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

[laijsica]

The problem with Spain and his "dominance" is they dont generate real danger against the goal of the other team its one of his only "weakness" maybe, they have the ball for sure and play in your side of the field but they dont create so much danger, you can see it because most of their game ended up with winnings for small margins, only against the weaker Saudi Arabia they score a good ammount of goals.

I think the final result is still what matters most. In this case, Spain didn’t always win by a large margin. However, they looked dominant for almost the entire match, even against Portugal, a very tough opponent, they managed to build momentum that led to a goal. They were smart in capitalizing on the opportunities they had and luckily that goal came in the final minutes. Once again, i believe the final result is still what matters most.

Goal came at the last minute, but they had sole possession of the ball. Spain were very consistent and maintained that consistency throughout the World Cup tournament. They put a lot of emphasis on winning. Not only did they strengthen their defense, but Spain played equally in every department and maintained their superiority.

Every player was ready in his position and put in an impressive performance. Despite being so strong, Argentina could not score a goal or even make a strong attack on target.

[xzone]

I also agree that Messi's presence makes any opponent worried, but in this final Argentina was completely dominated. They didn't see the ball at all and were totally shut down by the Spain team... Rarely in football have I seen a team get so thoroughly dominated, especially in a World Cup final, the most important tournament in football.

Argentina got weak opponents right until the final. And in the final match, they had to face the toughest team in the tournament. And even in some of their previous matches, they struggled against the relatively weak teams (the match against Egypt is a perfect example). On the other hand, Spain had tough opponents throughout the tournament. Even in the semi-finals, they had to face a strong France who had Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé in the squad. Anyway, even before the tournament started, Argentina's odds were not as good as that of Spain.

True, Argentina's opponents were generally weaker teams. Spain, on the other hand, had to compete against strong teams in every match.
We were lucky to see Messi again in this tournament, especially in the final match; waiting in the last minutes to see if he could do something to win the game was very enjoyable. We won't have the chance to experience this again, and we all know that this is the last time we've seen him

[katanic97]

The problem with Spain and his "dominance" is they dont generate real danger against the goal of the other team its one of his only "weakness" maybe, they have the ball for sure and play in your side of the field but they dont create so much danger, you can see it because most of their game ended up with winnings for small margins, only against the weaker Saudi Arabia they score a good ammount of goals.

I don't think you understood Spain's style: they are not a team that attacks like crazy, that is not the point. They want to control the match, they want the opponent to run after them to try steal the ball, and in that moment they need just a few passes to create a goal opportunity. They first thing they care about is always having the ball. Then they choose whether it's time to increase the tempo or not.

They didn't impress me at all in the group stage. I couldn't even tell who the traditional striker was or who was supposed to score the goals. Oyarzabal was the one who ended up scoring most of them.As the tournament went on, it was incredible to see how well the team functioned. The coach knew exactly when to bring on Merino, Torres, and Williams. They really are an excellent team well drilled, disciplined, and, above all, respectful.I do feel sorry for the magician Messi that he didn't win, but based on the way Argentina played, i don't think they deserved the title at all

I guess you didn't understand Spain's tactic either because if you are looking for their striker then there is a problem. Why? Because Spain play without a striker. Have you ever heard about a position called "falso nueve", which would translate as "fake nine"? That's Spain. They usually play without a real striker. Back in the days many times they used Fabregas in that position.

I know very well what a false nine is. In recent years, Morata was their striker, and that's exactly why i say they no longer have a classic center forward like they used to. It's clear that Oyarzabal is currently playing as the false nine, with Mikel Merino also capable of filling that role.All in all, Spain play outstanding football, and even without a traditional striker, they operate like a machine.

[KTChampions]

in this world cup, we’ve seen that even if you don’t score many goals, you can still advance quite far and win the tournament as long as your defense is strong enough. normally, we don’t see a team that wins its matches with so few goals go on to become champion in any major tournament. for example, the teams that win the champions league are generally the highest-scoring teams, with attacking lines made up of the world’s best players. but when it comes to national teams, the quality of your roster can only take you so far. after that, it depends on what kind of team you are.

