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

[AprilioMP]

I’m still surprise that Germany is out of the World Cup, I never expected this result, I was expecting Germany to even win without it going to penalty, World Cup is not actually easy. It is very difficult and the teams that you are expecting to win will not actually win and the teams you are not expecting to win maybe the ones winning, right now Germany is out of the World Cup, Netherland is also out, these are the teams we are thinking they will go far in this World Cup but they did not. This is to show you how difficult World Cup is, Don’t be surprised that the country that will lift this World Cup is a country we never expected.
I’m sure a lot of people that bet on this matches may have lost their money.
I’m loving the World Cup.

The first surprise of the knockout stage came from Germany. Germany, which was expected to advance from the Round of 32, was unexpectedly eliminated by Paraguay. Second, a German economist’s prediction was proven wrong after the Netherlands lost to Morocco. He had predicted that the Netherlands would advance to the final against Portugal based on his statistical analysis.

Perhaps in this round of 32, following Germany’s exit, another favorite team will end up going home early. I don’t know which one it will be after Germany and the Netherlands.
The Netherlands’ elimination wasn’t all that surprising, since the team that beat them was Morocco.

[emrecemsan]

there have been eight World Cups on the American continent to date. i’m curious to see which continent the new football world champions will come from.... France, from Europe, or ?

1930 in Uruguay = Uruguay
1950 in Brazil = Uruguay
1962 in Chile =Brazil
1970 in Mexico = Brazil
1978 in Argentina = Argentina
1986 in Mexico = Argentina
1994 in the United States = Brazil
2014 in Brazil = Germany
2026  =    your tip

It's really interesting... 7 South American winners and only 1 European to win these ones? I feel another trophy for Argentina on the way then!    All kidding aside they are definitely a serious favourite now.

France are top favourites of course. But the last champion is Argentina in a finale against them. Furthermore there is another possibility for these 2 to face each other again in the final! I'll be looking forward to that...

[martinom]

Of course, Cape Verde performed beyond expectation, but their performance is not enough to eliminate Argentina. Cape Verde played beautiful football, it's a good feeling for them to even make to the FIFA world cup and i believe that after this tournament, their FIFA ranking in Africa will be increased.

Argentina is very strong this year and among other things Lautaro has now also come to the fore.
Lautaro and Messi together are devastating up front, they are powerful and also have the strength of Lionel Messi's creativity.
I really wouldn't want to ever face a team like that.

[Webutxo]

The first surprise of the knockout stage came from Germany. Germany, which was expected to advance from the Round of 32, was unexpectedly eliminated by Paraguay. Second, a German economist’s prediction was proven wrong after the Netherlands lost to Morocco. He had predicted that the Netherlands would advance to the final against Portugal based on his statistical analysis.

Perhaps in this round of 32, following Germany’s exit, another favorite team will end up going home early. I don’t know which one it will be after Germany and the Netherlands.
The Netherlands’ elimination wasn’t all that surprising, since the team that beat them was Morocco.

The moment Enciso scored the opening goal for Paraguay, I knew Germany are in deep soup because they had the chances needed to scored goal and they couldn't take it until some moment later before they later equalize. When Paraguay knew that they can't attacked and defend before Germany reaction, they came back and defended while Germany was busy doing try and error, it was what they did that lead the extra time until they later went for penalty.

I will not blame Germany for this loss, even the best team in the world lose match with penalty. Didn't we see Messi lose penalty on their second match with Austria, it is a game of luck. The way Germany loss some penalties is the same way Paraguay team loss too, but it was fortunate for them that their own 2 and that if Germany is 3, that was the basis of their loss but it's not an excuse though, the nunber was too high, perhaps the players were so afraid of loss.

[sompitonov]

It's really interesting... 7 South American winners and only 1 European to win these ones? I feel another trophy for Argentina on the way then!    All kidding aside they are definitely a serious favourite now.

France are top favourites of course. But the last champion is Argentina in a finale against them. Furthermore there is another possibility for these 2 to face each other again in the final! I'll be looking forward to that...

I also think the final will be repeated, and it will be very interesting – a clash between Mbappé and Messi, youth and hunger for trophies versus wisdom, experience, and the highest level of professionalism. It's amazing that we're getting to see this now, but at this World Cup, there were surprises today, and Germany and the Netherlands went home. So I wouldn't be surprised if the final could be a surprise for everyone, like Morocco vs. Norway, heh. So it's best not to rush things, even if we see clear favorites.

