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

[TedMosby]

[...]

For me, this is the most ideal World Cup semifinal I've ever had in my life. Honestly, I didn't really follow the World Cup before the quarterfinals. I only watched a few matches due to the bad timezone. However, it got interesting after the quarterfinals and made me watch it again. 4 top teams from the top 4 FIFA Men’s World Ranking. How can you not say it's the ideal semifinal?




However, people seem to be favoring France on Polymarket compared to the other 3 teams, which share only a slight difference in implied probability.

[...]
The England vs. Argentina match hasn't happened in a long time. If I'm not mistaken, the last match was in 2001, when England won against Argentina.
[...]

It happened in 2002, at the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea-Japan. Best World Cup based on my timezone
Argentina sent Beckham home in 1998 through a penalty shootout, and 4 years later Beckham sent Argentina home in 2002 through his penalty goal.

[bastisisca]

I'm not saying anything against Messi, because he's a star and he asks for what he wants what bothers me is that all the referees cater to him; he tells them to review a play, and they do. I don't like that it should be the same for everyone. Argentina has very good players; they're one of the best teams in the world. They don't need any help they don't even help the weakest teams. They already helped them in the last World Cup; no more of that.

I don't know how to express myself about it, i can say that Lionel Messi is also a good person, someone who has suffered, so i don't feel like saying anything to him either.
Among other things, he is a kind and humble person, you don't really want to get angry with him, at least in my case.

[Fiatless]

I prefer to see the game Spain and France do not have a big chance for both, not like you say that France has a greater chance than Spain, but I say France can win the game less, we can see a lot of odds in every bookmaker that we are here to be confused even though France is still smaller than the odds given for Spain's victory.

The interesting thing about the Argentina and England match is whether there will be more controversial things that happen in this match, if Argentina win the game with controversial things throughout this match will be a hot topic again.

Spain and France game would be more interesting based on their outstanding performance. France is the best attacking side with 16 goals in 6 matches. Spain has shown they have the best defense, as they have conceded just one goal. So we might see a final before the main finals in this game.

Argentina have been fortunate in this competition. They got to this stage by meeting average teams and some errors by opponents. Norway would have beaten England if not for the selfishness of Alexander Sørloth. Anyway, I tip the Three Lions to make it to the finals.

[AprilioMP]

[edited out]

This world cup was the best for the Vikings because the got to the quarter finals for the first time in history. I agree with you, assuming Sorloth wasn't selfish with the ball because he wanted to put down his name on the scoreline, it would have been difficult for England to win the game. Maybe, it would have been a different outcome.

From the group stage all the way to the quarterfinals, it was definitely the Viking celebration that left the biggest impression. I’m sure that once this tournament is over, whenever there’s a World Cup video or anything World Cup-related, the Viking row celebration will probably be what comes to mind.
Sorloth was the player who came across as very selfish when Norway lost to England, aside from Jude Bellingham’s response to Tuchel’s comments after the match. You probably know what Tuchel said and what Jude Bellingham’s response was.

[kennycryptoitalia]

There has been a lot of criticism about Argentina. Many people criticize that FIFA is giving Argentina too many opportunities by playing with weak teams. The most discussed is the match between Argentina and Egypt. Where Egypt's goal was disallowed due to a foul, Argentina's goal was not counted as a foul even though it was fouled. None of us can say whether Argentina really has any connection with FIFA, but one thing is that Argentina is passing every stage by playing football. If they could not play well, they would have lost to any team, so since it is not possible to change anything by criticizing the things that have happened, it is foolish to think about those things.

Argentina is playing a game that i like, they play hard and they also play dirty, this is necessary to have a team that wins and reaches the final, even if the semi-final will be very difficult for them, this is the most important match and also the most difficult they will have, against England it won't be like the others.

[yixichloro2xx]

I prefer to see the game Spain and France do not have a big chance for both, not like you say that France has a greater chance than Spain, but I say France can win the game less, we can see a lot of odds in every bookmaker that we are here to be confused even though France is still smaller than the odds given for Spain's victory.

The interesting thing about the Argentina and England match is whether there will be more controversial things that happen in this match, if Argentina win the game with controversial things throughout this match will be a hot topic again.

Spain and France game would be more interesting based on their outstanding performance. France is the best attacking side with 16 goals in 6 matches. Spain has shown they have the best defense, as they have conceded just one goal. So we might see a final before the main finals in this game.

