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

[snipie]

Argentina did dominate the match and this win was really in their favour and they had the better chance at winning the game than their opponent who recorded zero goals by the end of the match. Messi is setting new records...

Messi and his teammates are doing great job for the Argentina national football team. They are contenders for the title as I mentioned earlier.
In another group, I heard about Egypt making history and winning a game in the World Cup after a long time? That's good for them even though this is a normal thing for most of the European and South American countries. They might even pass the group stage later.
The other funny part is to see Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde facing each other and letting one of them qualifying. The latter team showed a phenomenal performance comparing to their weight and it would be the surprise of this World Cup to see them passing the group stage.

[Cryptoprincess101]

Messi don’t just miss scoring when he wants to, he just didn’t get to score the earlier penalty and it was fine as every player do miss penalties also. Argentina has been very great, all thanks to Messi and his supportive teammates to have made him come this far in the competition. He is breaking records once again, and this is something he’ll be remembered for even after this World Cup. He has shown to be the leader of the team and has several time delivered his team when they needed him the most.

Of course,  any player can miss a penalty but the jubilation from some football fans who always anticipate his downfall was really astonishing. While mock him just because he missed a penalty. One thing I like about Lionel Messi is that he keeps shutting his critics in every possible way. If not for hate, why will anyone not love Lionel Messi who has been a symbol of creativity in football since his prime years till this time. He just broke a long time record in the ongoing world cup, isn't it amazing of him? Messi is just a fulfilled player who has paid his dues in the world of football and his legacy will live long in football history.

[Agbam]

Hmmm, again Argentina.....
Guys few minutes has been in lock for one of the most exciting match of the day between Argentina and Austria. Honestly guys I super excited to see the Greatest of all time Lionel Messi for one more time like again we will monitor some decent display for feet of Lionel. Anyway in previous match he just banged a supreme hat trick at the first match of 2026 world. So again I am expecting the same POV....

Everything is ready all over the world people are super optimistic to see his greatness. However for me Argentina is super favorite for victory because they have a good team in every single aspect. The rest of matter is my prediction will be for Argentina

There was no doubt that Argentina would win against Austria, but every match of the beloved footballer's last World Cup is something special for the fans. Although there was a big miss at the beginning in today's match, Messi recovered from that loss later. After the first goal, both teams competed very well. But towards the end, the fans were again impressed by Messi's amazing footwork. As soon as Messi enters the field, it seems like a goal is certain. In the meantime, Messi has promoted his team for the next round. Hopefully, this year too, Messi will give the fans something that the fans will remember for lifetime.

That Penalty miss was a huge motivation for the rest of his output. Another match day another Lionel Messi Classic Performance, it seems like he has found his Argentina magic towards the end of his career.
Austria tried her best but it wasn’t enough, that last minute goal broke their hearts even more and I think Lionel Messi was destined for that goal cos that ball didn’t want to go in.

When you think Messi has done it all he adds more, what a player !
2 games 5 goals let the tournament begin!!

[AGogi2003]

Messi and his teammates are doing great job for the Argentina national football team. They are contenders for the title as I mentioned earlier.
In another group, I heard about Egypt making history and winning a game in the World Cup after a long time? That's good for them even though this is a normal thing for most of the European and South American countries. They might even pass the group stage later.
The other funny part is to see Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde facing each other and letting one of them qualifying. The latter team showed a phenomenal performance comparing to their weight and it would be the surprise of this World Cup to see them passing the group stage.

Argentina have qualified for the next round already wining there first and second matches in the group stage. What a good performance from Argentina Messi is still contributing very well for the team and they are showing that they are the best team since they won the last World Cup and this season they can still win it because they are all doing very nice last before. Let watch Portugal tomorrow and we will see if they can contribute and achieve the three point and get the chance to qualify for the next round in the competition. There last game was very weak and they need to win and qualify to next round.

[CLS63]

Messi has really done a great work by scoring more goals against Austria and breaking the all-time goals record in the World Cup.

