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

[dzonikg28]

Shocking to me, Germany has crashed out of the world cup, this is still unbelievable to me as it stands, Paraguay eliminated Germany from the competition..I wonder how many odds it was going to be for Paraguay to eliminate Germany today. Some things can't just be seen untill it happens. Brazil escaped their elimination and won just before fulltime, Germany were almost on the same path but couldn't do it at end part of it, it went to extra time, still they couldn't score the decisive goal to separate them. Paraguay beat Germany on penalties to advance to the next stage. They would be on their way back home in the morning.

Honestly this is so sad for me because Germany was my favorite in this competition but the way they played today was not like the Germany that won 7-1 in their opening game in this World Cup. When Germany equalized the game I was so confident that they would pressure Paraguay but the defense of Paraguay was still the same way as the second half, nothing changed like they were still absorbing the pressure, Germany on the other hand was too soft in the second half, knowing fully well that if they don't get a goal it might hurt them , that aggressiveness was nowhere to be found and my question was, why start the final piece of the Germany game plan (Undav)? He was suppose to always come on as a sub but tonight Nagelsmann made a mistake by bringing him as a starter. I still can't believe what just happened.

They never reached good form and they never had the players to win this World Cup. You think they were the favorites and you say that when there are teams like France, Argentina and Spain. Does it mean you thought that Germany can beat all of them?   I talked to a lot of football fans and you are the first person who thought that Germany can beat the best teams with the best players in the world.
Paraguay deserved the win, made the right decisions and they had a strategy which you could recognise from the beginning and they did exactly what their coach wanted from them. Germany played bad and they can go home.

[meser#]

I felt sorry for Japan, but the victory undoubtedly belonged to Brazil.
Brazil played the superior game from start to finish. In my opinion, however, the goal Sano scored was very significant for Japan; he won the ball in midfield, drove toward the Brazilian goal, and fired a powerful shot from outside the box to score.
Aside from that goal, the only time I saw Japan attacking was during the second half—and that was it. You cannot beat Brazil by playing defensively for such a long period.
That is exactly what happened in this match. Had it gone to penalties, Japan might have stood a chance, but once Martinelli scored in the 95th minute, Japan's World Cup journey came to an end.

[Livingleged]

This is really a taste of your own bite for a Player  to be Born in Netherland, raised in the country, played in the Dutch league, and now, leading the forward for Morocco, Saibiri hit the nail on the coffin buy burying the last penalty kick to eliminate the Netherlands out of the world  cup. Irony  of live. Well, congratulations  to Morocco for advanceing  to the round  of 16 after a strong fight with the Netherlands  was settle in the penalties.

[Hypnotizer]

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.

I had the opposite, I expected Germany to win atleast even with the slightest margin of one goal… but Paraguay did their best and played well, their defense was solid and they manage to hold the game to a draw.

Suppose Germany get the upper hand to win the penalty shootout but that’s wasn’t the case, Havertz, Tah and Woltemade all couldn’t score their penalties and the Paraguay team get one more pass Neuer.

The Paraguay goalkeeper was exceptional last night, he’s probably the best performing person from the Paraguay squad in that game.


Netherlands are also out of the World Cup after their game against Morocco ended a draw and advanced to the penalty shootout, Morocco also got one more goal in the shootout and it ended 3-2 on penalties in the favour of Morroco. Morocco deserved the win because they were the better team in that match and they missed lots of chances and luckily they get through to the round of 16.

[Ale88]

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.

You know, for once you began well because until this point I was totally agreeing with you.

But then came this:

Anyway, the outcome of this match is yet another proof to the argument that CONMEBOL is the strongest confederation in association football.

Another proof of the CONMEBOL superiority? Did you take a look at the last World Cup winners? Italy, Spain, Germany, and France. It's always been European teams except 4 years ago in Qatar, and Argentina managed to beat a European team only at the penalties. How you can say that CONMEBOL is the best confederation? At least in Europe there are new national teams that win tournaments; in South America it's always been Brazil and Argentina, and right now there is one of the worst Brazilian teams ever.

[satscraper]

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.

For me this was a shock rather than surprise. I thought Germany would be the main contester for the World Cup 2026 and could not even admit that there was a team which could manage to knock them out at the early stage. To me the Paraguay win is not the feather in their hat but the German team's invigilanc. They were dominant throughout the match but played as if they were already winners

[Sexylizzy2813]

This Netherlands Morocco game is a battle field   game is too physical and ball is hardly moving anywhere..

I would be surprised if we get any open play goals , because what's happening here is pointing to some penalty calls as too much pushing and shoving.. one guy has 2 shirts already torn in less than 20minutes crazzy 

Morocco looking dangerous Infront of goal though.. let's see how this unfolds after the hydration break..

