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

[free-bit.co.in]

They won the 2018 world cup, and finalists of 2022 that lost it on the penalties at the last shot. So I do not think they really have a problem. Doesn't mean that they are going to win it, they may not win it, anything could happen and it's true that they need to work hard for it if they want to win it.

But at the same time, we need to realize that things aren't always that easy and sometimes we are dealing with something that is not easy to handle neither from every team, not just France.

France is undoubtedly very strong. If we compare  the squads of the teams then we have to admit that france has the strongest squad and has the most star players. France also has a good chance of winning the world cup if they are able to perform  well as a team. If Mbappe adapts  well to his teammates, not playing  selfishly, France could be in the finals of this year's world cup  again. The team is really strong. Even a strong defense would find it very difficult to stop such an attack.

[YUriy1991]

France may not be playing with the same squad from the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and they may not be playing with the same performing players. So how France will do in the current tournament does not depend on the performance of the last two tournaments. Their squad in the current tournament is excellent, they have entered the World Cup with a strong squad. However, just because the squad is strong does not mean that they will play in the final or win the title. To win the title, they must beat some other strong teams. Especially in the knockout stage, they can lose in any match, because the performance of the players will not be the same in all matches.

In the World Cup a strong squad doesn't guarantee victory, strong team cohesion is essential. The French national team is a collection of star players from their respective clubs. However, if they fail to control their individual egos it will be disastrous for them. Previously Brazil held the best squad at the World Cup but they also lost, failing to win the title.

Ousmane Dembele is currently chasing the individual Ballon d'Or. Mbappe as team captain will undoubtedly play dominantly leading to friction between the two. Similarly, rumors of Michael Olise record breaking transfer to Real Madrid will also disrupt the team focus on competing in the World Cup. While France is favored to win, they must find other factors to emerge victorious, as they did at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

[Fiatless]

In the World Cup a strong squad doesn't guarantee victory, strong team cohesion is essential. The French national team is a collection of star players from their respective clubs. However, if they fail to control their individual egos it will be disastrous for them. Previously Brazil held the best squad at the World Cup but they also lost, failing to win the title.

Ousmane Dembele is currently chasing the individual Ballon d'Or. Mbappe as team captain will undoubtedly play dominantly leading to friction between the two. Similarly, rumors of Michael Olise record breaking transfer to Real Madrid will also disrupt the team focus on competing in the World Cup. While France is favored to win, they must find other factors to emerge victorious, as they did at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

I agree with you. The undoing of the French national team will not be a lack of quality players but the ability of the coach to organise them. Coach Didier Deschamps would have the hard task of ensuring that these star players drop individual goals for the success of the entire squad. The French squad will make it to at least the semi-finals if the coach can maximize the talents at his disposal. My major problem is Mbappe. His greed and selfishness are always visible.

[DanWalker]

I agree with you. The undoing of the French national team will not be a lack of quality players but the ability of the coach to organise them. Coach Didier Deschamps would have the hard task of ensuring that these star players drop individual goals for the success of the entire squad. The French squad will make it to at least the semi-finals if the coach can maximize the talents at his disposal. My major problem is Mbappe. His greed and selfishness are always visible.

It is difficult for any manager to organize a  squad with players like Mbappe. PSG managers failed. Real madrid had Ancelotti, Alonso and Arbeloa. I don't see Didier deschamps  succeeding.

France's squad is strong. If they play  well as a team, if the players are able to do well in their positions, then no  team will be able to stop this squad. But even  though there are many talented players in the squad, the understanding between them is not good. If teamwork is not good in the world cup , it is not possible to become a  world champion.

[Varnquister]

Scotland looks ready for the World Cup. After scoring four goals against their opponent in the first half of a friendly match, Scotland managed to win the game 4-0. They played really well in the match, and we can say it was a game where they were already the favorites. I don’t think they’ll be able to beat Brazil, but if they defeat Morocco, they’ll finish second in the group and advance. Based on this performance, I think they have the potential to advance from the group stage.

