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

[AprilioMP]

Argentina is aiming for a perfect record in Group J. In addition to winning, the Argentine squad will set up scoring opportunities for their captain, Lionel Messi, so that he can become the top scorer at the 2026 World Cup—considering that in 2022, Messi trailed Kylian Mbappé by one goal.
Austria will face Argentina in the group’s second match. On June 17, Austria won 3-1 against a relatively easy opponent, and Argentina also defeated Algeria.
The Argentina vs. Austria matchup is the most intriguing in this group, featuring players we know from top leagues.

[changaa]

As per the FIFA ranking, they are one of the weakest teams in this tournament (FIFA Rank of 69). But at the same time, they have performed much better when compared to the higher ranked teams such as Qatar (FIFA rank of 56). BTW, the "weakest" team of this tournament is New Zealand, who have a FIFA rank of 85. But they have also performed quite decently so far. They were able to hold a much stronger Iran to a draw in their first match, and now they are leading 1-0 against Egypt. Iran is ranked 22nd by FIFA, while Egypt is at the 28th place.

this means that the FIFA ranking matters very little, only for some occasions, we know well that football is very strange and is not always safe, the results that are often those considered by everyone to be taken for granted in the end are those that are the most unexpected, having the possibility of managing this is a difficult thing, and the teams that previously seemed weak today demonstrate a lot.

[Ochan_yazo_tochant]

Argentina will take the field against Austria to secure the top spot in the group. It’s certain to be a tough match for both teams. Argentina is, of course, the favorite heading into the match, and frankly, I expect them to dominate the game against Austria. If Argentina defeats Austria, they will most likely secure the top spot in the group. I don’t think a draw would be a problem for them, but in my opinion, they have the strength to secure a victory.

It’s true if Argentina wants to stamp their authority on this tournament as title contenders, they absolutely have to beat Austria. Anything less would be a massive disappointment for Messi's fans. When you look at the technical quality of both squads, Argentina clearly goes into this as the bookmakers' favorite. Personally, I think Austria is in for a heavy defeat this time.

[BitBakerr1]

This World Cup is actually interesting and I’m enjoying every match but the only issue I’m having watching some matches is that they are always played in a time that is bed time, some matches I will be watching it at midnight and before I know it I have slept off without enjoying it anymore and is not anybody’s fault the time zone in my country and the US is actually different If it is 1:00 PM in Lagos, Nigeria, it is 8:00 AM in New York and 5:00 AM in Los Angeles so the time zone difference is the cause but is not like that in countries like UK and many European countries and that is why I enjoy the English premier league and La Liga very well.
12:00 PM in Lagos, Nigeria = 1:00 PM in Madrid, Spain And again 12:00 PM in Lagos = 12:00 PM in London so you see.

[Oluwa-btc]

Mexico should be the first nation to have three wins out of the three fixtures when they go against Czech-republic on Thursday. A comfortable win with little goal margin should be the outcome of that game.

And I expect the same from South Korea. They will have to send back South Africa out of the tournament to focus on their jobs. They was lucky to get a spot kick in the last game. I do not expect the same when they go against South Korea.

[Stavri]

17 out of the 26 players on the Iranian national team come from iranian league and that league hasn't been played due to the war. These men haven't properly played football for about a year.
And since they aren't allowed to stay in the US, they are staying in Mexico. they travel from Mexico before every match. As soon as their matches end, they are forced out of the country without even being allowed to take a shower in peace...
They are treated like deported refugees. US police stand over them, telling them to hurry up.

The league was stopped in February, so it's only about 4 months without football (they probably still played friendly games all the time), not that big of a deal.

The shower thing is obviously an unnecessary exaggeration. Don't have any info on the rest, but if what you said is true it's really sad and inhumane.

i think the Iran national team is showing a truly commendable effort and character. although they've mostly moved past their golden generation, they still managed to hold Belgium to a draw. and if it wasn't for a millimeter tight offside coming to Belgium's rescue, the entire world would be talking about an Iran victory right now...

[Sandra_hakeem]

Argentina will take the field against Austria to secure the top spot in the group. It’s certain to be a tough match for both teams. Argentina is, of course, the favorite heading into the match, and frankly, I expect them to dominate the game against Austria. If Argentina defeats Austria, they will most likely secure the top spot in the group. I don’t think a draw would be a problem for them, but in my opinion, they have the strength to secure a victory.

