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

[Taricoins]

Ronaldo didn't surprise me honestly. He wasn't already inconsistent. Just because he played well against Uzbekistan I didn't expect him to do wonders later on.  

I don't believe Colombia are the same old powerful team anymore. There is Luis Diaz and I should add James Rodriguez too. But I believe James has just been an overrated player.


Now Portugal have a really tough matchup ahead in next round. Croatia isn't easy to deal with. I guess Portugal would still win but I don't expect a big goal gap.

It must be admitted that some of your opinions are correct, Ronaldo has indeed brought a positive influence to the team but sometimes this kind of thing is not always effective when facing other strong teams. Overall Colombia dominated the match from every side I can even say they have the potential to win, it's just that luck is not on their side. For Portugal next match I agree with you they are slight favorites against Croatia but sometimes other scenarios can happen that are unexpected, for example if the match continues through a penalty shootout then Portugal can be favored meanwhile, for the 1x2 match, yeah the chance is 50:50 this is just my personal prediction.

Facts, full time will see Potugal, even out of form, Croatia is worse than Portugal. I don't know what went wrong with Croatia but it feels like every match is a struggle for them and I am still surprised how they won against Ghana.

The biggest advantage Portugal has is there Midfield and fullbacks that can actually attack and they can even progress further if they just block this outside talks on Ronaldo

[Btcdeybodi]

Disappointed with Portugal's performance. They're so average, and you know what Columbia much more dominant in this game compared to the Portugal. Their tactic is completely ineffective and outplayed by their opponent.

Columbia really dominated Portugal and it was as if Portugal was even happy playing a draw in that match because the pressure from the Columbia team was much. Columbia was all over Portugal players, they had more shots on target, more corners and even ball possession. Portugal must count themselves lucky that the die minute goal was disallowed if not they almost lost the match.

It's weird to see the amount of people are hypining Portugal while their performance show they are not even up to the level to win WC. I think Portugal is finishing right here. No chance for them to win World Cup. Their last win was because their fought a weak opponent.

You should know the reason why people are hyping Portugal, what else if not for Ronaldo but they forget that winning the world cup comes from team work and not monopoly. It they can increase their performance in their upcoming games they can still contend the World cup title but it will require a lot of hard work and understanding among players.

Other than it Martinez finally proves Ronaldo seems finished as a footballer. He can score only when his team against weaker side.

We all know that Ronaldo do not have that energy that he got when he was much younger, he failed to acknowledge that. 

[sergiorus]

Now Portugal have a really tough matchup ahead in next round. Croatia isn't easy to deal with. I guess Portugal would still win but I don't expect a big goal gap.

Croatia now is not the Croatia that won silver medals of 2018's World Cup.
Modrič is still by far their best player and he's about the same age as Ronaldo, except that as a center midfielder he has to do a much greater amount of work on the pitch (plus he's no as athletic as CR7 either let's be honest).

I would say it's not a tougher opponent to Portugal than any other qualified one unfortunately (I love Modrič and Croatia).

[SquallLeonhart]

Facing "simpler teams" is now the new thing Ronaldo fans attacking Messi and Argentina. Nobody told Ronaldo to fail to beat Colombia or even worse Congo. That dude scored only 2 goals against Uzbekistan, no goals against Congo nor Colombia, while Messi scored six already. By comparison, out of last 12 world cups, top scorer scored 6 goals, this dude did that in group stages alone.

If Portugal got 9 points, they would have faced simpler teams mostly as well, it is not anyone's fault that they ended up losing or failing to beat. Portugal will be eliminated either this round, or at best case next round. I doubt they can beat Croatia but even if some miracle happens and they do, after that they are going to face Spain and we all know they will lose there.

[Crypto Library]

It must be admitted that some of your opinions are correct, Ronaldo has indeed brought a positive influence to the team but sometimes this kind of thing is not always effective when facing other strong teams. Overall Colombia dominated the match from every side I can even say they have the potential to win, it's just that luck is not on their side. For Portugal next match I agree with you they are slight favorites against Croatia but sometimes other scenarios can happen that are unexpected, for example if the match continues through a penalty shootout then Portugal can be favored meanwhile, for the 1x2 match, yeah the chance is 50:50 this is just my personal prediction.

Actually, I have said such things many times before, but I will say it again that the Portugal team has many world class players in this World Cup, but it is not just Cristiano Ronaldo who is alone. In addition, the midfield of Portugal has become very strong this time. Now, why the Portugal team could not win against Colombia or perform well, the answer to this is that there is not much understanding among the players of the I Mean team among themselves.

