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

[Emitdama]

England played to lose and they lost so the win was fair to Argentina, the moment England scored their goal the decided to rest the better playsrs and fell back to defence, after scoring they should have kept pushing and maybe they would have been able to score more, Argentina did not want to lose so even after conceding one goal they kept playing to win and it worked out in their favour and they won and are in the finals to now play against Spain.

In the past, I have seen any team go on the defensive after being ahead, and then lose. The Egypt-Argentina match can also be cited as an example.
On the contrary, if you look at the France-Spain match, you will see that Spain played aggressively even after being ahead in the match and kept every opponent's player busy.
However, this World Cup is very special for Argentina because they came back great at the end after being behind in several matches.
However, I think the last match will be a good competition with Spain.

Spain vs. France is one of the best games to keep watching and having lessons on how to secure wins against the best teams because after having a lead, they never give up and always keep their aggressive performance. This never allowed France to come back and do anything against them.

Yesterday's game between Argentina and England was perfect, but the worst defensive strategy from England let them down in the last 15 minutes, and they allowed Argentina to score crucial goals and have a win. Thomas Tuchel is a good coach, but their defensive strategy in this game has a big negative impact on their impressive performance in this World Cup.

I was expecting them to make it to the final, but now they have to go for the third & fourth spot against France.

[Unsoldier]

It's not in all games, you play defensively. You need to check the kind of opponent that you're playing with, the remaining time left and how many men you're playing with.

It was just too early for a defensive game when England is playing with a complete squad. Argentina cannot be prevented from scoring only if you have few minutes left and not when you have up to 30 minutes left. Tuchel killed the game.

England lost to Argentina because of a bad strategy. Even if Argentina were in England's position, I would not support the decision to play defensively with a 1-goal lead. Because scoring a goal is only a matter of 1 second, there is no guarantee of a goal. I thought that England would try to double the lead by putting pressure on Argentina after taking a 1-goal lead, but I was really surprised by their strategy. They played defensively with almost half the match remaining and brought about their defeat.

Even if you analyze the statistics of the last few matches, you can realize how terrible Argentina is in the final moments, especially when they are behind on the scoreboard. Another mistake made by England was to anger Messi, that mistake by Bellingham pushed them off the mountain of defeat.

I don't think the team deserves to lose simply because they chose to play defensively. This tactic is quite common and has brought success to many national teams time and again. But this time, England couldn't withstand Argentina's relentless pressure. At a level as high as a World Cup semifinal, a single moment can turn the whole match around, regardless of the chosen tactics. Most likely, if England had held onto their lead, everyone right now would be talking about a masterclass in managing the game and top-tier defending, rather than criticizing them for parking the bus.

[$crypto$]

Tuchel thought of England like he was managing Chelsea in the CL I guess.    Because it was how he won the CL in the 2020/21 season - by adopting a defensive game plan.

That was a total mistake and deep down he also knows it I hope. England played so timidly in the 2nd half. You aren't playing against an incapable team. You can't take such risk.

Many observers say, this is a mistake tactiktuchel, because playing defensive after winning, while their opponents are not the low team but the team with big ambitions, this mistake makes a lot of criticism for Tuchel.

Messi is going for his 2nd WC trophy. But I hope Spain win as I don't like the way FIFA is acting as for Argentina.

Yes I hope Spain can win the World Cup again this year, as long as their play remains as consistent as before, the way FIFA treated Argentina disappointed many.

[rdluffy]

...
I don't think the team deserves to lose simply because they chose to play defensively. This tactic is quite common and has brought success to many national teams time and again. But this time, England couldn't withstand Argentina's relentless pressure. At a level as high as a World Cup semifinal, a single moment can turn the whole match around, regardless of the chosen tactics. Most likely, if England had held onto their lead, everyone right now would be talking about a masterclass in managing the game and top-tier defending, rather than criticizing them for parking the bus.

