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

[Nightwalker(NW)]

Matches involving Netherlands are always physical. These Dutch guys don't know how to win matches fairly and they always engage in physical fights. Remember the last world cup? Frenkie de Jong of Netherlands hit Cheikhou Kouyaté of the Senegal in his testicles and the latter had to be removed to hospital on a stretcher. I can give you dozens of such instances involving the Dutch team. Perhaps the most famous match would be the "Battle of Nuremberg", during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In that match, Dutch players were trying to break the leg of Cristiano Ronaldo during the entire duration of the match. In the end, Khalid Boulahrouz managed to kick Ronaldo so hard, that he got severely injured and had to be carried off.

I would just say that anyone who loves the sport of football should pray that the Dutch team gets defeated.

From what you have said it's like the are worse than the Italians. From what we always hear they say the Italians are always rough in playing, both their national team and their leagues. I don't know how true that is but those are the words on the streets. Someone has been moved out of play, it means for the player to be carried out on a stretcher he must have been seriously injured. Doesn't this kind of foul requires the player been sent off at most for the foul. I will check later to see if there's a sending off by the referee.

[Solokan]

Source: https://malang.disway.id/amp/17475/gol-gabriel-martinelli-di-injury-time-antar-brasil-ke-16-besar-jepang-kalah-tragis
Japan is very unfortunate now that they cannot continue their match in the 2026 World Cup because they were just defeated by Brazil with a score of 2-1. However, fortunately, Japan managed to score a goal despite their loss. Of course, Japan's struggle is enough here in the 2026 World Cup, and Japan must now work harder to play in the next World Cup with an even better game. Casemiro and Martinelli were heroes for Brazil because they scored the goals against Japan, and now Brazil has qualified for the next round of 16. Brazil must now be ready for the opponents they will face in the next round.

In my opinion, Ancelotti trained the Brazilian players well and now Ancelotti must be able to develop an even better strategy because the opponents Brazil will face will certainly be a strong team. So, did you guys win when betting on the Brazil vs. Japan match? But fortunately, I won when betting on this match because I favored Brazil to win. Now Brazil is waiting for the opponent they will face and what is certain is that the opponent they will face is Ivory Coast or Norway in the next round.

[Ale88]

Paraguay took the match to such a point that they somehow managed to get it to penalties and won on penalties. I'm very curious to see what the journalists in Germany will write tomorrow. I'm happy that the underdog team won. Maybe it's the final stages, but for them, they've achieved a great victory I can imagine the big celebrations they're having and how happy they'll be after the match. Germany's goal in extra time was disallowed. After that goal, I had to take a break I had said that Germany won in extra time with that goal, but when I came back and saw that the goal was disallowed, I said, "Today is Paraguay's day."

They should just admit that German football went downhill, big time. Since the first match against Curaçao I said I wasn't that impressed by the way they played despite scoring 7 goals. They luckily beat Ivory Coast and then lost against Ecuador. They performed very mediocre throughout the whole tournament so I can't even say I'm surprised by this elimination, they deserved it.

[d5000]

I had somewhat of a feeling that Paraguay was to continue in the World Cup eliminating Germany and was thinking about betting on it seriously.

But I hadn't the courage finally (to bet against the 2014 world cup winner, even if their team is well below the level of the early 2010s) and so I missed a potential substantial win. My tip would have been however a 2-0 or 2-1 for Paraguay (the idea was: Paraguay scores an early goal, and then Germany runs into a second counter-attack).

[Sithara007]

They should just admit that German football went downhill, big time. Since the first match against Curaçao I said I wasn't that impressed by the way they played despite scoring 7 goals. They luckily beat Ivory Coast and then lost against Ecuador. They performed very mediocre throughout the whole tournament so I can't even say I'm surprised by this elimination, they deserved it.

