history because Brazil lost their first-ever home game in World Cup qualifiers in November 2023), and then Dorival Júnior, who managed to lose 4-1 against Argentina. But sure, having a Brazilian instead of one of the best coaches in football history for sure would change everything.

[shinratensei_]

I don't know what was going through Gianni Infantino's mind when he called Palestine Football Association President Jibril Rajoub to shake hands with Basim Sheikh Suliman, the vice president of Israel's soccer governing body. He knew how bad the relationship between the two countries was, but he still tried to get them to shake hands, which made the situation awkward. If he wanted to spread a message of peace and unity, it wouldn't have been the right time, given the pressure from Israel on Palestine and the double standards FIFA has imposed on Israel. This is why I call Gianni Infantino a clown. He doesn't understand anything and is just a puppet of a wealthy country.

You must not be surprised with it. It's just FIFA showed a gesture about "No politic in the football". It's the thing that FIFA doesn't understand is that they will never ever able to unite the opressor and the victim in the war. I thik this is a new low for FIFA.
FIFA is really lost the plot here. Anything they do are against the public opinion. No doubt the they got more hatred comes to them. They act like there's nothing happened before.

[Mr Reporter]

Cristiano Ronaldo lifting the world cup at this age will be an interesting one he's still playing very well and scoring goals in almost every matches he's playing, some set of people are saying that he won't be functioning very well in the world cup for Portugal but I believe he will do even what we don't expect him to do meaning he will perform very well in the world cup because this is his last going to the world cup before he retires so his going to give it his best, I really wish he will be able to lift the world cup I believe when he does that he will be more fulfilled in his football career I'm not saying he won't be fulfilled without the world cup, because he has achieve a lot of things but I just wish he can be able to lift the world cup also.

The Portuguese national team has wonderful players to back Cristiano Ronaldo in winning the World Cup. It is very possible, especially with Roberto Martínez; anything is possible.

The point you missed is that, left with Ronaldo's performance, he can't win the World Cup. It has to be a team performance. With Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha, and Rúben Dias in massive form this season, it is very possible that Portugal is one of the favorites for the 2026 World Cup.

Now this are what most teams fail to understand is that football game those not just only work out for just one player and well I feel that was the Portugal squad was stacked…now they need to have such understanding that Ronaldo is reaching out to his 41 and he is graduating from another stage of life to another stage so this mean he is going weaker every day that passes by….

Pepe did his retirement at the age of 40 so the big question is why is Ronaldo still on the peach still footballing…well for now I think Ronaldo is just missing some point well hope he just get balanced if he did get balanced his going to still Lead the team in beating whoever stands in their ways..

[Sithara007]

Now this are what most teams fail to understand is that football game those not just only work out for just one player and well I feel that was the Portugal squad was stacked…now they need to have such understanding that Ronaldo is reaching out to his 41 and he is graduating from another stage of life to another stage so this mean he is going weaker every day that passes by….

Pepe did his retirement at the age of 40 so the big question is why is Ronaldo still on the peach still footballing…well for now I think Ronaldo is just missing some point well hope he just get balanced if he did get balanced his going to still Lead the team in beating whoever stands in their ways..

There is no need to compare Ronaldo with Pepe, or any other player. Ronaldo is yet to show any signs of ageing, unlike several other players who are in their mid-30s or late 30s. And as long as he is able to maintain his fitness levels, we should not think too much about his age. BTW, Portugal is placed in a relatively easy group in the first phase. Other teams in their group are Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia. And even in the round of 32, they will be facing the third placed team from one of these groups: D, E, I, J and L. So initial matches will be quite easy for them.   

[KTChampions]

Spain Actually and Argentina. They're the only worthy side. I want to  say Portugal but I can not because of the manager Roberto Martinez.

Carlos Ancelotti just came in, I don't see them winning not even with him. They need a Brazilian in charge of the job.

A good set of lions lead by a goat will forever be weak asf. I don't have mo faith in Roberto Martinez, I have seen more than enough during the qualifies.

