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

[Amphenomenon]

The ill luck is very obvious for some European teams take a look at Spain, Netherlands and Portugal also. They might be better than Turkey currently and could advance to the next stage but their performance is not impressive, not what many spectators wanted to see them do, the teams that suprise me most are Spain and Portugal.

Turkey did well to qualify but many fans from their country who came to support them would be wishing they never did cause the humiliation is too much, if they came with the energy of the Euros competition they would've done better than this, I feel there's something happening within the players that we're yet to figure out.

A single performance in the world cup.is not enough to speak. While Turkey performance is more obvious since they lost their first and second game, the others cannot be said to be the same until they play theirs.

Netherlands today did well, trashing Sweden 5 goals to 1 and now that shows they are still ready for the world cup, until Spain and Portugal second game I can't classify them with Turkey.

[Unsoldier]

Netherlands vs Sweden, final score 5-1. The Dutch won big, but I wouldn't say they were the better team. The Swedes looked very good and attacked a lot. However, the game was pretty much decided in the first 17 minutes when the score became 2-0. Sweden could have pulled one back near the end of the first half, but they missed their chance, and the Netherlands extended their lead in the second half. Interestingly, Sweden played with five defenders but conceded three goals from crosses that were made completely unchallenged. I hope the Swedes find a way to fix these defensive flaws before the next match.

In my opinion, Sweden fully deserved a draw based on their performance, but Holland was clinical in converting their chances. Now Sweden will play Japan, and this will be a crucial match for both teams to qualify for the knockout stage.

[KTChampions]

~
By the way how did Sweden lose like that?    I mean of course they don't play defensively like Japan do. But still I'd have expected them to answer with more goals.

Sweden are a rubbish team, win over Tunisia distracted people from that fact a little. Let me remind you that in the qualifying tournament, playing in a group with Kosovo, Switzerland and Slovenia, Sweden scored... 2 fucking points! 2 points from 6 games and a goal difference of 4-12   Somehow they won the looser playoffs but now we're seeing them at their normal level, I'm glad the Netherlands humiliated them today.

[PremiumcryptoHub]

This game for me is going to be the toughest game of the Group E and the results of this game can decide the entire group group standings at the end. These two teams are leading, and I'm still almost certain that Ivory coast will still beat Curacao in their next game. This game is going to be tough even though Germany looks more fierce and has higher chances of winning the game. However, I think that Ivory coast will go very defensive and target getting a draw which will increase their chances of topping the table. If Germany draws this game, there will be high chances of drawing with Ecuador which will place them at the second place.

Undoubtedly we can assume that the match between Germany and Ivory Coast in Group E will be the most competitive. Besides I think Germany might be a little more confident in this game because they won 7-1 against Curacao but on the other hand, Ivory Coast also won against Ecuador. Indeed these two teams are in great form right now, so we believe that both teams will try to give their best in today's game and try to snatch victory from the match, Germany is strong on paper, so it seems that many bettors will bet on Germany in today's Group E match. By the way, since Germany won the first match by a large margin, so it can undoubtedly be assumed that Ivory Coast will play defensively against Germany in today's game.

[Muba20]

Germany vs. Ivory Coast and Netherlands vs. Sweden are the two matches worth watching tonight and both should be entertaining.

I see Germany as the clear favorites and I think they'll win comfortably against Ivory Coast.

Netherlands vs. Sweden match could be much more competitive. The two teams are at a very similar level and I think there's a good chance the match could end in a draw.

I definitely think Germany has a better chance of winning this match. Germany is a very strong team, they are very strong in every level. Taking Ivory Coast lightly will never be the right decision for Germany. Because their defense is very strong and their counterattacking skills are also very good. So if Germany takes their opponent lightly in this match, it will be the biggest mistake for them.

Netherlands started well and I thought this match would be very difficult, but the Netherlands won by a big margin where Sweden could not put up any resistance. Netherlands' victory by just 5-1 goals will definitely keep them far ahead.

