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

[AHOYBRAUSE]

Germany having lost a major player in Karl is just sad. Maybe some in here don't really know him but Lennart Karl (midflielder for Bayern Munich) really was supposed to play a big role for the German team, such a shame.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cz020zdklmmo

He was supposed to be one of the cornerstones next to Wirtz and Havertz. Assan Ouedraogo will replace him but I don't see him in any other role than on the bench.

[Ruttoshi]

It's not just Kylian Mbappé. The French national team is quite infamous for the lack of team bonding and cohesion. Remember the incident during Euro 2020 between Adrien Rabiot and Paul Pogba? Then there was an incident between Olivier Giroud and Mbappé himself. And from what I am hearing now, it seems that these issues are continuing. France has a very talented side, and is considered to be one of the tournament favorites this time in the FIFA World Cup 2026. But if the team bonding is bad, then I can't imagine them lifting the trophy this time.

There is no magic that will make France win the world cup if the team bond is weak. Having fracal within themselves is not good and will do more harm to the team quality. Honestly, France has the players that any National team will want and if they can be united and strengthen the team's bond, no team will be able to challenge them on the pitch.

It seems that pride has taken over the team if not why wouldn't everyone be humble and respect each other since they're all professional players. Mbappe should know his place in the team and stop causing problems here and there.

[Nheer]

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.

Yeah.. Nico has been in terrific form for Athletic Bilbao. Sorry for leaving him out. Along with Gorka Guruzeta, Iñaki Williams and Álex Berenguer, he has helped Bilbao to rise to 12th position in 2025–26 La Liga (given the competitiveness of this league, it is a good result). Only issue with him at the moment is the persistent pubalgia which he is suffering from. Doctors have ruled out a surgery (because of complications), so every now and then he needs to take extended breaks from the game. Let's hope that he will remain fully fit for the world cup, as Spain is placed in a tough group along with Uruguay (also they have Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia for company).    

Yeah  I get why you left him out now, the injuries are definitely going to affect his performance. it's really unfortunate that he's going through something like that. Other than the injuries he's a very talented player and for the Spain coach to include him in the World Cup squad means he'll probably be fit for the Tournament or maybe he hopes so. If well managed I think he should be able to hang around and participate in the world cup. A fully fit Nico Williams would have been much more better for them.

There is currently no certainty that Portugal will win the World Cup, or which team will win. However, compared to all the other strong teams, I think Portugal's chances of winning are much lower. There are many strong teams, we can never say that they will win based on just one player. If we could see some more good players in the Portugal team like Brazil, then maybe we could say that Portugal can win this World Cup.

There's no certainty of any team winning the World Cup. But if you're saying Brazil has a better chance of winning it than Portugal then you're mistaking. And I don't see any special players in Brazil more than Portugal, maybe you don't really know Portugal and her players well enough. I'll even say Portugal has more quality players compared to Brazil, and Portugal has higher chances of winning than Brazil.

[paco92x]

There is currently no certainty that Portugal will win the World Cup, or which team will win. However, compared to all the other strong teams, I think Portugal's chances of winning are much lower. There are many strong teams, we can never say that they will win based on just one player. If we could see some more good players in the Portugal team like Brazil, then maybe we could say that Portugal can win this World Cup.

Currently, if we're looking at the Brazil and Portugal teams, the only area where Brasil could be considered better is in the winger and striker positions. Brazil's midfield and defense are arguably at an all-time low, so when comparing the two teams overall, Portugal is ahead by a mile. However, Brazil still has that "wow" factor that scares other teams, and that's definitely an advantage as well.

[Iranus]

There is no magic that will make France win the world cup if the team bond is weak. Having fracal within themselves is not good and will do more harm to the team quality. Honestly, France has the players that any National team will want and if they can be united and strengthen the team's bond, no team will be able to challenge them on the pitch.

It seems that pride has taken over the team if not why wouldn't everyone be humble and respect each other since they're all professional players. Mbappe should know his place in the team and stop causing problems here and there.

You are right. It is impossible to win the world cup if the players do not have good communication. Even if the communication  between the players is good and  the players  are confident, it is possible to win the world cup with a mediocre  squad.