The problem isn't exactly playing defensively

Paraguay played defensively (to the extreme) against France, held on as long as they could, but didn’t have the resources to mount a counterattack

England has an excellent team, with many players in top form, like Kane and Bellingham
They took the lead, were playing well, and there’s no justification for substituting players to play defensively against Argentina in a World Cup semifinal
It was a huge mistake and a waste

[Forsyth Jones]

Argentina is truly a team that demonstrates that in soccer, a team must never let its spirit or competitive mindset waver until the very end. Time and again, Argentina has conceded early goals, yet they’ve always managed to bounce back.

But Spain has also put on a truly magnificent display. They know how to play an attacking game without compromising their defensive strength. Even France was ultimately unable to break through Spain’s defense. So, in the final, Argentina will have to break through Spain’s solid defense if they want to win.

Argentina is certainly experienced, but Spain possesses undeniable strength.

Spain is a fierce opponent for Argentina considering their midfielding capabilities and their ability to keep possesion of the ball and dominate the game, they also good strikers and this combination lead to their win against frannce. But what argentina has is the ability to break down the opposition and carve the ball through their defense thanks to a genius called Messi which is why they have been slaughtering teams. Their attacking unit is top notch and once they attack it is really strong, the worst thing spain could do is go all in on defense. if they keep attacking and score goals they might get away with it or else messi/ argentina is almost certain to win if they play something like egypt or england.

This will be the final where whoever scores the first goal can dictate the pace of the rest of the match. The pressure will be much higher than in other stages of the qualifiers. Let's say Spain opens the scoring; they can't make the same mistake that made England lose, retreating to defense. Now, I don't remember a memorable moment from England after the Argentine pressure.

If Argentina wins, Messi will have 02 titles and Argentina will be four-time champions of the cup. Messi can already surpass Maradona and Pelé from the 70s (who have 3 World Cups). We see a strong Argentina that doesn't depend solely on Messi, they have many players just as good.

If Spain wins the final, they can already be considered the elite of world football with 02 titles. It will be hard to bet on who will come out victorious, although Spain is considered the favorite in this final on bookmakers and on Polymarket. I don't want to miss this game for anything! I want it to be a final full of goals and it might even go to penalties, where it doesn't depend so much on skill and accuracy, but on luck and the reflexes of each goalkeeper (to make the match even more exciting).

[ndutndut]

Argentina reached the final at the last minute. For England, it was another disappointment. Last night, we witnessed a new and unforgettable chapter in one of the most long-standing and tense rivalries in football history. Tuchel's big gamble and his mistake of pulling his team back brought them defeat. The first half was a game where both teams sized each other up, maintaining defensive discipline and making reciprocal moves. The game completely changed in the second half. Gordon's goal brought England closer to the final than they had ever been in the tournament. What happened after that goal was crucial. From the 70th minute onwards, driven by an instinct to protect the score, Tuchel completely pulled his team back. He lost his effectiveness in midfield. And then, what happened, happened.

If I look at it, Tuchel understands that if England are tired and under pressure especially with Argentina trailing they will certainly continue to attack. However, Tuchel chose a different option, opting for defense. Perhaps Thomas Tuchel forgot that the team he was facing was an Argentine team with many players who play in the Premier League, which is why after England took the lead, they implemented a total defense instead of attacking or controlling the game.

So, England defeat was entirely Tuchel's fault. The error began when he replaced Gordon with Konsa and then continued with Rice being replaced with O'Reilly. Tuchel preferred to play defensively with six defenders at once, and this was fatal. Not even a midfielder blocked Enzo for the first goal. England's defenders were all in the penalty box, and the buildup to the second goal was the same. Even before the substitution, Argentina had difficulty breaking through England defense which was built from the middle.

[Halifat]

It's not in all games, you play defensively. You need to check the kind of opponent that you're playing with, the remaining time left and how many men you're playing with.

It was just too early for a defensive game when England is playing with a complete squad. Argentina cannot be prevented from scoring only if you have few minutes left and not when you have up to 30 minutes left. Tuchel killed the game.