[Odusko]

~
By the way how did Sweden lose like that?    I mean of course they don't play defensively like Japan do. But still I'd have expected them to answer with more goals.

Sweden are a rubbish team, win over Tunisia distracted people from that fact a little. Let me remind you that in the qualifying tournament, playing in a group with Kosovo, Switzerland and Slovenia, Sweden scored... 2 fucking points! 2 points from 6 games and a goal difference of 4-12   Somehow they won the looser playoffs but now we're seeing them at their normal level, I'm glad the Netherlands humiliated them today.

5:1 goals is massive and indeed exposes Sweden weaknesses in the world cup, I believe they are going to drop out very soon and this is the bad side of weak team getting Lucky in qualifying stage but fucking and messing up in the main event, when the Netherlands squads made the first goal score I was expecting follow up equalization from the Sweden team but in the end their defense was weak and they concede further goals in the process.

[Agbam]

Netherlands vs Sweden, final score 5-1. The Dutch won big, but I wouldn't say they were the better team. The Swedes looked very good and attacked a lot. However, the game was pretty much decided in the first 17 minutes when the score became 2-0. Sweden could have pulled one back near the end of the first half, but they missed their chance, and the Netherlands extended their lead in the second half. Interestingly, Sweden played with five defenders but conceded three goals from crosses that were made completely unchallenged. I hope the Swedes find a way to fix these defensive flaws before the next match.

In my opinion, Sweden fully deserved a draw based on their performance, but Holland was clinical in converting their chances. Now Sweden will play Japan, and this will be a crucial match for both teams to qualify for the knockout stage.

They don’t Deserve any draw in this game they got what they deserved, it was a total humiliation though I didn’t expect it to be so but at the end it was entertaining to watch… many goals. Sweden before coming to the World Cup were actually poor so there not much to be expected, the surprise is because they have some very good players.

Ohh when you even look at their attack, those guys are good but in recent times have not been so good. Alexander Isak have not been the same since leaving Newcastle and Victor Gyokeres as well has underperformed at Arsenal so you see that this guys are not dependable for goals and the one who’s been working hard got the goal.

[Iamgoat]

Without a doubt, we can assume that the match between Germany and Ivory Coast in Group E will be the most competitive. Besides I think Germany might be a little more confident in this game because they won 7-1 against Curacao but on the other hand, Ivory Coast is scared against Ecuador. Indeed these two teams are in great form right now, so we believe that both teams will try to give their best in today's game and try to snatch victory from the match, Germany is strong on paper, so it seems that many bettors will bet on Germany in today's Group E match,

While I would pick Ivory Coast as my favorite team, I can predict a higher chances of winning to Germany than to the Irovian side. I arrived at this point after looking at the performance metrics of both team from previous games and the squad depth of both teams. When you take a look at the performance of the German team, they have recorded a solid 10 consecutive wins scoring first in nine of their last ten matches including the last match which they scored 7 goals against Curacao who scored just one goal in their opener match whereas Ivory Coast managed to score only a single goal at the 90 minutes of theue opener match agaisnt Ecuador. Germany also have star players who are very much in form as compared to the Ivory Coast right now.

[Egii Nna]

The ill luck is very obvious for some European teams take a look at Spain, Netherlands and Portugal also. They might be better than Turkey currently and could advance to the next stage but their performance is not impressive, not what many spectators wanted to see them do, the teams that suprise me most are Spain and Portugal.

Turkey did well to qualify but many fans from their country who came to support them would be wishing they never did cause the humiliation is too much, if they came with the energy of the Euros competition they would've done better than this, I feel there's something happening within the players that we're yet to figure out.

A single performance in the world cup.is not enough to speak. While Turkey performance is more obvious since they lost their first and second game, the others cannot be said to be the same until they play theirs.

Netherlands today did well, trashing Sweden 5 goals to 1 and now that shows they are still ready for the world cup, until Spain and Portugal second game I can't classify them with Turkey.