The France squad is very strong. The most star players are probably in the french squad. But some of the players have a lot of ego. They do not  get along well with their teammates. And we have seen the bad effects of this in france's gameplay. They have lost friendly  matches against teams like Ivory coast. I doubt they will  be able to do well against the strong  teams in the knockout round.

[Alex077]

There is currently no certainty that Portugal will win the World Cup, or which team will win. However, compared to all the other strong teams, I think Portugal's chances of winning are much lower. There are many strong teams, we can never say that they will win based on just one player. If we could see some more good players in the Portugal team like Brazil, then maybe we could say that Portugal can win this World Cup.

Portugal is not at  all dependent on ronaldo. Ronaldo is unlikely to even be in the starting XI. They have a lot of talented players. In the attack, apart from Ronaldo, there are three talented players like Joao Felix, Pedro neto and Ramos. All three of them play for giant clubs in Europe and have been in very good form this season.
In the midfield, there is Bruno fernandes, who has played incredibly well this season. Also Silva, Vitinha, and Neves are very talented. And each of them deserves a  place in the starting XI.

On paper Portugal's squad depth is impressive. Players like Leao, Felix, Neto are in the attack, Bruno, Vitinha, Neves in the midfield and Dias, Cancelo, Mendes in defense all of these tell us that they have all the rare option in their hand like trump card. So it is a pure truth that they are no longer just a one man army team

However it is too much to think that Ronaldo's importance and his speed on the field are useless, man. Yes, he may not get the chance to play in starting 11 in all matches. Even so his experience, perfect penalty shots serve a lot. And his mentality of chewing up big matches single handedly in the face of scary pressure of knockout stage will serve as a lifesaver in team's extreme crisis moment

[Catenaccio]

On paper Portugal's squad depth is impressive. Players like Leao, Felix, Neto are in the attack, Bruno, Vitinha, Neves in the midfield and Dias, Cancelo, Mendes in defense all of these tell us that they have all the rare option in their hand like trump card. So it is a pure truth that they are no longer just a one man army team

Portugal has very good squad depth with many quality star players who are at different generations, have diversifying ages and they can cover each other weakness to play as a balanced and competitive team together. Like in the midfield, Bernado Silva, Bruno Fernandez are older and have more experience than Joao Neves and Vitinha but together they are able to make a very good midfield for Portugal national team in World Cup 2026.

However it is too much to think that Ronaldo's importance and his speed on the field are useless, man. Yes, he may not get the chance to play in starting 11 in all matches. Even so his experience, perfect penalty shots serve a lot. And his mentality of chewing up big matches single handedly in the face of scary pressure of knockout stage will serve as a lifesaver in team's extreme crisis moment

Ronaldo is longer strong and fast as same as several years ago, and he surely becomes weaker, slower and worse than himself four years ago in World Cup 2022 in Qatar. He still has good space investigating ability and great finishing skills that collected and sharpened through his very long career, but at this old age, sometimes he will not be able to control his feet and make insensitive touches as well as bad shots.

[emrecemsan]

Time flies... There is less than a week now for the World Cup to be underway. 48 teams this time. We'll see about how enjoying it will be with this many teams. But once again I'm saying that. The number of European countries should have also been increased.

I agree with you; they’ve got some excellent players and sooner or later they’ll win the World Cup, just like Spain, who’ve always been a good team but didn’t win their first World Cup until 2010 with incredible midfielders like Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets, combined with a style of play that was unstoppable.
Portugal are following in their footsteps; they have top class midfielders in Vitinha and Joao Neves, but they always struggle a bit in attack  if Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t there, they start to struggle to score. The next World Cup could be their time.

And what if Cristiano Ronaldo’s son were to win it?

Vitinha is like a maestro at PSG. I expect him to be the same in the World Cup as well. Joao Neves is definitely a generational talent!

Ronaldo's son? I don't know about how skilled he is. But maybe one day who knows...

[Accardo]

The France squad is very strong. The most star players are probably in the french squad. But some of the players have a lot of ego. They do not  get along well with their teammates. And we have seen the bad effects of this in france's gameplay. They have lost friendly  matches against teams like Ivory coast. I doubt they will  be able to do well against the strong  teams in the knockout round.

