FIFA World Cup 2026

[Master Chief]

Tuchel on Eng vs. Mex:

"Not to mention the altitude will be, of course, a big disadvantage, because we cannot physically adapt to it in four days. It's just impossible and more obstacles will maybe come.

"But we are ready for that, we need it maybe. We have the ideal platform now to genuinely believe that we are ready for that, and when the going gets tough, that we will find the answers."

"I'm not sure if the travel will be smooth, if the sleep will be smooth, if there's noise outside the hotel,"

Excuses are all being deployed early from the German.

Interestingly, the bookmakers have England as slightly odds on and Mexico as even money. They're not buying into Tuchel's narrative. I would suggest that he himself is privately rather concerned by what he has seen on the pitch with a team that is clearly dependent on Kane's miracle giving and hence, he needs to start making excuses now to protect his job.

If I were Mexico, I would use this to my advantage. Mexico should actually keep the ball but not venture too far forward, let England tire themselves out chasing shadows for the first 20 minutes, and only then up the tempo and leave England gasping at the high altitude.

 

[Musings]

France/Spain–Argentina final, most likely.

Hoping for an Arab victory (Morocco, Algeria, or Egypt), but that is highly unlikely unless Morocco performs better than ever and has all the margins in its favor.

Most likely, we will see a nation that has already won the World Cup win it again.

Hard to look past France though. Best team on paper and that attack is scary. I have seen few teams with such a depth of attacking talent. That work hard without the ball as well.

If they had a better midfield, they would be locked in as a winner, excluding injuries, a complete off day and similar.

Morocco is ranked 6 in the world bro - to knock the Netherlands out is a great achievement as the Dutch were many peoples favorites. Having said that - have to agree cant see anything but France doing the business

 

[_Arabia_]

Morocco is ranked 6 in the world bro - to knock the Netherlands out is a great achievement as the Dutch were many peoples favorites. Having said that - have to agree cant see anything but France doing the business

Unfortunately for Morocco, their bracket is very difficult.

Canada will not be a walkover and if they defeat Canada they will likely face France (who we all expect to defeat Paraguay).

Should they somehow defeat France (unlikely) they will face either (most likely) Spain or Portugal.

Before most likely facing either Argentina or England in a possible final.

Hard for me to look past a France/Spain and Argentina final.

England could of course "surprise" (one of the favorites on paper so not a HUGE surprise should they win) and reach the final. Would not put it past them - given how good Kane is.

England looked rather weak against DR Congo but on the other hand their goalkeeper had the game of his life and Congo did very well and fought like lions (silverback gorillas in their case).

Also not a coincidence that France have such success on the international stage (in the past 30 years) after incorporating so many African and Arab players. This gives them an X factor, flair, individual brilliance and physicality. Coupled with an European football education.

England is also heavily represented by Afro-English players. I think there are more of them than the indigenous English. Not that it matters as they are all English but you see this in every top European team. Same thing with Netherlands and even Germany. To a degree Spain even, with the main star (Yamal) being half Moroccan and half Equatorial Guinean (African). Then you have Nico Wiliams as well who was one of the stars when they won the EUROS against England back in 2024.

This leads me to believe that Africa might be dominating football soon as the continent grows in economic strength (each country), stability and they continue to grow as football nations.

They have a tremendous potential.

In theory, I see no reason why countries like KSA (with our large Afro-Arab community - around 10% of the population) could not have similar talents if we had a better FA (our president just resigned, waiting for that Greek/German manager to follow suit and most other leadership), more consistency and better football infrastructure (in terms of football academies - although this has been changing for the better in recent years - still not good enough), forced our best players to go abroad and play in Europe more, etc.

 

[Master Chief]

Unfortunately for Morocco, their bracket is very difficult.

Canada will not be a walkover and if they defeat Canada they will likely face France (who we all expect to defeat Paraguay).

Should they somehow defeat France (unlikely) they will face either (most likely) Spain or Portugal.

Before most likely facing either Argentina or England in a possible final.

Hard for me to look past a France/Spain and Argentina final.

