Topic: FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread - page 10. (Read 68825 times)
December 29, 2024, 02:27:59 AM
This World Cup will be participated by 36 countries from the previous 32 participants in the final round. This opens up opportunities for several countries to be able to taste their first World Cup. One that I follow is Asia. Asia will get more slots than usual, 8 countries + half that must go through the playoffs first. With this new format, of course several countries have very high motivation to be able to be in the 2026 World Cup. Asia itself is undergoing the 3rd qualifying round and still has several more matches left.
December 28, 2024, 06:35:44 PM
Here I fundamentally disagree: the reason is so obvious that I am surprised you yourself can't see it. Isn't it very easy to set the conditions under which Ronaldo should not be replaced? It is in my opinion and here is the evidence.
Ronaldo is by far the best goal scorer except for Fernandes who is only one goal behind him. For what reason should Portugal replace him now? I agree that they should have someone being prepared in the background who can take his position as soon as the time has come, but if he finishes a year as the top scorer of the national team, it would be stupid to leave him out of the team.
Well Ronaldo isn't in his prime anymore, literally by the next world cup tournament he wouldn't be a really good fit even if he may appear to be, age wise he's got passed 30 and then even his form most definitely will gradually reduce, this are just mare records he's been able to achieve over time and so there are other player if they are give the time he has played for the national team, may do even better but he wouldn't know except they are given a trial, so I'm of the opinion if they see a better replacement, they shouldn't hesitate than risking their chances at the world cup tournament, these records are there and made to be broken some day so they can't continue to keep references on it and not move forward. Ronaldo is by far the best goal scorer except for Fernandes who is only one goal behind him. For what reason should Portugal replace him now? I agree that they should have someone being prepared in the background who can take his position as soon as the time has come, but if he finishes a year as the top scorer of the national team, it would be stupid to leave him out of the team.
December 28, 2024, 05:59:52 PM
There is no denying that the Saudi government has been making large and ambitious investments to turn Saudi football into a world power, bringing players like Ronaldo to the Al Hilal, who practically changed the club's history.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
Ronaldo to the Al Hilal? Ronaldo plays for Al Nassr since 2023.
Football is the most popular sport in the world, and it is also the richest sport by a large distance. Saudis know that every $1 invested in football will give them a return of $10 in the long run. They made well planned moves. First they spent good amounts to bring players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané, Marcelo Brozović, Roger Ibañez, Rúben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrović to Saudi Arabia. And then they bid for the hosting rights for the 2034 FIFA World Cup (and won that one as well). Now Saudi Arabia will be recognized as one of the global football superpowers.
I'm sure that Ronaldo is a good player and he can be a good leader for his team but that's not a good place to say if Ronaldo is going to move to Al Hilal or not.
All we can say is about Ronaldo and his performance in the 2026 World Cup. We already saw Ronaldo in the past when he could have good performances while playing for his country and now he can have another chance in the 2026 World Cup but this time he is even older than before.
December 28, 2024, 05:39:04 PM
There is no denying that the Saudi government has been making large and ambitious investments to turn Saudi football into a world power, bringing players like Ronaldo to the Al Hilal, who practically changed the club's history.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
In fact, they have no shortage of money. In Saudi Arabia, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the country's main sovereign wealth fund and, through the Ministry of Sports, it distributes money to the clubs.
The initial contribution to the creation of the sovereign wealth fund came from oil, Saudi Arabia's main export product. However, the crown prince and ruler of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, has always sought to increasingly diversify the country's economy and, with the expansion of the PIF's portfolio, it now has investments in companies in the areas of infrastructure, energy, pharmaceuticals, among others.
Under the prince's rule, the PIF stopped being a sovereign wealth fund and became a global investment vehicle, with billion-dollar bets on technology and other companies.
Now, whether they do all this just because they love football or if there are other shady interests behind it... we will never know.
December 28, 2024, 05:19:50 PM
There is no denying that the Saudi government has been making large and ambitious investments to turn Saudi football into a world power, bringing players like Ronaldo to the Al Hilal, who practically changed the club's history.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
Ronaldo to the Al Hilal? Ronaldo plays for Al Nassr since 2023.