However I feel like it won't take Mbappe much long to break that record. He has already scored one against Iraq and we are only 20 minutes in the match.

Messi will probably not be in next World Cup but it is really amazing to see him doing these things even at the age of 39.

[Zaguru12]

Of course,  any player can miss a penalty but the jubilation from some football fans who always anticipate his downfall was really astonishing. While mock him just because he missed a penalty. One thing I like about Lionel Messi is that he keeps shutting his critics in every possible way. If not for hate, why will anyone not love Lionel Messi who has been a symbol of creativity in football since his prime years till this time. He just broke a long time record in the ongoing world cup, isn't it amazing of him? Messi is just a fulfilled player who has paid his dues in the world of football and his legacy will live long in football history.

It’s simply banter because everyone knows that even Messi not scoring anymore goals again in this life he has already cemented his place right at the top but people will always have something to banter about most especially those new content creators that don’t even watch the game. It was astonishing that Messi broke this long history and he now owns outrightly almost all the records left in the World Cup and he needs to just break the Assist record which I know he would definitely do.

Aside Messi goals I am not entirely impressed about the other Argentina players, I will say that if care is not taken and any team actually comes forward to cage Messi or he picks a knock I think the team will suffer greatly. Messi is the head and shoulder of this team. Argentina simply should just enjoy him for the last time because if he retires they will seriously suffer as a footballing nation

[Jegileman]

Of course,  any player can miss a penalty but the jubilation from some football fans who always anticipate his downfall was really astonishing. While mock him just because he missed a penalty. One thing I like about Lionel Messi is that he keeps shutting his critics in every possible way. If not for hate, why will anyone not love Lionel Messi who has been a symbol of creativity in football since his prime years till this time. He just broke a long time record in the ongoing world cup, isn't it amazing of him? Messi is just a fulfilled player who has paid his dues in the world of football and his legacy will live long in football history.

The Ronaldo fans and Messi fans already made everything looked like a competition, so there will always be a room for mockery and criticism every time a player amongst them makes mistake. The whole point of football is to enjoy the moment but criticizing a player for a downfall is not really it and would not encourage them going forward. Messi is a complete player and I really adore his game style and ability to always put his team ahead when tasked to do so. He’s enjoying the best of his World Cup moments before he finally retires from football.

Argentina have qualified for the next round already wining there first and second matches in the group stage. What a good performance from Argentina Messi is still contributing very well for the team and they are showing that they are the best team since they won the last World Cup and this season they can still win it because they are all doing very nice last before. Let watch Portugal tomorrow and we will see if they can contribute and achieve the three point and get the chance to qualify for the next round in the competition. There last game was very weak and they need to win and qualify to next round.

I am not having any doubt of Portugal not qualifying for the knockout stage of the competition, they just didn’t take advantage of their chances in the first round game and they’ll need to do more in their second match in order to get all full three points that will help to see them make it to the knockout round. Now, all eyes will on Ronaldo to break the record of Messi or add the impact to the team to see them going to the next round. Whatever the case would be, I know Portugal will prevail.

[yenerbatmaz]

Mbappe's goal puts France 1-0 up against Iraq. Iraq showed no presence on the pitch until the water break. France are the overwhelming favorites and are playing with high pressure. Iraq is trying to resist with their modest squad, but I don't think this match will end 1-0. Perhaps Mbappe could even score a hat-trick. He's playing quite effectively.

[Ryu_Ar1]

At the moment Belgium's chance is still there but must see how the last match against New Zeland even though the favorite but with 2 draws they got at the moment it seems difficult to say they will win easily.

On the other hand, this group becomes interesting especially if Egypt also has a not-so-good match and draws in the match against New Zeland so the chances of 4 clubs are still undetermined.
Belgium now is nothing like the past few world cups for me. They do have very good ball possession and even in every match they really dominate but the attack line is not very good and the opponent's defense is tight so they always have difficulty scoring goals.