It's an old truth, Ferguson even said that attack wins games and defense wins titles. If you look at how Spain became champions in 2010, you will see that they had 4 games in the playoffs and all four were won with a score of 1-0 
But it seems to me that if Spain focuses too much on tiki-taka, it will die very quickly - the recipe against tiki-taka has long been known: just sit on the defensive, covering all the zones. Tiki-taka is a dead end because even a tactical well-built average team has a great chance against a top team.

[emrecemsan]

By the way here is the "Dream XI" choice by the fans after the World Cup:



The goalkeeper is Vozinha and I think he is a really good choice! He made a huge impact on the World Cup while Cape Verde were bravely fighting top countries.  

He has gained millions of followers on social media after this. He has stated that he is looking for a team that will get him as a footballer not for marketing purposes. Do you think we'd see him in Europe?

[Sammye3]

Argentina got weak opponents right until the final. And in the final match, they had to face the toughest team in the tournament. And even in some of their previous matches, they struggled against the relatively weak teams (the match against Egypt is a perfect example). On the other hand, Spain had tough opponents throughout the tournament. Even in the semi-finals, they had to face a strong France who had Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé in the squad. Anyway, even before the tournament started, Argentina's odds were not as good as that of Spain.

This is a good observation. Argentina did not really meet a strong opponent until England and it was a narrow win for them after England decided to park the bus with a 1-0 lead ahead, unlike Spain that defeated Portugal, Belgium and France to get to the finals. Truly, it was a deserved win for Spain, their resilience and consistency got them the win.

I came across a news that said Argentina fans are petitioning for a rematch of the finals, though this information is not certain but this move is so disappointing from the Argentine fans who accused the referee for cheating in the finals. It's being from one disappointment to another for Argentina and it keeps getting worse.

[Rabata]

The presence of Messi was a huge motivation for the team and as seen in their playing style, we could see that they had that chemistry that was geared towards seeing that Messi is able to get more goals and good performance which in turn will be in the interest of the team by getting them to proceeding to the next stage of the competition respectively. In my own opinion, Argentina did not paly an exceptional football that really got me through out the competition, they only had the advantage of Messi on the team that got them looking fierce to others which happened to be probably average teams.

Yes,, that's what makes the Argentine national team special. Essentially, their unity is strong, allowing them to work together well as a unit. It's no wonder they advanced to the final of this World Cup. We all know they play well, and we can't deny that. Portugal, on the other hand, has a great player like Ronaldo, but unfortunately,, they haven't utilized him effectively. They've isolated him and rarely given him opportunities.

I think that's why Portugal couldn't advance in this World Cup.. It's a real shame. I'm sure if Portugal could work together better and utilize Ronaldo effectively,, they could have gone even further. Unfortunately, the Portuguese players were truly selfish, and now they're suffering the consequences. Even though I personally really wanted to see Portugal reach the final of this World Cup, unfortunately they couldn't.

Where the Argentine players try to score goals through Messi, the Portuguese players show selfishness. Portugal was undoubtedly good but if there is no chemistry among the players on the field, then nothing good can be expected there. They must pay for the mistake they made even after getting Ronaldo. Such a mentality of the team players is basically one of the reasons behind the country's failure to progress in football. As far as I know, the country has not yet won a FIFA World Cup and I believe that if they do not change their mentality, that situation will not change. But unfortunately for Ronaldo who, despite being such a good player, could not put the mark of winning a World Cup to his name.

[EarnOnVictor]

True, Argentina's opponents were generally weaker teams. Spain, on the other hand, had to compete against strong teams in every match.
We were lucky to see Messi again in this tournament, especially in the final match; waiting in the last minutes to see if he could do something to win the game was very enjoyable. We won't have the chance to experience this again, and we all know that this is the last time we've seen him

Argentina has evolved in the world of football, no doubt, so the countries that would be able to defeat it would be truly noticeably better countries. The countries must also be the ones with self-belief. That is what those countries that initially edged higher than Argentina didn't posses. They would score, but instead for them to continue to mount pressure and make the field balanced, they would switch into defensive mode. This didn't work with Argentina because they would sense your fear, attack more, and over time, would achieve their goals.