Football is the most popular sport in the world, and it is also the richest sport by a large distance. Saudis know that every $1 invested in football will give them a return of $10 in the long run. They made well planned moves. First they spent good amounts to bring players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané, Marcelo Brozović, Roger Ibañez, Rúben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrović to Saudi Arabia. And then they bid for the hosting rights for the 2034 FIFA World Cup (and won that one as well). Now Saudi Arabia will be recognized as one of the global football superpowers.
the quality of their league is not yet at the level of Europe and their national team is not strong and will not be strong enough to win the World Cup. So they can host the World Cup, they can spend a lot of money signing old players who are leaving Europe because they have not been able to get a place in the top teams in Europe, in the end when Ronaldo retires no one will be talking about this league anymore and when they organize the World Cup, the winner of the tournament will be some team from Europe or Brazil or Argentina. These guys are just benefiting foreigners. Their native players do not earn as much money as foreign players, they do not even have 10% of the attention that foreign players have and their national team will not get far in the World Cup.
December 28, 2024, 04:23:10 PM
Honestly, "fame" and talent aren't the same thing. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying Ronaldo doesn't have talent, and obviously I am not talking about the past. We are talking about how talented a 40 year old Ronaldo is, and by the time this world cup starts, he will be 42 years old or something right? At that point, we are talking about THAT Ronaldo's talent, not in general. Not that I feel like he doesn't have it right now, I believe he still has it right now, just not as good as he used to be, could be better than any other alternatives to his club and nation too.
However, a 32 year old Ronaldo was better than the current Ronaldo, saying that isn't really that weird, and not really unexpected, that's really a very normal thing. In the end, we should realize that fame means that wherever he goes, Saudi, Japan, America, Mexico, Brazil, UK, doesn't matter, wherever he goes, he will be famous there, the whole world knows him, but this doesn't mean we are going to end up with Ronaldo playing awesome at every game.
However, a 32 year old Ronaldo was better than the current Ronaldo, saying that isn't really that weird, and not really unexpected, that's really a very normal thing. In the end, we should realize that fame means that wherever he goes, Saudi, Japan, America, Mexico, Brazil, UK, doesn't matter, wherever he goes, he will be famous there, the whole world knows him, but this doesn't mean we are going to end up with Ronaldo playing awesome at every game.
December 28, 2024, 03:22:56 PM
While that's true and he is great, we have to also remember that the longer you postpone replacing him, the closer you get where you will be forced to replace him. Wouldn't it be better to replace him while he is there, so like keep playing him for 70 minutes or so, but because he is old, he will get tired after a while, and find the next player after Ronaldo and give him time now. I do not know much about Portugal national team, but isn't there some 18-20 year old striker who has some potential? That way, on the last 20-30 minutes of each game, play that 18-20 year old potential player, this would be better.
The last time I watched a Portugal game without Cristiano Ronaldo playing, they couldn't attack their opponent untill Cristiano Ronaldo was introduced. I think what make the coach play him more, is as he give the players motivation to play for goal and not just passing the ball around without any direction. There has been some game that Portugal played and won without Cristiano Ronaldo but when he's on the pitch, the pattern of play is different and more direct as he's a perfect target man that you play the ball into the penalty box and be sure that he's going to attack and potentially score a goal. But I support you that Ronaldo needs some rest and should play less minutes
December 28, 2024, 02:41:20 PM
Saudi Arabia is really taking big steps to make their league more interesting for the fans. They are getting into a better state clubwise but not really when it comes to nationwise. I mean national team successes. Because they don't have good players in their national squad. But I assume they aren't very concerned about this situation recently. They are still satisfied as long as they are able to bring world stars like Ronaldo to their league. 
I guess they have unlimited money as they are able to offer much bigger numbers than European teams every time. There is no financial constraint too of course if I'm not wrong.