[Varnquister]

Germany drew with Paraguay and was eliminated in a penalty shootout. It must be said that this was an unexpected result for Germany. No one would have predicted that Paraguay would advance in this match. Germany, which had fallen behind toward the end of the first half, equalized early in the second half with a goal by Kai Havertz. Although they dominated the game, they were unable to score the winning goal, even in extra time. They were ultimately eliminated from the tournament after losing the penalty shootout to their opponent.

[Inwestour]

The first surprise of the knockout stage came from Germany. Germany, which was expected to advance from the Round of 32, was unexpectedly eliminated by Paraguay. Second, a German economist’s prediction was proven wrong after the Netherlands lost to Morocco. He had predicted that the Netherlands would advance to the final against Portugal based on his statistical analysis.

Perhaps in this round of 32, following Germany’s exit, another favorite team will end up going home early. I don’t know which one it will be after Germany and the Netherlands.
The Netherlands’ elimination wasn’t all that surprising, since the team that beat them was Morocco.

Germany's elimination at such an early stage is a loss for the World Cup in any case. I think they were expected to beat Paraguay, and this is the first major surprise of the knockout stage. As for Morocco beating the Netherlands, I think we've already become accustomed to Morocco's achievements. Their high FIFA ranking proves that they are there for a reason.

[reagansimms]

Of course, Cape Verde performed beyond expectation, but their performance is not enough to eliminate Argentina. Cape Verde played beautiful football, it's a good feeling for them to even make to the FIFA world cup and i believe that after this tournament, their FIFA ranking in Africa will be increased.

Argentina is very strong this year and among other things Lautaro has now also come to the fore.
Lautaro and Messi together are devastating up front, they are powerful and also have the strength of Lionel Messi's creativity.
I really wouldn't want to ever face a team like that.

The combination of Messi and Lautaro Martínez is a very frightening threat to other teams. Lautaro Martínez sharpness as a pure striker combined with Messi's magical vision and creativity creates a perfect combination in Argentina attack. This combination of physical strength and vision continues to be the key to Argentina success so far.
I'm not praising them, but based on the statistics and Argentina's current achievements, their extraordinary performance is inseparable. Messi creativity on the pitch and Lautaro continued proving of his quality will make it very difficult for opposing defenses to stop them. I hope both of them can continue to play in every half and finish the match without injury. If Messi and Lautaro are in top condition, Argentina's chances of retaining the title are very high.

[Varnquister]

The Netherlands failed to live up to expectations against Morocco. We can say that Morocco eliminated the Netherlands with a strong performance. The match, which ended scoreless in the first half, saw goals come in the second half. Cody Gakpo scored the goal that put the Netherlands ahead, but Morocco found the equalizer in the final minutes, sending the match into extra time. With the score remaining tied in extra time, Morocco defeated the Netherlands in a penalty shootout to advance to the next round. I didn’t expect Morocco to dominate the Netherlands to such an extent, but it was pretty much a given that this match would go into extra time.

[tygeade]

Japan did all they could, it was a great attempt and I think it was definitely a valiant effort as well but it just did not happen, unlucky for them. Every time there is a world cup, I see them and how they work really hard and I wonder how come they have never taken that next step.

Normally there are teams that does very well every world cup, like England, Brazil, Argentina, France, Spain, etc etc, these are good teams and there are many. And then there are teams that does well for one world cup, like they show up, be great, but miss the next one, they are not always good, they are decent only. Japan is neither, they are always there, always do fine, but then they never really take that next step and get close to winning.

[abaeze]

Way to many surprise results for a single night of knock out games. I cannot believe Germany and Netherlands are out of the competition from way weaker opponents like Paraguay and Morocco. Also Brazil barely won against Japan heavily favored by the referee which definitely impacted this game. I am sure no one expected a Germany out of the World Cup at this stage yet they are the only one to blame because they could not finish the job in regular time and they went out with penalty kicks, so far biggest surprise of the tournament for me.

You are right, the way Japan fought with their utmost strength on the field is truly commendable. Japan never looked weaker than Brazil on the field, but rather dominated. However, looking at their performance, it seems that if any Asian country wins the World Cup in the future, it will be Japan.

