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

[Bright0515]

The odds (from Winna.com) for the final game on Sunday are:
To win the Cup:
Spain: x1.68 - Argentina: x2.12

Regular time result:
Spain: x2.26; Draw: x2.96; Argentina: x3.50

I'm a bit surprised as I expected Argentina to be a slight favourite, but I can see the reason why it's the other way around. Spain delivers results and the way they handled France was truly impressive.
Messi and the team will have to play at their absolute best if they want to defend their title.

This is quite a surprise to me as well, from the way Argentina has been performing i expected them to be the favorites, I don't know why the bookmakers decided to arrange the odds this way but I think that it's because Spain has an advantage here. Although It could also be a trap because that's the system then bookmakers use to trick gamblers into picking the wrong option. Messi is going to put in everything he has to make sure that his team wins the world cup.

[JiiBs]

The odds (from Winna.com) for the final game on Sunday are:
To win the Cup:
Spain: x1.68 - Argentina: x2.12

Regular time result:
Spain: x2.26; Draw: x2.96; Argentina: x3.50

This is quite a surprise to me as well, from the way Argentina has been performing i expected them to be the favorites, I don't know why the bookmakers decided to arrange the odds this way but I think that it's because Spain has an advantage here.

No one really expected Argentina to make it this far, it’s not everyday you come from behind to qualify to the next stage of the tournament, actually they’ve done that twice right now and it’s unlikely that they would be able to do that for a 3rd time. They are a good team no doubt and they’ve got the right mentality even when they are loosing but, seeing how Spain did handle their game against France, you would expect them to do well against Argentina but who knows, Argentina can still pull out something surprising as always.

[xLays]

What if Spain wins and Oyarzabal scores hat trick against Argentina? Would he become the Golden Ball or would Messi still have the best chance of winning it even if Argentina loses?

Based on the current stats, I think Messi is still the clear favorite. Imagine finishing the tournament with 8 goals and 4 assists that's hard to beat, even in a losing effort. Right?

The only scenario I can see changing that is if Oyarzabal scores hat trick in the final. He would also finish with 8 goals and more importantly, win the World Cup with Spain. That might be enough to swing the award in his favor. What do you guys think?

[snipie]

The odds (from Winna.com) for the final game on Sunday are:
To win the Cup:
Spain: x1.68 - Argentina: x2.12

Regular time result:
Spain: x2.26; Draw: x2.96; Argentina: x3.50

I'm a bit surprised as I expected Argentina to be a slight favourite, but I can see the reason why it's the other way around. Spain delivers results and the way they handled France was truly impressive.
Messi and the team will have to play at their absolute best if they want to defend their title.

This is quite a surprise to me as well, from the way Argentina has been performing i expected them to be the favorites, I don't know why the bookmakers decided to arrange the odds this way but I think that it's because Spain has an advantage here. Although It could also be a trap because that's the system then bookmakers use to trick gamblers into picking the wrong option. Messi is going to put in everything he has to make sure that his team wins the world cup.

If you take a look on the France game against Argentina, you will find that the odds are also in favour of France and not Argentina, yet the latter won that game.
We cannot take these odds again as a reference and better to avoid betting that way. Maybe both teams to score and maybe corners numbers are safer options. Yamal or Messi or another player to score seems to be risky but worth the try.. It varies and the most important point, I am waiting for Spain to be crowned.

[Onyeeze]

The odds (from Winna.com) for the final game on Sunday are:
To win the Cup:
Spain: x1.68 - Argentina: x2.12

Regular time result:
Spain: x2.26; Draw: x2.96; Argentina: x3.50

This is quite a surprise to me as well, from the way Argentina has been performing i expected them to be the favorites, I don't know why the bookmakers decided to arrange the odds this way but I think that it's because Spain has an advantage here.

No one really expected Argentina to make it this far, it’s not everyday you come from behind to qualify to the next stage of the tournament, actually they’ve done that twice right now and it’s unlikely that they would be able to do that for a 3rd time. They are a good team no doubt and they’ve got the right mentality even when they are loosing but, seeing how Spain did handle their game against France, you would expect them to do well against Argentina but who knows, Argentina can still pull out something surprising as always.

who told you that nobody expected Argentina to go this far, last time it was Argentina that defeated France and went to home with the cup and this season that want to carry it back to back so I think that everybody who knows the previous performance of Argentina in the last World Cup before this would have known that Argentina have a mind to carry the cup back to back, but it will be difficult for them to win, even some people were predicting that the final match will be played between France and Argentina so it is not surprising that Argentina reached to this particular place

[Sandra_hakeem]

What if Spain wins and Oyarzabal scores hat trick against Argentina? Would he become the Golden Ball or would Messi still have the best chance of winning it even if Argentina loses?