England lost to Argentina because of a bad strategy. Even if Argentina were in England's position, I would not support the decision to play defensively with a 1-goal lead. Because scoring a goal is only a matter of 1 second, there is no guarantee of a goal. I thought that England would try to double the lead by putting pressure on Argentina after taking a 1-goal lead, but I was really surprised by their strategy. They played defensively with almost half the match remaining and brought about their defeat.

Even if you analyze the statistics of the last few matches, you can realize how terrible Argentina is in the final moments, especially when they are behind on the scoreboard. Another mistake made by England was to anger Messi, that mistake by Bellingham pushed them off the mountain of defeat.

This current world cup has make me look at the early goal as something that is not a progress, because most of the countries that scored early goal were not able to move to the next stage because just as you said, it is so wrong for the  team to be defending one goal at the early stage of the time which I also believe that is the reason why England could not be able to make it to the final. Argentina have found their way to the final to face Spain, Spain will have more fans this time around because almost all the Cristiano Ronaldo's fans will be supporting Spain.

[Umulala-alala]

Tuchel thought of England like he was managing Chelsea in the CL I guess.    Because it was how he won the CL in the 2020/21 season - by adopting a defensive game plan.

That was a total mistake and deep down he also knows it I hope. England played so timidly in the 2nd half. You aren't playing against an incapable team. You can't take such risk.

Messi is going for his 2nd WC trophy. But I hope Spain win as I don't like the way FIFA is acting as for Argentina.

FIFA has been good on the Argentines team but against England Argentina won without any help of the officiating officials they played good football and won at the dying minutes of the match as England strategy was the worst i have seen so far.

The final is still hard to predict which side will win if Spain could adopt a good strategy not the defensive England strategy they will give Argentina a hard game, if Spain can comfortably win France 2-0 in the semi final they could win Argentina in the final.

[Jewan420]

If I look at it, Tuchel understands that if England are tired and under pressure especially with Argentina trailing they will certainly continue to attack. However, Tuchel chose a different option, opting for defense. Perhaps Thomas Tuchel forgot that the team he was facing was an Argentine team with many players who play in the Premier League, which is why after England took the lead, they implemented a total defense instead of attacking or controlling the game.

So, England defeat was entirely Tuchel's fault. The error began when he replaced Gordon with Konsa and then continued with Rice being replaced with O'Reilly. Tuchel preferred to play defensively with six defenders at once, and this was fatal. Not even a midfielder blocked Enzo for the first goal. England's defenders were all in the penalty box, and the buildup to the second goal was the same. Even before the substitution, Argentina had difficulty breaking through England defense which was built from the middle.

Argentina doesn't take long to understand the opponent's plan. While Tuchel was spending time strengthening his defense, Enzo Fernandez was trying to take shots from outside the D-box. I remember he took four shots in total and hit 2 of them, scoring one. However, no England player could mark Enzo Fernandez, because England made their D-box too heavy, Enzo Fernandez had a great time to take long shots.

In this match, I saw very bad planning by England and also great planning by Argentina. What surprised me the most was Messi's performance, how does this man play so well at 39 years old? No young footballer can match his performance. I wouldn't be surprised if he announces himself to play in the next World Cup after playing this World Cup, although it is unlikely. I have never heard of a player who has performed consistently for such a long time, especially at such an advanced age.

[7788bitcoin]

~
If Argentina wins, Messi will have 02 titles and Argentina will be four-time champions of the cup. Messi can already surpass Maradona and Pelé from the 70s (who have 3 World Cups). We see a strong Argentina that doesn't depend solely on Messi, they have many players just as good.

I am not sure what you meant by surpassing Pelé; if you are talking about legacy, they are both legends of the sport. In my view, Argentina depends heavily on Messi to score or to create opportunities with his precise passing. His eight goals and four assists came at crucial times. This means that if Argentina wants to win, they will need yet another magical performance from him to secure the title.

