FIFA 2026 World Cup/Ticket Discussion Thread.

[LUCKMCFLY]

The experience of veteran players is what actually makes them important in the dressing room. They might not be energetic enough to play 90 minutes games and give their best through out the game but they help in grooming the younger players in the team. Just like you said, the Italian team couldn't qualify for this year's FIFA World Cup because they lacked leadership in the team. The veteran players had all retired or weren't called up to the national team.
Cristiano Ronaldo is still very fit but he might not feature in all the games Portugal will play in this tournament but his presence alone will be a huge motivation to the team, same as Lionel Messi in the Argentina team and Luka Modric in the Croatia team. That said, I think this will definitely be the last time these three football legends will play in a FIFA World Cup tournament.

You're right, CR7's presence motivates anyone. I think that with the Portuguese national team, if they have the players who can create good opportunities for CR7, they can win every match. In fact, if Vintinha creates opportunities for CR7, it will be a winning formula. On the other hand, with Felix and Leao, they will do great things. I admire Cancelo's potential and Conceicao's recovery; sometimes I see him as having depth in attack, and that would help CR7 score goals.

[SatoPrincess]

snip

You're right, CR7's presence motivates anyone. I think that with the Portuguese national team, if they have the players who can create good opportunities for CR7, they can win every match. In fact, if Vintinha creates opportunities for CR7, it will be a winning formula. On the other hand, with Felix and Leao, they will do great things. I admire Cancelo's potential and Conceicao's recovery; sometimes I see him as having depth in attack, and that would help CR7 score goals.

Ronaldo has such a commanding presence and aura that makes you want to give your very best because you know he is going to do the same. For many years, Ronaldo carried the Portugal team but this year I think they have the players to actually compete for the trophy - the likes of Neto, Vitinha, Bruno, and Neves…what more do you need. To be honest, I would love nothing more than to see Ronaldo retire after winning the 2026 World Cup, but that dream is not so easy considering the top quality teams we have in the tournament.

[Joeboy]

snip

You're right, CR7's presence motivates anyone. I think that with the Portuguese national team, if they have the players who can create good opportunities for CR7, they can win every match. In fact, if Vintinha creates opportunities for CR7, it will be a winning formula. On the other hand, with Felix and Leao, they will do great things. I admire Cancelo's potential and Conceicao's recovery; sometimes I see him as having depth in attack, and that would help CR7 score goals.

Ronaldo has such a commanding presence and aura that makes you want to give your very best because you know he is going to do the same. For many years, Ronaldo carried the Portugal team but this year I think they have the players to actually compete for the trophy - the likes of Neto, Vitinha, Bruno, and Neves…what more do you need. To be honest, I would love nothing more than to see Ronaldo retire after winning the 2026 World Cup, but that dream is not so easy considering the top quality teams we have in the tournament.

I really admire Ronaldo right from day one, he is just so different from other players and he is just like an icon they all look up to... Ronaldo is really getting old and that his vigour is already diminishing... But my greatest expectation is for him to win the World Cup, so he can retire with the pride and respect that he truly deserves..Though not because his legacy depends on it, but coz it would be a very perfect ending one of the most remarkable career that football has ever witnessed...Regardless of whether he wins the world cup or not, Ronaldo has by far achieved what most players could only imagine of... He is one of the greatest of our time, and his story is really an inspiration to other younger players... I can see why folks like IshowSpeed and others adores him so very much.

[meser#]

How justified was the red card South Africa received? Gutierrez was one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but he was already falling and pretended to trip over Sithole, and the referee immediately gave him a red card. Why didn't VAR intervene?
I don't think it has anything to do with the red card.
Even if both teams played 11 against 11, I think South Africa would have lost.
They are playing very badly. As a team, they are not productive at all.

[Hvdv]

How justified was the red card South Africa received? Gutierrez was one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but he was already falling and pretended to trip over Sithole, and the referee immediately gave him a red card. Why didn't VAR intervene?
I don't think it has anything to do with the red card.
Even if both teams played 11 against 11, I think South Africa would have lost.
They are playing very badly. As a team, they are not productive at all.