It seems like we are about to see a repeat of what happened in the last World Cup where Morocco finished 4th and it has been a joy to watch these guys do the unthinkable, now they are on another path to the round of 16 after defeating Netherlands. First it was Germany now Netherlands are heading home, congratulations to Paraguay and Morocco for giving this two countries (Netherlands and Germany) a hard time in the round of 32. Morocco are trying to make a statement and to correct the mistakes they made last time, if they play against any country I believe their opponent will be mindful of how they attack no matter the country side even if Spain are to play Morocco with what happened against Netherlands I see Spain defending more.

[Popkon6]

This is really a taste of your own bite for a Player  to be Born in Netherland, raised in the country, played in the Dutch league, and now, leading the forward for Morocco, Saibiri hit the nail on the coffin buy burying the last penalty kick to eliminate the Netherlands out of the world  cup. Irony  of live. Well, congratulations  to Morocco for advanceing  to the round  of 16 after a strong fight with the Netherlands  was settle in the penalties.

Hakimi almost surprised the Moroccan team, he missed the penalty and the pressure was on. But congratulations to the Moroccan team that they managed to qualify for the last 16 after a lot of hard work. The performances of both teams were very good and attacking, but the game was quite surprising, very competitive for both teams.

[$crypto$]

Shocking to me, Germany has crashed out of the world cup, this is still unbelievable to me as it stands, Paraguay eliminated Germany from the competition..I wonder how many odds it was going to be for Paraguay to eliminate Germany today. Some things can't just be seen untill it happens. Brazil escaped their elimination and won just before fulltime, Germany were almost on the same path but couldn't do it at end part of it, it went to extra time, still they couldn't score the decisive goal to separate them. Paraguay beat Germany on penalties to advance to the next stage. They would be on their way back home in the morning.

You can imagine how a big team must fall with a weak team, Paraguay, honestly I don't want Germany to be eliminated because they want to meet France later so it will be an even more fierce match, but the reality is not so they must be disappointed with the penalty shootout.

J.Tah's header was supposed to be the icing on the cake but the referee disallowed it after seeing VAR where another German player made contact with the Paraguay goalkeeper which made it a foul and the goal was disallowed, I think it was unlucky.

[OsaiEmma]

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.

I honestly couldn't believe that Germany is now out of the competition; it's really a shame. Well, Paraguay came prepared, fighting tooth and nail to stay in the competition. I use to say, football is mostly about strategy, a good strategy will get you a good result, unless you're just unlucky that day. Congrats to them.

And I'm very proud of the Moroccan team. I initially was thinking they won't go this far, but the exceeded my expectations. Congrats to them too.

[*Ace*]

Admit it – you were hoping Japan would beat Brazil too!
To relive that historic (and fictional) World Cup final between Japan and Brazil from *Captain Tsubasa* xD

Joking aside, this Brazil side really does look terrible to me – light years away from the Brazil we’re used to seeing put on great matches

Before the match started I never believed Japan could win Brazil but when the game started I started having doubts because of how Brazil approached the game. Japan played really well that I expected them to be rewarded of reaching the overtime at least but sadly they couldn't hold on for long and couldn't reach extra time as we all hope.

Brazil and Germany are not how they used to be and I am also not convinced with their performance so far. I want to see how they will perform when they face a stronger team. Based on my prediction I don't think they will survive long with this performance like this.

Japan spent the whole match on the back foot, and in my opinion they didn’t do well at all; they could have launched far more counter-attacks and tried to put Brazil under pressure.
But unfortunately, Brazil played well and were lucky.

It came as a surprise to me to see Germany so weak; I thought they might put up more of a fight, but I was clearly wrong. The Netherlands didn’t live up to my expectations either.

[davis196]

Jonathan Tah scored a goal and I think that the goal was legitimate, but the VAR referee for some reason decided otherwise.
Germany didn't have any idea how to break Paraguay's defense. Nagelsmann is the wrong guy to lead the German national team. There's no chemistry between him and the footballers. He must be sacked. I have doubts that the German players haven't practiced any penalties before the match, which is a sign of underestimating the opponent(and a sign of stupidity as well).
Brazil had some difficulties against Japan as expected, but their class is just too high. However, I'm not impressed by their performance and this team of Brazil doesn't seem strong enough to against France or Spain.
A famous mathematician predicted that Netherlands would win the World Cup, but Netherlands is out of the tournament. Football is a truly unpredictable game.

[mazikeen]

The World Cup always creates unforgettable moments and also shows how much influence certain players have on football culture. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo are a great example of how a player can become a symbol for a whole generation of fans.

The connection between fans and players goes beyond the matches too. Jerseys have become a way for supporters to show their passion, and I recently came across this Cristiano Ronaldo FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier Portugal White Jersey which has a really clean design.

It will be interesting to see how the next World Cup continues to build new football stories and legends.