Argentina have been fortunate in this competition. They got to this stage by meeting average teams and some errors by opponents. Norway would have beaten England if not for the selfishness of Alexander Sørloth. Anyway, I tip the Three Lions to make it to the finals.

That's why I put France over Spain, because of how clinical their attack is, they convert their chances. I guess the only place they lack is their midfield, which Spain will dominate in the game.  Both of met in the 2024 Euros and Nations league semi final,  whereby Spain won both of them. For Spain to beat France they will need a strong attack since they are already good in terms of defense and possession.

Argentina have been performing poor since they qualified to the knockout,  they have a very poor defense and they barely survived in their past games. I feel England will press and dominate this game alot, because I don't see Argentina winning this game. But anything can happen, the faith of Argentina depends on Scaloni tactics especially if he stops that nonsense 4-4-2 formation and start players who can run and press maybe Argentina might have a chance.

[emrecemsan]

It seems like it will still be the same finals as the last world cup, because it will be an easy one for France to eliminate Spain, and as for Argentina it might not be an easy one to take out England but I know that they will, bearly tho
And it will end up being the same finals as last time, about France facing Argentina in the finals I do still predict a penalty shootout

Easy one for France to eliminate Spain? I don't think so... Spain aren't some kind of a small team mate. They are one of the strongest candidates for the World Cup trophy.

France have a much more effective offense line though. That's without doubt! But I don't expect a big score gap anyway.

I guess we'd watch more goals in the England v Argentina match. Both like to play more openly. 

[sotelorene]

There has been a lot of criticism about Argentina. Many people criticize that FIFA is giving Argentina too many opportunities by playing with weak teams. The most discussed is the match between Argentina and Egypt. Where Egypt's goal was disallowed due to a foul, Argentina's goal was not counted as a foul even though it was fouled. None of us can say whether Argentina really has any connection with FIFA, but one thing is that Argentina is passing every stage by playing football. If they could not play well, they would have lost to any team, so since it is not possible to change anything by criticizing the things that have happened, it is foolish to think about those things.

Argentina is playing a game that i like, they play hard and they also play dirty, this is necessary to have a team that wins and reaches the final, even if the semi-final will be very difficult for them, this is the most important match and also the most difficult they will have, against England it won't be like the others.

You are right they are trying their possible best to get to the finals and win if possible i mean that is the dream of every team to get to the finals and win but they need to put more effort and yes this game is going to be to the toughest for them this season and i believe it will also be the toughest for england too. moreover, i just see those odds that are increasing and decreasing as a normal and it will not determine anything and it can be a way of manipulating people and drawing their attention away from who will win the trophy.

[sergiorus]

It seems like it will still be the same finals as the last world cup, because it will be an easy one for France to eliminate Spain, and as for Argentina it might not be an easy one to take out England but I know that they will, bearly tho
And it will end up being the same finals as last time, about France facing Argentina in the finals I do still predict a penalty shootout

Easy one for France to eliminate Spain? I don't think so... Spain aren't some kind of a small team mate. They are one of the strongest candidates for the World Cup trophy.

France have a much more effective offense line though. That's without doubt! But I don't expect a big score gap anyway.

I guess we'd watch more goals in the England v Argentina match. Both like to play more openly.  

That's right. Very weird to say France are gonna have an easy win against the current Euro champions. Especially when the Spanish literally beat the very same France in the semi-finals of that Euro Cup two years ago.

Not much has changed since then. France could be in a better shape right now
but it's not gonna be easy for anyone.

[pewboy]

It is to be believed that Argentina has been performance  well since the beginning, different people have different opinions about Argentina but I think it is very normal. I am not confirm whether Argentina will be the champions of the 2026 World cup or not because the result of the game can change completely at any time. But it must be admitted that the 2026 World cup Messi has been in very good rhythm so it becomes very difficult for the opposite team to handle him. Let's see which team can survive in the end and can grab the final place.

Argentina fought in every match, this is certainly an important thing, but let's say that compared to the others they had a great contribution, Messi played very well and this really makes the difference, i understand that this can destabilize other teams but this is necessary to win, but anyway the matter doesn't change, they had a slightly easier path than the others.

[SmartCharpa]

England secured their place in the World Cup semifinals with a winning goal in extra time.
In my opinion, Jude Bellingham was the player who carried England into the semifinals tonight, and I think he deserves to be named Man of the Match.
Despite giving everything they had, Norway couldn't avoid elimination.