[liasbaa]

In the World Cup a strong squad doesn't guarantee victory, strong team cohesion is essential. The French national team is a collection of star players from their respective clubs. However, if they fail to control their individual egos it will be disastrous for them. Previously Brazil held the best squad at the World Cup but they also lost, failing to win the title.

Ousmane Dembele is currently chasing the individual Ballon d'Or. Mbappe as team captain will undoubtedly play dominantly leading to friction between the two. Similarly, rumors of Michael Olise record breaking transfer to Real Madrid will also disrupt the team focus on competing in the World Cup. While France is favored to win, they must find other factors to emerge victorious, as they did at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

I agree with you. The undoing of the French national team will not be a lack of quality players but the ability of the coach to organise them. Coach Didier Deschamps would have the hard task of ensuring that these star players drop individual goals for the success of the entire squad. The French squad will make it to at least the semi-finals if the coach can maximize the talents at his disposal. My major problem is Mbappe. His greed and selfishness are always visible.

As a star player's fame spreads, he starts thinking of himself as a bigger player and he becomes a professional to earn more money. He tends to play for the club more than for the national team, but he gradually forgets his own identity. But that player should have performed considering the interests of the country and played better. More attention should be paid to the success of the whole team, if a player only emphasizes his own individual performance, he may score goals himself but the team as a whole will not be able to achieve good results. From what I know about Mbappe, he is a great player and will play more impressively for the country's needs, as Messi has shown.

[Varnquister]

Panama and Bosnia and Herzegovina played to a draw in their friendly match ahead of the World Cup. To be honest, I don’t think either team put on a great performance, but since Panama is a team that really loves to attack, it was at least an entertaining match. Bosnia and Herzegovina will be playing in a group where they have a chance to advance to the World Cup. The first match is crucial. If they don’t lose to Canada, they’ll likely advance from the group. Panama’s chances of advancing are a bit lower, but I think there’s a very high probability that all the matches in that group will be high-scoring.

[banana33]

I think Yamal has shown excellent improvement in his performance. He possesses a champion’s mentality despite still being quite young. However he needs to improve his physical endurance to avoid getting injured as easily as he has recently.

the world cup is a very difficult event to predict, there is never one player stronger than another, they are all overstimulated, and the competition is so high that players who we are used to seeing very strong are in the end like the others, because we are instead surprised by players who we would never have thought were so strong.

[Solokan]

The world cup match is certainly just a matter of days and surely now most people can't wait to see the upcoming world cup match and surely now many people are favoring their respective countries to be champions for those whose countries enter the 2026 world cup. but for people whose countries do not advance to the world cup, I think most of them have a favorite team to win and become champions. unfortunately my own country did not advance to the 2026 world cup but I personally still have a favorite team to be champion in the 2026 world cup and my favorite country to be champion in the 2026 world cup is Portugal and the reason I support Portugal is because I want to see Ronaldo lift the world cup trophy because Ronaldo has never lifted the world cup trophy unlike Messi who lifted the world cup trophy in 2022 so if for example Ronaldo succeeds in lifting the trophy in my opinion it will be something unique and certainly the rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo will become even more interesting. Now, I'd like to know which team is your favorite to win the title, even if your country doesn't advance to the 2026 World Cup.


I think Portugal is currently in Group K and has the potential to top Group K. I hope Roberto Martinez is careful, as the teams that qualify for the World Cup are not just any team.

Yeah for sure, everyone has a favourite country to win the world cup and even among those whose country also made it to the world cup, some people still choose a different country to win probably for their own interests or for the sake of their favourite players. So it won't just be a prediction for those whose country is not in the world cup. I have watched the teams going into the world cup and I can say that this would be one of the most energetic tournaments in the history of world cup. I'm saying this because this world cup is going to be the last for Many players who have ruled the game over the years. Coming down to Africa, the pressure they will be pulling will be in excess of which Africa may have more teams making it to the round of 16 this year than ever.