However, this was different with Spain because the Spanish team were better and vicious from the beginning to the end. This is why Argentina team couldn't breath, let alone having a successful shot on target, and let alone again, having scoring a goal.

[Shussainshah]

By the way here is the "Dream XI" choice by the fans after the World Cup:



The goalkeeper is Vozinha and I think he is a really good choice! He made a huge impact on the World Cup while Cape Verde were bravely fighting top countries.  

He has gained millions of followers on social media after this. He has stated that he is looking for a team that will get him as a footballer not for marketing purposes. Do you think we'd see him in Europe?

I feel bad for cubarsi they play the best tournament of has career. He is only 19 and the way they play the whole tournament it's just unbelievable. I think Fifa need a little bit adjustment to make sure who play the best in this worldcup. I agree all of the Dream 11 are well deserved. Messi played the best worldcup Mbappe was just untouchable Haaland was a beast in the whole worldcup.  Also the midfield selection is also very much good but in defence I think we need to put cubarsi over upamacno and all of you can agree with this because they won the best young players of the tournament and interesting fact Spain only conceded 1 goal in the Fifa world cup and all the credit goes to this guy cubarsi.

[Sithara007]

This is a good observation. Argentina did not really meet a strong opponent until England and it was a narrow win for them after England decided to park the bus with a 1-0 lead ahead, unlike Spain that defeated Portugal, Belgium and France to get to the finals. Truly, it was a deserved win for Spain, their resilience and consistency got them the win.

I came across a news that said Argentina fans are petitioning for a rematch of the finals, though this information is not certain but this move is so disappointing from the Argentine fans who accused the referee for cheating in the finals. It's being from one disappointment to another for Argentina and it keeps getting worse.

LOL.. Argentine fans complaining that the referee is biased against them is... something. I watched the entire match between Egypt and Argentina. And the bias from the referee towards Argentina was quite obvious. Egypt players as well as their fans protested, but not many listened to them. And in the final, Spain completely dominated the match. One of the Argentine players got red card, and the match completed without the need for spot kicks. If you want to see how much Spain dominated that match, just look at the possession. Spain - 68%, Argentina - 32%. It can't get any more lopsided than this in association football.

[katanic97]

This is a good observation. Argentina did not really meet a strong opponent until England and it was a narrow win for them after England decided to park the bus with a 1-0 lead ahead, unlike Spain that defeated Portugal, Belgium and France to get to the finals. Truly, it was a deserved win for Spain, their resilience and consistency got them the win.

I came across a news that said Argentina fans are petitioning for a rematch of the finals, though this information is not certain but this move is so disappointing from the Argentine fans who accused the referee for cheating in the finals. It's being from one disappointment to another for Argentina and it keeps getting worse.

LOL.. Argentine fans complaining that the referee is biased against them is... something. I watched the entire match between Egypt and Argentina. And the bias from the referee towards Argentina was quite obvious. Egypt players as well as their fans protested, but not many listened to them. And in the final, Spain completely dominated the match. One of the Argentine players got red card, and the match completed without the need for spot kicks. If you want to see how much Spain dominated that match, just look at the possession. Spain - 68%, Argentina - 32%. It can't get any more lopsided than this in association football.

Enzo made a huge mistake and received two yellow cards in a very short period of time. That challenge on Cubarsí looked to me like he was trying to hurt him and nothing more. Spain proved that football is a simple game, and Argentina’s goal was constantly hanging in the air. If someone other than Martínez had been in goal, i think there would have been more than one goal in Argentina’s net. That’s why those possession statistics don’t surprise me too much.

[retreat]

By the way here is the "Dream XI" choice by the fans after the World Cup:

-snip-

The goalkeeper is Vozinha and I think he is a really good choice! He made a huge impact on the World Cup while Cape Verde were bravely fighting top countries.  

He has gained millions of followers on social media after this. He has stated that he is looking for a team that will get him as a footballer not for marketing purposes. Do you think we'd see him in Europe?

It's great to see Vozinha in the lineup after his impressive performance from the start of the World Cup, right up until the match against Argentina. He performed brilliantly and made crucial saves, allowing the Cape Verde national team to advance so far until their eventual elimination.