In about an hour, England will find out their semifinal opponent.
The winner of Argentina vs. Switzerland will face England in the semifinals.

It was a tough game between England and Norway. Both teams played very well throughout the match and the best team won at the end. Norway performance was very impressive, one of their goal was disallowed due to a foul. England performance in the game was not that good, it wasn’t the same as they were from the beginning, maybe they are getting tired already. Sometimes their football game look like the way Arsenal used to play.

However, Bellingham is the main player for England in this World Cup. He is repeating the same performance he had in his first season at Real Madrid. Scoring more than 20 goals in a single season. Argentina vs Switzerland on the other hand, Argentina won the match to secured their place in the semifinals. Switzerland feels like they were rubbed, since they concede the two goals after the red card.

[giorgione]

i?m sure that if argentina had experienced that play where the ball hit the camera and the subsequent goal in their own match, we?d have been forced to debate it for days on end. once the match is over, no one has a chance to change anything, and debating it here doesn?t do anyone any good.

what we?re failing to realize is that fifa and other organizations now want us to believe things that differ from what our eyes actually see. in that position in portugal-croatia match, none of us saw any contact, but the goal was ruled offside simply because the sensor detected contact. the same applies to this cable cam position. we can all see the ball hit that cable/camera, but somehow they?re able to rule it out. i just don?t get it.

these problematic events have always been there and i think that now we are always looking for ways to cause problems or look for the culprit, and Argentina is exactly that team that is at the center of the controversy, but if a team is strong it will also be able to deal with this off the pitch and must try to do better.

[Solodoski]

I prefer to see the game Spain and France do not have a big chance for both, not like you say that France has a greater chance than Spain, but I say France can win the game less, we can see a lot of odds in every bookmaker that we are here to be confused even though France is still smaller than the odds given for Spain's victory.

The interesting thing about the Argentina and England match is whether there will be more controversial things that happen in this match, if Argentina win the game with controversial things throughout this match will be a hot topic again.

Spain and France game would be more interesting based on their outstanding performance. France is the best attacking side with 16 goals in 6 matches. Spain has shown they have the best defense, as they have conceded just one goal. So we might see a final before the main finals in this game.

Argentina have been fortunate in this competition. They got to this stage by meeting average teams and some errors by opponents. Norway would have beaten England if not for the selfishness of Alexander Sørloth. Anyway, I tip the Three Lions to make it to the finals.

It is hard to make my pick. France game seems to be more interesting, but the England game with Argentina is attracting more attention from me. I am eager to see England eliminate Argentina.

Every Norway fan will see Sørloth differently. He was the weak side starting from the first half, as he is not a proper winger. The one opportunity he got to give the ball to Haaland was screwed up due to greed.

[aipercoin]

If it was not because of the red card that Switzerland received, I don't think Argentina was going to eliminate Switzerland yesterday. It would likely have been Argentina that got eliminated.In the first half, Embolo received a red card. Before that, Switzerland was in control of the match. It was only after Embolo was sent off that Argentina had the chance to take control of the game and eventually won in extra time.Embolo was really very foolish to receive that red card. If people blame him, I will never go against it because what he did was very wrong. I just can't imagine how someone playing in a World Cup, especially at the quarter-final stage, could make such a poor decision.Many people don't want Argentina to win the World Cup again because they believe FIFA has been on Argentina's side since the beginning of the tournament and has been giving them favorable decisions

yes, i also think that this is the best result, clearly this is what everyone wanted, researching the thing is necessary, they found the opportunity to send him out and exploited it, this is necessary, many players don't realize that their mistakes have an impact and so it happened.

[Futurexxx]

It is hard to make my pick. France game seems to be more interesting, but the England game with Argentina is attracting more attention from me. I am eager to see England eliminate Argentina.

I am not a fan of the English National team, but because of the favourable treatment given to Argentina, and how they are doing everything possible for them to win this world cup, I want England to win a put Fifa and it corrupt officials to shame.

Every Norway fan will see Sørloth differently. He was the weak side starting from the first half, as he is not a proper winger. The one opportunity he got to give the ball to Haaland was screwed up due to greed.

It's very easy to push blame on someone when things went bad, that's why when solorth failed to pass the ball to haaland when it was one nil, and a glorious chance ahead, I just say within me that he will be used as the escape goat if they failed to win this game, and I was not wrong about it, because everyone related to Norway are now putting all the blame on him.