With that been said, I think that most real football fans would want Portugal to win the world cup and close the rivalry talk between Messi and Ronaldo. Tactically, the Portugal squad has a lot of elite players too with many of them reaching one or two milestones in the just concluded league season. Bruno Fernandez with the player of the season award and highest assist record this season, João Felix with player of the season, Vitinha with champions League final man of the match and very many of them with individual awards and titles too even ahead of many teams coming to the world cup. So I expect Portugal to reach at least, the semi final this time and eventually win the tournament.

yes portugal does have strong players, and it's possible they could advance to the semifinals, given their many great players However if fortugal were to win the World Cup it would certainly make history as I recall Portugal never winning the World Cup Now we'll see what happens but one thing's for sure we'll all be entertained by the upcoming 2026 worldCup

Portugal's first match in the world cup will be against Congo I think Portugal has a great chance of winning against Congo What do you think? I think I'll bet on Portugal winning and I hope ronaldo can score

[Mayor of ogba]

Why would Portugal want to win the World Cup for Ronaldo? If Portugal win the World Cup they will do it for their country and not for Ronaldo because he said it himself that the World Cup is not really an important tournament and he doesn’t need it, since he has won the Euros which is equivalent to the World Cup according to his own dictionary. How I wish Portugal can lift the World Cup, so we will see how Ronaldo will celebrate it, after talking down about the World Cup. I was hoping he would reject the call up to feature for his country in this World Cup.

Even though Cristiano Ronaldo said that the World Cup isn't really an important tournament and he doesn't need it, I believe Portugal would want to win the World Cup for Cristiano Ronaldo because this World Cup is going to be his last World Cup and Portugal players want him to win it before he retires. Regardless of what Cristiano Ronaldo said about the World Cup, if Portugal end up winning the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo will celebrate the World Cup as he celebrated other trophies he has won.

[Phoenix Anka]

Why would Portugal want to win the World Cup for Ronaldo? If Portugal win the World Cup they will do it for their country and not for Ronaldo because he said it himself that the World Cup is not really an important tournament and he doesn’t need it, since he has won the Euros which is equivalent to the World Cup according to his own dictionary. How I wish Portugal can lift the World Cup, so we will see how Ronaldo will celebrate it, after talking down about the World Cup. I was hoping he would reject the call up to feature for his country in this World Cup.

Even though Cristiano Ronaldo said that the World Cup isn't really an important tournament and he doesn't need it, I believe Portugal would want to win the World Cup for Cristiano Ronaldo because this World Cup is going to be his last World Cup and Portugal players want him to win it before he retires. Regardless of what Cristiano Ronaldo said about the World Cup, if Portugal end up winning the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo will celebrate the World Cup as he celebrated other trophies he has won.

I think Cristiano Ronaldo wants to win the World Cup more than anything right now. Yes, it's perfectly normal for him to make such statements because he's hesitant to speak too confidently. There are stronger teams than Portugal in the tournament. If Portugal wins this cup, Cristiano Ronaldo will be the happiest person. Because it will most likely be his last World Cup. As a football legend, he wants to have such an achievement in his career.

[Stavri]

Friendlies can be considered warm ups before the actual match as coaches also assess the players' potential and build chemistry. Therefore, the results against Spain and France don't detract from their reputation as World Cup favorites.

It is warm-ups until you see a defeat by huge margin. Before few days from the World Cup, a team qualifying in the group stage receive a huge defeat by 5 goals to 0 is something very questionable. Why they allowed such humiliation and destruction of the moral of the team or are they hoping the players to react positively after this defeat? I don't know how they think there but I believe that it is clear now who is the nation that will leave fast this version of the World Cup in group F among Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia..

German economist Joachim Klement correctly predicted the last three World Cup winners and now claims the Netherlands will win. I’m backing Spain, though

[Arenga pinnata]

France is undoubtedly very strong. If we compare  the squads of the teams then we have to admit that france has the strongest squad and has the most star players. France also has a good chance of winning the world cup if they are able to perform  well as a team. If Mbappe adapts  well to his teammates, not playing  selfishly, France could be in the finals of this year's world cup  again. The team is really strong. Even a strong defense would find it very difficult to stop such an attack.

As usual, France will always be one of the favorites at the World Cup. after all, they’ve consistently gone further than other teams. I feel that Mbappé has become a player who isn’t as selfish as he used to be. but to be honest, that’s just part of his signature style. There have been times when his selfishness has led the French national team to some outstanding results.