On the other hand, many have considered Morocco weak and have always considered their opponents strong. But Morocco has proven that no matter how strong the opponent is, they can stop the opponent at any time. However, African countries have done much better in this World Cup than before. Especially Cape Verde, participating for the first time and reaching the Round of 32 is a big achievement for them. However, if their game had not been with Argentina, their performance would have been seen in the Round of 16.

[Varnquister]

Today we’ll be watching the Round of 32 match between Ivory Coast and Norway. So far in this tournament, we’ve seen two results that could be called surprises. While Norway is clearly the favorite in this match, I think Ivory Coast also has a good chance of advancing. Given this, the outcome of this match remains wide open. While I see Norway as the more likely team to advance, I expect Ivory Coast to give them a tough fight.

[Minor Miner]

Perhaps in this round of 32, following Germany’s exit, another favorite team will end up going home early. I don’t know which one it will be after Germany and the Netherlands.
The Netherlands’ elimination wasn’t all that surprising, since the team that beat them was Morocco.

The defeats of both Germany and the Netherlands were unexpected. Both teams had very strong  squads. Many football experts in particular predicted that the netherlands would be the champions. Although I do not  think so. But I really didn't think that the Netherlands would be eliminated in the round of 32. I thought that the netherlands and germany would at least make it to the quarterfinals.

Germany lost because of their own mistakes. Watching their penalty shootout, I think they did not practice penalties. They probably thought  that they would win by a large margin in  90 minutes. The German players were able to  make a lot of attacks. But they could not break the Paraguayan defense.

[giammangiato]

It's really interesting... 7 South American winners and only 1 European to win these ones? I feel another trophy for Argentina on the way then!    All kidding aside they are definitely a serious favourite now.

France are top favourites of course. But the last champion is Argentina in a finale against them. Furthermore there is another possibility for these 2 to face each other again in the final! I'll be looking forward to that...

But did you need a list to remind the world that South American teams have always been the strongest anyway? 
It should also be said that Brazil, with its ups and downs, is always a feared team, the same goes for Argentina. Uruguay hasn't won in a long time, but they've had their years of glory.
In 2026 it's difficult to determine, because the range of choices is very wide, I have no idea who can get this World Cup.

[AprilioMP]

The first surprise of the knockout stage came from Germany. Germany, which was expected to advance from the Round of 32, was unexpectedly eliminated by Paraguay. Second, a German economist’s prediction was proven wrong after the Netherlands lost to Morocco. He had predicted that the Netherlands would advance to the final against Portugal based on his statistical analysis.

Perhaps in this round of 32, following Germany’s exit, another favorite team will end up going home early. I don’t know which one it will be after Germany and the Netherlands.
The Netherlands’ elimination wasn’t all that surprising, since the team that beat them was Morocco.

Germany's elimination at such an early stage is a loss for the World Cup in any case. I think they were expected to beat Paraguay, and this is the first major surprise of the knockout stage. As for Morocco beating the Netherlands, I think we've already become accustomed to Morocco's achievements. Their high FIFA ranking proves that they are there for a reason.

Yes. Germany’s earlier-than-expected elimination could be a problem that many parties would have preferred to avoid, as Germany can have a positive impact on the excitement of major tournaments. But it has already happened, and Paraguay ensured that Germany wasn’t as fortunate as expected.

As for Morocco sending the Netherlands home early, it wasn’t a huge surprise given Morocco’s performance so far. At the very least, this defies the widely discussed predictions, as many believed that this German economic data analysis model had been spot-on in several previous World Cups. It had predicted a final between the Netherlands and Portugal for this year’s World Cup.

Based on these results, it’s certain that there will be many more surprises to come, even though several matches in the group stage and early on in the World Cup have already featured many unexpected outcomes.

[POPOLUV]

Japan did all they could, it was a great attempt and I think it was definitely a valiant effort as well but it just did not happen, unlucky for them. Every time there is a world cup, I see them and how they work really hard and I wonder how come they have never taken that next step.

Normally there are teams that does very well every world cup, like England, Brazil, Argentina, France, Spain, etc etc, these are good teams and there are many. And then there are teams that does well for one world cup, like they show up, be great, but miss the next one, they are not always good, they are decent only. Japan is neither, they are always there, always do fine, but then they never really take that next step and get close to winning.