Many people may say that Cristiano Ronaldo's haters are a bit arrogant and if we come to reality, yes, he carries some arrogance. At the same time, I will also say that it has been seen among other players that they are not playing properly, meaning this has been seen not only in Ronaldo but also in other players of the team, as a result of which they could not score goals even though they created positions to score goals in many cases.

[Stormisover]

Columbia 0 Vs Portugal 0 FT
Before the start of the world cup this very Portuguese team was listed among the teams that will excel in this competition, they boosted of the squad which no doubt is star studded, but I disagreed with them about the team being exceptional. The truth is the team has lots of stars but they are all bunch of individual players that's one, the second problem they have is coaching issues. Martinez doesn't know how to combine the explosiveness of Vitinha, Neves and Bruno, their first 2 matches were against below average teams and the owned the game but the moment they met an average team, what happened? See how Columbia was incharge of the game, it was an interesting game no doubt but Columbia were the better team.

Disappointed with Portugal's performance. They're so average, and you know what Columbia much more dominant in this game compared to the Portugal. Their tactic is completely ineffective and outplayed by their opponent.
It's weird to see the amount of people are hypining Portugal while their performance show they are not even up to the level to win WC. I think Portugal is finishing right here. No chance for them to win World Cup. Their last win was because their fought a weak opponent.

Other than it Martinez finally proves Ronaldo seems finished as a footballer. He can score only when his team against weaker side.

Truth be told that Portuguese squad is not just a hype like they literally got everything any other person is talking about the squad, but it surprises me how they are underperforming in this year world cup, last world cup was not like this they were more serious than this year world cup, and trust me if they continue like this they are definitely going nowhere because now they've come second in their group they are likely to face tough European teams and with they look of things they can't hold it, and talking about Columbia, we all should know by now they are the strongest in that group so I wasn't really surprised about that game, but Portugal should better make amend and play as a team if they are to go far.

[Taricoins]

Many people may say that Cristiano Ronaldo's haters are a bit arrogant and if we come to reality, yes, he carries some arrogance. At the same time, I will also say that it has been seen among other players that they are not playing properly, meaning this has been seen not only in Ronaldo but also in other players of the team, as a result of which they could not score goals even though they created positions to score goals in many cases.

For this World Cup apart from that "Am Back" statement which is he made that I don't necessarily think is arrogant, I don't really see Ronaldo as arrogant in this World Cup. And facts is that he directly the problem of the Portugal team because with the quality of the Portugal team, they can definitely play with one player handicapped. But the actual problem now is the fans of Ronaldo wanting the Portugal team to play like Messi and his Argentine boys but the difference is Ronaldo is just handicapped

[dezoel]

Argentina definitely has a very simple road all the way until like semi finals, and even then it's doubtful.

They will be playing against Cape Verde, a team that everyone thought would get zero points and somehow got out, and when they win that, they are going to play against winner of Australia and Egypt , which is once again very easy, and then whoever comes from Swiss, Algeria, Colombia and Ghana four, which should be easy too in theory, I mean maybe Colombia? Not sure. Only after that, they may face teams like England or Brazil.

[Queentoshi]

Argentina definitely has a very simple road all the way until like semi finals, and even then it's doubtful.

They will be playing against Cape Verde, a team that everyone thought would get zero points and somehow got out, and when they win that, they are going to play against winner of Australia and Egypt , which is once again very easy, and then whoever comes from Swiss, Algeria, Colombia and Ghana four, which should be easy too in theory, I mean maybe Colombia?

Do you know many sports supporters will because of this reason say that the World Cup has been scripted to favor Argentina, but it is clearly not so because you see that they are in the position they are currently because of luck that seems on their side and that is a very important factor in some of these competitions. If Argentina are able to get to the finals again, there is a huge chance that they win it with Lionel Messi again and if that happens, that becomes the biggest football record that Argentina will have, to have won the world cup consecutively.

[shinratensei_]

What a complete disappointment from the Portugal team and Ronaldo's performance. Like that was their chance to go to the semi finals easily. Now Portugal fans will again talk against FIFA saying that they wanted Portugal to lose that they are always against Portugal and always give favors to Argentina and Messi.

To be honest guys I think Portugal have missed their chance now. I don't think they will go far in this tournament because their next matches will be against the world's top teams which I don't think they have a chance to stand against. I think guys Ronaldo's dream of winning a World Cup is over. This team has zero potential to win this World Cup.