Turkey are already out of the World Cup, because I don’t think they will be able to do anything against their opponents. They have lost all the two games they played. Even the last one they will be playing against the United States, they will still lose. So to me, I don’t think Spain and Portugal can even be classified with Turkey, because they at least have a point and they haven’t played their second game yet. So, there is still time; let's wait and see how their next game will be.

[GiftedMAN]

Netherland 5 Vs Sweden 1 FT
The Dutch are running rampage on the Swedes, on the last game, it was the Swedes that demolished Tunisia 4 - 0, today they are on the receiving end of such demolition. Netherland has gotten back from their draw against Japan with a deserved win today. With 4 points now, although they have not yet officially qualified for the next round, if they are to win against Tunisia they will definitely top the ground thanks to their superior goal difference at the moment. Japan will face Tunisia at the early hours of tomorrow and will be hoping to get their first win against the African team. Let's wait and see if there will be an upset or it will go as predicted.

They're having a taste of their own medicine, they played fantastically good and the Swedish defense couldn't match their strength, Netherlands were careful not to get a draw like they did with Japan, their defense did better this time around and attacking players like Brobbey and Gakpo used their chances well and both scored brace. Now i know why Manchester United included Summerville as an option for the left wing, he's a good lad.

[dzonikg28]

I thought Netherlands has an advantage in this match, but like this? No, I thought Sweden would be much harder to beat for them. 4:1 is not a result that is very promising for a Swedish comeback, but maybe we will see history being written tonight for Sweden. 

No, in all seriousness, the Netherlands was in full control and perhaps if Sweden now quickly scores one more goal, the Netherlands could feel more nervous but since there are usually not that many goals in world cup matches anyway, it is not very likely that Sweden will score three more while the Netherlands would collapse. It would be nothing else but a collapse that is needed to give Sweden a chance to come back into this match.

The first match of the world cup suggested that there is more to come from Sweden because 5:1 is never easy, no matter who the other team is and we have learned that now in so many matches. But Tunisia was not the benchmark then. 

Along with the Netherlands attack, they are also very strong in defense, because Sweden has also attacked enough in attack, but they could not be effective in any attack.

Netherlands has already scored 4 goals, and after that in the 59th minute Sweden has scored 1 goal and the score is now 4-1, Sweden has tried to attack with their best, but they cannot survive in front of the Netherlands defense.

The match has already 75 minutes, and now the score is 4-1, both are still attacking, but in the end I do not see any possibility for Sweden in this match, Netherlands will win this match.

Yes the Netherlands is blessed with good defenders because they are big and can defend against free kicks and corners and at the same time most of them are great footballers I don't know if there is another team with that many high level defenders like the Netherlands and the best of it all about them is that they can get involved during attacks. I think this is a big advantage the Netherlands have over many other teams.

If you take a scenario where the Netherlands is behind against a strong nation at this world cup, their defenders could go and support when corner kicks or free kicks are given and it would be highly dangerous for the other team. I don't know how many goals van Dijk has scored in his career, but I remember that some of them were really important and this is what counts and even if he helps attacking and doesn't get the ball, the other team is still forced to have him covered and that way he takes resources away from the other team that can then help his own players find the right spot in the box.

[KingsDen]

I am looking up to the match between Germany and ivory coast. This match is going to be a match that will show the true strength of both teams. I said so because Germany's first leg was against a week aside and they were able to score a whooping seven goals in a World Cup match, which is something that is very rare.

In the other hand ivory coast was able to win, but I do not consider their opponent to be a strong contender to ivory coast even if FIFA rating says otherwise. So ivory coast and Germany coming together this night will have to prove a point that either ivory coast is equal to the task or Germany is overrated because of the weaker opposition they faced

I will watch this match with a kin interest and I'll also be able to watch and admire my favourite young player - Musiala
In less than 30mins, the match will start.

[Woodie]

Sweden and Netherlands: two giant african teams playing openly for the victory. Netherlands is overwhelming on the score, but Sweden doesn't give up.

Sorry but did I read this correctly or maybe my mind is playing tricks on me


Solid performance from the Netherlands, far much better than the first game and today was a must win game after throwing away their lead against a determined Japanese team.. probably need a win or draw in final group game to qualify .