It’s true if Argentina wants to stamp their authority on this tournament as title contenders, they absolutely have to beat Austria. Anything less would be a massive disappointment for Messi's fans. When you look at the technical quality of both squads, Argentina clearly goes into this as the bookmakers' favorite. Personally, I think Austria is in for a heavy defeat this time.

Did Austria tell you they have any plans to win tonight? Lmao. I love the fact that Argentina gave a resounding warning to every club right from the friendlies, to the first match against Algeria in their group stage, so hopefully they can defend to the end. Undeniably, this is going to be a tough match, but the Argentines know they have to win to be moved over to the next phase, and that's exactly what they're going to do. I'm expecting to see an early pressing, new counter structure, different patterns which means different results, and of course the goals.

[Wake Up]

17 out of the 26 players on the Iranian national team come from iranian league and that league hasn't been played due to the war. These men haven't properly played football for about a year.
And since they aren't allowed to stay in the US, they are staying in Mexico. they travel from Mexico before every match. As soon as their matches end, they are forced out of the country without even being allowed to take a shower in peace...
They are treated like deported refugees. US police stand over them, telling them to hurry up.

The league was stopped in February, so it's only about 4 months without football (they probably still played friendly games all the time), not that big of a deal.

The shower thing is obviously an unnecessary exaggeration. Don't have any info on the rest, but if what you said is true it's really sad and inhumane.

i think the Iran national team is showing a truly commendable effort and character. although they've mostly moved past their golden generation, they still managed to hold Belgium to a draw. and if it wasn't for a millimeter tight offside coming to Belgium's rescue, the entire world would be talking about an Iran victory right now...

Iran played a good game, in my opinion. Their goalkeeper was man of the match, and they almost won. Iran is a team that nobody thought they could pull off a surprise. They still have a chance to advance from the group stage. They could even qualify as third. A draw against a tough team like Belgium is a good achievement for Iran, in my opinion. They are currently unbeaten in two matches.

[abhiseshakana]

17 out of the 26 players on the Iranian national team come from iranian league and that league hasn't been played due to the war. These men haven't properly played football for about a year.
And since they aren't allowed to stay in the US, they are staying in Mexico. they travel from Mexico before every match. As soon as their matches end, they are forced out of the country without even being allowed to take a shower in peace...
They are treated like deported refugees. US police stand over them, telling them to hurry up.

The league was stopped in February, so it's only about 4 months without football (they probably still played friendly games all the time), not that big of a deal.

The shower thing is obviously an unnecessary exaggeration. Don't have any info on the rest, but if what you said is true it's really sad and inhumane.

i think the Iran national team is showing a truly commendable effort and character. although they've mostly moved past their golden generation, they still managed to hold Belgium to a draw. and if it wasn't for a millimeter tight offside coming to Belgium's rescue, the entire world would be talking about an Iran victory right now...

To be honest, I really respect the Iran national team , given the constraints they are currently facing , they remain highly motivated and their performance has also been quite good. What's even more surprising is that Iran still  have a chance of progressing to the next round. It certainly won’t be plain sailing , as their opponents will be Egypt, but even if the chances are slim , they still have a little hope

It’s clearly not easy for them, as they  are treated differently from teams from other countries. One thing’s for sure , they don’t have much time to rest, as they are not allowed to stay overnight in America. As for the ban on bathing , it seems to be nothing more than a rumour.

[W Jr.]

17 out of the 26 players on the Iranian national team come from iranian league and that league hasn't been played due to the war. These men haven't properly played football for about a year.
And since they aren't allowed to stay in the US, they are staying in Mexico. they travel from Mexico before every match. As soon as their matches end, they are forced out of the country without even being allowed to take a shower in peace...
They are treated like deported refugees. US police stand over them, telling them to hurry up.

The league was stopped in February, so it's only about 4 months without football (they probably still played friendly games all the time), not that big of a deal.

The shower thing is obviously an unnecessary exaggeration. Don't have any info on the rest, but if what you said is true it's really sad and inhumane.

i think the Iran national team is showing a truly commendable effort and character. although they've mostly moved past their golden generation, they still managed to hold Belgium to a draw. and if it wasn't for a millimeter tight offside coming to Belgium's rescue, the entire world would be talking about an Iran victory right now...