Agreed. It's impossible for Portugal to go far in WC with this abysmal performance. They're even lucky enough not to lose in this game because they're getting outplayed by Colombia in term of gameplay. So it makes me think a meme about Portugal who played with 10 men is real here.
Anyone in the club is so reluctant to pass the ball to the Ronaldo. A 41 years striker who can't run, shoot, and he's always offside.

It's getting worsen with Roberto Martinez who being clueless how to utilize all of his star players. So i believe they will be going out from WC earlier, then Ronaldo is ending his career without WC trophy that he's dreamed off.
It's time to accept the impact from him being aged is real.

[Sexylizzy2813]

South Africa will be facing Canada in the round of 32 and I still believe that the SA guys will be leaving the FWC soon, this could be their last dance because I don't see anything special in that squad, they are good but they don't have that quality to fight for long in the World Cup. Canada have a chance of beating SA, as the favorite I expect them to continue with that good form they started with in the group games, the question is, can SA hold Canada to a draw? Because if it happens that they end up in a draw I bet you that SA will survive if they extend the game till extra time. What's your take on this?

[Adbitco]

Columbia 0 Vs Portugal 0 FT
Before the start of the world cup this very Portuguese team was listed among the teams that will excel in this competition, they boosted of the squad which no doubt is star studded, but I disagreed with them about the team being exceptional. The truth is the team has lots of stars but they are all bunch of individual players that's one, the second problem they have is coaching issues. Martinez doesn't know how to combine the explosiveness of Vitinha, Neves and Bruno, their first 2 matches were against below average teams and the owned the game but the moment they met an average team, what happened? See how Columbia was incharge of the game, it was an interesting game no doubt but Columbia were the better team.

Everyone had high expectations from Portugal. They have a lot of star players in their squad and they have the ability to perform  well. They played very well at the club in the last season. But we are not seeing a good performance from them in Pportugal. The understanding between the players is not good. This could  also be due to their  tactical weakness. Portugal was considered one of the favorites of the world cup. But it is impossible for them to win the world cup with such a performance.
Portugal is going to face croatia in the knockout round. If they do not perform well, portugal will have to leave in the round of 32. Croatia is a very strong squad.

Yeah, the expectations were high on them because of the players they had but from the look of things if they played the kind of football they played again Columbia in this Round of 32, they would be sent back home after the match because Croatia will defeat them. They need a different approach and stop playing for themselves, play as a team, the midfield job is to control the game and feed the attack but it seems the midfield wants to score instead of doing their jobs, open up play, feed the attack. You can score if the opportunity presents itself not wanting to score because that's not your job. This Portuguese team can't be relied on and that's just it.

[Minor Miner]

South Africa  VS  Canada

South Africa and Canada are going to face each other in the first match of the Round of 32. Canada is one of the host teams of the World Cup. But this match will be held in Los Angeles USA.

Both Canada and South Africa are almost equal teams. Both won one and lost one in the first round. They qualified for the knockout round from the second place in the table. It is quite difficult to make predictions about this match. I think Canada will qualify for the next round. But since both the teams are almost equally strong, anything can happen in this match.

[juttsab@]

Norway managed to beat France. It’s fair to say that it wasn’t a difficult match for France, which had built a two-goal lead by halftime. Ousmane Dembélé scored a hat trick in the 32nd minute, giving his team a 3-1 lead at halftime. Norway failed to convert a penalty kick early in the second half, and perhaps lost their chance to salvage a draw from that moment on. Had they converted that penalty, there might have been a chance for the match to end in a draw.

France topped the group flawlessly. In their 3rd and last group stage match they beat Norway with 4-1. Ballon d'or winner Dembele scored a hat-trick in just 32 minutes 7, 20 and 32nd minute. And the last goal was scored by Doue in the added time of 2nd half 90+4 . Norway scored one in the 21st minute and Aasgaard scored that one. France kept 57% of the possession,1.50xG , 3 big chances created and 18 shots. Norway with 43% possession created 4 big chances 10 shots and 1.70 xG.  Dembele was named as player of the match for France. Norway will face Ivory coast in their RO32.

[sompitonov]

South Africa will be facing Canada in the round of 32 and I still believe that the SA guys will be leaving the FWC soon, this could be their last dance because I don't see anything special in that squad, they are good but they don't have that quality to fight for long in the World Cup. Canada have a chance of beating SA, as the favorite I expect them to continue with that good form they started with in the group games, the question is, can SA hold Canada to a draw? Because if it happens that they end up in a draw I bet you that SA will survive if they extend the game till extra time. What's your take on this?