However, given his age, I think it's quite difficult for a European team to sign him. Rumors have circulated that Inter Miami are interested in signing him, but Vozinha has yet to decide where he will play. We can only hope that he finds a team that suits him and can provide for his well-being.

[Baki202]

This is a good observation. Argentina did not really meet a strong opponent until England and it was a narrow win for them after England decided to park the bus with a 1-0 lead ahead, unlike Spain that defeated Portugal, Belgium and France to get to the finals. Truly, it was a deserved win for Spain, their resilience and consistency got them the win.

When they finally faced Spain, everyone went crazy. There was no reason why we wanted Spain to win, and the only reason we wanted that was for this argument between Messi and Ronaldo to win. The kind of opponent that Spain faced is just crazy, and if you look at it, Spain actually deserved to win the World Cup because the kind opponents they met before getting to Argentina and they won all, so it's a deserving title. In fact, I was expecting England to remove them, but Argentina did.

I came across a news that said Argentina fans are petitioning for a rematch of the finals, though this information is not certain but this move is so disappointing from the Argentine fans who accused the referee for cheating in the finals. It's being from one disappointment to another for Argentina and it keeps getting worse.

I'm sure they didn't pay attention to the game, and the people who need to be petitioned are even Argentina; they should be thoroughly investigated. How did the referee cheat in the finals? They should just accept that they lost the World Cup this time, nothing more. They should not even waste there time writing any petition. Because am very sure that nothing will happen we know and saw who won so Argentina should just accept it.

[GIF-JOBS]

By the way here is the "Dream XI" choice by the fans after the World Cup:

-snip-

The goalkeeper is Vozinha and I think he is a really good choice! He made a huge impact on the World Cup while Cape Verde were bravely fighting top countries.  

He has gained millions of followers on social media after this. He has stated that he is looking for a team that will get him as a footballer not for marketing purposes. Do you think we'd see him in Europe?

It's great to see Vozinha in the lineup after his impressive performance from the start of the World Cup, right up until the match against Argentina. He performed brilliantly and made crucial saves, allowing the Cape Verde national team to advance so far until their eventual elimination.

However, given his age, I think it's quite difficult for a European team to sign him. Rumors have circulated that Inter Miami are interested in signing him, but Vozinha has yet to decide where he will play. We can only hope that he finds a team that suits him and can provide for his well-being.

I am really happy to see Vozinha in the "Dream XI", an unknown team Cabo Verde, who came to the World Cup for the first time, the performance especially Vozinha did, that is really memorable, and Vozinha performed well in his first World Cup and got his place in the "Dream XI", it is a great honor for him.
Anyway, I haven't looked into the matter in depth, but I saw in some places that Inter Miami is willing to take Vozinha. I don't think it would be bad if Vozinha went there, I also don't expect him to have a chance in any European team, because these are very serious clubs and they build teams with young players here. So in the case of Vozinha, I hope that in the current context, his chance to go to Inter Miami is high.

[Bitcoin_people]

I also agree that Messi's presence makes any opponent worried, but in this final Argentina was completely dominated. They didn't see the ball at all and were totally shut down by the Spain team... Rarely in football have I seen a team get so thoroughly dominated, especially in a World Cup final, the most important tournament in football.

Argentina got weak opponents right until the final. And in the final match, they had to face the toughest team in the tournament. And even in some of their previous matches, they struggled against the relatively weak teams (the match against Egypt is a perfect example). On the other hand, Spain had tough opponents throughout the tournament. Even in the semi-finals, they had to face a strong France who had Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé in the squad. Anyway, even before the tournament started, Argentina's odds were not as good as that of Spain.