Today despite playing with 10 men they were still dominant but the Iran goalkeeper was brilliant in this match although I must also praise some of Courtouis' saves.

With Belgium currently you dont know what will happen,they were clear favorites to win the group now they got two draws so far and they have to win the last match and with how they are playing it aint looking good at all. Even if they are playing against New Zeland in the last round it dosent look good for them. They cannot convert clear chances and they aint playing so dominant so i honestly doubt they will be able to beat anyone. Their goalkeeper is currently saving them a lot and this isnt good for them. I was honestly expecting all three wins in the group from them.

Their momentum was lost when Lukaku who was assigned targetman was unable to play in the squad and that left the coach struggling to find other alternatives because currently the Belgian strikers are like decoration. They are on the field but their contribution is really minimal because of the lack of finishing even though the pattern of attack and determination is quite good.

But whether we realize it or not in this world cup especially for the first 2 matches we are always presented with a very good performance from a goalkeeper because previously Curacao broke the record of 15 saves for the world cup and yesterday there was another Iranian goalkeeper who was really like a wall.

Today, Messi made another brace to bring Argentina 3 points. 2 games of 5 goals is pretty crazy for an old player but when he's one of the GOATs then it's no exaggeration. Now Mbappe in France also doesn't want to be too far behind for the top score as France is already 1 goal ahead.

At least there is a striker who still provides color for the top scoring race in the midst of a great goalkeeper making saves.

[whiteblue]

Argentina did dominate the match and this win was really in their favour and they had the better chance at winning the game than their opponent who recorded zero goals by the end of the match. Messi is setting new records...

Messi and his teammates are doing great job for the Argentina national football team. They are contenders for the title as I mentioned earlier.
In another group, I heard about Egypt making history and winning a game in the World Cup after a long time? That's good for them even though this is a normal thing for most of the European and South American countries. They might even pass the group stage later.
The other funny part is to see Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde facing each other and letting one of them qualifying. The latter team showed a phenomenal performance comparing to their weight and it would be the surprise of this World Cup to see them passing the group stage.

When Messi missed the penalty kick, I thought he would be unlucky in this match, but I was wrong, as he scored two beautiful goals to give Argentina the victory.

Given Messi's increasingly impressive performance at this World Cup, I believe he will once again surprise Argentina. If he leads Argentina to win the championship title, he will be a spectacular player, full of magic.

Now, looking at the other match between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia, I'm quite confident Cape Verde will win this match because, as far as I can see, they played well, even against Uruguay, where Cape Verde showed their best game.

[red4slash]

Argentina have qualified for the next round already wining there first and second matches in the group stage. What a good performance from Argentina Messi is still contributing very well for the team and they are showing that they are the best team since they won the last World Cup and this season they can still win it because they are all doing very nice last before. Let watch Portugal tomorrow and we will see if they can contribute and achieve the three point and get the chance to qualify for the next round in the competition. There last game was very weak and they need to win and qualify to next round.

I am not having any doubt of Portugal not qualifying for the knockout stage of the competition, they just didn’t take advantage of their chances in the first round game and they’ll need to do more in their second match in order to get all full three points that will help to see them make it to the knockout round. Now, all eyes will on Ronaldo to break the record of Messi or add the impact to the team to see them going to the next round. Whatever the case would be, I know Portugal will prevail.

What Portugal needs to do now is refocus and secure a win after their first match ended in defeat. As for other matters such as competition among players including Cristiano’s record while it would certainly be great if he could improve it, ultimately he must stay focused on the original goal of leading his team in a better direction before turning his attention to his individual career.

Portugal still has a great chance to advance to the next round, but they must win and I think that will be very difficult if they keep trying to do the same things they did in their first match.  The rivalry between the two GOATs will always be there, and we’ve been waiting for this after nearly a decade of the rivalry fading following Cristiano’s departure from Madrid and Messi’s from Barcelona. Now the situation is different even though this is fantastic and brings back the best of soccer Cristiano focus right now is on getting Portugal through first.