I don't want to miss this game for anything! I want it to be a final full of goals and it might even go to penalties, where it doesn't depend so much on skill and accuracy, but on luck and the reflexes of each goalkeeper (to make the match even more exciting).

If the match goes to penalties, it will be anyone's game. Messi has already missed two penalties in this World Cup. The team that can handle the pressure will win.

[leonair]

Tuchel thought of England like he was managing Chelsea in the CL I guess.    Because it was how he won the CL in the 2020/21 season - by adopting a defensive game plan.

That was a total mistake and deep down he also knows it I hope. England played so timidly in the 2nd half. You aren't playing against an incapable team. You can't take such risk.

Messi is going for his 2nd WC trophy. But I hope Spain win as I don't like the way FIFA is acting as for Argentina.

FIFA has been good on the Argentines team but against England Argentina won without any help of the officiating officials they played good football and won at the dying minutes of the match as England strategy was the worst i have seen so far.

The final is still hard to predict which side will win if Spain could adopt a good strategy not the defensive England strategy they will give Argentina a hard game, if Spain can comfortably win France 2-0 in the semi final they could win Argentina in the final.

Spain played very well against France with their performances, which can definitely be expected to beat Argentina. A common thing is that Argentina and FIFA are discussing a connection with them. In the semi-finals, however, Argentina did not help but they managed to win the match. And in every match of Argentina, they used to go and come back to the match at the end of the game. They are doing very well from the beginning, they have not lost a single match in this World Cup and won every match. The possibility of Argentina being won in the final cannot be avoided.

[New Judgement]

It's not in all games, you play defensively. You need to check the kind of opponent that you're playing with, the remaining time left and how many men you're playing with.

It was just too early for a defensive game when England is playing with a complete squad. Argentina cannot be prevented from scoring only if you have few minutes left and not when you have up to 30 minutes left. Tuchel killed the game.

England lost to Argentina because of a bad strategy. Even if Argentina were in England's position, I would not support the decision to play defensively with a 1-goal lead. Because scoring a goal is only a matter of 1 second, there is no guarantee of a goal. I thought that England would try to double the lead by putting pressure on Argentina after taking a 1-goal lead, but I was really surprised by their strategy. They played defensively with almost half the match remaining and brought about their defeat.

Even if you analyze the statistics of the last few matches, you can realize how terrible Argentina is in the final moments, especially when they are behind on the scoreboard. Another mistake made by England was to anger Messi, that mistake by Bellingham pushed them off the mountain of defeat.

I don't think the team deserves to lose simply because they chose to play defensively. This tactic is quite common and has brought success to many national teams time and again. But this time, England couldn't withstand Argentina's relentless pressure. At a level as high as a World Cup semifinal, a single moment can turn the whole match around, regardless of the chosen tactics. Most likely, if England had held onto their lead, everyone right now would be talking about a masterclass in managing the game and top-tier defending, rather than criticizing them for parking the bus.

This I was telling someone earlier today, I even made a post about it on this thread earlier, I see a lot of people criticizing England for the decision of the coach yesterday. I’m not among those that are criticizing the coach, because when they did it against Mexico nobody said it was a bad tactics. The team was praised and the English media sang the praises of Tuchel, but today he’s a bad coach, people can forget so quickly.  Which team wouldn’t be scared of playing against Messi the GOAT and want to protect their team lead.

[NeuroticFish]

The possibility of Argentina being won in the final cannot be avoided.

In the game against England, first half they've just tried to bully each other, I thought they all just wait for the free kicks at the end. Surprisingly after about minute 65-70 Argentina started to play, but that was because England went all defense and Argentina's coach has done some interesting changes to favor the attack.

Spain has a very good defense and they move the ball very well and precise. But if Argentina is, by some chance or mistake, allowed again to do some similar move, even Spain will not be able to stop them. I do wish it's gonna be Spain turn this time to win the World Cup, but they have to outsmart Argentina and also not be afraid of their fouls. And yeah, if they wait for the end, that's a lottery of luck.