Saudi Arabia wanted to achieve some things with thier massive investment in their local league. They wanted to get the hosting right of the world cup and also build an competitive national team. They have successfully achieved the hosting of the 2034 world cup but I doubt if they have achieved the aim of building a competitive national team that will break records in the international stage. The Saudi Arabia national team is still struggling to qualify for the next world cup. Maybe the impact of the massive investment in players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and other will be felt in future because I have not seen much positive effect on the national team. I guess they have unlimited money as they are able to offer much bigger numbers than European teams every time. There is no financial constraint too of course if I'm not wrong.
December 28, 2024, 01:32:44 PM
They recently won the the right to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup and considering the level of work that's been put in place,
Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 world cup, not the 2030 tournament. The first three matches of the 2030 world cup will be hosted by Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay and and the rest of the matches will be hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain.
December 28, 2024, 01:00:14 PM
There is no denying that the Saudi government has been making large and ambitious investments to transform Saudi football into a world power, bringing players like Ronaldo to Al Nassr and Neymar to Al Hilal, which practically changed the history of the club.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
The global economy is dwindling so different countries of the world are diversifying their economy so they can continue to thrive and for Saudi Arabia government, they've seen football as a very lucrative opportunity that should be invested on. In the last two years, Saudi Arabia have greatly invested in football by signing world class players, managers and administrators in their bid to improve football in the country and make it a global attraction.A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
I think they've succeeded to an extent especially in the area of drawing global audience to football in Saudi Arabia. They recently won the the right to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup and considering the level of work that's been put in place, I think Saudi Arabia before they host the 2030 World Cup will be one of the best football nations of the world.
December 28, 2024, 12:50:55 PM
There is no denying that the Saudi government has been making large and ambitious investments to transform Saudi football into a world power, bringing players like Ronaldo to Al Nassr and Neymar to Al Hilal, which practically changed the history of the club.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
Saudi Arabia is really taking big steps to make their league more interesting for the fans. They are getting into a better state clubwise but not really when it comes to nationwise. I mean national team successes. Because they don't have good players in their national squad. But I assume they aren't very concerned about this situation recently. They are still satisfied as long as they are able to bring world stars like Ronaldo to their league.
I guess they have unlimited money as they are able to offer much bigger numbers than European teams every time. There is no financial constraint too of course if I'm not wrong. 
December 28, 2024, 12:29:52 PM
If you ask me I can say Ronaldo is not even having as good a performance as he had before and he can never be the same good Ronaldo we saw from him back in Real Madrid because of his getting old and that's why Portugal should think about finding a replacement to fill the place of Ronalod in this team because so far Portugal didn't have any interest in not using Ronalso for some games and use the younger player to give them more chance. Now Ronaldo is more like a marketing brand for Saudi Arabia and than a player for Portugal.
Here I fundamentally disagree: the reason is so obvious that I am surprised you yourself can't see it. Isn't it very easy to set the conditions under which Ronaldo should not be replaced? It is in my opinion and here is the evidence.Ronaldo is by far the best goal scorer except for Fernandes who is only one goal behind him. For what reason should Portugal replace him now? I agree that they should have someone being prepared in the background who can take his position as soon as the time has come, but if he finishes a year as the top scorer of the national team, it would be stupid to leave him out of the team.
Right now, they are keeping Ronaldo until the last minute, and this would mean the day he retires, Portugal will not be ready and they won't have anyone with any experience at national team to end up playing there. This isn't really a smart decision if you ask me and I would assume that we are going to end up with a much different approach on the long run. I believe we need to consider Ronaldo being 40 year old is a big deal and while he can still score, that is not really a big deal like how they would need to replace him eventually.
December 28, 2024, 12:00:05 PM
There is no denying that the Saudi government has been making large and ambitious investments to transform Saudi football into a world power, bringing players like Ronaldo to Al Nassr and Neymar to Al Hilal, which practically changed the history of the club.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
Saudi Arabia seems to be very keen to make themselves one of the countries with international football quality, by bringing big players to their domestic league and building the best infrastructure to support it. They realize that now is the time for them to be more open to the world and take advantage of it to get various benefits such as tourism, investment, and various other things like you said. And hopefully the efforts they make to make them a country with the best football infrastructure can come true and have a positive impact on the progress of their domestic league.