To be honest, I really respect the Iran national team , given the constraints they are currently facing , they remain highly motivated and their performance has also been quite good. What's even more surprising is that Iran still  have a chance of progressing to the next round. It certainly won’t be plain sailing , as their opponents will be Egypt, but even if the chances are slim , they still have a little hope

It’s clearly not easy for them, as they  are treated differently from teams from other countries. One thing’s for sure , they don’t have much time to rest, as they are not allowed to stay overnight in America. As for the ban on bathing , it seems to be nothing more than a rumour.

This World Cup has been a matter of pride for the Iranian national team. Perhaps that's what motivated them against Belgium. We all laugh about the problems between Iran and the United States. It's unfortunate for them that the World Cup is being held in the United States, but they are still playing their best. If Egypt wins their last match, they could be eliminated from the tournament. I would really like to watch them. I wonder if they can get out of the group.

[$weetne$$]

this means that the FIFA ranking matters very little, only for some occasions, we know well that football is very strange and is not always safe, the results that are often those considered by everyone to be taken for granted in the end are those that are the most unexpected, having the possibility of managing this is a difficult thing, and the teams that previously seemed weak today demonstrate a lot.

FIFA ranking is mostly as at the time the ranking was done of which after then, anything can happen,  a team can grow, improve and become better than there were before  the rankings and not long after you may need to see them differently,  because  they will not be playing as the same. This is why the ranking changes and never static.  So sometimes it is not safe ti judge a team by their FIFA ranking as they can beat or go below your expectations.

[Jossque]

Algeria will be looking for a win against Jordan. Since Argentina will be facing Austria, we can say that Algeria will gain a significant advantage if they secure three points from this match. Since their final match is also against Austria, advancing from the group is entirely in their own hands. First and foremost, they must secure a win against Jordan. I believe they have the strength to defeat Jordan. Jordan may score in this match, but I expect it to be a game where Algeria can score at least two goals.

[Bitcoin_people]

As per the FIFA ranking, they are one of the weakest teams in this tournament (FIFA Rank of 69). But at the same time, they have performed much better when compared to the higher ranked teams such as Qatar (FIFA rank of 56). BTW, the "weakest" team of this tournament is New Zealand, who have a FIFA rank of 85. But they have also performed quite decently so far. They were able to hold a much stronger Iran to a draw in their first match, and now they are leading 1-0 against Egypt. Iran is ranked 22nd by FIFA, while Egypt is at the 28th place.

this means that the FIFA ranking matters very little, only for some occasions, we know well that football is very strange and is not always safe, the results that are often those considered by everyone to be taken for granted in the end are those that are the most unexpected, having the possibility of managing this is a difficult thing, and the teams that previously seemed weak today demonstrate a lot.

FIFA rankings are not important in World Cup games, basically we can often see that the top teams in the rankings also play well with normal teams. In football games, strange things often happen, especially when we research a team and bet on them from all sides, in the end the results are very unexpected. We often see such incidents and get evidence, especially when strong teams come up with unexpected results with normal teams. However, since today's match will be between Argentina and Austria, the result of this match may be different.

[Adbitco]

I sincerely hope and pray that Belgium losses their next match so they will be sent parking back to their country from the world cup. I watched how Belgium in all of their name couldn't score a single goal against Iran but instead were busy getting sent off, I watched how my coupon of several days that has been going on smoothly slipped away all because of Belgium. I just hope I don't get to see them again after the group stages, I would rather see Iran qualify than Belgium. The frustration and raised blood pressure this Belgium team gave to me last night was something else. I'm sure some other persons must have lost too as a result of the teams inability to score at least a goal.

[RockBell]

Argentina is aiming for a perfect record in Group J. In addition to winning, the Argentine squad will set up scoring opportunities for their captain, Lionel Messi, so that he can become the top scorer at the 2026 World Cup—considering that in 2022, Messi trailed Kylian Mbappé by one goal.
Austria will face Argentina in the group’s second match. On June 17, Austria won 3-1 against a relatively easy opponent, and Argentina also defeated Algeria.
The Argentina vs. Austria matchup is the most intriguing in this group, featuring players we know from top leagues.

