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

[Sandra_hakeem]

So much for this being a discussion thread about Canada/Mexico/United States  
Even with Folarin Balogun back for USA, I think Belgium advances.

Belgium better qualifies for the quarter-finals, if not , more allegations will surface against the United States than it is already. Maybe people will directly accuse Trump of lobbying his club onto the next phase and compensation the Belgians, just to prove a point. If we're to compare their performances, the Belgians should be able to make it out tomorrow.

However I don't see it that simple. Their match history is quite interesting. None of the sides has a clear superiority to the other.

None of the sides has a clear superiority? I'm really pressing to see what the outcome of today's match will be, honestly. Ronaldo sill get a tight man-mark, but there are so many alternative players to score if they get a chance.

[Stepstowealth]

While Norway didn't let Vini Junior create many opportunities, Brazil allowed Haaland to score twice. It was the third elimination in the history of world cups for Brazil on the round of 16.

Many people who watch the game are putting Gabriel under a lot of criticism because they say that he is a player who is used to defending against Haaland with Arsenal and they are surprised how he was able to allow Erling have the advantage in the first goal to put Norway ahead. It was a sad ending for the Brazilian team because I'm sure they came into that game with the idea that they were going to be the team to celebrate at the ending I think that's made them very confident in their display forcing them to making mistakes in the game because they thought they're going to have a lot of chance to recover and win the game still. Vini was stingy with passing at some point, Guimeras wasted the penalty chance, or was he unlucky?

Portugal vs Spain, who do you think is going home?

[rdbase]

The Portugal vs Spain match is actually a bit easier to predict, making BTTS the best option. But, the USA vs Belgium match is a bit more questionable. Can Belgium pull off a surprise by beating the USA and qualifying?

Do you think picking the USA to qualify is a good choice?

Yup, for Portugal vs Spain match I think we all agree both teams will fight each other for 90 minutes and yeah Spain is a slight favorite by the Sportsbooks. I predict both teams will score and this match will not be decided by a penalty shootout I mean we will see the winner in 90+ minutes. You know I have placed a Bet Builder on this match total cards over 2.5 cards  + BTTS + over 2.5 goals.

For the match between USA vs Belgium it seems that many people prefer USA and I think I agree, even though so far USA has not faced a strong opponent, they have the advantage of being the home team. Betting on both teams to score is also interesting because both teams have weaknesses in their defense, yeah just checking the match history of both teams in the group stage.


Source: Degen.com

Was undecided with which option to take for the USA vs Belgium match since Folarin Balogun was unsuspended by the President calling another President to overturn a rule banning a player from playing after receiving a red card.
But this should elevate their confidence now and think they have an unstoppable ego alone to advance past their opponents today.
So this to qualify bet seems to be the most solid bet to take knowing that even FIFA wants you as a host nation to make it through after this action from Infantino.

[laijsica]

Today there is a superb match waiting for us...    Spain are favoured against Portugal by bookmakers which is normal.

However I don't see it that simple. Their match history is quite interesting. None of the sides has a clear superiority to the other.

So I think Portugal shouldn't be underrated here. They also have a really good chance to advance. I hope Ronaldo has a good match tonight.

Portugal have a chance to go to the next round but the match is against Spain which will not be easy for them at all. Spain has talented and star players. They have talented players like Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo and Lamine so it will be difficult for the Portugal defense to handle them.

Portugal team is made up of young and talented players and the important and key player of the team is Ronaldo. If he can shine in the match then it will be possible to defeat Spain team.

There will be differences among the gamblers and I think Spain will enter the field as the favourite team but if luck is on Portugal's side they will win because the team that is performing best at the moment will have more chances to win.

[Arenga pinnata]

Today there is a superb match waiting for us...    Spain are favoured against Portugal by bookmakers which is normal.

However I don't see it that simple. Their match history is quite interesting. None of the sides has a clear superiority to the other.

So I think Portugal shouldn't be underrated here. They also have a really good chance to advance. I hope Ronaldo has a good match tonight.

Although the bookmakers favor Spain in this match, I prefer to view Portugal and Spain as fairly evenly matched teams.
In their last meeting, the Nations League final the two teams played to a draw. forcing the match to go to a penalty shootout which Portugal won. the same thing could happen this time. the match could end in a draw in regulation time and go into extra time or even another penalty shootout.

At the 2018 World Cup, these two teams also faced each other because they were in the same group and they drew that match as well. in their last four meetings,, three of them ended in draws in regulation time, and Spain won once. This match is difficult to predict. It’s just as hard to predict how many goals will be scored.