Based on the current stats, I think Messi is still the clear favorite. Imagine finishing the tournament with 8 goals and 4 assists that's hard to beat, even in a losing effort. Right?

The only scenario I can see changing that is if Oyarzabal scores hat trick in the final. He would also finish with 8 goals and more importantly, win the World Cup with Spain. That might be enough to swing the award in his favor. What do you guys think?

It's not entirely impossible that Oyarzabal can score a hat trick in the finals, but that's a bit arduous to achieve, especially against a team like Argentina. We all know their favourite pattern of play, which is holding down the game and defending against any explosive counters until the 75th minute. When they notice that their opponent has been completely worn out, then the perfect time is set to score an equalizer, and a winning goal. IMO, what matter more is how they can hold them defensively in the dying minutes, not who will win the Golden boat. Obviously, Messi has this one

[Berry2d]

Few days to come the world cotton will be closed and the winner will be announced through there hardwork and determination but without waiting for the main day, i can still stand to say Spain will be mentioned as winner.
In the on going world cup tournament, I can boldly say Spain are the team with the highest chances of victory because they appear to be stronger than Argentina in all rectification. If not for some centimeter decisions made by the referees, I know Argentina would have been eliminated till now they have made it till last

[hyudien]

The odds (from Winna.com) for the final game on Sunday are:
To win the Cup:
Spain: x1.68 - Argentina: x2.12

Regular time result:
Spain: x2.26; Draw: x2.96; Argentina: x3.50

I'm a bit surprised as I expected Argentina to be a slight favourite, but I can see the reason why it's the other way around. Spain delivers results and the way they handled France was truly impressive.
Messi and the team will have to play at their absolute best if they want to defend their title.

The odds aren't much different from Stake.com.
This also indicates that the public is leaning towards Spain, but Argentina has shown a winning mentality in recent matches with its incredible comeback. Regardless, whoever wins will still be considered deserving. It would be even more remarkable if Argentina wins, especially for Messi, as this World Cup will likely be his last.

[Stavri]

Messi is in the lead in the tournament for chances created, dribbles completed. Has more assists than nearly any one else. This is supposed to be the part where the old guy fades into the background and the young guys carry it. He did not get that memo apparently. I have seen him play against England. What is going on? Like at 39 I can barely wake up without something hurting. And this man is running the show at a World Cup final. No one is talking about the halftime show being 30 minutes this year, either. That sounds small but for guys like Messi and Otamendi (who is 38 btw_ that extended break is genuinely brutal. There are different ways to cool muscles down. The average age of Spain's team is 26 years. They restart fine. Argentina's vets start up as cool engines.

And then there is the Falklands thing. The England banner following the match. The UK government is calling on FIFA to investigate. Potential suspensions before Sunday. I have no idea how that plays out.

The goalkeeper duel is no joke and a topic for discussion. I believe Sunday is more than this, however. A sense of the final page of a book. Whatever happens (Spain winning their second ever final or Argentina going back to back) neither of those things will feel small in ten years. I just hope Messi gets to finish the right way. This is the most human thing I have of this whole match.

Damn man Messi’s career is so incredible that if you were to split it into two separate players his first 11 years (2004–2015) and his second 11 years (2015–2026) these two would easily rank as the absolute number one and number two greatest football players in the history of the game...

[$weetne$$]

Argentina is in the final back to back finals for Messi. After beating England by 2-1. In the first half Argentina kept 55% possession but not great attacking from both sides so the first half ended 0-0. In the second half Gordon scored a goal for England in the 55th minute after that goal they became defensive and Argentina kept on trying again and again until Enzo Fernandez scored a brilliant goal in the 85th minute what a shot by him. In the added minutes 90+2 Martinez scored a header and led Argentina to the final.  Messi was named as player of the match. Now Argentina is going to face Spain for a title game and England is going to face France for the 3rd place match.

Argentina may not be so good with their attacking but they always know when to make the right move and get the desired result at the time they desires it. They have become one dangerous team that you do not mess with even when you are leading by a goal or two, they can do a come back in minutes and change the whole game.

Spain has seen all of this and should prepare for the finals because it is definitely not going to be an easy one, they should also consider and understand that untill the game is over they need not relax at any point.

[l99l]

The odds (from Winna.com) for the final game on Sunday are:
To win the Cup:
Spain: x1.68 - Argentina: x2.12

Regular time result:
Spain: x2.26; Draw: x2.96; Argentina: x3.50

This is quite a surprise to me as well, from the way Argentina has been performing i expected them to be the favorites, I don't know why the bookmakers decided to arrange the odds this way but I think that it's because Spain has an advantage here.

No one really expected Argentina to make it this far, it’s not everyday you come from behind to qualify to the next stage of the tournament, actually they’ve done that twice right now and it’s unlikely that they would be able to do that for a 3rd time. They are a good team no doubt and they’ve got the right mentality even when they are loosing but, seeing how Spain did handle their game against France, you would expect them to do well against Argentina but who knows, Argentina can still pull out something surprising as always.