Saudi Arabia invested a lot of money to obtain the privilege of bringing World Cup to their home. They spent it on infrastructure, bringing top players and boost their league a lot, advertising their country and opening it to the others widely... They were planning for such move for long time and since they saw Qatar hosting the previous version. They will try to overtake in all levels.
December 28, 2024, 11:37:35 AM
Because Ronaldo is reliable finisher and that true, he can get more goal than some of his other team press because of the trust in Ronaldo which makes him able to get more opportunities to execute the final execution of every attacking game.
Bruno Fernandes may only be 1 goal behind Ronaldo but so far he has also played very well with Portugal even though when defending Manchester United he showed decline in his performance, I sure that in the future at the 2026 World Cup they will be players who can be really more optimal in every match and even better than when playing in the Euro some time ago.
Ronaldo is one of the best strikers and even this is not his original position when he was young, because when he was young he moved from the wing, but he could find the same ability after he had an injury and changed his playing style. He can be a good leader in the Portuguese national team, yes even though unpleasant issues are often heard from the media that are actually irresponsible. Maybe 2026 will be his last World Cup to help Portugal and maybe he will decide to retire before the World Cup.Bruno Fernandes may only be 1 goal behind Ronaldo but so far he has also played very well with Portugal even though when defending Manchester United he showed decline in his performance, I sure that in the future at the 2026 World Cup they will be players who can be really more optimal in every match and even better than when playing in the Euro some time ago.
It should be Ronaldo's last World Cup in the Portugal national team. I think his role in the team is very strong, especially when the player experiences a mental decline in critical situations such as being behind or facing a decisive match in a penalty shootout. Ronaldo has great experience for that, and in his last World Cup, he will give his best for the Portugal national team.
December 28, 2024, 11:33:04 AM
There is no denying that the Saudi government has been making large and ambitious investments to transform Saudi football into a world power, bringing players like Ronaldo to Al Nassr and Neymar to Al Hilal, which practically changed the history of the club.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
Saudi Arabia seems to be very keen to make themselves one of the countries with international football quality, by bringing big players to their domestic league and building the best infrastructure to support it. They realize that now is the time for them to be more open to the world and take advantage of it to get various benefits such as tourism, investment, and various other things like you said. And hopefully the efforts they make to make them a country with the best football infrastructure can come true and have a positive impact on the progress of their domestic league.
December 28, 2024, 11:29:36 AM
There is no denying that the Saudi government has been making large and ambitious investments to transform Saudi football into a world power, bringing players like Ronaldo to Al Nassr and Neymar to Al Hilal, which practically changed the history of the club.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
Maybe their government has so much money and until they become the host for the World Cup in the coming year, it is not surprising with all that but even though they are able to improve their country's football and bring in some top players to get more attention from football lovers, but it did not succeed in lifting their national team players in the European arena even Saudi Arabian players do not have a single one playing in Europe most of them only play in the Saudi Arabian League, unlike players from other Middle Eastern countries who are able to play in Europe, in my opinion the Saudi Arabian government is too fast even to the point that they forget about their national team players who are in bad condition in the ongoing World Cup qualifiers.A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
That is impossible to do within a matter of years. If a country like Saudi Arabia tried to establish their national team at the top of world football, it would take decades and I doubt that even then it would be successful. Someone said it before here that talent is an important ingredient and different nations have different talents. It would never be possible for China to come up with an American Football team that could compete against the US American Football team.
Since there are strict rules who is allowed to play for a specific nation, Saudi Arabia would have to raise an entire nation of football players on the highest level and I don't know how that could be done. The bad news is that football is already the most popular sport in Saudi Arabia, which means that the enthusiasm was there and yet nothing came out of it.
I was just asking myself what the last top player from Saudi Arabia was that I remember and I couldn't mention a single one. I then did some search and it is ages ago that there was a Saudi Arabian players which was recognized world wide or in more places than just Saudi Arabia itself.