Your takes often make me think that you watch football from the moon  The Brazilians need a Brazilian coach. LMAO, there's no need to even comment on that.
By the way, France and England are now quoted better than Argentina and I would call the differences in quotes significant: 6.0 and 7.5 versus 9.5. But if you really believe only in Spain and Argentina, bet on these two teams and you will definitely end in profit.

[SilverCryptoBullet]

Your takes often make me think that you watch football from the moon  The Brazilians need a Brazilian coach. LMAO, there's no need to even comment on that.
By the way, France and England are now quoted better than Argentina and I would call the differences in quotes significant: 6.0 and 7.5 versus 9.5. But if you really believe only in Spain and Argentina, bet on these two teams and you will definitely end in profit.

In globalized world and modern football, national teams can be coached by any coach from any other nation. In this World Cup, Spain are strong but they look like too dependent on Lamine Yamal while this young player got an injury and not yet known that he will be ready for World Cup 2026. England and France are better than Spain and Argentina because they have better squads and deeper player resources too.

France try to win another World Cup with this player generation after lifting a title in World Cup 2018 while England try to win a first big title not only with this player generation but after many decades since World Cup 1966. They have never won any big titles like World Cup or Euro since 1966 which is a very long time ago.

[M47AK16]

Portugal as one of the favorites?

Nope. Not even in top-10. They have the best football player in the world with them. But that alone can't guarantee the world cup trophy. In the group phase, teams that are dominated by individual players perform well. But things get tough during the knockout phase. And for this edition, there is an extended knockout phase, starting with the Round of 32. As such, Portugal is a decent team. To support Ronaldo, they have players like João Félix, Gonçalo Ramos and Francisco Conceição. But it is in defense and mid-field that they struggle. And unless you have a balanced team, you can't face the top teams like France and Argentina.

Lol, I thought I was going mad when I saw that. Portugal is not even remotely close to be being a candidate, they are not even remotely possible to win the league at all. I get that it is not going to happen, and the main candidates are the ones we all know.

In theory, France, Spain, England, Brazil and Argentina have the chance, and even in that case I do not think Brazil does, not anymore, they did not look good at all for the qualifiers and I do not think they will be fixed and doing better. So France, Spain and Argentina are the ones for the title, to me of course.

[Ale88]

Portugal as one of the favorites?

Nope. Not even in top-10.

At this point I am extremely interested to read your list of these 10 teams that are clearly better than Portugal. Please, go ahead.

Still waiting for that list

[leea-1334]

I agree personally Portugal can't win the world cup but they are 100% in the top 10 favorites, and usually they are. In fact just based on odds alone they are in top 6 or top 5, every day it shifts a little bit,,, all bookies favor them more than Netherlands for example.

I do not think their midfield struggle is as bad as you say, do you not think Bruno Fernandes is one of the best, if not the best in Premier League?  Possibly by that, best in Europe.

France is the best candidate as they have very strong squad and deep substitution players too but in a short tournament like World Cup or Euro, everything can happen. If France got out  and went home after group phase in World Cup 2002 when they were very strong with three best scorers in Lique 1 (Cisse), Serie A (Trezeguet) and Premier League (Henry) together with Zidane, the same thing can happen with France in World Cup 2026.

If Greece won Euro 2004 surprisingly, Portugal with stronger and more experienced squad than Greece 2004 would be able to do well and win World Cup 2026 title. They are surely not the strongest national team in this World Cup, not the best candidate, but they're able to go far, even win the title.

Naturally like you say, nobody is ever going to say France is not the favorite to win,,, in fact right on top of most bookie odds, that makes complete sense.

Still cannot believe when somebody said Portugal is not even in top 10, it puzzled me to think of 10 candidates better than them. Like you said, if Greece on 20 years ago by being such an outsider and playing horrible football, why not Portugal with a better and more experienced squad right?