South Africa has now received a second red card and are down to nine players. The match is almost over, and they'll try not to concede a goal in the remaining minutes, but South Africa will be without two key players for their next match. This means they won't be the favorites in that game either. What a terrible start. They got very angry, and South Africa lost their discipline.

[yenerbatmaz]

The Brazilian referee's red card, given after a VAR review, was correct; I think the other two were wrong. The red card the Mexican player received was a complete disaster. Even if the referee thought he was the last man, he wasn't. The Mexican player received a red card far too easily. The cards the referee gave will be discussed even more. Mexico won the first match 2-0. This was the first time Mexico has won an opening match in World Cup history.

[Joy_learns_crypto]

How justified was the red card South Africa received? Gutierrez was one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but he was already falling and pretended to trip over Sithole, and the referee immediately gave him a red card. Why didn't VAR intervene?
I don't think it has anything to do with the red card.
Even if both teams played 11 against 11, I think South Africa would have lost.
They are playing very badly. As a team, they are not productive at all.

South Africa has now received a second red card and are down to nine players. The match is almost over, and they'll try not to concede a goal in the remaining minutes, but South Africa will be without two key players for their next match. This means they won't be the favorites in that game either. What a terrible start. They got very angry, and South Africa lost their discipline.

Mexico has also gotten into the referee red card books. After the second red card for South Africa I expected Mexico to score more goals than the amount of red cards South Africa has. The games has more red cards than goal but pretty much all the decisions from the referee has been the right one.
The opening game has ended but I think it will be remembered for the card than the actual play because it wasn’t that interesting.

[Abu-Naim]

How justified was the red card South Africa received? Gutierrez was one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but he was already falling and pretended to trip over Sithole, and the referee immediately gave him a red card. Why didn't VAR intervene?
I don't think it has anything to do with the red card.
Even if both teams played 11 against 11, I think South Africa would have lost.
They are playing very badly. As a team, they are not productive at all.

The red cards given in that match were all cards were deserving cards, none of them is a card that you wasn’t deserving, this shows that they still need to improve their players with discipline because once they keep repeating such mistakes because when the World Cup starts where matches are limited which means any match is very important. They can’t afford to lose any match due to penalty take .

[Franctoshi]

Possible teams I think they can win: Argentina is still my favorite based on the love I have for the national team and my legendary player, Lionel Messi. They're the current defending champions; it's also a possibility that they can still do it back-to-back if they put in significant effort.
My second team I'm picking is France; the French national team is number 2 based on their frequent appearances in about 3 World Cup finals lately, and if Dembele and Mbappe work together, they will be very difficult to stop. Only the two can bring them the trophy. Mbappe is the only player who has scored 3 goals in a World Cup final, and Dembele just won the Champions League.

The 3rd team for me is Spain, followed by Portugal, Brazil, and England.

[Juicyhome]

It was a poor game tonight, three Red cards in first game of the world cup, South Africa players were just kicking and fighting, they played like they didn't plan for the world cup.  I'm happy they lost a whole of Africans supported Mexico because we don't like how South Africa are maltreating foreigners in their country.  Tonight we all supported show to them they are alone in that act of  killing and chasing foreigners out of their country.

Kudos to Mexico they outshined south Africa in the present of their home fans, they're favorite to qualify as group leader in group A.  Korea Republic and Czech Republic will be playing next , most of us will not be able to watch because of time frame. The match will end in draw.

[Callido]

The red cards given in that match were all cards were deserving cards, none of them is a card that you wasn’t deserving, this shows that they still need to improve their players with discipline because once they keep repeating such mistakes because when the World Cup starts where matches are limited which means any match is very important. They can’t afford to lose any match due to penalty take .

The red cards was a good decision by the referee, South Africa played a dirty game and they deserve the punishment they got. I was disappointed in Mexico, they won today but the goals should have been more than the numbers they got for the night. Mexico will qualify from their group for sure, but against other countries, I think they weaker when they meet other teams outside their group.

