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

[KingsDen]

I feel Unai Simon is our of the debate as I don't really fancy especially when compared to the other player's, the bug debate is between Joan Garcia and David Raya. Blankly I would alot of people will definitely pick Raya of the crazy numbers and season he has had but seeing as he has one of the most terrific defensive line I feel Garcia was the most expose since Barcelona's defense is literally non existence, this put Joan in more precarious situations with lots of tricky saves

All the three goal keepers performed well last season. Like you said, David Raya had a terrifying defense line, which didn't make him work too much, and that is why he has more clean sheets.

Joan Garcia on the other hand, had to make alot of saves, and that is why he has higher percentage of goals prevented, and save rate as well. These two goal keepers performed very well, and even won a trophy with their teams.

Unai simon's performance for last season was lacking due to his team back line which was left vulnerable, leaving him exposed to higher amount of shots, and this caused him to concede many goals. Despite all the performance by these players, Luis de la Fuente still states that Unai Simon remains his first choice goal keeper. I think Joan Garcia will come second after Unai Simon.

[ndutndut]

I'm of the assumption that as long as they can give the team, whether it's a club or the national team, it's right to give them the chance to play. In addition to their physical prowess, Cristiano Ronaldo himself can also offer his experience.
To date despite his age he is stronger than other players younger than him and that is a fact, could anyone say otherwise?

The strength of Ronaldo at his age is undoubtably unmatched to some players who are even younger and that is because the level of discipline and training he has subjected himself to, that is resulting to this level of strength at this age and at all levels he can still contribute to his team, both on the pitch and as part of the management team from his wealth of experience.

What you said is undeniable. Ronaldo age doesn't mean he's unimportant in the Portugal squad. He's a player with a wealth of experience and a leader his presence certainly helps Portugal, especially in terms of team confidence. Ronaldo also once said he no longer plays to prove anything to the world or chase individual statistics because those are already in the history books. The only thing that keeps me waking up every morning and training like a soldier is the dream of seeing Portugal win the World Cup.

Besides that Portugal has a great chance to reach the top of the World Cup this time. Not just because of Ronaldo, but because Portugal squad is very complete, with Vitinha, Joao Neves, Bruno Fernandes, Nuno Mendes and a new maturing generation. So realistically with the current squad they have a great chance at this World Cup especially as this will be Ronaldo's last appearance for Portugal.

[Muba20]

Yes, I completely agree with you. If every player in the team plays for the team and not for himself, then we can definitely get something good from Portugal. This time Portugal is definitely a much stronger and better team than all the other World Cups. Portugal has a lot of chances to win this World Cup. If Portugal cannot win this World Cup, then it is becoming very difficult to think about what we will see in the future. Because we see many world-class players coming out of teams like Argentina, Brazil, France, but we see very little of that from Portugal. Although Portugal has many good players, I think it is a little less compared to Argentina, Brazil, France.

Portugal is one of the strongest teams in this World Cup. Especially with the legendary Portuguese player Ronaldo, the team has become much more likely now. Surely, this time will be more important than any other time because of Ronaldo. There are many disagreements on how much the other members of the team can support the team. Playing with a star player while always maintaining the right balance can put a lot of pressure on the rest.

But Argentina has already shown world-class play. They are the winning team of the last World Cup. They still have those familiar faces in their team. The World Cup winning team will start at a good pace from the beginning. Argentina has a world-class player Lionel Messi who can easily defeat a good defense line. Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez will play shoulder to shoulder with Lionel Messi once again. So this time Argentina will have a chance but the performance and expectations on the field are definitely different.

[Lannakosa]

Portugal is one of the strongest teams in this World Cup. Especially with the legendary Portuguese player Ronaldo, the team has become much more likely now. Surely, this time will be more important than any other time because of Ronaldo. There are many disagreements on how much the other members of the team can support the team. Playing with a star player while always maintaining the right balance can put a lot of pressure on the rest.

But Argentina has already shown world-class play. They are the winning team of the last World Cup. They still have those familiar faces in their team. The World Cup winning team will start at a good pace from the beginning. Argentina has a world-class player Lionel Messi who can easily defeat a good defense line. Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez will play shoulder to shoulder with Lionel Messi once again. So this time Argentina will have a chance but the performance and expectations on the field are definitely different.