England could of course "surprise" (one of the favorites on paper so not a HUGE surprise should they win) and reach the final. Would not put it past them - given how good Kane is.

England looked rather weak against DR Congo but on the other hand their goalkeeper had the game of his life and Congo did very well and fought like lions (silverback gorillas in their case).

Also not a coincidence that France have such success on the international stage (in the past 30 years) after incorporating so many African and Arab players. This gives them an X factor, flair, individual brilliance and physicality. Coupled with an European football education.

England is also heavily represented by Afro-English players. I think there are more of them than the indigenous English. Not that it matters as they are all English but you see this in every top European team. Same thing with Netherlands and even Germany. To a degree Spain even, with the main star (Yamal) being half Moroccan and half Equatorial Guinean (African). Then you have Nico Wiliams as well who was one of the stars when they won the EUROS against England back in 2024.

This leads me to believe that Africa might be dominating football soon as the continent grows in economic strength (each country), stability and they continue to grow as football nations.

They have a tremendous potential.

In theory, I see no reason why countries like KSA (with our large Afro-Arab community - around 10% of the population) could not have similar talents if we had a better FA, more consistency and better football infrastructure (in terms of academic - although this has been changing for the better in recent years - still not good enough), forced our best players to go abroad and play in Europe more, etc.

Agree. It will take France to stop Morocco in this particular bracket.

Will be one hell of a game to watch though!

 

[Musings]

Unfortunately for Morocco, their bracket is very difficult.

Canada will not be a walkover and if they defeat Canada they will likely face France (who we all expect to defeat Paraguay).

Should they somehow defeat France (unlikely) they will face either (most likely) Spain or Portugal.

Before most likely facing either Argentina or England in a possible final.

Hard for me to look past a France/Spain and Argentina final.

England could of course "surprise" (one of the favorites on paper so not a HUGE surprise should they win) and reach the final. Would not put it past them - given how good Kane is.

England looked rather weak against DR Congo but on the other hand their goalkeeper had the game of his life and Congo did very well and fought like lions (silverback gorillas in their case).

Also not a coincidence that France have such success on the international stage (in the past 30 years) after incorporating so many African and Arab players. This gives them an X factor, flair, individual brilliance and physicality. Coupled with an European football education.

England is also heavily represented by Afro-English players. I think there are more of them than the indigenous English. Not that it matters as they are all English but you see this in every top European team. Same thing with Netherlands and even Germany. To a degree Spain even, with the main star (Yamal) being half Moroccan and half Equatorial Guinean (African). Then you have Nico Wiliams as well who was one of the stars when they won the EUROS against England back in 2024.

This leads me to believe that Africa might be dominating football soon as the continent grows in economic strength (each country), stability and they continue to grow as football nations.

They have a tremendous potential.

In theory, I see no reason why countries like KSA (with our large Afro-Arab community - around 10% of the population) could not have similar talents if we had a better FA, more consistency and better football infrastructure (in terms of academic - although this has been changing for the better in recent years - still not good enough), forced our best players to go abroad and play in Europe more, etc.

Ye African nations have come a long way - only in the 70s some of the players didnt understand the rules - now most of their players dominate the European leagues.......

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[_Arabia_]

Agree. It will take France to stop Morocco in this particular bracket.

Will be one hell of a game to watch though!

So far, I have to say, outside of those annoying hydration breaks (which FIFA mandates so not the fault of the host countries and the temperatures in many locations are high - after all we are talking about the US, Mexico and Canada during the summer - anyone that has visited those countries during the summer knows how hot and humid most places are), high prices for transportation and hotels as well as FIFA's high ticket prizes (those cheaper tickets were bought long ago), and some unfortunate US treatment of fans from country x or y (Iran should also have been treated as any other team - same with others that faced similar problems - a few Arab teams and African ones), it has been a rather entertaining World Cup with many goals and drama.

Hopefully the best is ahead of us.

Not that I have anything against the likes of Paraguay etc. but a bit of a shame that Germany went out. I would have liked to have seen a France-Germany knockout game (historical rivals).