Imho the chances are pretty close for one or another, though.

[Adbitco]

Yamal sharing one pitch with Messi is indeed a new era of football that shouldn't have happened, growing up to excel alongside Messi in this world cup competition was unexpected, but it's a great sign of how football evolved in this era, after this final fight, it'll be a new beginning of an era for Yamal, Haaland, and maybe Mbappe.  

How do you mean by them sharing the pitch together shouldn't have happened, I wonder why you made that very statement! That's the only part I found weird with your your analysis on this, although it's been happening in the past even, father and sons has shared the same pitch in the past and like you said afterwards it indeed a good thing. The younger generation needs to play alongside the older generations, there are still things they need to learn from all these older payers. On Sunday we will be glued to this very match as we await to see what happens in the game and who will become champions.

[Jaycoinz]

It's not in all games, you play defensively. You need to check the kind of opponent that you're playing with, the remaining time left and how many men you're playing with.

It was just too early for a defensive game when England is playing with a complete squad. Argentina cannot be prevented from scoring only if you have few minutes left and not when you have up to 30 minutes left. Tuchel killed the game.

England lost to Argentina because of a bad strategy. Even if Argentina were in England's position, I would not support the decision to play defensively with a 1-goal lead. Because scoring a goal is only a matter of 1 second, there is no guarantee of a goal. I thought that England would try to double the lead by putting pressure on Argentina after taking a 1-goal lead, but I was really surprised by their strategy. They played defensively with almost half the match remaining and brought about their defeat.

Even if you analyze the statistics of the last few matches, you can realize how terrible Argentina is in the final moments, especially when they are behind on the scoreboard. Another mistake made by England was to anger Messi, that mistake by Bellingham pushed them off the mountain of defeat.

This current world cup has make me look at the early goal as something that is not a progress, because most of the countries that scored early goal were not able to move to the next stage because just as you said, it is so wrong for the  team to be defending one goal at the early stage of the time which I also believe that is the reason why England could not be able to make it to the final. Argentina have found their way to the final to face Spain, Spain will have more fans this time around because almost all the Cristiano Ronaldo's fans will be supporting Spain.

Normally the game always gets more interesting when one team have conceded and then decide to sit back that's what England and almost all the rest team that lost did and the worse part it is that it's like a mentality fix switch that kicks on whenever the time is running out and the opposite team feels that they are about to lose and vice versa, everything just starts playing automatically and one teams starts pressing till they find a way to score.

[Black Mbaye]

It's not in all games, you play defensively. You need to check the kind of opponent that you're playing with, the remaining time left and how many men you're playing with.

It was just too early for a defensive game when England is playing with a complete squad. Argentina cannot be prevented from scoring only if you have few minutes left and not when you have up to 30 minutes left. Tuchel killed the game.

England lost to Argentina because of a bad strategy. Even if Argentina were in England's position, I would not support the decision to play defensively with a 1-goal lead. Because scoring a goal is only a matter of 1 second, there is no guarantee of a goal. I thought that England would try to double the lead by putting pressure on Argentina after taking a 1-goal lead, but I was really surprised by their strategy. They played defensively with almost half the match remaining and brought about their defeat.

Even if you analyze the statistics of the last few matches, you can realize how terrible Argentina is in the final moments, especially when they are behind on the scoreboard. Another mistake made by England was to anger Messi, that mistake by Bellingham pushed them off the mountain of defeat.

I don't think the team deserves to lose simply because they chose to play defensively. This tactic is quite common and has brought success to many national teams time and again. But this time, England couldn't withstand Argentina's relentless pressure. At a level as high as a World Cup semifinal, a single moment can turn the whole match around, regardless of the chosen tactics. Most likely, if England had held onto their lead, everyone right now would be talking about a masterclass in managing the game and top-tier defending, rather than criticizing them for parking the bus.