I think Ronaldo is no longer as strong as he once was. He may try to use his leadership qualities to inspire and guide the team, but I believe there are stronger national teams at this World Cup that have a better chance of winning the tournament. I have no doubt that Portugal will be considered one of the contenders. This will almost certainly be Ronaldo's last World Cup as a player, and both he and the team will be highly motivated to make the most of that opportunity.

[eaLiTy]

~
Because they were incredibly bad at the qualification games, they almost didn't even make it, only reason they are going to world cup is because almost every team from Latin America goes, like there are 2 or 3 nations missing, everyone else goes anyways, and that's why Brazil is going.

They had a horrible horrible streak of losing and yet they are still considered 9.00 odds? I would put them not even in top 10 let alone being fourth highest odds.

I do agree with your view. Brazil had a horrifying qualifying campaign, but it is important to remember that, they went through the exact same situation during the 2002 campaign. They lost 6 games during the qualifying rounds, looked terrible and somehow managed to get a spot and then went on to win the World Cup.

Brazil has a huge fanbase around the world, and the odds maker will take that into consideration before setting the odds and having Carlo Ancelotti as the coach makes a huge difference.

[Taricoins]

Portugal is one of the strongest teams in this World Cup. Especially with the legendary Portuguese player Ronaldo, the team has become much more likely now. Surely, this time will be more important than any other time because of Ronaldo. There are many disagreements on how much the other members of the team can support the team. Playing with a star player while always maintaining the right balance can put a lot of pressure on the rest.

I do not agree with this, inasmuch as Ronaldo has a lot to do with the moral of the team and the impact his presence leaves but one thing he lacks is his game play, Ronaldo has been terrible lately, take a look at his Saudi matches and even that last International games told us alot of the deteriorating Ronaldo. Most times we find him riding on the back of his team mates and sometimes his plays disrupts the plays of the teams

[LUCKMCFLY]

The strength of Ronaldo at his age is undoubtably unmatched to some players who are even younger and that is because the level of discipline and training he has subjected himself to, that is resulting to this level of strength at this age and at all levels he can still contribute to his team, both on the pitch and as part of the management team from his wealth of experience.

The difference between CR7 and Messi is the following: Messi is pure talent, CR7 is talent plus hard work. That's why you see Messi's poor performance in a league lower than the Mexican league, and you see his performance not being as good in a league like the European leagues but not as low as the MLS. At 41 years old, he demonstrates that age is just a number. CR7 is the clear example of hard work, of going against the system, that's why he is the idol of many.

[Smartvirus]

The difference between CR7 and Messi is the following: Messi is pure talent, CR7 is talent plus hard work. That's why you see Messi's poor performance in a league lower than the Mexican league, and you see his performance not being as good in a league like the European leagues but not as low as the MLS. At 41 years old, he demonstrates that age is just a number. CR7 is the clear example of hard work, of going against the system, that's why he is the idol of many.

When the socials try to get into it on these too, trying to get a difference, I get a little fed up on that. Of course there would be a different, just about any other player that ever played the game and both these guys made significant contributions to soccer. So, I appreciate their uniqueness of quality and regardless of how they perform in their individual clubs today as well as country, what’s there to agree with for me is that, Messi thrives on a lot of support from his team and as a result he doesn’t need to work as hard to get results while, Ronaldo doesn’t get a lot of support and his always about putting in the work.

This certainly would be his last World Cup and I have doubts in Portugal having to win this one with him.

[paco92x]

Endrick and Karl can be considered as young talented players, young star players but Yamal is already at another higher level. It's not a first big tournament for Yamal as he already won Euro 2024 title with Spanish national team, and already had some seasons with Barcelona in La Liga and UEFA Champions League as one of brightest star players there.

In this World Cup, Endrick and Karl will enjoy their first big tournament with their national teams, with a lot of motivation and stress while with Yamal, he is already a key player in Spanish national team for three years.

You also have Vušković, who is a huge talent from Croatia. But yes, Endrick and Karel are incredibly valuable talents. I would like to know how good this young Mexican talent is, though. He's valued at around €10 million, which is a lot of money.