Argentina knows how to reach the final, and they did it again. I don't know if Spain is very strong.
Even against England, Argentina only really got going late, so I'm not sure they can beat Spain, or if they can fall behind again and come back. But we're talking about Argentina, they can do anything. With Messi still in such good form and winning matches, anything is possible.

[Onyeeze]

Argentina is in the final back to back finals for Messi. After beating England by 2-1. In the first half Argentina kept 55% possession but not great attacking from both sides so the first half ended 0-0. In the second half Gordon scored a goal for England in the 55th minute after that goal they became defensive and Argentina kept on trying again and again until Enzo Fernandez scored a brilliant goal in the 85th minute what a shot by him. In the added minutes 90+2 Martinez scored a header and led Argentina to the final.  Messi was named as player of the match. Now Argentina is going to face Spain for a title game and England is going to face France for the 3rd place match.

Argentina may not be so good with their attacking but they always know when to make the right move and get the desired result at the time they desires it. They have become one dangerous team that you do not mess with even when you are leading by a goal or two, they can do a come back in minutes and change the whole game.

Spain has seen all of this and should prepare for the finals because it is definitely not going to be an easy one, they should also consider and understand that untill the game is over they need not relax at any point.

Argentina can play such method of game with the any country and the succeed but they cannot succeed with such method of game with Spain, the thing is that Spain have a strong defensive and they also play organized ball in the sense that they don't play in a hurry, so if the opportunity that utilize with England if it happened to be France that cannot see such opportunity and now it is expand it will have them for them to survive also see it at the late minute as they did in order of their previous matches that had with other countries

[Sandra_hakeem]

Argentina knows how to reach the final, and they did it again. I don't know if Spain is very strong.
Even against England, Argentina only really got going late, so I'm not sure they can beat Spain.

What you don't understand is that a late comeback, for Argentina, is the most efficient trickery and strategy they often use to defeat strong teams. It's not like they can't score goals the same time/try to equalize when the game is full of energy, but they prefer to tear down the pressure and trick you to think they're struggling to keep up, only to find them explode moments after your players have been seriously attacked by fatigue. That leaves you no choice but to scramble and defend--- in that haste, the loopholes are created and, since they have trained their whole lives for that, they can spot those open spaces and make quick runs for the ball, then goal, goal, goal!

With Messi still in such good form and winning matches, anything is possible.

Sadly, it's not even about Messi anymore, but the team of referees.

[As-Soon-As]

The odds (from Winna.com) for the final game on Sunday are:

This is quite a surprise to me as well, from the way Argentina has been performing i expected them to be the favorites, I don't know why the bookmakers decided to arrange the odds this way but I think that it's because Spain has an advantage here.

No one really expected Argentina to make it this far, it’s not everyday you come from behind to qualify to the next stage of the tournament, actually they’ve done that twice right now and it’s unlikely that they would be able to do that for a 3rd time. They are a good team no doubt and they’ve got the right mentality even when they are loosing but, seeing how Spain did handle their game against France, you would expect them to do well against Argentina but who knows, Argentina can still pull out something surprising as always.

Argentina knows how to reach the final, and they did it again. I don't know if Spain is very strong.
Even against England, Argentina only really got going late, so I'm not sure they can beat Spain, or if they can fall behind again and come back. But we're talking about Argentina, they can do anything. With Messi still in such good form and winning matches, anything is possible.

Lionel Messi has definitely succeeded in the strategies he has been following so far. When England were just trying to defend their defense, Argentina scored two goals in a row. In this World Cup, Argentina has been able to dominate every game at the last minute. I don't know what strategy he will follow when facing Spain, but Messi will definitely not sit back and try his best to win the cup. Argentina is in great form at the moment and Spain is even stronger, the only ones who succeed in following the strategy will be the ones who will be able to win.

[BitcoinHunt3r]

After England scored, Argentina played such a dominant game that it was perhaps one of the most overwhelming performances we’ve seen in the World Cup. The Argentine players effectively trapped England in their own half and created countless scoring opportunities. Pickford was a giant in goal, but he couldn’t prevent his team’s defeat.

In the final, we’ll witness a match against Spain that will be much tougher than this one. Both teams are excellent at pressing high up the field and can be physical in one-on one situations. I think Spain has been the best team in the tournament from the very beginning because they have the best playing philosophy. Argentina, on the other hand, with Messi and his warriors, is a team that shouldn’t be underestimated at all even if they can’t quite match Spain’s technical play.