[SmartCharpa]

Spain had a very comfortable night against Austria, winning 3–0 to book their place in the Round of 16. They were the favorites going into the match, and it turned out to be a straightforward victory. Spain will now face the winner of Portugal vs. Croatia in the next round.

The Portugal vs. Croatia match should be a tough contest for both sides. I think the two teams are very evenly matched, so it could go either way.
The winner of that match will take on Spain in the Round of 16, setting up another exciting knockout clash.

Spain victory against Austria ai something we all expected. Their opponents were not strong enough to compete with Spain throughout the match. Spain dominated them and deserved the victory. Austria was eliminated from the World Cup and Spain will face Portugal today after a craziest match against Croatia. Portugal won the match, but it was a difficult game, they made a come back in the second half after conceding the first goal to win the match.

This could be last World Cup game for Ronaldo, if they get eliminated by Spain, then this is going to be the end of the era for him in the World Cup. Spain look like the favorite team to win the match, the bookies also consider them as the favorite team, but let’s see what happens in the next few hours, because football game is unpredictable.

[WatChe]

Football fans around the world, Sepp Blatter, UEFA and also Jürgen Klopp are the couple few I have seen come together to bash the current FIFA President and his decisions to take down the red card shown to the United States Striker Balogun. We all know the rules and how football shouldn't be used for such political purposes but Donald Trump the President of America placed a phone call across and the red card decision completely changed.

FIFA refused interfering for football fans who are to support their nations, couldn't interfere in favour of Iran and not their Somalian official. This is a lot about Corruption and the current FIFA president must be forced to resign.

If things keep going like that then US might win the world cup. Perhaps its first time in history of sports that a participating country was not allowed to stay in the country where it has to play the games. FIFA remained silent on this while suspended red card of Balogun on US president orders. It's an absolutely bizarre decision by FIFA.

Big match coming tonight as Portugal will take on Spain tonight in round of 16. Spain no doubt is favourite for this game while Ronaldo fans will be backing Portugal to advance to quarter finals.

[Localhostspeed]

Brazil really disappointed me, this recent Brazil players can never lift the World Cup because they are not serious in their country level and international competition like the World Cup, Brazil missed a lot of chances, when the match started I saw Brazil as the favorite team to win but they just disappointed me, vini jr did his best, I remember he gave a very wonderful pass that would have been converted into a goal but the player he passed the ball to missed the chance, so I will never blame vini jr he has done very well for Brazil, the person I will blame is the coach for not having a very good plan and format.
Erling Haaland Is a goal machine, I just can’t believe he scored two goals yesterday to move his country to the next stage in this World Cup.

Like the referee that decide that game wanted to make Norway to lose this game to Brazil, two penalties but they wasted one. Gabriel tied all he could do yesterday to stop Haaland from scoring goals but that guy is true viking, he was too strong to be stop and he did them dirty that they couldn't score any goal but assuming Anceloti let Vinicious to take that first penalty, that guy might be able to take it than let Guimareas wasted that opportunity.

Although, Brazil might not even go far in this journey because either ways of England qualify today, there is no way they are taking them out but they might stand some chance. So far, they are the team that has not conceded any goal since the beginning of this game. Everything is fair, they should go home and do some preparation and come back next year, they did like other teams that has went home and it's fine.

[TastyChillySauce00]

Picking btts for both of hype games.

Spain vs Portugal, a hard game to decide. Spain basically better with their tactical gameplay. Their mid and backline are also proper in tracking the ball back too. They will own the stats of game, create more attempts, and obviously high possession.
Nevertheless i don't underrated Portugal because their low block obviously make Spain to struggle to score, but i prefer spain to score more than Portugal. As for the bet, i prefer to safe bet btts.

Belgium vs USA, Belgium obviously favorite, but USA has been improving so much since Poch took the job. So Belgium won't win this with ease. I expect a tough game until the stoppage time, and both clubs to score.

[Accardo]

Portugal will have Ronaldo, Leao, Bruno and Neto in the attack. All three played very well last season. Vitinha and Neves are also capable of performing well. But theb main problem is the poorb understanding between the players. Ronaldo is in the center of the  attack, but he is also in good form.

On the other hand, the spanish squad is also very strong. Oyarzabal, Yamal , Baena, Olmo, Pedri and Rodri are all  capable of performing well. And the understanding between them is  also excellent. I bet on spain to win today.