Yamal is on this list, and you can see how far ahead he is compared to the others. He's already a superstar talent, not just a young prospect anymore.

[Arenga pinnata]

As someone from Asia, I’m actually pretty hopeful that Portugal will win the World Cup. Although I won’t be rooting for them wholeheartedly because I also have a favorite Asian team I want to support. Still, the hype around supporting CR7 is always pretty intense. And right now, a lot of people are hoping to see CR7 lift the World Cup trophy. although, well, that would be quite a challenge for any team. even though Portugal is indeed one of the favorite national teams in the World Cup, that still doesn’t guarantee anything. But it would certainly be a huge celebration if Portugal were to win the title.

You're not going to believe this, I'm South American, but if Portugal didn't have CR7 I'd support Japan. Why? Because Japan has grown so much in football. It's a great feeling because Japan and the Asian continent have a different style of play, just like the African style. These are styles that inspire support so they can continue to grow in football. Here in South America we have variety: the Brazilian technique, the Argentinian, even the Colombian.

It seems we share the same view on the Japanese national team. and yes, to be precise, i actually have the same preference as you. In my opinion, Japan displays a very creative, fast-paced, and exciting style of play. I’ve always liked the Brazilian national team’s style of play too, but I’ve also seen Japan develop rapidly. what’s interesting about the Japanese national team is that even though their players aren’t as tall as those from other countries, their running speed is truly extraordinary. And well, if CR7 weren’t on Portugal’s team, I probably wouldn’t support Portugal at all. At least the top two teams I like right now are Japan and Brazil. Maybe it’s because in my country, many people idolize Brazilian players too.  In fact, Brazil national team jerseys are always widely available in stores here.

[sergiorus]

The strength of Ronaldo at his age is undoubtably unmatched to some players who are even younger and that is because the level of discipline and training he has subjected himself to, that is resulting to this level of strength at this age and at all levels he can still contribute to his team, both on the pitch and as part of the management team from his wealth of experience.

The difference between CR7 and Messi is the following: Messi is pure talent, CR7 is talent plus hard work. That's why you see Messi's poor performance in a league lower than the Mexican league, and you see his performance not being as good in a league like the European leagues but not as low as the MLS. At 41 years old, he demonstrates that age is just a number. CR7 is the clear example of hard work, of going against the system, that's why he is the idol of many.

Impossible to become who Messi is without hard work, no matter the talent.  Especially given he wasn't gifted the physical strength and size. He is among the hardest workers ever imho.
It's just Ronaldo reached cosmic levels of self determination and made self improvement his whole life.

[DiMarxist]

Portugal is one of the strongest teams in this World Cup. Especially with the legendary Portuguese player Ronaldo, the team has become much more likely now. Surely, this time will be more important than any other time because of Ronaldo. There are many disagreements on how much the other members of the team can support the team. Playing with a star player while always maintaining the right balance can put a lot of pressure on the rest.

I do not agree with this, inasmuch as Ronaldo has a lot to do with the moral of the team and the impact his presence leaves but one thing he lacks is his game play, Ronaldo has been terrible lately, take a look at his Saudi matches and even that last International games told us alot of the deteriorating Ronaldo. Most times we find him riding on the back of his team mates and sometimes his plays disrupts the plays of the teams

I don't think that Portugal is One of the favorite teams going into the world, even though Portugal has a good squad going into the team I don't see them making it to the finals of the world cup. Ronaldo is one player that has past his prime and that is a fact that should be established, Portugal should not depend too much on Ronaldo in this world cup because he doesn't have the stamina and energy to play for Ninety minutes.

[Umulala-alala]

I'm of the assumption that as long as they can give the team, whether it's a club or the national team, it's right to give them the chance to play. In addition to their physical prowess, Cristiano Ronaldo himself can also offer his experience.
To date despite his age he is stronger than other players younger than him and that is a fact, could anyone say otherwise?

The strength of Ronaldo at his age is undoubtably unmatched to some players who are even younger and that is because the level of discipline and training he has subjected himself to, that is resulting to this level of strength at this age and at all levels he can still contribute to his team, both on the pitch and as part of the management team from his wealth of experience.

