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

[SilverCryptoBullet]

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.

I don't know but I don't think so and it's only my thinking and my guess on possible reasons why Messi decided moving to the USA and MLS rather than Saudi Arabia and Saudi Professional League. I, of course, am not sure about this, as I can not step in Messi's shoes to know his reasons, but at his age and his role as a Dad, it was time for him to think carefully about future of his children as well as where his children will live, grow up and get education. These concerns if are actually his biggest concerns, would possibly result in the USA as a better destination for his family, especially his children, than the Saudi Arabia.

With Messi, he is very good adaptive and can play in any domestic league, so reasons for his decision can be something else with above reasons are most possible ones in my opinion.

[B-BossMan]

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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.

 Yes Spain may look scary presently, indeed Yamal is actually a game changer, although some may see his records of goals as small but this is the youngest player that just started his career and he's tallented,having 24 goals within 45 matches at his younger age isn't an easy task seriously,imagine a 17 years old boy, the midfield with Rodri and Zubimendi and Fabián is truly a well balanced midfielders in the tournament, these guy are very good in controlling and gives an accurate passes, their defensive are also strong enough to stand preventing penatration, and I love the Laporte and Llorente they give their best experience as well. Although some people may not agree that that they actually gave an edge over Argentina and France,because like France also they have their own strong defensive and attackers. But I must that the Argentina's midfield attackers are no that strong, which I know they will surely worked on themselves, Messi us in Argentina which is one of the tournament experienced, well tournament arr nor actually won by all this but by consistency and hard working.

[Catenaccio]

I like Yamal very much, i see him as very good and a new talent similar to Lionel Messi
among other things he is in Barcelona who are educating him and growing him like a champion, i saw him play and i fell in love with this player
I don't think Barcelona will ever make him go away.

Yamal is truly very talented and he is already at world class level, it's obvious and undeniable but it doesn't mean Yamal already reached his peak and he won't be able to improve himself. There are many things a young player like Yamal can improve, firstly from his lifestyle and activities beyond football that must be changed if he wants to prolong his career. Next, his playing style must be changed too, so far he dribbles too much and it has some disadvantages: affects his body in a long term, and possible put him under higher risk of getting injuries from defender's tackles; lastly can affect the team operations and efficiency from his dribbles.

I believe if Yamal does less dribbles but choosing right time for doing that, he will become more unpredictable and more dangerous in attacking. Most important, he must change his lifestyle and can look at Neymar for a big lesson. The Brazilian player quickly had his free fall after his 30 age and Yamal must take care of his body very carefully from now if he does not want to have a short player career.

[Nahl]

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.

The current tournament is the last world cup for some senior players including Ronaldo that's why he was very ambition want to help Portugal to won the trophy because this could be a good achivement for Ronaldo before he is retired but indeed there was no official statement from Ronaldo regarding his retirement from football which probably Ronaldo possibly will playing at least for next 2 or 3 years and speaking about Portugal chances currently i was put them into one of my favourite that because Portugal squad is very good quality besides Ronaldo there are some players who possibly will playing well such as Vitinha, Rafael Leao or Joao Neves who just won champion league trophy with PSG

[pewboy]

In this 2026 World Cup only two players will you want to perform very well because they have never won it in the entire career, these two players are Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, most especially Neymar who has so plan to return to Europe but he's still injury kept him down, this World Cup remains his last hope because his performance here can determine many clubs queuing for him. Neymar is still very young to retire from football but I hope he return to Europe.

1000 goals are never achieved under any circumstances, for some players they are unthinkable figures, but he will do it and he has done very well in this last period, i am happy that a player like that is still so prolific now, the right ending would be winning the World Cup.

[Iranus]

I don't know but I don't think so and it's only my thinking and my guess on possible reasons why Messi decided moving to the USA and MLS rather than Saudi Arabia and Saudi Professional League. I, of course, am not sure about this, as I can not step in Messi's shoes to know his reasons, but at his age and his role as a Dad, it was time for him to think carefully about future of his children as well as where his children will live, grow up and get education. These concerns if are actually his biggest concerns, would possibly result in the USA as a better destination for his family, especially his children, than the Saudi Arabia.

With Messi, he is very good adaptive and can play in any domestic league, so reasons for his decision can be something else with above reasons are most possible ones in my opinion.