Losing to a team like Paraguay (who happens to be one of the relatively weaker teams from CONMEBOL) was surprising, but the reality is that Germany is no longer regarded among the top teams from UEFA. They are not at the same level as France, England or Spain. Germany's story is similar to Italy. There is not a lot of foreign interest in the national league (Bundesliga) and demographically they are much worse when compared to the other European nations. Anyway, the outcome of this match is yet another proof to the argument that CONMEBOL is the strongest confederation in association football.

[BlackBoss_]

Japan is very unfortunate now that they cannot continue their match in the 2026 World Cup because they were just defeated by Brazil with a score of 2-1. However, fortunately, Japan managed to score a goal despite their loss. Of course, Japan's struggle is enough here in the 2026 World Cup, and Japan must now work harder to play in the next World Cup with an even better game. Casemiro and Martinelli were heroes for Brazil because they scored the goals against Japan, and now Brazil has qualified for the next round of 16. Brazil must now be ready for the opponents they will face in the next round.

Japan are able to go far but surely meeting Brazil is very unlucky for them. They shown their quality by scoring first but it's clearly that Brazil are at a higher level and they gradually controlled the match and waited patiently for opportunities to equalize then finalize this match. Japan anyway can be proud of everything they shown in World Cup 2026 and by maintaining their national football development this way, they will soon go farther in next World Cups.

I had somewhat of a feeling that Paraguay was to continue in the World Cup eliminating Germany and was thinking about betting on it seriously.

But I hadn't the courage finally (to bet against the 2014 world cup winner, even if their team is well below the level of the early 2010s) and so I missed a potential substantial win. My tip would have been however a 2-0 or 2-1 for Paraguay (the idea was: Paraguay scores an early goal, and then Germany runs into a second counter-attack).

Germany quality declined a lot since World Cup 2014 and they did not win any knock out match in World Cup after that. They were eliminated early in World Cup 2018, and 2022, while in World Cup 2026 they managed to go to round of 16 but that's all they could do.

Paraguay did not play well in their group and luckily went to round of 16 as one of best eight third teams, but Germany were unable to beat Paraguay in 90 minutes then 120 minutes. They controlled ball well but lacked of good attacking power to score goals. It's shameful that on penalty spots, German players failed with three penalty shots, that in my opinion is very bad.
However if thinking about how players in Bayern Munich failed on penalty spots in Champions League recent seasons, it can be helpful for explaining why it happens with Germany national team in this World Cup.

[Sithara007]

The match between the Netherlands and Morocco is tied at 1-1 after 90 minutes of regular play, and in a few minutes the extra time will start. As far as sportsbooks are concerned, the match ended as a draw. Almost two-thirds of the bets were in favor of a Dutch win, and those who made those bets lost their money. Whom do you think will win, if this match goes to penalty shoot-outs? In this regard, Netherlands has a pretty bad record. On previous 4 such occasions, they managed to win only once. On the other hand, Morocco was in this situation only once (vs Spain in 2022), and they won that time.

[topbitcoin]

I had somewhat of a feeling that Paraguay was to continue in the World Cup eliminating Germany and was thinking about betting on it seriously.

But I hadn't the courage finally (to bet against the 2014 world cup winner, even if their team is well below the level of the early 2010s) and so I missed a potential substantial win. My tip would have been however a 2-0 or 2-1 for Paraguay (the idea was: Paraguay scores an early goal, and then Germany runs into a second counter-attack).

I thought the same when looking at the odds it was very attractive but because of the doubts that arose especially with the big name Germany obviously betting on Paraguay was very difficult

I lost a lot of bets in this Germany match although I had some wins in the under 3 but still the losses that occurred in other bets made me lose in this match.

Now the 1 goal of Netherlands has made me breathe a little easier but again and again extra time goals always make a difference in these last 32 and this goal of Issa Diop is the 3rd goal in extra time in this knock out phase of the world cup after the previous goals of Stephen Eustaquio of Canada and Martinelli for Brazil made a difference in their matches.  It is likely that the Netherlands versus Morocco match will also go to penalties and both teams still have a good chance of qualifying.