[Accardo]

I don't know how to express myself about it, i can say that Lionel Messi is also a good person, someone who has suffered, so i don't feel like saying anything to him either.
Among other things, he is a kind and humble person, you don't really want to get angry with him, at least in my case.

Messi brought a fresh change in this tournament, fans watch him play a farewell game, he'd won't be there to play in the next tournament, yet he's topping the golden boot race, and as well making winning impacts on the Argentina national team with great goals and assists. The notion that he's a solid player is not taken out, but fans across the world is mostly concerned about the favors granted around Messi's team, one could say it's exaggerated, but when something is off about a football match, spectators get to not just see it, they feel the slight changes when officiation is unbalanced.

[Sexylizzy2813]

Easy one for France to eliminate Spain? I don't think so... Spain aren't some kind of a small team mate. They are one of the strongest candidates for the World Cup trophy.

France have a much more effective offense line though. That's without doubt! But I don't expect a big score gap anyway.

I guess we'd watch more goals in the England v Argentina match. Both like to play more openly. 

I agree with you completely because France have that force when it comes to the attacking side but Spain have a very special way of making opposition defense to make that error so they can't just beat Spain like that without face a heat too from Spain, it will be a very strong game and if you talk about the goals I don't see both sides coming out to expose their back like instead it will become a defensive game who knows if it will end up in a draw. For me I expect Spain to attack more than France in this encounter but if we eventually get a boring first half then let's expect the two countries to continue playing to extra time, but I'd still go for Spain to win this game.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

I don't know how to express myself about it, i can say that Lionel Messi is also a good person, someone who has suffered, so i don't feel like saying anything to him either.
Among other things, he is a kind and humble person, you don't really want to get angry with him, at least in my case.

Messi brought a fresh change in this tournament, fans watch him play a farewell game, he'd won't be there to play in the next tournament, yet he's topping the golden boot race, and as well making winning impacts on the Argentina national team with great goals and assists. The notion that he's a solid player is not taken out, but fans across the world is mostly concerned about the favors granted around Messi's team, one could say it's exaggerated, but when something is off about a football match, spectators get to not just see it, they feel the slight changes when officiation is unbalanced.

So far, I have not seen how or way we can say that the world Cup officiation is unbalanced, except it happened on some couple of matches I was unable to watch due to attending to personal issues and not having time to watch the match.
I personally think that officiators have been great, they are doing their best, they are not perfect, yes, they are humans like any one else and mistakes might happen some times.
So if you ask me about officiation in the world Cup games so far, I would say it's been great regardless of the minor hiccups here and there..

And talking about Messi, he's a very good guy to be honest, no disrespect to Ronaldo and his fans but Messi is far better, a very cool guy, very humble and doesn't chase clout, every top player should be as cool as Messi, I believe this is one the reasons why he's remain the best world football player not minding the fact that Ronaldo may like have more fans than him..

[Noorooo]

It seems like it will still be the same finals as the last world cup, because it will be an easy one for France to eliminate Spain, and as for Argentina it might not be an easy one to take out England but I know that they will, bearly tho
And it will end up being the same finals as last time, about France facing Argentina in the finals I do still predict a penalty shootout

Easy one for France to eliminate Spain? I don't think so... Spain aren't some kind of a small team mate. They are one of the strongest candidates for the World Cup trophy.

France have a much more effective offense line though. That's without doubt! But I don't expect a big score gap anyway.

I guess we'd watch more goals in the England v Argentina match. Both like to play more openly. 

Yes bro we can't take Spain that much lightly because whenever Spain plays with France, they just completely change the game, and the last two times they dominated France. So that's why guys don't take that team too easy. Otherwise, France is in great form. This is France's time and France will dominate this time and will finish their streak this time.

[bastisisca]

This world cup was the best for the Vikings because the got to the quarter finals for the first time in history. I agree with you, assuming Sorloth wasn't selfish with the ball because he wanted to put down his name on the scoreline, it would have been difficult for England to win the game. Maybe, it would have been a different outcome.

when "disasters" happen it is always a shared fault, a series of factors which then influence the general progress of the event
I'm not saying it was a disaster, but in my opinion Norway was superior and in fact they lost in my opinion not very well, shame
you can see that they need to gain experience.