There are plenty of logical reasons for Messi to move to MLS. First of all, MLS paid a huge amount to Messi. Maybe his wages are not very high, he used to get bigger amount wages in Saudi. But besides wages, other incomes abound in America. Also you mentioned the future of his children. This is also probably an important factor. Also, Messi is getting a lot of facilities in America from Saudi Arabia. Also, America is undoubtedly a better place to live than the Middle East. Another important reason is that MLS is not a competitive league. Messi is not under any pressure here.

[aipercoin]

Considering Spain among the favorites is not bad, but there are other teams that have good team and also have solid defense and goalkeepers, but till after the group stage before we can actually knows the favorite team to win the World Cup.

Having a good goalkeeper on the team is always a great starting point, but he needs to be supported by functional defense at all times and in any case.
That's always the point, can a player change the fortunes of a team? Yes if it's about scoring a goal in extra time, yes if it saves you a shot, but never in the long run, it can happen in a match, but teamwork always wins.

[B-BossMan]

I don't know but I don't think so and it's only my thinking and my guess on possible reasons why Messi decided moving to the USA and MLS rather than Saudi Arabia and Saudi Professional League. I, of course, am not sure about this, as I can not step in Messi's shoes to know his reasons, but at his age and his role as a Dad, it was time for him to think carefully about future of his children as well as where his children will live, grow up and get education. These concerns if are actually his biggest concerns, would possibly result in the USA as a better destination for his family, especially his children, than the Saudi Arabia.

With Messi, he is very good adaptive and can play in any domestic league, so reasons for his decision can be something else with above reasons are most possible ones in my opinion.

There are plenty of logical reasons for Messi to move to MLS. First of all, MLS paid a huge amount to Messi. Maybe his wages are not very high, he used to get bigger amount wages in Saudi. But besides wages, other incomes abound in America. Also you mentioned the future of his children. This is also probably an important factor. Also, Messi is getting a lot of facilities in America from Saudi Arabia. Also, America is undoubtedly a better place to live than the Middle East. Another important reason is that MLS is not a competitive league. Messi is not under any pressure here.

You know many people will definitely underestimate how important peace of mind is once a person has achieved let say almost everything in life career, some us are greey quite all right when it comes to money matters, and to be honest I can also relate to that. Especially ismf I have many financial problems to sort out, I will probably choose the higher paying offer that is available at that moment,however maximizing incomes now is not longer advisable seriously.

To me the Messi's decision was quite okay, maybe it maybe of trying to balance his wealth structures be his retirement, at times rhe smartest financial decision is not actually the one that pays in life, but the tha can create a long-term benefits,less pressures and fabulous freedom that can be worth even more than paying. Moreover, I believe Messi has actually made a good decision that will favored his interests.

[m4r1o]

The Ronaldo we know will come back next 4 years again if he doesn't win the World cup, I know for a fact that the next one, Fifa will not want to force him because there will be no much value he can add and by that time he will not be in Al Nasr if they also serious unless they want to be using his name just to be relevant instead of working on their players so they can improve and become better.

the bar has always been very high, this boy has always amazed us with his longevity, and i must say that he is continuing to do very well, the achievement of all his goals is just another record but he has already demonstrated what he had to prove, nothing else is needed, but knowing him he can do very well and even more.

[Shussainshah]

Having a good goalkeeper on the team is always a great starting point, but he needs to be supported by functional defense at all times and in any case.
That's always the point, can a player change the fortunes of a team? Yes if it's about scoring a goal in extra time, yes if it saves you a shot, but never in the long run, it can happen in a match, but teamwork always wins.

That's The Main Concern For Spain Right Now They Have 3 good Goalkeeper.  They one who play the UCl final And Give Them incredible performance throughout the tournament.  And the one who de la funte trust him the most Uni Simon. They played average this season but Spain managers trust him . And the last Goalkeeper Joan Garcia who played the staring role at Barcelona.  They played their first ever season at Barcelona but has performance throughout the season was not deniable. 

I think Joan Garcia Is the perfect One to start The WorldCup with Spain.  Uni Simon Play average last season Not very Well But Raya played well this season but they could be a backup Goalkeeper.