[Daniel91]

I agree personally Portugal can't win the world cup but they are 100% in the top 10 favorites, and usually they are. In fact just based on odds alone they are in top 6 or top 5, every day it shifts a little bit,,, all bookies favor them more than Netherlands for example.

I do not think their midfield struggle is as bad as you say, do you not think Bruno Fernandes is one of the best, if not the best in Premier League?  Possibly by that, best in Europe.

France is the best candidate as they have very strong squad and deep substitution players too but in a short tournament like World Cup or Euro, everything can happen. If France got out  and went home after group phase in World Cup 2002 when they were very strong with three best scorers in Lique 1 (Cisse), Serie A (Trezeguet) and Premier League (Henry) together with Zidane, the same thing can happen with France in World Cup 2026.

If Greece won Euro 2004 surprisingly, Portugal with stronger and more experienced squad than Greece 2004 would be able to do well and win World Cup 2026 title. They are surely not the strongest national team in this World Cup, not the best candidate, but they're able to go far, even win the title.

Naturally like you say, nobody is ever going to say France is not the favorite to win,,, in fact right on top of most bookie odds, that makes complete sense.

Still cannot believe when somebody said Portugal is not even in top 10, it puzzled me to think of 10 candidates better than them. Like you said, if Greece on 20 years ago by being such an outsider and playing horrible football, why not Portugal with a better and more experienced squad right?

Realistically, Portugal is certainly not the main favorite in the World Cup, with such top national teams as France, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, England, Germany, but I would say that in the second group there are teams that can surprise and be dangerous for the main favorites.
I watched the European Championship in 2004 and I already wrote about it, I think in this very thread.
It was a case that probably happens once in 100 years and Greece is probably the weakest team that has ever become European champion.
They defended in every game, practically ''parked the bus'' in front of their goal, and in attack they always played and scored goals in the same way, break, corner, ball goes into the penalty area and goal with a header.
Even now, when I think about it, it is not clear how they managed to win the European Championship with such a game.
I guess, great defense, psychological strength and luck.

[giorgione]

Lol, I thought I was going mad when I saw that. Portugal is not even remotely close to be being a candidate, they are not even remotely possible to win the league at all. I get that it is not going to happen, and the main candidates are the ones we all know.

In theory, France, Spain, England, Brazil and Argentina have the chance, and even in that case I do not think Brazil does, not anymore, they did not look good at all for the qualifiers and I do not think they will be fixed and doing better. So France, Spain and Argentina are the ones for the title, to me of course.

I don't think that Portugal doesn't have the opportunity to go and play an excellent world championship, why don't they have the chance? they are certainly no less than Argentina or Brazil, forget about the big names and the millions they earn in club teams are certainly not worth more than Portuguese players.

[Lida93]

We find this big, next world cup will be in Spain and Portugal and Morocco, which is fine and not a big deal to be fair, still wider than I would like it to be, but at least it's fine. But there will be games in Argentina and Paraguay and Uruguay!

All the way across the Atlantic, I understand that it's not all games, still, some teams will have to travel for that, makes no sense to me at all.

At least 2034 will be in Saudi Arabia, while I dislike them personally, I am glad that it's back to just being one nation, makes it simpler for all that are involved.

FIFA is only trying to make the co-hosting system for the world a long term agenda thereby uniting nations through football as well as impacting their economy by virtue of the hosting rights handed to those nations, one of the factors to take note of is the fact that all of these countries share common boundaries either by borders or shores and I think it's quite commendable and should be encouraged for sustainability.

[JeffBrad12]

It seems Prestianni's case is revoluzioning FIFA's rule. A player who cover his mouth during the convrontation will be given a red card. It's hard to judge whether this is the right choice to change the rules by FIFA. As i know player often cover their mouth in so many situations such as when they're confronted each other and in front off the camera.
So i guess there will be a lot fo red card to be handed off. Covering their mouth is a habit that is difficult to prevent during the game. Do you think FIFA is doing the right thing?