What you said is undeniable. Ronaldo age doesn't mean he's unimportant in the Portugal squad. He's a player with a wealth of experience and a leader his presence certainly helps Portugal, especially in terms of team confidence. Ronaldo also once said he no longer plays to prove anything to the world or chase individual statistics because those are already in the history books. The only thing that keeps me waking up every morning and training like a soldier is the dream of seeing Portugal win the World Cup.

Besides that Portugal has a great chance to reach the top of the World Cup this time. Not just because of Ronaldo, but because Portugal squad is very complete, with Vitinha, Joao Neves, Bruno Fernandes, Nuno Mendes and a new maturing generation. So realistically with the current squad they have a great chance at this World Cup especially as this will be Ronaldo's last appearance for Portugal.

Ronaldo will make Portugal squad more complete what will not do is to play a 90 minutes game for Portugal due to his age but the experiences are still with him. If Portugal couldn't win the world cup this year Ronaldo will retire from football without winning the world and because this year world cup will be his last dance with portugal, i believe this is the only trophy left for the legend to win .

[Cryptoprincess101]

Ronaldo will make Portugal squad more complete what will not do is to play a 90 minutes game for Portugal due to his age but the experiences are still with him. If Portugal couldn't win the world cup this year Ronaldo will retire from football without winning the world and because this year world cup will be his last dance with portugal, i believe this is the only trophy left for the legend to win .

Maybe you should say that if Portugal is unable to win the world cup that it will be the last world cup for Cristiano Ronaldo but saying that he will retire after the world cup is not true because he will still play in the Saudi League so that he can reach his 1000th career goals. Besides, he stated it that this will be his last world cup because he will be 45 years old in the next world cup, before then he must have retired from football. Looks like winning the world cup is not even important to him because he recently said on social media that it's not his dream to win the world cup which is contrary to his statement in the past about how winning the world cup was his dream. Seems he has lost hope in winning the world cup which is why he said it's not his dream anymore.

[Amphenomenon]

Portugal is one of the strongest teams in this World Cup. Especially with the legendary Portuguese player Ronaldo, the team has become much more likely now. Surely, this time will be more important than any other time because of Ronaldo. There are many disagreements on how much the other members of the team can support the team. Playing with a star player while always maintaining the right balance can put a lot of pressure on the rest.

I do not agree with this, inasmuch as Ronaldo has a lot to do with the moral of the team and the impact his presence leaves but one thing he lacks is his game play, Ronaldo has been terrible lately, take a look at his Saudi matches and even that last International games told us alot of the deteriorating Ronaldo. Most times we find him riding on the back of his team mates and sometimes his plays disrupts the plays of the teams

While you might have a point, depending on the games he still have a way of backing the team up and for them to achieve something good.

This doesn’t have to be through him but backing up a player with the courage or right mind to act. I hope he speaks and acts humbly overall this will help the team bond to be stronger, he has the capacity of a leader to change things even if it doesn't have to come through him now because of his age but he is very much reliable still.

[Sithara007]

✂✂✂✂
Yamal is on this list, and you can see how far ahead he is compared to the others. He's already a superstar talent, not just a young prospect anymore.

The presence of Lamine Yamal is one of the reasons why Spain are the tournament favorites. He had an amazing season with Barca, and till now he has scored 24 goals from 45 matches. Now combine Yamal with Ferran Torres and Mikel Oyarzabal, and you will geta  very strong attack. And then they have very experienced players in the midfield (Rodri, Martín Zubimendi and Fabián Ruiz), as well as in defense (Aymeric Laporte, Marcos Llorente.etc). I would say that Spain has an edge over both France and Argentina, if we talk about the tournament favorites.

[Ale88]

To be honest 90% of Portugal's fans support the team because of Cristiano Ronaldo. I also watch Portugals matches and support them because of Ronaldo. The day he retires I think many people won't care about Portugal as much as they do now. In my opinion Portugal has such a huge fanbase mainly because of Ronaldo. I m just worried that they might put him on the bench.This would be a complete dissappointment because people comes to stadium just for him and like to see him playing not to see him on bench.