[kennycryptoitalia]

Yamal is truly very talented and he is already at world class level, it's obvious and undeniable but it doesn't mean Yamal already reached his peak and he won't be able to improve himself. There are many things a young player like Yamal can improve, firstly from his lifestyle and activities beyond football that must be changed if he wants to prolong his career. Next, his playing style must be changed too, so far he dribbles too much and it has some disadvantages: affects his body in a long term, and possible put him under higher risk of getting injuries from defender's tackles; lastly can affect the team operations and efficiency from his dribbles.

I believe if Yamal does less dribbles but choosing right time for doing that, he will become more unpredictable and more dangerous in attacking. Most important, he must change his lifestyle and can look at Neymar for a big lesson. The Brazilian player quickly had his free fall after his 30 age and Yamal must take care of his body very carefully from now if he does not want to have a short player career.

Anyone can improve, in this case for Yamal I wouldn't call improvement, but simply balance, it's true he dribbles a lot and he knows how to do it well, but that's because he has talent.
However, these plays affect the risk of injury, loss of possession and consequently reduced teamwork in many ways.
He doesn't just have to improve in performance, but above all in being in the team.

[bastisisca]

I believe if Yamal does less dribbles but choosing right time for doing that, he will become more unpredictable and more dangerous in attacking. Most important, he must change his lifestyle and can look at Neymar for a big lesson. The Brazilian player quickly had his free fall after his 30 age and Yamal must take care of his body very carefully from now if he does not want to have a short player career.

Definitely, because he lacks experience and in my opinion this could change his performances a lot.
If he then decides to behave like a professional and kill himself with training, like Cristiano Rolando does, then he will become one of the strongest.

[Die_empty]

There are plenty of logical reasons for Messi to move to MLS. First of all, MLS paid a huge amount to Messi. Maybe his wages are not very high, he used to get bigger amount wages in Saudi. But besides wages, other incomes abound in America. Also you mentioned the future of his children. This is also probably an important factor. Also, Messi is getting a lot of facilities in America from Saudi Arabia. Also, America is undoubtedly a better place to live than the Middle East. Another important reason is that MLS is not a competitive league. Messi is not under any pressure here.

The culture of Saudi Arabia could be another discouragement. It is not easy for someone who has stayed in Europe to live in the Middle East. These countries have integrated religion into almost everything in society. The government had to relax some laws to allow Ronaldo to live with his partner in Saudi Arabia. His children would attend international schools in Saudi Arabia but they might suffer due to cultural shock. I also read that Messi is a shareholder of Inter Miami which gives profit and influence. I see both the SPL and MLS as being at the same level; however, the Gulf League is doing more public relations.

[banana33]

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.

I don't agree with you, Ronaldo is simply a very strong player and he also had Messi's talent, in dribling and other things, at Sporting Lisbon he had the same characteristics as Messi, he jumped the man, drbiling, then he went more to be an attacker as well and these characteristics are not always useful and he used them less.

[Bobrox]

That's The Main Concern For Spain Right Now They Have 3 good Goalkeeper.  They one who play the UCl final And Give Them incredible performance throughout the tournament.  And the one who de la funte trust him the most Uni Simon. They played average this season but Spain managers trust him . And the last Goalkeeper Joan Garcia who played the staring role at Barcelona.  They played their first ever season at Barcelona but has performance throughout the season was not deniable. 

I think Joan Garcia Is the perfect One to start The WorldCup with Spain.  Uni Simon Play average last season Not very Well But Raya played well this season but they could be a backup Goalkeeper.

In last several matches including at World Cup qualifying, The Spanish manager Luis de la Fuente always playing Unai Simon than David Raya indeed performed better in Premier League but still become the second goal keeper. Recently Spanish have three top goals keeper and I think Joan Garcia playing better than Unai Simon with Athletic Bilbao in this season exactly David Raya and Joan Garcia success winning the domestic league tittle.

In my opinion, better giving chance for David Raya than Unai Simon or Joan Garcia become the first goals keeper at World Cup 2026, however the manager have their own decision to pick who will be number one between three top goal keeper. Lets see in last two friendly matches facing Iraq and Peru who will get first place as goal keeper Unai Simon, David Raya or Joan Garcia?