True, Argentina's opponents were generally weaker teams. Spain, on the other hand, had to compete against strong teams in every match.
We were lucky to see Messi again in this tournament, especially in the final match; waiting in the last minutes to see if he could do something to win the game was very enjoyable. We won't have the chance to experience this again, and we all know that this is the last time we've seen him

We must admit that the teams that Argentina faced were all weak, yet the Argentina team had to fight very hard to win against those weak teams. However, it is true that from the beginning of the tournament to the end, the Spain team has faced strong teams and they finally won the World Cup by playing the final match against Argentina. It was really a joy for every fan to see Messi's team participate in the final match. However, in this final match against Spain, we were waiting to see if Messi could turn the game around with his magic. But it was not possible, rather the victory was in Spain's destiny, so they won. This will definitely remind us in the future that he was a legendary player who may not play for the Argentina team anymore. And he will not be seen, besides, there will be no second like him. Messi is the best player of all time, his achievements should not be forgotten.

[giammangiato]

We must admit that the teams that Argentina faced were all weak, yet the Argentina team had to fight very hard to win against those weak teams. However, it is true that from the beginning of the tournament to the end, the Spain team has faced strong teams and they finally won the World Cup by playing the final match against Argentina. It was really a joy for every fan to see Messi's team participate in the final match. However, in this final match against Spain, we were waiting to see if Messi could turn the game around with his magic. But it was not possible, rather the victory was in Spain's destiny, so they won. This will definitely remind us in the future that he was a legendary player who may not play for the Argentina team anymore. And he will not be seen, besides, there will be no second like him. Messi is the best player of all time, his achievements should not be forgotten.

As I already said during the World Cup, after seeing Spain's style of play, as I already wrote before the final Spain were dangerous.
Despite this, even the bookmakers didn't think it was favorable. I'm no expert, but that conservative style of play kills you in the long run and doesn't forgive every mistake in the coming years. It keeps players less tired. It's a really excellent strategy.

[Volgastallion]

Well after this last world cup ended which team do you think we are gonna have fight for the next one in 2030? For me France is gonna be still there, Spain i have my doubts seems like yes but im not super sure, Germany for me is gonna be again a powerhouse for sure.

Argentina Brazil and Italy are my main doubts, i dont know if any of them can rebuild to be at top.

[Sim_card]

Well after this last world cup ended which team do you think we are gonna have fight for the next one in 2030? For me France is gonna be still there, Spain i have my doubts seems like yes but im not super sure, Germany for me is gonna be again a powerhouse for sure.

Argentina Brazil and Italy are my main doubts, i dont know if any of them can rebuild to be at top.

Four years is a long way to go and a lot of changes would have taken place from now till then. You don't need to doubt any team since there's time to build and improve their performance. Germany has a new coach and the same with France. Spain players are still young, they will go far.

[$weetne$$]

This is a good observation. Argentina did not really meet a strong opponent until England and it was a narrow win for them after England decided to park the bus with a 1-0 lead ahead, unlike Spain that defeated Portugal, Belgium and France to get to the finals. Truly, it was a deserved win for Spain, their resilience and consistency got them the win.

I came across a news that said Argentina fans are petitioning for a rematch of the finals, though this information is not certain but this move is so disappointing from the Argentine fans who accused the referee for cheating in the finals. It's being from one disappointment to another for Argentina and it keeps getting worse.

Petitioning for a rematch is just a move that seems was borne out of anger and supposed bitterness because they have no solid grounds or bases for which this agitations should be made. Spain did not faulter in any way during the fixture, neither was there an unfair or unjust officiating of the game, so i wonder why they just decide to waste such an effort, the match was not characterized by any form of irregularities, the referee did a good job such that no one complained of favoring Argentina as we have seen for the longest in this competition.

Argentina were actually lucky on their way to the finals, their draw was such that made it a bit easy for them, but they did tried their best and Spain is very much deserving of the trophy so the Argentines should drop their biases , it is not necessary.

[Dunamisx]

Well after this last world cup ended which team do you think we are gonna have fight for the next one in 2030? For me France is gonna be still there, Spain i have my doubts seems like yes but im not super sure, Germany for me is gonna be again a powerhouse for sure.

Argentina Brazil and Italy are my main doubts, i dont know if any of them can rebuild to be at top.

I will go from England, Portugal, France, Spain and Argentina, you see, from this five countries of mentioned, there is high tendency of them performing more better come 2030 FIFA world cup and this is not going to be the same or similar experience as we have it this year, we should therefore prepare for more to come when it comes to surprises and how they are all going to display the best of their performances in playing by then.