Topic: FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread - page 256. (Read 57911 times)

LOL, you don't to blame him bud, maybe Serbia is his home country, and as I understand, some times, or maybe for most people, it is difficult to to the acceptance their home country team is not good enough when it come to football.
Take me for example, As a Nigerian, I've always wished that super eagles were a team I can proudly talk about in the global football discussion forum as this, but then, I cant just see my self saying their are the best, or even close to it, when deep inside of me, I know they aren't.

You are being selective here. Brazil had a disadvantage to start with, as Neymar was not 100% fit. And these defeats that you have mentioned here, they were unexpected. If Brazil plays against Netherlands, they would win 4 out of 5 times. But then they can't win 5 out of 5, because that is the beauty of football. But even if they lose, that doesn't mean that they are less skilled. During the last world cup, Croatia and Cameroon defeated Brazil. Now can anyone claim that these two teams are better than Brazil?

In fact, there is an explanation for why Brazil lost to Croatia....

That defeat represented the continuation of a fast that has lasted since the 2002 World Cup in which Brazil is unable to overcome European opponents in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

Take a good look: They lost to France in 2006, then lost to the Netherlands in 2010, then lost to Belgium in 2018.
The only exception to this rule was in 2014, when he advanced to the quarterfinals, but was also eliminated by another European team.
If Europe has bigger teams, then I don't know, what I do know is that they are the worst nightmare for Brazilians in the world cup.

Absolutely agree.

At the end of the day it was just an unlucky match for Brazil and a lucky one for Croatia. These things happen, that's why football is so entertaining.

Brazil is still ranked number one at the FIFA ranking, and they hold the amazing record of being the only country in the world to have been qualified to every single edition of the world cup, ever. Plus, they have won it 5 times, also a record.

They qualified to Qatar undefeated, and went to the next stage undefeated. That means that they only lost one time in the entire thing, qualifications and the world cup itself.

Argentina also lost a single time in the entire thing(also qualified undefeated), against Saudi Arabia. But they were lucky that it was at the group stage.

Luck is always needed to win the world cup.

No matter how good a team is, they can't guarantee winning matches 100% of the time they play. No one expected that Brazil would lose to Croatia, but it happened as a result of the combination of several adverse factors. I still believe that Brazil had the most skilled players and better team balance compared to other teams during Qatar 2022. From round of 16, it is knockout phase and no one can actually predict the outcome of the matches with guarantee. Croatia had a great day and didn't had anything to lose and eventually they won the match. That said, I didn't found too many negatives in the team strategy for Brazil, or the team balance and bonding.

Isn't that logical? I mean a team that looks like be good enough to get the title ends up losing to Croatia and you are wondering why people do not like the way they are right now and want to see somethings changed?

I personally think that it is exactly because of that, they had a team who should have fought for a title and unluckily they lost some players and that's bad, I get that, but at the end of the day they lost anyway while expected to be one of the best teams, which shows that quarter final elimination equals to doing something about that. A new manager, some changes in the roster, and somehow a better way to organize later on for the future.

I have a different point of view than you, I think not only Neymar. in the Qatar world cup, Brazil has enough players. there, there are several names that are shining and also Neymar as a star. Tite has some good players, also quality. there is Vini Jr, G.Jesus, Rodrigo, Raphina, Martinelli, Richarlison, only one is missing, namely Firmino. in the midfield sector, Tite can place Casemiro, even Antony can be rotated to become a midfielder, Fabinho, Fred is not included. for the defense, there are several names of senior players as well as quality players including Militao, Marquinhos, who are not too old. for goalkeepers, there's Alisson and Ederson.

Strength-wise, I think this is quite a formidable team. the problem is in the coach. yes, Tite. he didn't have a good enough system to take his team, go any further. I think the problem with the Brazilian national team is not in the players, but in the patterns, systems and strategies that are implemented. IMO, Brazil is too inclined to rely on individual action and not playing as a solid team. if Brazil had a brilliant coach, I'm sure Brazil would be much better.

And it's important to remember, that teams from other countries have developed as well. in particular, the squads of European countries. we can refer to England, how they played very solidly. unfortunately, The Theree Lions had to give up on France. one more, in modern football. not only about how a player has his individual skills, but how they play together as a team. and that has been proven by Argentina.

The US, Mexico, and Canada will make the 2026 World Cup a great sporting and cultural event. Imagine these countries doing well and their vast stadiums ready to welcome tens of thousands of ardent supporters from around the world. Because of their passion, commitment, and strong bid, they can run a major foreign event.

Look, most of the games are in the US, which is revered for its technology and business. The 2026 World Cup will be well-run and full with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities with so many resources. The game will be colored by each host country's culture. I'm eagerly anticipating the 2026 World Cup! I'm excited and hope it exceeds my expectations

UEFA is such a tough confederation and almost all the teams competing there are quality teams. I posted that Serbia is one of the strongest teams, because they topped their respective group in the UEFA qualifiers (out of the group of 5 teams, they managed to finish ahead of Portugal and the Republic of Ireland). But if you look at the rankings, then they are much below other teams such as England and France (Serbia is currently ranked #29). Anyway, IMO Serbia is a strong team and Brazil easily got past them without much difficulty.