Somehow Argentina played more aggressively when they conceded first, we have seen the way they play in the last few games in the same situation. well this is what I'm worried about when Argentina meets Spain in the upcoming final, yeah we are just guessing but the potential is still there. By the way I'm still on Spain side, I'm not underestimating Argentina but for some reason I prefer Spain I mean they are a team that can play under any pressure so Argentina will have difficulty using any strategy. This is just a personal opinion, we will see in the upcoming finals

[BRINIRHA]

Argentina can play such method of game with the any country and the succeed but they cannot succeed with such method of game with Spain, the thing is that Spain have a strong defensive and they also play organized ball in the sense that they don't play in a hurry, so if the opportunity that utilize with England if it happened to be France that cannot see such opportunity and now it is expand it will have them for them to survive also see it at the late minute as they did in order of their previous matches that had with other countries

For this final I feel from the beginning it will be quite interesting because these 2 teams will still be known for their ball possession.  Argentina set up a quick attack with possession and Spain used their latest tiki taka scheme to get the flow of the ball so when one of the teams has got the tempo then it might be very difficult for their opponents.

For the Final I think the situation will remain the same as Spain will try to defend with possession and Argentina will try to create momentum with the speed of their players. It will probably stay there until one of them scores but if Spain are ahead first I don't expect them to do the same extreme way England did because for me defending with possession like against France before is much better for Spain to do in this match.

[Akbarkoe]

It means that indeed England did not learn from that match even from the Morocco match in the last 16 which was even 2-0 ahead but still could not defend because indeed Argentina really structured the attack very well, recognized the weakness of the opponent in the second half and also took advantage of the decreased stamina of the opponent's defense, I, I saw England early and supported them but instead they played like Arsenal in the Champions League final

England's mistake was giving Argentina the opportunity to build attacks, and England played defensively as if they were already one goal ahead. Ultimately, that was a regret for Tauchel. But regardless, I think we all have to admit that Argentina has excellent quality and deserves to be in the final.
Argentina will face Spain in this year's World Cup final. This will be an ideal final because the two teams are quite evenly matched, making it very difficult to predict the outcome of the final.

We have to acknowledge how Argentina played so well, they won the game with more tenacity than England, Enzo Fernandes secured a 1-1 draw and Lautaro Martinez had a last minute chance to go ahead and the game finished without England having any hope of adding a goal of their own.

Let's see in the final later whether Argentina will beat Spain or made the same as other teams who once expected Argentina to lose because they have won too much.

[SUPERSAIAN]

I ain't gonna lie I am starting to think that Argentina might be taking the piss with other teams.
Like for real how can they always win last minute?

Even assuming 0 ill intent from fixing matches or anything like that I think there's a real chance they play this way just to play a fool of other teams make them think they can win and then one shot them at the very end.

Could it be?

They're not mocking us, but that's their style of play. They spend a long time analyzing the opposing team's game and tactics, and only then do they attack. It's clear they do this tactically, but there's no mockery involved. I don't think they won the England match easily either. The Spain match will be even tougher. If they win again with this tactic, I'll be in complete shock, without a doubt.

[Hispo]

I ain't gonna lie I am starting to think that Argentina might be taking the piss with other teams.
Like for real how can they always win last minute?

Even assuming 0 ill intent from fixing matches or anything like that I think there's a real chance they play this way just to play a fool of other teams make them think they can win and then one shot them at the very end.

Could it be?

They're not mocking us, but that's their style of play. They spend a long time analyzing the opposing team's game and tactics, and only then do they attack. It's clear they do this tactically, but there's no mockery involved. I don't think they won the England match easily either. The Spain match will be even tougher. If they win again with this tactic, I'll be in complete shock, without a doubt.

They won't take any chances and allow Spain to score goals just for the sake of studying their tactics, that is for sure.
This is the final of the world cup, and a single goal can make all the difference on the world.

Because of that, I am expecting both teams to behave more aggressively and try to secure the match as soon as possibly and leave no chance for the foe to counter-attack.

In Argentina manages to win, it will be historic, they entered the tournament as champions and they are just a single match away from leaving the tournament as champions again.

[Ale88]

I came across a post which talked about the possible disciplinary actions on Argentina for the display a banner which showed a bit of political friction between them and the British.

https://x.com/i/status/2077634998174368255 (BBC Sport).

It was really an unexpected comeback from Argentina against England in the semi finals and everyone could see how much passion filled the stadium after the win, it was an outstanding performance from every Argentine player that kept hope alive till the last minute. Messi took control of the game torturing the England defence until there was a result, that is unbelievable for a player at 39yrs with so much strength and resilience.

What are your thoughts on this possible disciplinary action?

I'm pretty sure FIFA prohibits any kind of political message, and the reason is that they want to avoid this type of behavior that takes things beyond the pitch. For some reason they are obsessed with the Malvinas/Falkland Islands but, correct me if I'm wrong, some years ago there's been a referendum and over 99% of the Falklands (small) population chose to be English, not Argentinian. Despite whatever happened in the past I would say this is a clear indication of what the locals prefer.