These are the playoffs, and I usually find these matches the most interesting because there's no room for error. Even the favorites can sometimes be eliminated by the underdogs at the World Cup, due to accidents and other factors, like injuries to the leading team from previous games or an unexpected ejection. I'm sure we'll see something similar at this championship, and as for today's match, I think Canada will win, even by a bigger margin. In any case, I'll put everything aside to enjoy this football festival.

[MorganaX]

Norway managed to beat France. It’s fair to say that it wasn’t a difficult match for France, which had built a two-goal lead by halftime. Ousmane Dembélé scored a hat trick in the 32nd minute, giving his team a 3-1 lead at halftime. Norway failed to convert a penalty kick early in the second half, and perhaps lost their chance to salvage a draw from that moment on. Had they converted that penalty, there might have been a chance for the match to end in a draw.

France topped the group flawlessly. In their 3rd and last group stage match they beat Norway with 4-1. Ballon d'or winner Dembele scored a hat-trick in just 32 minutes 7, 20 and 32nd minute. And the last goal was scored by Doue in the added time of 2nd half 90+4 . Norway scored one in the 21st minute and Aasgaard scored that one. France kept 57% of the possession,1.50xG , 3 big chances created and 18 shots. Norway with 43% possession created 4 big chances 10 shots and 1.70 xG.  Dembele was named as player of the match for France. Norway will face Ivory coast in their RO32.

France are one of the favorites in this competition so am not surprised with their performance at the group stage levels but the competition just got more serious as we have reached the knockout stages and everyone should be open for a lot of surprises too because there are so many things that could change if there is just one small slip up from the top teams. Personally I feel France will go all the way to even the finals.

[ILuckyGuyI]

South Africa surprised most people I guess by that effort in the last moments of the group stage. They were never among the favourites to qualify for next phase. 

However this is most probably the end of the road for them against Canada... I mean they just need to show some really good defending. The only way to increase their chance is that.

But I don't think they'll advance unless they get lucky with a red card for example.

[uneng]

South Africa  VS  Canada

South Africa and Canada are going to face each other in the first match of the Round of 32. Canada is one of the host teams of the World Cup. But this match will be held in Los Angeles USA.

Both Canada and South Africa are almost equal teams. Both won one and lost one in the first round. They qualified for the knockout round from the second place in the table. It is quite difficult to make predictions about this match. I think Canada will qualify for the next round. But since both the teams are almost equally strong, anything can happen in this match.

Canada is superior to South Africa. It was actually a surprise that South Africa went ahead on the world cup, because they were playing quite badly since the first match against Mexico, when they lost two players due to red cards. I guess they were lucky, because South Korea and Czech Republic managed to play even poorer, and thanks to that South Africa is now playing against Canada.

I don't expect it to be a very entertaining game, but I hope to be proved otherwise.

[virasog]

Jordan showed plenty of courage against one of the strongest teams in the tournament. Jordan tried to stay with their discipline and determination. while Argentina slowed that why they come among the tournament favorites teams. Their passing accuracy was sharp, their dominance created constant problems for opponent, and they looked comfortable after two early goals before the end of first half. But Jordan defended with their full strength and never stopped fighting back. Even they made the first goal which encourage them more to gave extra focus on the match. Afterwards Argentina stayed more focused because Messi's goal was the final nail in the coffin as well as sealed the victory for Argentina

Lionel Messi did not play in the first half time. He was sitting on a bench and analyzing the game from there. But as the game progressed and as soon as the perfect time came, he came onto the ground and still he scored a single goal, did an excellent job. But now what could be the reason behind not playing in the first 45 minutes or more than 45 minutes? I think previously in the first two games, Messi has scored 5 goals, so maybe Argentina realized he is in best form, so they were making other players feel confident in the further stages of the tournament.  

[Creeper0]

South Africa surprised most people I guess by that effort in the last moments of the group stage. They were never among the favourites to qualify for next phase. 

However this is most probably the end of the road for them against Canada... I mean they just need to show some really good defending. The only way to increase their chance is that.

But I don't think they'll advance unless they get lucky with a red card for example.

I never imagined that they would enter the knockout stage by winning the match against South Korea. But anyway, they did it and entered the knockout stage. However, their chances of winning against Canada are very low. South Africa is a weak team, based on their performance, I expected them to exit the World Cup without a win. But with the help of luck, they get a win, but that may be their only win in this World Cup. They may be going out tonight and Canada is going to be the first team to enter the Round of 16. The winner may be decided by a penalty shootout in the first match of the knockout stage.