Oh no... You didn't just say that Serbia is one of the strongest team in Europe. Or did you? Where did you come up with that conclusion? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that they are a bad team. They played OK in the World Cup, but to say that they are one of the best European teams is a bit too much. Don't you think?

Well.. I find this strange. We see these arguments only after Brazil got kicked out of the world cup (lost to Croatia during Quarter-finals). Till that point, Brazil was having the best odds for any teams and they were considered as the favorites to lift the trophy (Argentina's odds were much worse). No one was complaining about the team balance before the tournament started. And let's not forget the fact that they scored a big win in their opening match, against one of the strongest teams from the UEFA confederation (Serbia). Things somehow didn't worked out for them in the knockout phase. But I still don't want to criticize them for that.

The US and Mexico already have hosted the world cup in the past. For Canada this will be their first time. I wonder why the US wanted so much to host this one. It's probably just economics really.

But I have to say that having it hosted in three countries is going to be an admin hell. Visas, travel time, accommodation, climate differences, languages, etc. It's so much more complicated than a single host.

And it's going to be the first time ever with three hosting countries. The maximum have been two, Korea-Japan 2002.

We'll have to see how it goes...

I still reiterate...
If Brazil continues with this same team and fails to make a drastic change in players, coaches and staff, it will not win the next world cups.

Brazil's level has dropped a lot compared to previous world cups (example, 1998, 2002, 2006),
At that time, Brazilians had several players who were the best in the world in each position, we had goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and striker.

And today, unfortunately, we only have Neymar, in which he is the team's star player.

I have no doubt that Brazil will need to hone young talents from childhood to adulthood, so after that, Brazil may be able to be world champions again.

Not just America but the whole North American continent will host the game and that includes Mexico and Canada while the United States of America will host most of the games, 40 games to be exact out of 60 games that will be played as they got more bigger stadium that can cater tens of thousands of people in one go. Aside from that, I think America got the highest bid out of 3 countries named, that's why most games will happen in their country. Correct me if I'm wrong Besides, let's expect that this upcoming World Cup will be explosive as well or much more than what happened recently.

I know Endrick sounds like a superstar of the future, but that kid is too young to make some calculation already. I know sports people are very good at scouting and they do not look at just talent but work ethic as well, which shows itself not just at training grounds but also when you play and you run around and you give your best and not just chase goals, that shows people that you like working hard to get where you should.

However, when you are only 16-17 years old, you could be a great potential and amazing striker, but the moment you step into the big league and start playing against other stars, that may cause a trouble and we should not be this excited about such a young kid just yet, lets see how he is in 3 years.

In the last World Cup it was unbelievable to see Brazil not to get to the semi final stage, it was  really disappointing after having good squad but they were removed like a team that doesn't have quality players and much experience in World cup. The last World Cup is one I have seen Brazil under performed.

Yes, I also believe in every era there are new names popping up. especially, at every world cup event. and I agree with you, the best version of Brazil was in the 2006 era and it was filled with star players who were famous. starting from Dida the goalkeeper, Lucio, Roberto Carlos, Gilberto, Cicinto, Maiocon, Cafu, Emerson, Edmilson, Gilberto Sliva, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Julio Baptista, Robinho, Adriano, and the superstars, Ronaldo, all have big names and  play in top european clubs. Unfortunately, Brazil was unable to win the world title after the 2002 world cup.

But my favorite is still Argentina, in the 2002 era. At that time, it was filled by Roberto Ayala, Javier Zanetti, Juan Veron, Diego Simeone, Riquelme, Ortega, Crespo, Claudio  Lopez, and the superstar, Gabriel Omar Batistuta. it's a shame, Argentina was also unable to win the title after the 1978 world cup. only after Messi, they were able to achieve it. in the 2026 world cup later, it looks like Argentina will not be able to defend its title of defending champion. because after all, I don't see regeneration shining enough.

For Brazil, at least it's better because there are several new names popping up. also, they are predicted to have a wonderkid who will become the future of Madrid and the Brazilian national team later.

Indeed, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar showed that they managed to make history by becoming the best host in the history of this prestigious football event.
However, if the 2026 World Cup, which will host the United States, is chosen to host, then I am sure that I can compete with Qatar as the best host. America is a developed country and belongs to the most advanced economy in the world, so it will be easy for America to make the World Cup the best and the most luxurious, So maybe in 2026 America can write a new history in the history of the FIFA World Cup.

Indeed, this latest regulation from FIFA makes players feel useless when stalling for time and this can also impact the possibility of a comeback from their opponent which can be fatal for defeat. But on the other hand, even though this is a new regulation, I hope that the countries competing in the 2026 World Cup can adapt better, so there is no need to take actions that could harm the team.

Sometimes the time that becomes longer can often be detrimental to the winning team because the team that is left behind has time to score goals but the time that becomes longer is understandable because sometimes players can also slowing down themselves in many ways to spend time , where this can be said as an act of unfair play, and I like how FIFA is trying to make this sport better and make players also play fair play