Up next Germany Ivory coast is a big one  

[Distraction]

If Japan don't defeat Tunisia by a big score gap then the leader of Group F is pretty obvious now.    Netherlands got a much easier win than I imagined. I even had second thoughts on them.

The World Cup has been going on quite unpredictable mostly so far. This is what makes me think twice before placing a bet on even clear favourites. We have all seen what Spain did against Cape Verde for example...

[Hypnotizer]

Sweden are a rubbish team, win over Tunisia distracted people from that fact a little. Let me remind you that in the qualifying tournament, playing in a group with Kosovo, Switzerland and Slovenia, Sweden scored... 2 fucking points! 2 points from 6 games and a goal difference of 4-12   Somehow they won the looser playoffs but now we're seeing them at their normal level, I'm glad the Netherlands humiliated them today.

I really wonder how they pulled that performance against Tunisia but that’s Tunisia..lol

The only two player I’ve ever known in the Swedish National team are Isak and Gyokores, this is a very poor performance they displayed today against the Netherlands especially defense and I look at the scoreboard and think…Seems like Netherlands helped Tunisia revenge their painful 5-1 loss by winning Sweden the same exact score..

We’re just minutes away from the Germany vs Ivory Coast match and Germany are favorites to win, I also think they’ll win because why not.. let’s see how that goes..

[Son Of Blockchain (SOB)]

Along with the Netherlands attack, they are also very strong in defense, because Sweden has also attacked enough in attack, but they could not be effective in any attack.

Netherlands has already scored 4 goals, and after that in the 59th minute Sweden has scored 1 goal and the score is now 4-1, Sweden has tried to attack with their best, but they cannot survive in front of the Netherlands defense.

The match has already 75 minutes, and now the score is 4-1, both are still attacking, but in the end I do not see any possibility for Sweden in this match, Netherlands will win this match.

Yes the Netherlands is blessed with good defenders because they are big and can defend against free kicks and corners and at the same time most of them are great footballers I don't know if there is another team with that many high level defenders like the Netherlands and the best of it all about them is that they can get involved during attacks. I think this is a big advantage the Netherlands have over many other teams.

Being big is an advantage but doesn't make them completely free from conceding goals, the Japanese players are smaller in size but still found their way through Netherlands defense to score two goals when they meet, although your right concerning their good good level of defensive skils, they're players big clubs won't think twice about signing.
 Another team i admire their defense is Argentina, they're not as big or look like bullies to attackers but experience in both defense and play making, someone like Lizandro Martinez is good at frustrating attackers.

 

[Ryu_Ar1]

Netherlands vs Sweden, final score 5-1. The Dutch won big, but I wouldn't say they were the better team. The Swedes looked very good and attacked a lot. However, the game was pretty much decided in the first 17 minutes when the score became 2-0. Sweden could have pulled one back near the end of the first half, but they missed their chance, and the Netherlands extended their lead in the second half. Interestingly, Sweden played with five defenders but conceded three goals from crosses that were made completely unchallenged. I hope the Swedes find a way to fix these defensive flaws before the next match.

In my opinion, Sweden fully deserved a draw based on their performance, but Holland was clinical in converting their chances. Now Sweden will play Japan, and this will be a crucial match for both teams to qualify for the knockout stage.

Sweden's mistake in this match was that they tried to play too openly and compensate for the Netherlands' total football even though they played with 3 defenders.
This made it difficult for them to anticipate when fast attacks from long passes or direct passes occurred.

5 goals were scored and 4 goals came from the same situation when both sides of Sweden's easily exploited defense were well exploited.
Sweden did play quite well offensively as there were a lot of chances when they tried to attack but they sacrificed their defense which made the final score quite big in this match.

Verbruggen under the bar also played well in this match as his performance in this match managed to make the Netherlands concede only 1 goal despite a lot of pressure.