France has a formidable team on its own, working together is the ability they'll need to dismantle their oppositions, without depending on individual capacity players like Mbappe, Dembele and Cherki would do so much damage to their opponents defense. They could be having a challenge in the midfield, with Kante's leg not being in a fine shape, France will depend fully on Tchouameni in the midfield depending on his ability to control that aspect, as for the defense it seems quite okay with the likes of Saliba whose defensive control is considered a world class.

[Zlantann]

Germany having lost a major player in Karl is just sad. Maybe some in here don't really know him but Lennart Karl (midflielder for Bayern Munich) really was supposed to play a big role for the German team, such a shame.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cz020zdklmmo

He was supposed to be one of the cornerstones next to Wirtz and Havertz. Assan Ouedraogo will replace him but I don't see him in any other role than on the bench.

It real painful to be close to getting to the world and suddenly being sidelined by an injury. The 18-year-old forward suffered a thigh injury during the training season. Assan Ouedraogo is not a bad replacement, considering his good work in RB Leipzig. German national team coach Julian Nagelsmann decided to give Assan an opportunity instead of seeking for an established player to fill in Lennart Karl position. Karl is a striker while the 20 years old Assan plays in the midfield. The coach decision was to replace the injured player with a young star.

Ouédraogo is made his debut for the German national team in November 2025 against Slovenia where he played for 13minutes and scored a late goal. He could be a good substitute.

[Oluwa-btc]

Off the pitch, Neymars life style is really wild, but one thing about Neymar is the fact that regardless of his lifestyle, he still turns up but his age decline is a factor the will most likely hinder his performance but I hope to see Neymar on the pitch

Talking about flair, I still hope to see Cherki being cheeky on the pitch as he already demonstrated some level of it yesterday in there friendly match.

I'm not jealous but I hate these too much talks of Neymar and Neymar even from the Brazil fans. They talk too much about Neymar than they want the Brazil national team to win the FIFA World Cup Competition. It's crazy how Joao Pedro wasn't called for the FIFA World Cup Competition but Neymar with all of his inconsistency and injuries was called up. I'm even sure they will get on to the semi-finals.  They may most likely finish top of their group but they will not go pass the quater finals or semi-finals.

[Jossque]

Switzerland and Australia are playing a friendly match ahead of the World Cup. The matches for both teams in their respective groups will begin one day apart. This means Australia will have an extra day to prepare after this match. Australia’s first match will be against our national team. Their performance in this match will actually show whether we can beat them or not. I think we can beat Australia, but it’s important to note that we shouldn’t underestimate any national team. Everyone has the potential to produce surprising results these days.

[Stavri]

i think there will be a high number of draws in this World Cup, especially during the group stage...
fact that eight teams finishing third will advance will push most teams in balanced groups to play for a single point.

[Bigjoe33]

Off the pitch, Neymars life style is really wild, but one thing about Neymar is the fact that regardless of his lifestyle, he still turns up but his age decline is a factor the will most likely hinder his performance but I hope to see Neymar on the pitch

Talking about flair, I still hope to see Cherki being cheeky on the pitch as he already demonstrated some level of it yesterday in there friendly match.

I'm not jealous but I hate these too much talks of Neymar and Neymar even from the Brazil fans. They talk too much about Neymar than they want the Brazil national team to win the FIFA World Cup Competition. It's crazy how Joao Pedro wasn't called for the FIFA World Cup Competition but Neymar with all of his inconsistency and injuries was called up. I'm even sure they will get on to the semi-finals.  They may most likely finish top of their group but they will not go pass the quater finals or semi-finals.

The coach has made his choice and we should just accept it. Let's see what the team can offer in the world cup. We know football these days, it is totally different from what it used to be before. Big countries and teams now lose games to little countries and teams. So, we can't really predict how far they can go. For me, the can go from any stage, and they are can also win too. After all, they are a known country when it comes to world football. But recently, they have really proven little or nothing, and so, we just get our hands crossed and see how it unfolds

[Jossque]

England will face New Zealand in a World Cup warm-up match. It will be difficult for New Zealand to succeed in the World Cup. If England manages to beat Croatia, they will likely secure first place in the group. New Zealand’s group isn’t easy either, but it’s fair to say they are a weaker team compared to their rivals. England is the heavy favorite in this match and will win comfortably. I don’t think New Zealand will be able to score against England.