Honestly when i was watching the match yesterday, Japan really play out their best just to make sure that history will not repeat itself because it is the same Brazil that remove Japan in 2002 world cup tournament, and with the way Brazil play with Japan, honestly Japan really played very well that Brazil was really on the lucky side of winning Japan yesterday and with the Brazil performance, i don't really think if they will actually win, if they eventually meet a strong club like France or Portugal etc, or is Brazil going to top of their tactics as they have step to the next stage of the FIFA world cup tournament.

[Cryptmuster]

The first surprise of the knockout stage came from Germany. Germany, which was expected to advance from the Round of 32, was unexpectedly eliminated by Paraguay. Second, a German economist’s prediction was proven wrong after the Netherlands lost to Morocco. He had predicted that the Netherlands would advance to the final against Portugal based on his statistical analysis.

Perhaps in this round of 32, following Germany’s exit, another favorite team will end up going home early. I don’t know which one it will be after Germany and the Netherlands.
The Netherlands’ elimination wasn’t all that surprising, since the team that beat them was Morocco.

This match was difficult for Germany from the very beginning, they had to fight back during the match, and the penalty shootout was also terrible. It's a shame that Germany is leaving the World Cup so early, but as Kimich said: they played poorly and deserved it. Now Neggelsmann will most likely be fired, I don't think anyone will let him stay as national team coach after such a failure. But I think he'll be able to find a new team this summer, a coach like him will likely be in demand among clubs planning to replace their coaches.

[katanic97]

The first surprise of the knockout stage came from Germany. Germany, which was expected to advance from the Round of 32, was unexpectedly eliminated by Paraguay. Second, a German economist’s prediction was proven wrong after the Netherlands lost to Morocco. He had predicted that the Netherlands would advance to the final against Portugal based on his statistical analysis.

Perhaps in this round of 32, following Germany’s exit, another favorite team will end up going home early. I don’t know which one it will be after Germany and the Netherlands.
The Netherlands’ elimination wasn’t all that surprising, since the team that beat them was Morocco.

This match was difficult for Germany from the very beginning, they had to fight back during the match, and the penalty shootout was also terrible. It's a shame that Germany is leaving the World Cup so early, but as Kimich said: they played poorly and deserved it. Now Neggelsmann will most likely be fired, I don't think anyone will let him stay as national team coach after such a failure. But I think he'll be able to find a new team this summer, a coach like him will likely be in demand among clubs planning to replace their coaches.

Nagelsmann is still young, so I'm sure he'll get more opportunities. But he really had to make the most of this one because chances like this don't come around very often.Players can have a bad day, it happens, but that penalty shootout cost them the game. And not just the penalties,the way they defended Paraguay's goal was poor as well. Those are the kinds of mistakes Germany simply can't afford to make.
It's a shame they're out, but the tournament is definitely going to be exciting from here on

[Just Say]

Germany drew with Paraguay and was eliminated in a penalty shootout. It must be said that this was an unexpected result for Germany. No one would have predicted that Paraguay would advance in this match. Germany, which had fallen behind toward the end of the first half, equalized early in the second half with a goal by Kai Havertz. Although they dominated the game, they were unable to score the winning goal, even in extra time. They were ultimately eliminated from the tournament after losing the penalty shootout to their opponent.

To be honest Germany will draw with Paraguay in the round of 32 match of the FIFA World Cup and lose on penalties i never imagined this. You may notice that Paraguay lost 4-1 to the USA in their first group match, but they surprised everyone by defeating a team like Germany in the Round of 32. Germany were very weak when taking penalties against Paraguay. In fact we never thought that Newcastle United player Woltemade would miss the penalty, it is because of these players' mistakes that Paraguay was able to make it to the Round of Sixteen of this World Cup, so it seems that Paraguay will be able to play well in the upcoming match.

[letteredhub]

I also think the final will be repeated, and it will be very interesting – a clash between Mbappé and Messi, youth and hunger for trophies versus wisdom, experience, and the highest level of professionalism. It's amazing that we're getting to see this now, but at this World Cup, there were surprises today, and Germany and the Netherlands went home. So I wouldn't be surprised if the final could be a surprise for everyone, like Morocco vs. Norway, heh. So it's best not to rush things, even if we see clear favorites.

I think it's not going to be the type of final we had in the last World Cup as what am looking at may not even have France or Argentina in it if this surprises we keep getting in the games persists. Last night Germany mad Netherlands has being eliminated, that was least expected and quick to happen especially for Germany. Am starting to not underestimate any team against another by basing on their history but for what they're doing currently in the tournament, which from what am seeing, every team is playing great football.