[Charcol]

This is really a taste of your own bite for a Player  to be Born in Netherland, raised in the country, played in the Dutch league, and now, leading the forward for Morocco, Saibiri hit the nail on the coffin buy burying the last penalty kick to eliminate the Netherlands out of the world  cup. Irony  of live. Well, congratulations  to Morocco for advanceing  to the round  of 16 after a strong fight with the Netherlands  was settle in the penalties.

Hakimi almost surprised the Moroccan team, he missed the penalty and the pressure was on. But congratulations to the Moroccan team that they managed to qualify for the last 16 after a lot of hard work. The performances of both teams were very good and attacking, but the game was quite surprising, very competitive for both teams.

Morocco could have been under some pressure after Hakimi missed the penalty. But they did not break down mentally. Another thing is that there is definitely a factor of luck in penalty shootouts, but this victory for Morocco was not due to luck. Rather, the patience they showed helped them to advance to the next round. Both Bounou and Saibari showed great courage to take penalties. It cannot be said that the Netherlands played badly. Their match was initially drawn and in the end Morocco went ahead on penalties.

[Nahl]

The shocking results has been happened today that two of favourite teams have to eliminate early against the opponents who on the paper will be easily to beat but, this is football when before final whistle everything could possibly to happend and these results too makes some player have to give up and retire from their national team like Manuel Neuer.

Netherlands is one of the favourite but unfortunately they have to received hurt result that lose from Morocco from penalty shootout, this is the second time for Netherlands lost from penalty shootout because on 2022 they lose with the same way.

Germany have started this tournament with impressive result that when they can beat Curacao with huge scores i just thinking Germany probably can go far but, Paraguay have done well that they know how to counter Julian Nagelsmann tactic.

[BitcoinHunt3r]

Well, congratulations  to Morocco for advanceing  to the round  of 16 after a strong fight with the Netherlands  was settle in the penalties.

Penalty shootouts are something that strong teams worry about because the chances are 50:50 and so far we have seen 2 strong teams eliminated Germany and Netherlands so to go further, strong teams must win in normal time (1x2), next we will wait for the match between France vs Sweden, honestly I hope france does well. Based on the match schedule I see Spain and Portugal are in a difficult situation I mean there is a possibility that both teams will fight each other in the round 16, the same situation awaits Norway because Brazil has already advanced to the round 16 or even England waiting in the Quarter Final. Maybe Argentina is a little safer until the quarter finals because the opponent is quite easy.

[johnsaributua]

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.

If it wasn't fierce, I don't think there would be a penalty shootout.
In that match I saw both teams giving their best performance especially since it was already in the round of 32, meaning each team would maximize their chances if they got it especially since both teams did not play with a defensive scheme and it was clear that they both wanted to win the match even though in the end it had to be decided through a penalty shootout where in the end Germany had to admit Paraguay's superiority in the penalty shootout which was the deciding factor for both teams and I congratulated Paraguay on their success in qualifying for the next round even though this was a lucky win but they had to admit that their struggle to beat a team like Germany was not easy but they got motivation with this victory as their readiness to go through to the next round.

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.

The match between the Netherlands vs Morocco was extraordinary, where the Netherlands took the lead first through a goal scored by Gakpo in the 72nd minute before being equalized by Moroccan players in extra time but Morocco's enthusiasm increased making the match turn around because before Morocco's goal the Netherlands dominated the game and this is what can be said, anything can still happen because there is no need to be satisfied quickly in a match as long as the time is not up because in several more World Cup events this time, goals often occur in extra time which is a disaster for those who scored first so this match must be decided through a penalty shootout with victory favoring Morocco and Morocco is already waiting for its next opponent namely Canada.

[Italian Panic]

Jonathan Tah scored a goal and I think that the goal was legitimate, but the VAR referee for some reason decided otherwise.

I know it hurts to be knocked out of a World Cup by an underdog team, but Jonathan Tah’s goal was not regular. Just before the goal, they very clearly held back the Paraguayan goalkeeper, causing him to lose his balance and delaying his reaction to the subsequent save, and you can see this very clearly, so it was right to disallow the goal.

[MArsland]

Both Germany and the Netherlands were favorites for many, but their demise has come, and I can't believe they were eliminated so early in the round of 32. I didn't expect it, and even worse, Germany who completely controlled the game, struggled to penetrate Paraguay solid defense. From this, I realized one thing victory isn't about the strongest team, but the team that never gives up.

[Stepstowealth]

Netherlands is one of the favourite but unfortunately they have to received hurt result that lose from Morocco from penalty shootout, this is the second time for Netherlands lost from penalty shootout because on 2022 they lose with the same way.

Any team should fear Morocco when it comes to penalties, they are a very good team in that side of football with a goalkeeper who is an expert in it as well. Morocco totally deserved the win in the game, they pressed Netherlands and had more than half the possession. They can really go far in this competition with how well they are playing, maybe they are still the dark horse in this tournament and not Cape Verde as many people mentioned in that very recent post in the forum about the dark horse of the competition.