That is a strong take, would they be any thinking twice? I don't think so, Spain is an impressive team, not denying Portugal their accolades, but the Spanish team works best together, when a player is not in shape emotionally or in decision, they find a way to make the team work without that player, when Yamal was delaying their progress in their last game, he was substituted immediately, and they were able to net more goals against Austria. A team spirit as such is hard to defeat. Portugal on the other hand will not dare substitute Ronaldo whether or not he makes the right decisions or not.

[Sexylizzy2813]

coin toss app in browser

This incident that happened in the USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina game is something that FIFA should have left to be the way it is, why allow the USA striker to play a game that he's suppose to miss? What's really going on in this World Cup, is it that FIFA has lost his power in the World of Football? Does FIFA still have power or is he acting base on a higher authority?

[Stavri]

tbh everyone has been hyping up France since the start of the tournament but imo Spain's football has been just as good. only difference is that France has those individual match winners who can make something out of nothing...

You answered your own question, france has an edge over spain and is hyped more because it has players that can change the whole game to their side on their own, we have seen mbappe and dembele carry their team and has more that have the ability to do the same, talking about spain then they are more dependent on team play. If the team performs well then the main stars would do so too, but if they fail then no lamine can carry the team on his own.

you're right tactically speaking, France has been playing just like Spain, Argentina and England in the World Cup so far. the sole difference is the superior individual quality of their attackers and that's precisely what makes them the favorites.

[letteredhub]

The English side hasn't given much reasons to trust them based on their shabby  performances from the group matches but the Mexicans were quite impressive and I can't say it's because they are one of the host Nations, but if I were to choose between these two sides I would choose the mexican because they look more composed than the English team.

But for the game between Brazil and Norway, I think experience and exposure would really count, the Brazilian already have a reputation and I believe this could really influence this game even though they haven't won the Norwegias for once..

Well, it looks like that after all I wasn't wrong. I always said that this Brazil never impressed me, they never show anything special, there were no ideas, no tactics, just a bunch of decent players who thought they could win just because their name was Brazil.

At the same time we had another confirmation that Norway are a great team. Many people mocked Italy when they lost against Norway, being Italian I always admitted that Norway were clearly superior to us, but many users here look just at the name, they don't actually watch the games...

After what transpired between the Norwegians and the Brazilians, am very much convinced that this Norway team are extraordinary and have now become a threat to the rest of the teams that are left in this world cup, after beating Brazil the Norway team are now considered favourites, they have created a very positive impression about the team and this means that their next opponent has to be very careful not to suffer same fate as the Brazilians in the round of 16.

[Bitcoin_people]

Portugal and Spain This match is going to be really great, we have seen that Ronaldo failed to make his team successful in the last World Cup. However, it seems really challenging whether Ronaldo's team can win against Spain in today's match. If Spain plays strongly, then there is a high possibility of Portugal losing and it remains to be seen whether Ronaldo can lead his team forward in his last World Cup. However, Spain is currently in a strong form and they will enter the field today with the intention of defeating Portugal. There will be wins and losses in football and those who are lucky in today's match will qualify for the next round, and those who are unlucky will have to leave. However, Portugal should play well, thinking about Ronaldo's last World Cup, and every player should play to win the team.

[ILuckyGuyI]

Picking btts for both of hype games.

Spain vs Portugal, a hard game to decide. Spain basically better with their tactical gameplay. Their mid and backline are also proper in tracking the ball back too. They will own the stats of game, create more attempts, and obviously high possession.
Nevertheless i don't underrated Portugal because their low block obviously make Spain to struggle to score, but i prefer spain to score more than Portugal. As for the bet, i prefer to safe bet btts.

BTTS really makes sense for regular time in this game. I just hope both sides wouldn't prefer a cautious game plan... That'd make the game really boring!

Laporte and Cubarsi will be on the duty to defend Ronaldo. I guess he'd be a starter again for Portugal instead of Gonçalo Ramos. Let's see if Ronaldo scores again...

Belgium vs USA, Belgium obviously favorite, but USA has been improving so much since Poch took the job. So Belgium won't win this with ease. I expect a tough game until the stoppage time, and both clubs to score.

I hope Belgium eliminate them. I know their chance is lower but I really didn't like FIFA's acting differently as for USA. It's ridiculous to see Balogun playing in this one despite the red card!  

[SatoPrincess]

Haaland, Mbappé, and Messi will continue to compete, and with all three contributing goals, it's quite difficult to determine who will ultimately lead the way. But now that Argentina has to face Egypt, Messi has the opportunity to score again and secure his place at number one for the time being.
Argentina has a strong chance, while Portugal vs Spain is a much more interesting match today. The result will determine CR7 fate in his final World Cup.