However, for this World Cup, I don’t think France has much of a chance to make it to the final again. i think teams like Spain or those returning to the World Cup, such as Norway, could very well pull off a major upset.

[yudi09]

It is warm-ups until you see a defeat by huge margin. Before few days from the World Cup, a team qualifying in the group stage receive a huge defeat by 5 goals to 0 is something very questionable. Why they allowed such humiliation and destruction of the moral of the team or are they hoping the players to react positively after this defeat? I don't know how they think there but I believe that it is clear now who is the nation that will leave fast this version of the World Cup in group F among Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia..

German economist Joachim Klement correctly predicted the last three World Cup winners and now claims the Netherlands will win. I’m backing Spain, though

He predicts a final between the Netherlands and Portugal. In his view, the Netherlands will win. Based on the prediction he made using various data analyses that led him to those two teams, I disagree with him. It won’t be the Netherlands, but Portugal. And if this turns out to be true, then the hopes of many people who want to see Ronaldo lift the World Cup trophy will come true.
If the Netherlands were to face Spain, in my view, the Netherlands would lose in the knockout stage.

[TastyChillySauce00]

As i predicted Spain is still leading to be the most favorite nation to win the Worldcup this year. It's okay to have France in 2nd because France was also able going to the final in the last Worldcup. However, it feels weird to see England to be placed at 3rd.
IMO, England feels overpriced. They have never been doing well when they play at the World Cup.

I'd rather to replace England with Argentina. It's weird England is always getting overpriced in any of WC. Is it a premier league effect?  

I think that the predictions are about right. These are the favorites and i think the order is about right with the quality of the teams on paper and overall. Spain and France are the main favorites and England and Portugal are the backup favorites from the shadows to win the title other teams i dont expect to have a shot especially Brazil. But still we always see some surprises. England has a good team but they can never reach the final or win the world cup at all. I think Argentina dosent have the team to win this time there are a lot better teams now

I'd agree to put Spain and France at the top two. However, England is on the 3rd position is weird. I watched their game against NewZealand, and my impression they'are not worthy to be rated as 3rd favorite to win WC. No liquid football showed by them against Newzealand, and their attack seem not in the same page. So i think this needs to be corrected a bit. Even i have to say Portugal is literally have better football than England this time.

[Arenga pinnata]

German economist Joachim Klement correctly predicted the last three World Cup winners and now claims the Netherlands will win. I’m backing Spain, though

But if the Netherlands really does succeed in this World Cup, I think that would be the last thing I’d ever expect. Because up until now, I can’t even imagine the Netherlands winning the title with the depth of their current squad. I’m not underestimating them. It’s just that teams like Spain and Portugal or others with so many star players seem to have a much better chance. but yeah, the Netherlands is definitely a strong team; we’ve seen that all along. it’s just that I’d still find it hard to believe if they were to win the World Cup this time. Personally, I’d like to pick Portugal as my favorite.

[Joca97]

As i predicted Spain is still leading to be the most favorite nation to win the Worldcup this year. It's okay to have France in 2nd because France was also able going to the final in the last Worldcup. However, it feels weird to see England to be placed at 3rd.
IMO, England feels overpriced. They have never been doing well when they play at the World Cup.

I'd rather to replace England with Argentina. It's weird England is always getting overpriced in any of WC. Is it a premier league effect?  

I think that the predictions are about right. These are the favorites and i think the order is about right with the quality of the teams on paper and overall. Spain and France are the main favorites and England and Portugal are the backup favorites from the shadows to win the title other teams i dont expect to have a shot especially Brazil. But still we always see some surprises. England has a good team but they can never reach the final or win the world cup at all. I think Argentina dosent have the team to win this time there are a lot better teams now

I'd agree to put Spain and France at the top two. However, England is on the 3rd position is weird. I watched their game against NewZealand, and my impression they'are not worthy to be rated as 3rd favorite to win WC. No liquid football showed by them against Newzealand, and their attack seem not in the same page. So i think this needs to be corrected a bit. Even i have to say Portugal is literally have better football than England this time.