[Abu-Naim]

Mbappe's goal puts France 1-0 up against Iraq. Iraq showed no presence on the pitch until the water break. France are the overwhelming favorites and are playing with high pressure. Iraq is trying to resist with their modest squad, but I don't think this match will end 1-0. Perhaps Mbappe could even score a hat-trick. He's playing quite effectively.

I think at this moment, it is fine to say that France is among the favorites because they have quality squad that will win this tournament. Olise and Mbappe’s combination is very deadly, they have gotten the opening goal and I will be exciting more goals before the end of this match.

Argentina on the other hand have won their second match; Messi scored another two goals to make his world goal five in this campaign even after missing penalty, he still manage to score two goals. I am sure Messi and Mbappe will be among the top scorers of this competition.

[dzonikg28]

Messi has really done a great work by scoring more goals against Austria and breaking the all-time goals record in the World Cup.

However I feel like it won't take Mbappe much long to break that record. He has already scored one against Iraq and we are only 20 minutes in the match.

Messi will probably not be in next World Cup but it is really amazing to see him doing these things even at the age of 39.

These goal numbers are crazy and the odds for Messi to score 5 out of 5 goals for Argentina in the first two matches are nonexistent. Nobody could have ever come up with the idea that Messi would do that. Yes I thought he would score quite a lot of goals, but 100% of all the goals in the first two matches when they score five times, no I didn't think that. It is now a serious competition between him and Mbappe, but I think there is no doubt that Mbappe will catch up and if it is not during this World Cup, it will be during the next World Cup or the one after that.

Mbappe is now 27 and I think he will play at the very least one more, but probably two more when is 35 and if he stays as healthy and fit as he is now, I think it is possible that he will play one more World Cup when he is 39. Even if he is a bench player by then, he could still play for the team like Giroud did for a long time. He wasn't a starter anymore and yet got his chances and scored goals.

Mbappe could realistically end up with 25 World Cup goals and if it goes crazy well for him it could be more than that.

What a time we are living in to witness players like Messi and Mbappe. By the way I don't know what the highest number of goals was at one World Cup. I think they could break the record, it can't be that high, maybe six goals?

[Franklyn-wood]

Messi has really done a great work by scoring more goals against Austria and breaking the all-time goals record in the World Cup.

However I feel like it won't take Mbappe much long to break that record. He has already scored one against Iraq and we are only 20 minutes in the match.

Messi will probably not be in next World Cup but it is really amazing to see him doing these things even at the age of 39.

He is one of the football legend I sincerely celebrate. I also discovered that he is on of the those who have played in the world cup 6 times, and might not be playing in the next world cup. I mean asides all other trophies he has gotten. I really wish Argentina gets more devoted player like Messi Lionel, he is full of confidence,  focus and determine to putting everything needed to achieve what he wants.

[pawel7777]

Messi is having his second youth. He's leading the classification of the top scorers with 5 goals already. 5 goals in a World Cup is already a decent result and this is only after 2 games.
There was a bit of uncertainty about how Argentina will perform against better rivals, as Algeria was not considered particularly strong. Austria is a solid European team and I think Argentina looked really good against them. They had no trouble in creating great scoring opportunities and the game could've easily ended with 5-0 if not for the missed penalty and for good (and often lucky) interventions by the Austrian goalkeeper and defenders.

When he scored the first goal of the game, he already broke the record for the most goals scored in the World Cup tournament (17), but he added another one, making it 18. That's a nice birthday gift, as he's turning 39 in two days.

You could tell his teammates wanted him to score as they were playing on him rather than being selfish. It's a bit of a shame he didn't score another hat-trick, but you can't have it all.

[longyenthanh]

Mbappe's goal puts France 1-0 up against Iraq. Iraq showed no presence on the pitch until the water break. France are the overwhelming favorites and are playing with high pressure. Iraq is trying to resist with their modest squad, but I don't think this match will end 1-0. Perhaps Mbappe could even score a hat-trick. He's playing quite effectively.