The only player who comes to my mind now is Saud Abdulhamid who is playing for Roma, but not really that important for them.
December 28, 2024, 11:04:52 AM
There is no denying that the Saudi government has been making large and ambitious investments to transform Saudi football into a world power, bringing players like Ronaldo to Al Nassr and Neymar to Al Hilal, which practically changed the history of the club.
A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
Maybe their government has so much money and until they become the host for the World Cup in the coming year, it is not surprising with all that but even though they are able to improve their country's football and bring in some top players to get more attention from football lovers, but it did not succeed in lifting their national team players in the European arena even Saudi Arabian players do not have a single one playing in Europe most of them only play in the Saudi Arabian League, unlike players from other Middle Eastern countries who are able to play in Europe, in my opinion the Saudi Arabian government is too fast even to the point that they forget about their national team players who are in bad condition in the ongoing World Cup qualifiers. A country with a great deal of history and culture that has known how to take advantage of economic opportunities, and we all know that football is a great investment, as it is a sport with a large audience and that attracts a lot of tourism.
Player transfers are a pittance for these guys.
December 28, 2024, 10:49:14 AM
Saudi Arabia in football is very boring, especially when appearing in the World Cup, teams that are in the same group as Saudi Arabia have the opportunity to take full points. Over the last few years, Saudi Arabia has developed football as a sport that is in great demand. Now Saudi Arabia appears very aggressive and increasingly difficult to beat opponent.
The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Arab League has had a big influence in bringing changes in the eyes of the world, making it an interesting spectacle, Saudi Arabia will be stronger in the next World Cup. I also see changes happening so quickly, this is very exciting for their country.
You're right in everything you say, but particularly in the World Cup in Qatar they did something that I never thought they would achieve, and that was to beat none other than those who are world champions, so the capacity that Arabai has is very great and that is what has to be worked on now, the advantage that Arab players have is that they are playing and learning the techniques of the best players who have played in Europe and that enriches their technique, and for me the Saudi League has a very high level, it can be cheering with the best leagues in Europe , so I really hope for Saudi Arabia to see its performance in the world like that of the USA.
December 28, 2024, 01:38:14 AM
Because Ronaldo is reliable finisher and that true, he can get more goal than some of his other team press because of the trust in Ronaldo which makes him able to get more opportunities to execute the final execution of every attacking game.
Bruno Fernandes may only be 1 goal behind Ronaldo but so far he has also played very well with Portugal even though when defending Manchester United he showed decline in his performance, I sure that in the future at the 2026 World Cup they will be players who can be really more optimal in every match and even better than when playing in the Euro some time ago.
Ronaldo is one of the best strikers and even this is not his original position when he was young, because when he was young he moved from the wing, but he could find the same ability after he had an injury and changed his playing style. He can be a good leader in the Portuguese national team, yes even though unpleasant issues are often heard from the media that are actually irresponsible. Maybe 2026 will be his last World Cup to help Portugal and maybe he will decide to retire before the World Cup. Bruno Fernandes may only be 1 goal behind Ronaldo but so far he has also played very well with Portugal even though when defending Manchester United he showed decline in his performance, I sure that in the future at the 2026 World Cup they will be players who can be really more optimal in every match and even better than when playing in the Euro some time ago.
December 28, 2024, 12:32:28 AM
~snip~
The reason for Ronaldo to be at the top of the table is clear to me. Just imagine a player with good finishing skills in a team while there is no other player like him and they all believe he is still the best in the World and they didn't give any chance to the other players to take his place.I know Ronaldo is a good player, but still, players like Fernandes can have more chances and with the more chances they get, maybe we won't see Ronaldo in the top side anymore.
Bruno Fernandes may only be 1 goal behind Ronaldo but so far he has also played very well with Portugal even though when defending Manchester United he showed decline in his performance, I sure that in the future at the 2026 World Cup they will be players who can be really more optimal in every match and even better than when playing in the Euro some time ago.
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