[Baki202]

Ronaldo has such a commanding presence and aura that makes you want to give your very best because you know he is going to do the same. For many years, Ronaldo carried the Portugal team but this year I think they have the players to actually compete for the trophy - the likes of Neto, Vitinha, Bruno, and Neves…what more do you need. To be honest, I would love nothing more than to see Ronaldo retire after winning the 2026 World Cup, but that dream is not so easy considering the top quality teams we have in the tournament.

Ronaldo actually has that kind of audience because if you look at it, a lot of players are even seeing it as a privilege to play with the legend, and that does for messi to, and Ronaldo is doing everything possible for him to be able to win the World Cup. Funny how everyone has a dream they have been chasing. And I wish that he will be able to win the World Cup. At least there will be peace in the hearts of Ronaldo and the Portuguese players, who just need to work hand in hand because teamwork is what they need. They need to work as a family to archieve there goal.

[Rhow]

The red cards given in that match were all cards were deserving cards, none of them is a card that you wasn’t deserving, this shows that they still need to improve their players with discipline because once they keep repeating such mistakes because when the World Cup starts where matches are limited which means any match is very important. They can’t afford to lose any match due to penalty take .

The red cards was a good decision by the referee, South Africa played a dirty game and they deserve the punishment they got. I was disappointed in Mexico, they won today but the goals should have been more than the numbers they got for the night. Mexico will qualify from their group for sure, but against other countries, I think they weaker when they meet other teams outside their group.

South Africa has played a lot of dirty games and the red card decisions in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup were absolutely correct. Technological improvements have greatly reduced the loopholes in the rules of football. The red card punishment for the players' mistakes in the opening match, along with the correct decision, is a warning message to other teams. This means that any unintentional unethical behavior of the players will be punished immediately. This time the World Cup will see a lot of change in the disorderly attitude of the players. As a result, football will be more beautiful and enjoyable. Mexico, despite being at the top of Group A according to their strength, may face pressure when they go out.

[rachael9385]

South Africa has now received a second red card and are down to nine players. The match is almost over, and they'll try not to concede a goal in the remaining minutes, but South Africa will be without two key players for their next match. This means they won't be the favorites in that game either. What a terrible start. They got very angry, and South Africa lost their discipline.

South Africa really lost their cool and started getting red cards probably because they were losing and felt desperate to score a goal. I was expecting the match to actually end in their favour but it is quite disappointing that Mexico ended up winning. They had a terrible start and terrible end.

[As-Soon-As]

South Africa has now received a second red card and are down to nine players. The match is almost over, and they'll try not to concede a goal in the remaining minutes, but South Africa will be without two key players for their next match. This means they won't be the favorites in that game either. What a terrible start. They got very angry, and South Africa lost their discipline.

South Africa really lost their cool and started getting red cards probably because they were losing and felt desperate to score a goal. I was expecting the match to actually end in their favour but it is quite disappointing that Mexico ended up winning. They had a terrible start and terrible end.

The South African team should not have been excited, the more angry they performed, the more certain they were to lose. Look at Sithole, this player of the South African team got a red card and went off the field in the 49th minute, putting the whole team in danger. If he had not performed in an angry mood, then today's match could have been won, but instead of relying on their confidence, they got angry. As a result, in the end, two players got red cards and South Africa lost the game.

[laspol65]

Ronaldo has such a commanding presence and aura that makes you want to give your very best because you know he is going to do the same. For many years, Ronaldo carried the Portugal team but this year I think they have the players to actually compete for the trophy - the likes of Neto, Vitinha, Bruno, and Neves…what more do you need. To be honest, I would love nothing more than to see Ronaldo retire after winning the 2026 World Cup, but that dream is not so easy considering the top quality teams we have in the tournament.

Ronaldo actually has that kind of audience because if you look at it, a lot of players are even seeing it as a privilege to play with the legend, and that does for messi to, and Ronaldo is doing everything possible for him to be able to win the World Cup. Funny how everyone has a dream they have been chasing. And I wish that he will be able to win the World Cup. At least there will be peace in the hearts of Ronaldo and the Portuguese players, who just need to work hand in hand because teamwork is what they need. They need to work as a family to archieve there goal.