Argentina doesn't want to take any chances because they are the ones leading on there group, and their aim this World Cup is to win it, but now that the games are getting serious and there high hopes that France might win to so just because you are setting your records right does not mean that you are going to win the world cup and back to Lionel messi they are doing everything even in time of support to give him the best. Through this channel, a lot of rewards will come his way.

Austria and Argentina, who do you think is going to win? I am not convinced that Austria can win Argentina, so this kind of game is not even debatable, and now that Messi is even there, then it will be another challenge, but it will only be the game we are going to be watching for fun.

[Volgastallion]

This world cup until now is the most diferent and crazy one we witness in the whole history i believe. I mean every single team who is favorite against each weaker or not weaker team and not matter what odds they have given by the bookies in the games all is diferent and the weakest teams makes super good games and stole points from the favorites.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

Argentina is aiming for a perfect record in Group J. In addition to winning, the Argentine squad will set up scoring opportunities for their captain, Lionel Messi, so that he can become the top scorer at the 2026 World Cup—considering that in 2022, Messi trailed Kylian Mbappé by one goal.
Austria will face Argentina in the group’s second match. On June 17, Austria won 3-1 against a relatively easy opponent, and Argentina also defeated Algeria.
The Argentina vs. Austria matchup is the most intriguing in this group, featuring players we know from top leagues.

Well, I love both players, kylian mbappe and Messi, they are both my favourite football player but both arent on the same category as far as I know and based on my own personal rating, I think Messi is more OG while Mbappe is more morden, and this explains why mbappe is way faster than Messi based on my own observations.

If the Argentina players will commit themselves to setting up scoring opportunities for their captain in the person of Messi, that quite good and very thoughtful of the players, it does show love and support for the continues progress of Messi in achieving more in this world Cup tournament, and I will just sit back and watch how that plays out by the end of the tournament.

[NewRevelation]

Mexico should be the first nation to have three wins out of the three fixtures when they go against Czech-republic on Thursday. A comfortable win with little goal margin should be the outcome of that game.

And I expect the same from South Korea. They will have to send back South Africa out of the tournament to focus on their jobs. They was lucky to get a spot kick in the last game. I do not expect the same when they go against South Korea.

Presently, South Africa is tye most underperformed teams compared to all the African countries in the world cup.  I also doubt if they would make it to the next round of the tournament. And am sure the worst experience they would get added to there loss is that all African countries are not supporting them in the world cup. Ist a thing of shame and it will even make them demoralized. Maybe, they can fight for more pints, but I doubt. We would watch and see what they would play.

[Black Mbaye]

Mexico should be the first nation to have three wins out of the three fixtures when they go against Czech-republic on Thursday. A comfortable win with little goal margin should be the outcome of that game.

And I expect the same from South Korea. They will have to send back South Africa out of the tournament to focus on their jobs. They was lucky to get a spot kick in the last game. I do not expect the same when they go against South Korea.

Presently, South Africa is tye most underperformed teams compared to all the African countries in the world cup.  I also doubt if they would make it to the next round of the tournament. And am sure the worst experience they would get added to there loss is that all African countries are not supporting them in the world cup. Ist a thing of shame and it will even make them demoralized. Maybe, they can fight for more pints, but I doubt. We would watch and see what they would play.

South Africa isn't doing very well, but Tunisia is similarly performing poorly among African teams. Other teams are performing better. In my opinion, Morocco is performing the best. I think Morocco has the strongest squad. Ivory Coast also gave me hope in their recent matches. It's really enjoyable to watch African teams. I wish South Africa could have gotten some points.

[GxSTxV]

This world cup until now is the most diferent and crazy one we witness in the whole history i believe. I mean every single team who is favorite against each weaker or not weaker team and not matter what odds they have given by the bookies in the games all is diferent and the weakest teams makes super good games and stole points from the favorites.

What we are witnessing now is actually logical and in my opinion it was somethingt will happen sooner or later. The traditional strong teams we used to see in previous World Cups have lost many of the legend players that made the difference for their national team. Now it is not like before when Europe and South America were filled with stars and countries like Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Spain had known talents in almost every position.

Today’s football development is happening everywhere, we can see talented players coming from all continents, and the gap between the strongest and weakest teams is much smaller than used to be. That is why we are seeing teams like Morocco, Cape Verde and others competing at a much higher level and causing surprises against the favorites…

The overall level of football has become more balanced so I would not call these results crazy as theyr are simply a reflection of how much football has evolved around the world