This I was telling someone earlier today, I even made a post about it on this thread earlier, I see a lot of people criticizing England for the decision of the coach yesterday. I’m not among those that are criticizing the coach, because when they did it against Mexico nobody said it was a bad tactics. The team was praised and the English media sang the praises of Tuchel, but today he’s a bad coach, people can forget so quickly.  Which team wouldn’t be scared of playing against Messi the GOAT and want to protect their team lead.

With Messi, Argentina was already playing at a tremendous level. England played very well, and their defensive approach after the goal led to major mistakes. The defenders made errors, and Argentina ended up reaching the final. England suffered a disappointment, while Argentina wrote the book on miracles.

[Agathamay]

With Messi, Argentina was already playing at a tremendous level. England played very well, and their defensive approach after the goal led to major mistakes. The defenders made errors, and Argentina ended up reaching the final. England suffered a disappointment, while Argentina wrote the book on miracles.

Leo Messi is that player every manager would want to have in their perspective clubs because he doesn't need to be coach or guided on instructions like other players, Leo Messi knows exactly what to do on the pitch and he's has been nothing but an exceptional player in the world cup. He's proving everyone wrong and making his haters look like clowns in this world cup.

Leo Messi have led Argentina to another world cup final and we know what to expect in this game because they're not just going to play against an average side, they're facing Spain who happens to be one of of the dominating side in the world cup this year and the back lines is highly formidable. Let's see how it goes.

[Wake Up]

With Messi, Argentina was already playing at a tremendous level. England played very well, and their defensive approach after the goal led to major mistakes. The defenders made errors, and Argentina ended up reaching the final. England suffered a disappointment, while Argentina wrote the book on miracles.

Leo Messi is that player every manager would want to have in their perspective clubs because he doesn't need to be coach or guided on instructions like other players, Leo Messi knows exactly what to do on the pitch and he's has been nothing but an exceptional player in the world cup. He's proving everyone wrong and making his haters look like clowns in this world cup.

Leo Messi have led Argentina to another world cup final and we know what to expect in this game because they're not just going to play against an average side, they're facing Spain who happens to be one of of the dominating side in the world cup this year and the back lines is highly formidable. Let's see how it goes.

Spain is very strong both defensively and offensively. They will be competing against Argentina and will try to beat Argentina, led by Lionel Messi. Argentina will do everything to win the cup, but I see their chances as 50/50. No team is the overwhelming favorite in this final. It will be a final that either team can win. I expect an enjoyable final match. Also, the third-place match will be like a final. England and France will take the field there for the last time to determine third place. This will be the last chance for Mbappé and Kane to win the top scorer title.

[Lillominato89]

What a fantastic final we’re in for.
Argentina v Spain is set to be a thrilling final; to be honest, I didn’t expect Spain to make it this far, but I’ve had to change my mind.
I’ll be supporting Argentina and I hope that the greatest player of all time wins his second World Cup as the undisputed star of the tournament.

[Humblevirus]

Spain played very well against France with their performances, which can definitely be expected to beat Argentina. A common thing is that Argentina and FIFA are discussing a connection with them. In the semi-finals, however, Argentina did not help but they managed to win the match. And in every match of Argentina, they used to go and come back to the match at the end of the game. They are doing very well from the beginning, they have not lost a single match in this World Cup and won every match. The possibility of Argentina being won in the final cannot be avoided.

Spain have been so good from the beginning and played so well against every country they have met, but many people did not see that they were in great form more even France  because they were not scoring many goals like frnce. That is even the reason a lot of people saw France as the favorite team to win against Spain in the semi final and probably win the world cup. However, after Spain defeated France, many people now know that they are in great form and can possibly defeat any team.

Even Argentina are in very great form, and that is why they have been able so comeback in three match they  they played recently. So, at the moment, even without FIFA being in favor of Argentina, it is possible that Argentina can win the World Cup.As for me, I believe that both teams have good chances of winning based on their current form, and I can't say at this moment that one country is better than the other.