[M47AK16]

Besides reaching 1,000 goals in competitive matches, Cristiano Ronaldo is also very ambitious about winning the World Cup to complete his footballing success. I believe this is his last chance at the World Cup. If Portugal fails again in this World Cup, it will be virtually impossible for Cristiano Ronaldo to achieve better results in the next one. The depth of Portugal's squad in this World Cup is also considered good, filled with great players who play for big clubs. It just depends on the coach to formulate the best strategy and hope for luck after preparing everything thoroughly.

He loves football, he is professional and ambitious so I believe that he will prolong his player career as longest as possible. With his ambition, winning World Cup title is certainly in his to do list, and at very last years of his player career, it becomes his first priority to complete. This World Cup can be assumed as his last World Cup, so he will be highly focused for this tournament with Portugal national team and try performing as best as he can to win it. He is lucky that Portugal national team currently have a very strong, competitive and balanced squad so that they can truly compete for World Cup title.

Ronaldo might continue his player career and play till 2030 but will he be able to do that, and will his performance quality be good enough in 2030 so that he will be called for World Cup 2030, it belongs to the future. So at the present, he must focus on this World Cup, and play like it is his last World Cup.

He already did that. He loves football, and he loves taking care of his body, and he has done all he can, to be a player who goes to 2026 world cup at age nearly 42 years old if I am not mistaken. But how much could he prolong his career? There is a limit to this, no matter how much you work, no matter how much you train, eventually the body ages and there is nothing you can do about it. He will always look good unless he stops, if he keeps this up, he will look fit even at age 65 or 70, but the amount of years he has left until his age prevents him from playing is near.

[changaa]

Only chance I can see if any other good team, like Argentina or England, would face each other, and Spain would face France, so other teams would have to beat them for one game at the finals and that's it, otherwise if France and Spain do not face each other until the finals? There is no way any other team wins, those will go all the way to finals together.

yes, i also think that at a European level there is nothing better than Spain and France, they have the best players on the planet, as always, but this year much more, but it always sticks in my mind that these players, even if they are strong, in the end they don't win very easily so it remains to be seen. 

[HaXX0R1337]

yes, i also think that at a European level there is nothing better than Spain and France, they have the best players on the planet, as always, but this year much more, but it always sticks in my mind that these players, even if they are strong, in the end they don't win very easily so it remains to be seen. 

I think, Spain has the best team in the competition. Have to see how the French team performs to make a judgement on how they perform as a team. No doubt, that they have big names in their squad but performing as a team is essential to win the entire tournament.

My team missed out on getting a spot in this World Cup because we lost the qualification match to Sweden.

[hd49728]

I think, Spain has the best team in the competition. Have to see how the French team performs to make a judgement on how they perform as a team. No doubt, that they have big names in their squad but performing as a team is essential to win the entire tournament.

My team missed out on getting a spot in this World Cup because we lost the qualification match to Sweden.

Spain can be the best team or just one of the best teams in World Cup 2026 but being the best team is not enough to win World Cup 2026. They must perform as best as they can, and win matches including the final match for lifting a trophy. A World Cup champion does not always need to be a strongest or most impressive team, they only need go far to the final match, and win it.

Spain are strong but there are other strong national teams like France, Portugal, Germany, England and Brazil that are all ambitiously aiming at the title, so they will not let Span easily win this World Cup trophy.

[AprilioMP]

The current tournament is the last world cup for some senior players including Ronaldo that's why he was very ambition want to help Portugal to won the trophy because this could be a good achivement for Ronaldo before he is retired but indeed there was no official statement from Ronaldo regarding his retirement from football which probably Ronaldo possibly will playing at least for next 2 or 3 years and speaking about Portugal chances currently i was put them into one of my favourite that because Portugal squad is very good quality besides Ronaldo there are some players who possibly will playing well such as Vitinha, Rafael Leao or Joao Neves who just won champion league trophy with PSG

Considering his age, it is true that the 2026 World Cup will be Ronaldo's last in his career, even though he has not made an official statement regarding this. It will take several more years for the next World Cup while he is now 41 years old as of last February 5.
An impossible number if Ronaldo still wants to be on the field for the next World Cup after the 2026 World Cup. Maybe you can, but just sit on the bench and watch the current generation play.

If the world of football, including the World Cup, was at stake, maybe Ronaldo would reach the final. Could this happen?