This is Cristiano Ronaldo's last chance to play in the World Cup, maybe he will retire from the World Cup due to his age and the possibility of participating in the next World Cup is very low. But if he can perform well with his team properly this time and compete with every team and win, then the possibility of winning this World Cup will be the most. Because Cristiano Ronaldo is a high-quality player, he tries to play with his best performance.
His team is strong enough, so if he can perform well this season, then he will definitely be able to make a record in the history book.

[SatoPrincess]

Ronaldo has such a commanding presence and aura that makes you want to give your very best because you know he is going to do the same. For many years, Ronaldo carried the Portugal team but this year I think they have the players to actually compete for the trophy - the likes of Neto, Vitinha, Bruno, and Neves…what more do you need. To be honest, I would love nothing more than to see Ronaldo retire after winning the 2026 World Cup, but that dream is not so easy considering the top quality teams we have in the tournament.

Ronaldo actually has that kind of audience because if you look at it, a lot of players are even seeing it as a privilege to play with the legend, and that does for messi to, and Ronaldo is doing everything possible for him to be able to win the World Cup. Funny how everyone has a dream they have been chasing. And I wish that he will be able to win the World Cup. At least there will be peace in the hearts of Ronaldo and the Portuguese players, who just need to work hand in hand because teamwork is what they need. They need to work as a family to archieve there goal.

This is Cristiano Ronaldo's last chance to play in the World Cup, maybe he will retire from the World Cup due to his age and the possibility of participating in the next World Cup is very low. But if he can perform well with his team properly this time and compete with every team and win, then the possibility of winning this World Cup will be the most. Because Cristiano Ronaldo is a high-quality player, he tries to play with his best performance.
His team is strong enough, so if he can perform well this season, then he will definitely be able to make a record in the history book.

He didn’t score yesterday against Nigeria in the friendlies, though he had a couple of shots on target. I’m assuming Ronaldo would retire from football entirely after the World Cup. Contrary to what many think, the Saudi Pro league isn’t an easy league to play in, and I don’t think his body can take that much for long. However, judging by his competitive nature, he just might be waiting for Messi to retire first.

[logfiles]

South Africa really lost their cool and started getting red cards probably because they were losing and felt desperate to score a goal. I was expecting the match to actually end in their favour but it is quite disappointing that Mexico ended up winning. They had a terrible start and terrible end.

Mexico are one of the hosts, so I am not sure how South Africa had an upper hand here. Personally A Mexico win is what I expected, but I didn't really think that SA would have to get two red cards. They might want to improve on their discipline going forward.

I also I don't know why I am not so hyped up for this world cup, maybe it's just me.

[Popkon6]

South Africa really lost their cool and started getting red cards probably because they were losing and felt desperate to score a goal. I was expecting the match to actually end in their favour but it is quite disappointing that Mexico ended up winning. They had a terrible start and terrible end.

Mexico are one of the hosts, so I am not sure how South Africa had an upper hand here. Personally A Mexico win is what I expected, but I didn't really think that SA would have to get two red cards. They might want to improve on their discipline going forward.

I also I don't know why I am not so hyped up for this world cup, maybe it's just me.

The South African team's players performed badly in this match, although they should not have behaved like that at all. Due to their own mistakes, the players got red cards and went off the field, and Mexico took advantage of this opportunity to win their first game. However, Mexico is the stronger team in Group A, so in this match, Mexico has definitely occupied the top spot in the points table and as always, Mexico will occupy the top spot in Group A.

[Sexylizzy2813]

Each time South Africa lose the ball or maybe give some crazy passes that doesn't have any effect on the defenders of Mexicans I ask myself, is this the South Africa that gave Nigeria players the Super Eagles a hard in the qualifiers? No, something isn't right, the SA players weren't this bad during the qualifiers and it was as if they are ready to beat any team they faced in the WC and now we have it, nothing productive except for their attempts they made, South Africa did something I love about their game and that is getting every ball on target, they are too good in that area but aside from that they're a big waste.
Imagine Mexico fans booing them each time they touch the ball, for all African countries I would support them but when it comes to South Africa I think they deserve everything things they've been getting, the boos and all that, because of how they treat their fellow Africans that are in their land, they have to be eliminated very fast, they don't deserve the love other African nations are getting in this WC.