[Sithara007]

Looks like the match between Netherlands and Morocco will be decided by penalty shootout. Extra time was full of emotions and drama, with both the teams getting physical. The Dutch as usual started this, and then the Moroccans decided to give the former a taste of their own medicine. I can see a Moroccan player bleeding from a head wound. At the moment, I would say that this has been the most closely fought match in the Round of 32 so far. As I have made it clear in my previous post, the Dutch do have a bad record in penalty shootouts in world cup tournaments. Let's see how that turns out for them today against the strongest team from CAF.

[laijsica]

Brazil beat Japan in a match where I seriously thought Brazil was going to lose, since this Japan team is really good and won some very important matches against strong teams... I was also happy that Paraguay managed to advance by knocking out the powerful Germany... great to see the strength of South American football in this World Cup.

I can not believe Casimiro scored the goal to tie and give the match another look after his first half that was disastrous. I just wanted to see him go in the interval and I was made at Ancelotti when he was back for second half

Many people also said bad things about Martinelli and he scored the goal to win the game

This is why I am not a professional manager

The crazy play of Brazil was very annoying for me. They started running with the ball aimlessly from the beginning of the match and I thought they were going to be exhausted at the beginning and maybe they would get tired at the end of the match. Despite being so aggressive, they could not score. I was disappointed when Japan scored a goal on the counterattack. It was a fascinating moment for the Japanese team.

When I watched the match, I assumed that the team that could score first would have a better chance of winning. Surprisingly, Brazil is a team that has a strong history and it will not be easy for the opponent to defeat them so easily, as this match proved.

The Japanese team played well and they are a very disciplined team but the Brazilian team is much better than them.

[Tamaperdana]

It is a real shame that Germany had to be eliminated at this stage,, especially since they played so well in this match; they created numerous chances and dominated the game impressively. However, the Paraguayan defense was undeniably rock-solid. I am convinced that had their defense not been so strong, they would certainly have lost. Yet,, the Paraguayans managed to defend brilliantly and ultimately won, albeit via a penalty shootout.

It was a completely unexpected outcome,, as I had anticipated an easy victory for Germany. Consequently, Germany must now head home, putting their dream of winning this World Cup on hold. Meanwhile, Japan also lost to Brazil last night, though that was perhaps to be expected; despite Japan's good performance, there is no denying that Brazil held the advantage in every aspect, which is why Japan lost the match.

Image source: Google

[SquirrelJulietGarden]

It is a real shame that Germany had to be eliminated at this stage,, especially since they played so well in this match; they created numerous chances and dominated the game impressively. However, the Paraguayan defense was undeniably rock-solid. I am convinced that had their defense not been so strong, they would certainly have lost. Yet,, the Paraguayans managed to defend brilliantly and ultimately won, albeit via a penalty shootout.

After Germany, another big team have to leave World Cup 2026, it's Netherlands. Even they scored first, and were not far to a win, they let Morocco equalized it in extra time. Both teams did not score any goal after that and with penalty shootouts, Morocco did their jobs better and were the winner.

It's bad for Netherlands to lose their last matches in both World Cup 2022 and 2026 with penalty shootouts but in this match with Morocco, their players truly made many terrible shots. They looked like don't have trainings for penalty shots but I don't think so, their players were trained but under huge pressure from history failures and in this match, they failed again.

[alankasman]

The crazy play of Brazil was very annoying for me. They started running with the ball aimlessly from the beginning of the match and I thought they were going to be exhausted at the beginning and maybe they would get tired at the end of the match. Despite being so aggressive, they could not score. I was disappointed when Japan scored a goal on the counterattack. It was a fascinating moment for the Japanese team.

When I watched the match, I assumed that the team that could score first would have a better chance of winning. Surprisingly, Brazil is a team that has a strong history and it will not be easy for the opponent to defeat them so easily, as this match proved.