Even though France is winning 1-0, I don't feel like it's going to be easy for France. The first half is over now, and even though France has a slight advantage, Iraq is still causing problems. Matches like this have the potential to end in a surprise, especially in this World Cup, which is full of draws and surprises.
As for Mbappe, he's done what he's supposed to do in this team so shot the goal. But I wouldn't compare his form to Messi's. I think he's still a long way off, considering his full season at Real Madrid.

[$weetne$$]

Today again Leo Messi have shown the entire world that he is a different player entirely and with times time without number he can do it even with the level of age by against him. During the last world cup there was so much controversy on him winning the world cup and even the goals that he scored but this year campaign has been totally different because he has shown everyone that there is a reason why he is called the best player in the world.

Messi is a spectacular player that has gotten to the point where he needs no introduction anymore,  it is really interesting how he always has a thrill for the world to see at all time and never fading,  this can only be from some who loves what he is doing and not just doing it because it is  a profession for him. I believe in this world cup tournament,  he is going to set record possibly.

[*Ace*]

I’ve read some unbelievable insinuations about the Netherlands’ 5–1 victory over Sweden
– that the Dutch scored all those goals to help Curaçao progress, even as one of the best third-placed teams.
It’s incredible how people can’t even do their sums properly.
Although the Netherlands won 5–1, they did not do Curaçao any favours, as Curaçao have a goal difference of -6 and are highly unlikely to progress as one of the best third-placed teams.
I’m actually wondering why Curaçao, which is part of the Netherlands, finds itself in the same group as the Netherlands?

Curaçao is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which is a different thing from saying "part of the Netherlands" as if we were talking about a region within the Netherlands. It's like saying that otherwise none of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could be in the same group because they are part of the United Kingdom and Charles III is the King of the UK.

You’re right, I can’t say you’re entirely wrong, but certain things just don’t add up for me.
The Netherlands and Curaçao are indeed two distinct and separate nations, yet linked by other geopolitical factors, but why put them in the same group? It could lead to favouritism if people wanted it to.
Also, you gave the example of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland – why do they compete as separate nations in football, yet enter the Olympics as a single nation, the United Kingdom? Sometimes their methods seem contradictory to me.

[GbitG]

🇦🇷ARGENTINA LIONEL MESSI IS NOW OFFICIALLY THE WORLD CUP'S  TOP GOAL SCORER OF ALL-TIME💥


Lionel Messi after missing a penalty spot kick, got his fourth world cup goal this tournament, ranking the Legendary star player the top of the table, he's now word cup's all-time time goal scorer ever. Messi won't stop breaking records the more.
For a play to break his records and standard of football, it will take another century or if not centuries.

Hmmm, that's sounds great....!!!
It's pleasure to see you Leo....you are the great. To be honest the presence of this guys really make us love to see the football like his style of play is absolutely joyful to watch. Anyway one more record has been break down like now he is the only one guy in history to scored more goal in world cup history. I am still in skeptical mode like how many goal will he scored because it's only 2 match over and he spotted 5 goal....

I hope he will made a historical fiction like to scored more goal then anybody in international flights. Upcoming schedule is also too easy like their next match is against Jordan and definitely Lionel Messi will dusted then like sand.

So Guys count it.... I mean goals

[JiiBs]

Messi has really done a great work by scoring more goals against Austria and breaking the all-time goals record in the World Cup.

His always being an exceptional player and everyone in the Argentinian team as well as the nation as a whole knows that. He doesn’t need to be always chasing and trying to get the ball every time, the team always try their best to get the ball to him, all his got to do is get himself into position and he pulls up with the Messi moment. His first goal was an absolute class.

Mbappe was just as great as well, it didn’t take long into the first half for him to get his first goal. He’s one player that knows what to do, doesn’t matter the team, league or tournament, he knows how to get goals.