[Barcode_]

It seems that Turkey are having a terrible time in their 2026 world cup journey, or maybe the Turkey national squad are just not having the team quality to compete in this major tournament as Turkey could not even manage to salvage for a draw against Paraguay which was playing with 10 players on the field for the second half of the game. I guess Turkey might drop out of this world cup with a total 3 losses when they play against USA which are in magnificent form at the moment for their next upcoming match.

[Abbatty]

Netherlands vs Sweden, final score 5-1. The Dutch won big, but I wouldn't say they were the better team. The Swedes looked very good and attacked a lot. However, the game was pretty much decided in the first 17 minutes when the score became 2-0. Sweden could have pulled one back near the end of the first half, but they missed their chance, and the Netherlands extended their lead in the second half. Interestingly, Sweden played with five defenders but conceded three goals from crosses that were made completely unchallenged. I hope the Swedes find a way to fix these defensive flaws before the next match.

In my opinion, Sweden fully deserved a draw based on their performance, but Holland was clinical in converting their chances. Now Sweden will play Japan, and this will be a crucial match for both teams to qualify for the knockout stage.

Sweden's mistake in this match was that they tried to play too openly and compensate for the Netherlands' total football even though they played with 3 defenders.
This made it difficult for them to anticipate when fast attacks from long passes or direct passes occurred.

5 goals were scored and 4 goals came from the same situation when both sides of Sweden's easily exploited defense were well exploited.
Sweden did play quite well offensively as there were a lot of chances when they tried to attack but they sacrificed their defense which made the final score quite big in this match.

Verbruggen under the bar also played well in this match as his performance in this match managed to make the Netherlands concede only 1 goal despite a lot of pressure.

Well for me it a very open game for both side, we have seen it even at club level where 2 big teams will meet and one will end up trashing one, not because it better than the other team but in that game he took his chances when crated. That is what happened between this 2 sides today, both played well and created good chances but one was more clinical in front of goal.

It was a good game, a very enjoyable one for the spectators, it always nice to watch games with plenty of goals like this. Sweden still have a good chance to qualify out of the group if they can win their last game.

[dzonikg28]

Yes the Netherlands is blessed with good defenders because they are big and can defend against free kicks and corners and at the same time most of them are great footballers I don't know if there is another team with that many high level defenders like the Netherlands and the best of it all about them is that they can get involved during attacks. I think this is a big advantage the Netherlands have over many other teams.

Being big is an advantage but doesn't make them completely free from conceding goals, the Japanese players are smaller in size but still found their way through Netherlands defense to score two goals when they meet, although your right concerning their good good level of defensive skils, they're players big clubs won't think twice about signing.
 Another team i admire their defense is Argentina, they're not as big or look like bullies to attackers but experience in both defense and play making, someone like Lizandro Martinez is good at frustrating attackers.

You are adding a detail that nobody was talking about. That is why I called it an advantage. If I say that having 10 more horse power in formula 1 is an advantage, I am not implying that it guarantees you the win. And I think your statement falls short of a couple of things that are important to note. A player like van Dijk is not just big, he is agile and fast and technically a very sound player. If I read your post it sounds as if somebody said "they are big and therefore they are good", but that is never what I said.

Japan is a great example and they did find their way to score after a corner, which in my opinion shouldn't have happened although part of the truth is that the Japanese player didn't have a clean header. The ball was headed by the Japanese player and then deflected by a player from the Netherlands and then hit the back of the net. But you are still right that a team with smaller players on average scored against them and of course you are not free from conceding goals, how ridiculous would that be? 

But I still think having versatile defenders on your team who have qualities in the offense as well is a big advantage. When Spain is behind and there are ten minutes to go and they have free kicks or corners, it usually is not an option for them to just kick them into the box. The chance that Spain will score a header is very low whereas instead the Netherlands has options and one of them is to play cross balls.

I fully agree with Argentina and what you said about them. They are like hyper aggressive hyenas. Did you see how that Argentinian player freaked out in overtime when they had a 3:0 lead and he was denied a throw-in? This is what champions are, you can't lose anymore but you lose your mind because the referee doesn't grant you a throw-in.  Argentina is one of my favorites.