[Nahl]

England will face New Zealand in a World Cup warm-up match. It will be difficult for New Zealand to succeed in the World Cup. If England manages to beat Croatia, they will likely secure first place in the group. New Zealand’s group isn’t easy either, but it’s fair to say they are a weaker team compared to their rivals. England is the heavy favorite in this match and will win comfortably. I don’t think New Zealand will be able to score against England.

People still talking about the controversy decision from Tuchel that because England squad is very different currently especially when some names such as TAA or Maguire not on the list makes people wonder why Tuchel dare to make risky decision because admitted or not these players is still deserved to playing for England but speaking about England chances although their opponents from group L not too strong but besides Croatia they should beware of Ghana too that because i have seen some good players from Ghana national team and don't forget too about Antoine Semenyo who playing for Man City which i am he have potention to make England gets in trouble

[Stormisover]

This world cup is really gonna be something else, like what was that score line between Spain vs Iraq, like playing 1-1 draw with Iraq is something I can't still figure out with that kind squad, and again France losing 1-2 against Ivory Coast, is still something I don't understand, or should I say maybe it's a friendly match? But despite that they lost playing with their full squad so I won't really see it maybe it's because it's friendly, the fact is they lost and that's not really funny, I just hope they don't go to the tournament with such performance else they will have themselves to blame.

[Bitcoin_Budha]

This world cup is really gonna be something else, like what was that score line between Spain vs Iraq, like playing 1-1 draw with Iraq is something I can't still figure out with that kind squad, and again France losing 1-2 against Ivory Coast, is still something I don't understand, or should I say maybe it's a friendly match? But despite that they lost playing with their full squad so I won't really see it maybe it's because it's friendly, the fact is they lost and that's not really funny, I just hope they don't go to the tournament with such performance else they will have themselves to blame.

Usually warm-up games or friendlies are always a different story from the main event because big teams never take them seriously they always try to keep things on experiments because they feel this helps them have an understanding of other teams strategies and also their own weak points.
But this event with 48 teams and a few who are surely having good strength could be interesting because competition is at the highest level all will give their best and try to win, which is not easy.
We can expect a good number of surprising results or draws as well; a few big teams have a good difference in quality, but this will not work for all; a few teams will surely be on another level.

[Xyloo]

This world cup is really gonna be something else, like what was that score line between Spain vs Iraq, like playing 1-1 draw with Iraq is something I can't still figure out with that kind squad, and again France losing 1-2 against Ivory Coast, is still something I don't understand, or should I say maybe it's a friendly match? But despite that they lost playing with their full squad so I won't really see it maybe it's because it's friendly, the fact is they lost and that's not really funny, I just hope they don't go to the tournament with such performance else they will have themselves to blame.

I still can't understand how France lost to Ivory Coast. Especially since Ivory Coast created more clear chances. France couldn't play their own game. It's also very strange that Spain drew with Iraq. Because both teams are considered among the best in the world, but they played against average teams. Despite this, they couldn't get a win.

[Stepstowealth]

England will face New Zealand in a World Cup warm-up match. It will be difficult for New Zealand to succeed in the World Cup. If England manages to beat Croatia, they will likely secure first place in the group. New Zealand’s group isn’t easy either, but it’s fair to say they are a weaker team compared to their rivals. England is the heavy favorite in this match and will win comfortably. I don’t think New Zealand will be able to score against England.

This is a friendly game so I advise everyone to bet cautiously because it may even be shocking to you that the intention for England in this game is not to win the game but for the coach to give players an opportunity to see how they ready they are in preparation for the World Cup, so New Zealand may even end up with a shocking result of winning and to me it will not be worrisome because I believe the English team will put up a better performance when the competition begins. If you want to risk it, bet on New Zealand.