Despite having more control of the game, the Japanese defense was quite impressive especially since they took the lead early. Japan's competitive play meant that in the first half Brazil had to concede to Japan's performance and quality. As soon as the second half began Brazil immediately launched an attacking strategy only managing to equalize in the 56th minute through a header from their senior player Casemiro. Finally Brazil scored the winning goal in the 90+5th minute through a shot from Martinelli who secured Brazil's place in the next round.

You're right, though. Many people aren't too confident in Brazil because they haven't performed as well as they did in previous World Cups. This means they seem less confident in this World Cup. This is because their performance seems to lack confidence. However behind all that they have begun to pose a threat to any team facing them. I also saw their performance in the win against Japan where they completely dominated the game throughout the second half. It's natural that they managed to qualify because the Brazilian players have found a good combination under the guidance of coach Carlo Ancelotti.

[Sithara007]

After Germany, another big team have to leave World Cup 2026, it's Netherlands. Even they scored first, and were not far to a win, they let Morocco equalized it in extra time. Both teams did not score any goal after that and with penalty shootouts, Morocco did their jobs better and were the winner.

It's bad for Netherlands to lose their last matches in both World Cup 2022 and 2026 with penalty shootouts but in this match with Morocco, their players truly made many terrible shots. They looked like don't have trainings for penalty shots but I don't think so, their players were trained but under huge pressure from history failures and in this match, they failed again.

LOL.. two big names from Europe are out. In case of Netherlands, it is still OK. They went down to a relatively strong team (Morocco). But the real shocker was Germany's defeat to Paraguay. BTW, the dream run continues for CAF teams. If this 48-team format is here to stay, then FIFA should increase the quota for CAF by one (and make up for that by reducing one slot from CONCACAF). That said, sometime back I had posted about Netherlands's poor record in penalty shootout. Before this match, they had won just one out of the 4 matches that went to penalty shootout in the world cup. Now that became 1 out of 5.

[famososMuertos]

Paraguay's match isn't just a simple victory; it's a historic triumph for a team that isn't considered a favorite and isn't among the top five in South America. So, regardless of the outcome, they've already done their job. We must remember the match Ecuador won against Germany; that was the analysis the coach used to achieve their objective.

As for the Netherlands, they had everything they needed to advance. I knew it would be a difficult match; I thought it would end in a draw after 90 minutes (bet 1), and then I thought they would qualify (bet 2). Of the two predictions, I got one right. Good for Morocco, although it must be said that it was a terrible match in extra time. Both teams had their chances, and even in the penalty shootout, the Netherlands took the lead and then lost it.

[Awaklara]

After Germany, another big team have to leave World Cup 2026, it's Netherlands. Even they scored first, and were not far to a win, they let Morocco equalized it in extra time. Both teams did not score any goal after that and with penalty shootouts, Morocco did their jobs better and were the winner.

It's bad for Netherlands to lose their last matches in both World Cup 2022 and 2026 with penalty shootouts but in this match with Morocco, their players truly made many terrible shots. They looked like don't have trainings for penalty shots but I don't think so, their players were trained but under huge pressure from history failures and in this match, they failed again.

Maybe that's just how it is, 3 Netherlands penalty takers failed and their shots were really bad. They seemed to lose mentally in the penalty shootout. 
Germany and the Netherlands have to go out, but fortunately, Brazil made it to the round of 16. 
I hope France and England can get through to the next round. In the knockout stage, we can really see some surprises.

[TedMosby]

Can't believe the Netherlands followed Germany's path to be knocked out through a penalty shootout today. I personally think it was already over when the Netherlands failed to score in extra time, because Yassine Bounou is a great goalkeeper to beat in a penalty shootout. The save he made with his left hand was just satisfying to watch. Strong hand. Also, I think luck favored Morocco in the penalty shootout. Verbruggen was so unlucky with the accidental backheel kick after saving that penalty. It will be an eternal piece of content on YouTube in the "Goalkeeper Mistake" category

Two big European teams are already out in the knockout phase, and in total since the beginning, 5 teams, including Czechia, Türkiye, Scotland, the Netherlands, and Germany. At least 2 more will follow, because Portugal will play against Croatia, and Spain will play against Austria next. Not a friendly World Cup for European teams. Only France is showing consistent performance.