I dont know what is actually wrong with England. On paper they have such a good team but its like the players dont go with each other or the coach is the problem. I think this are the only two reasons why England aint playing better. I agree England needs to go down on the list espcially after what i watched yesterday how they play. For me realistic Portugal should he considered as third favorites in this upcoming world cup,they are playing really well from what i seen

[Princess Leah]

Yeah for sure, everyone has a favourite country to win the world cup and even among those whose country also made it to the world cup, some people still choose a different country to win probably for their own interests or for the sake of their favourite players. So it won't just be a prediction for those whose country is not in the world cup. I have watched the teams going into the world cup and I can say that this would be one of the most energetic tournaments in the history of world cup. I'm saying this because this world cup is going to be the last for Many players who have ruled the game over the years. Coming down to Africa, the pressure they will be pulling will be in excess of which Africa may have more teams making it to the round of 16 this year than ever.

With that been said, I think that most real football fans would want Portugal to win the world cup and close the rivalry talk between Messi and Ronaldo. Tactically, the Portugal squad has a lot of elite players too with many of them reaching one or two milestones in the just concluded league season. Bruno Fernandez with the player of the season award and highest assist record this season, João Felix with player of the season, Vitinha with champions League final man of the match and very many of them with individual awards and titles too even ahead of many teams coming to the world cup. So I expect Portugal to reach at least, the semi final this time and eventually win the tournament.

yes portugal does have strong players, and it's possible they could advance to the semifinals, given their many great players However if fortugal were to win the World Cup it would certainly make history as I recall Portugal never winning the World Cup Now we'll see what happens but one thing's for sure we'll all be entertained by the upcoming 2026 worldCup

Portugal's first match in the world cup will be against Congo I think Portugal has a great chance of winning against Congo What do you think? I think I'll bet on Portugal winning and I hope ronaldo can score

Portugal is one of the team i support in this World Cup and it's because of Cristiano Ronaldo and João Felix, moreover it's Ronaldo's last World Cup so it would be interesting to see if he can win it. Portugal's group is an easy one, i don't see any threat apart from Colombia, Dr Congo was impressive in the AFCON but I don't trust they'll do same in the World Cup.

 From the friendlies, Portugal is already nailing it, they won Chile yesterday although the match turned out violent and one of their players Rafael Leão had to be sent off for a violent action. He needs to be caution concerning his temper so he don't end up ruining things for his team in the World Cup.

[Oluwa-btc]

Scotland looks ready for the World Cup. After scoring four goals against their opponent in the first half of a friendly match, Scotland managed to win the game 4-0. They played really well in the match, and we can say it was a game where they were already the favorites. I don’t think they’ll be able to beat Brazil, but if they defeat Morocco, they’ll finish second in the group and advance. Based on this performance, I think they have the potential to advance from the group stage.

Group C should be hell interesting for real, but I don't see the Scottish national team finishing above Brazil and Moroccan National team.

I may have some personal dislike for Morocco but they have a beautiful footballing playing side who can withstand both Brazil and Scotland. The only people they can beat very well and easily should be Haiti and I'm confident there'll be no shocker,  it should be;

Brazil
Morocco
Scotland
Haiti
When the group stages comes to an end!

[Mayor of ogba]

I think Cristiano Ronaldo wants to win the World Cup more than anything right now. Yes, it's perfectly normal for him to make such statements because he's hesitant to speak too confidently. There are stronger teams than Portugal in the tournament. If Portugal wins this cup, Cristiano Ronaldo will be the happiest person. Because it will most likely be his last World Cup. As a football legend, he wants to have such an achievement in his career.

Yes Cristiano Ronaldo wants to win the World Cup more than anything right now since this World Cup will be his last. I agree with you that there are stronger teams than Portugal in the World Cup tournament but Portugal has a team that's capable of winning the World Cup, if Portugal players can drop their egos and play as a team they could be lucky to win the World Cup this time around. In all the competitions or tournaments Cristiano Ronaldo has taken part it seems it's only the World Cup he hasn't won so he will be the happiest person if Portugal wins the World Cup.