I’m looking at the bigger picture here not just the goals. For three players in particular, there is a lot more at stake in this World Cup. If Norway wins the World Cup, Haaland may be winning the Ballon d’Or, like if England wins (big IF) Declan Rice may just win the ballon d’Or because then he would have won the premier league and the World Cup, and if the favorites France wins, Mbappe will definitely be getting the ballon d’Or.

[SmartCharpa]

My Norway bet won & I thought my 100% win rate would come to an end with the England match, but it didn't. Even though the England squad appeared to be playing passively, they ultimately scored two quick goals in the final minutes of the game.



By the way, I’ve already cashed out my bet, I didn't want it to end up being a pain in the butt. I feel lucky because I managed to cash out one or two minutes before Mexico scored their goal. I’ll treat the second half purely as entertainment, just watching, without any bets riding on it.

You cash out the game out of fear, you assumed England was not going to win the match after the pressure you saw from their opponent in the first half of the match. Mexico dominated England throughout the match in term of ball possession, and created more chances than England. To be honest, I had a doubt about England winning the match because Mexico is very strong team without conceding a single goal from the start of the tournament.

However, most gamblers would do the same thing if they were in your position. This match was crazy, England defender got a red card in 54 minutes, and that did not stop them from winning the match. But this is gambling, either you win or lose. I knew that it was going to be a difficult game for England, so I didn’t include them on my bet slip.

[Creeper0]

That is a strong take, would they be any thinking twice? I don't think so, Spain is an impressive team, not denying Portugal their accolades, but the Spanish team works best together, when a player is not in shape emotionally or in decision, they find a way to make the team work without that player, when Yamal was delaying their progress in their last game, he was substituted immediately, and they were able to net more goals against Austria. A team spirit as such is hard to defeat. Portugal on the other hand will not dare substitute Ronaldo whether or not he makes the right decisions or not.

The current World Cup is full of unexpected results, even from the beginning we started losing to the favorite teams. We might be losing to one of the favorites in the Spain vs. Portugal match. Although it is certain that we will lose to one of these two teams, Portugal's exit seems somewhat expected. Spain is much ahead in terms of team performance, but Portugal cannot be ignored either.

Today we may also face unexpected results, as we faced with the result of the Brazil vs. Norway match yesterday. Although Norway is a relatively strong team, Brazil seemed to be the favorite to win, but the final result surprised us quite a bit.

[Agbam]

Portugal is certainly not the favorite against Spain, and frankly, I don’t think Portugal can win—that is, advance to the next round. In my opinion, Spain is the team closer to advancing, and I expect Spain to score in the first half against Portugal and knock the wind out of their sails. If Portugal tries to take control of the game, they’ll need to score in the first half. If the first half ends in a tie, I think Spain’s chances increase even more—and if the game goes to extra time, Spain will be the one to advance.

Nah… It’s going to be a tough game for both teams. Right now I think Portugal are the favourites going into this match, they have the better squad and have beaten Spain before or rather a draw.
I’ve not seen Spain as having the spark they had for the Euros or the Nations Cup in this World Cup, they’re just a big team scaling through. To win tonight they have to do more than they’ve been doing.

Tonight will decide which other big team leaves the World Cup, I feel so sad for Mexico they were having a good time until they met England and conceded three in one game, the only game they conceded.

[Sim_card]

Portugal is certainly not the favorite against Spain, and frankly, I don’t think Portugal can win—that is, advance to the next round. In my opinion, Spain is the team closer to advancing, and I expect Spain to score in the first half against Portugal and knock the wind out of their sails. If Portugal tries to take control of the game, they’ll need to score in the first half. If the first half ends in a tie, I think Spain’s chances increase even more—and if the game goes to extra time, Spain will be the one to advance.

Nah… It’s going to be a tough game for both teams. Right now I think Portugal are the favourites going into this match, they have the better squad and have beaten Spain before or rather a draw.
I’ve not seen Spain as having the spark they had for the Euros or the Nations Cup in this World Cup, they’re just a big team scaling through. To win tonight they have to do more than they’ve been doing.

Tonight will decide which other big team leaves the World Cup, I feel so sad for Mexico they were having a good time until they met England and conceded three in one game, the only game they conceded.

Assuming, England lost that game and get kicked out,you would have still criticize them. I want Portugal to win today's game but don't be surprise if Spain wins the game because this year's world cup is not going as expected. No one thought that Brazil would not be in the round of 8.