[Bitcoin_people]

Germany's exit with Paraguay, although this match was a much stronger match from start to finish, the two teams played a match. The game went to the penalty shootout in the final stages where each team won depending on luck. Although both teams attacked enough in this match, after the draw, Paraguay eliminated Germany on penalties. It was really a surprise where the strong Germany had to go through penalties, and Paraguay qualified, their luck was really good.

The first and second half of the match between the Netherlands and Morocco was very exciting. Although the Netherlands team went ahead in the second half with a goal, the Moroccan team finally attacked strongly and equalized the game in the 90+1 minute. Later, after a long 120 minutes, there was no result, which led to this match also going to the penalty shootout and in the end, the lucky team won. The Netherlands team was not lucky, due to which they had to lose to the Moroccan team and the Moroccan team qualified, the Moroccan team will face Canada later.

[Ryu_Ar1]

After Germany, another big team have to leave World Cup 2026, it's Netherlands. Even they scored first, and were not far to a win, they let Morocco equalized it in extra time. Both teams did not score any goal after that and with penalty shootouts, Morocco did their jobs better and were the winner.

It's bad for Netherlands to lose their last matches in both World Cup 2022 and 2026 with penalty shootouts but in this match with Morocco, their players truly made many terrible shots. They looked like don't have trainings for penalty shots but I don't think so, their players were trained but under huge pressure from history failures and in this match, they failed again.

Maybe that's just how it is, 3 Netherlands penalty takers failed and their shots were really bad. They seemed to lose mentally in the penalty shootout. 
Germany and the Netherlands have to go out, but fortunately, Brazil made it to the round of 16. 
I hope France and England can get through to the next round. In the knockout stage, we can really see some surprises.

When it comes to penalties things get tricky because the composure and mentality of the players is one of the things that cannot be taken for granted and can even be decisive.

Seeing how many players in the Netherlands and Morocco missed their penalties shows that a strong mentality is also very important.

Now the Dutch are catching up with Germany and it is not impossible that tomorrow we will also see how surprises happen again for the big teams.'
Even if they are the early favorites, this is a competition and even small clubs can bite their opponents when the mentality between players is like this.

3 teams are in the last 16 now with Canada facing Morocco and Paraguay still waiting for an opponent, most likely France given their opponents in the last 32 but who knows

[Bobrox]

Can't believe the Netherlands followed Germany's path to be knocked out through a penalty shootout today. I personally think it was already over when the Netherlands failed to score in extra time, because Yassine Bounou is a great goalkeeper to beat in a penalty shootout. The save he made with his left hand was just satisfying to watch. Strong hand. Also, I think luck favored Morocco in the penalty shootout. Verbruggen was so unlucky with the accidental backheel kick after saving that penalty. It will be an eternal piece of content on YouTube in the "Goalkeeper Mistake" category

Two big European teams are already out in the knockout phase, and in total since the beginning, 5 teams, including Czechia, Türkiye, Scotland, the Netherlands, and Germany. At least 2 more will follow, because Portugal will play against Croatia, and Spain will play against Austria next. Not a friendly World Cup for European teams. Only France is showing consistent performance.

Neither Germany and Netherland have been eliminated at round 32 after losing from penalty kick, can't predictable two top team favorite will qualify to higher round success stopping by unpredictable team exactly Germany eliminated by Paraguay. Today the round of 32 matches really excited behind Brazil success qualifying to round of 16 but they have working hard and waiting additional time scoring the winning goals against Japan who leading early.

Morocco success make another surprise result when eliminating Netherland and next games in round of 16 will face Canada, in my prediction Canada not really difficult opponent team for Morocco and have chance get ticket for quarter final round. Last world Cup 2022, Morocco success qualified until semifinal round and I believe this edition not get difficulty back to back qualifying to semifinal.