I'm sorry but whose fans are you talking about? A national team should be supported by the local people, and if you are Portuguese you were supporting the team before Cristiano Ronaldo and you'll keep supporting it after Cristiano Ronaldo. If you're not Portuguese or don't have have kind of relationship with Portugal you shouldn't even support the team, you should support your own country.

You could eventually sympathize for another national team but actually supporting it is a totally different story.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

The strength of Ronaldo at his age is undoubtably unmatched to some players who are even younger and that is because the level of discipline and training he has subjected himself to, that is resulting to this level of strength at this age and at all levels he can still contribute to his team, both on the pitch and as part of the management team from his wealth of experience.

The difference between CR7 and Messi is the following: Messi is pure talent, CR7 is talent plus hard work. That's why you see Messi's poor performance in a league lower than the Mexican league, and you see his performance not being as good in a league like the European leagues but not as low as the MLS. At 41 years old, he demonstrates that age is just a number. CR7 is the clear example of hard work, of going against the system, that's why he is the idol of many.

But I will love and will choose Messi any time and any day, Messi is a very talents footballer and even at that, he is very humble, quiet and lives a quiet noisless lifestyle, with all the money he has, he probably should be doing things that will have his face plasters on our faces and on every corner of the Internet but no, he choose a very quiet lifestyle,, Messi is my true kind of person.

This is why if you notice, Messi has more matured people around the world as his fans while Ronaldo has majority of the youths, teenagers as his fans and so on.

But that just it anyway, both are good at what they do, whether talent is raw or it comes from hard work and consistency doesn't really matter, what matters is the fact that this two lengends have written their names in the sands of time and it can never be erased, they have contributed greatly to the world of football and to the growth of their various clubs and team,.

[Ale88]

The strength of Ronaldo at his age is undoubtably unmatched to some players who are even younger and that is because the level of discipline and training he has subjected himself to, that is resulting to this level of strength at this age and at all levels he can still contribute to his team, both on the pitch and as part of the management team from his wealth of experience.

The difference between CR7 and Messi is the following: Messi is pure talent, CR7 is talent plus hard work. That's why you see Messi's poor performance in a league lower than the Mexican league, and you see his performance not being as good in a league like the European leagues but not as low as the MLS. At 41 years old, he demonstrates that age is just a number. CR7 is the clear example of hard work, of going against the system, that's why he is the idol of many.

Messi mainly moved to the MLS because he likes the city and he is friend with Beckham, who is the owner of the club. Basically he was looking for a nice place to spend his last years without even the need to learn another language considering the amount of Latinos living in Miami. He doesn't care about the records, the numbers, he's never been obsessed with those things, unlike Ronaldo who lives to beat records over records.

[Nheer]

You also have Vušković, who is a huge talent from Croatia. But yes, Endrick and Karel are incredibly valuable talents. I would like to know how good this young Mexican talent is, though. He's valued at around €10 million, which is a lot of money.

Yamal is on this list, and you can see how far ahead he is compared to the others. He's already a superstar talent, not just a young prospect anymore.

Even though Lamine Yamal has already proven himself and is way ahead of others. Most people forget how old he is when making comparisons because he seems to be a superstar already.
Although I must admit Croatia has got themselves a talent in their hand. Vušković and Karel a talented kid but I think now is the most crucial time for them, how they handle growth. The Mexican youngster Mora got my attention the most. I think this World Cup is a good time to have a better view of their games.

The presence of Lamine Yamal is one of the reasons why Spain are the tournament favorites. He had an amazing season with Barca, and till now he has scored 24 goals from 45 matches. Now combine Yamal with Ferran Torres and Mikel Oyarzabal, and you will geta  very strong attack. And then they have very experienced players in the midfield (Rodri, Martín Zubimendi and Fabián Ruiz), as well as in defense (Aymeric Laporte, Marcos Llorente.etc). I would say that Spain has an edge over both France and Argentina, if we talk about the tournament favorites.

I think you can't mention the Spain strongest attackers leaving out Nico Williams. Spain has an impressive squad good enough to go for the trophy but so does every other team. Don't forget how Portugal held them and won the UEFA Nations League ahead of them when they face off in the final using the same squad. The World Cup is different but for now I think it's difficult to pick one team over the other because they all have a good squad and so I will say they are all on same level.