Also curious to see if the Cape Verde fairytale will continue against Messi (GOAT) and Argentina. Unlikely but they have been really impressive. Draw against Spain, Uruguay and KSA. A hard nut to crack. Deserved that they qualified along with Spain and that KSA and Uruguay went home. In hindsight, if KSA had defended better in the last 10 minutes and defeated Uruguay 0-1, we might have played against Argentina but I doubt that we would do much with this current lot and manager. No chance of another shock win against Argentina like in Qatar (2-1 win). Most important is to prepare well for the 2034 World Cup in KSA and to make the best team possible through hard work, sending more players abroad to Europe and focus on youth and talents as well as consistency in the FA and managerial position (likely never to occur but one can hope).

Is England hit by a World Cup fever or too soon for that?

BTW, England-Mexico in Mexico City (Azteca stadium), 2500 meters above sea level, will be some game. I could see England lose that tie.

But I have Kane and Bellingham on my manager team so I hope that the English will win. A possible England-Brazil tie also looks better on paper or a England-Argentina semifinal. I like upsets like most others but another part of me wants to see the biggest stars and teams against each other and England simply has superior players compared to Mexico.

 

[Musings]

So far, I have to say, outside of those annoying hydration breaks (which FIFA mandates so not the fault of the host countries and the temperatures in many locations are high - after all we are talking about the US, Mexico and Canada during the summer - anyone that has visited those countries during the summer knows how hot and humid most places are), high prices for transportation and hotels as well as FIFA's high ticket prizes (those cheaper tickets were bought long ago), and some unfortunate US treatment of fans from country x or y (Iran should also have been treated as any other team - same with others that faced similar problems - a few Arab teams and African ones), it has been a rather entertaining World Cup with many goals and drama.

Hopefully the best is ahead of us.

Not that I have anything against the likes of Paraguay etc. but a bit of a shame that Germany went out. I would have liked to have seen a France-Germany knockout game (historical rivals).

Also curious to see if the Cape Verde fairytale will continue against Messi (GOAT) and Argentina. Unlikely but they have been really impressive. Draw against Spain, Uruguay and KSA. A hard nut to crack. Deserved that they qualified along with Spain and that KSA and Uruguay went home. In hindsight, if KSA had defended better in the last 10 minutes and defeated Uruguay 0-1, we might have played against Argentina but I doubt that we would do much with this current lot and manager. No chance of another shock win against Argentina like in Qatar (2-1 win). Most important is to prepare well for the 2034 World Cup in KSA and to make the best team possible through hard work, sending more players abroad to Europe and focus on youth and talents as well as consistency in the FA and managerial position (likely never to occur but one can hope).

Is England hit by a World Cup fever or too soon for that?

BTW, England-Mexico in Mexico City (Azteca stadium), 2500 meters above sea level, will be some game. I could see England lose that tie.

But I have Kane and Bellingham on my manager team so I hope that the English will win. A possible England-Brazil tie also looks better on paper or a England-Argentina semifinal. I like upsets like most others but another part of me wants to see the biggest stars and teams against each other and England simply has superior players compared to Mexico.

Cant see England beating Mexico - with that altitude and home advantage to the Mexicans....

 

[_Arabia_]

Cant see England beating Mexico - with that altitude and home advantage to the Mexicans....

I read that the English players were complaining about fatigue and the weather. Outside of the weather (Mexico City is rarely hot or humid due to the high elevation unlike much of Mexico), the high elevation (which they are not used to at all) will likely be a problem for them. I know it from KSA when visiting South Hejaz and South KSA where some of our largest cities are located 2000-2800 meters above sea level, and you can instantly feel the difference in terms of breathing let alone when running/doing physical exercise, mountaineering or even walking.

The football also behaves differently in high altitude. It will be very interesting to watch that game and see how the English players will cope with this change of scenery.

 

[Master Chief]

Ye African nations have come a long way - only in the 70s some of the players didnt understand the rules - now most of their players dominate the European leagues.......

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Video is blocked for some unknown reason but i am going to take a wild guess that it's that magical moment from 1974 Zaire vs Brazil?

 

[Aziqbal]

Shame on Senegal against Belgium

Wish they had won that

And also England looked totally rubbish and Congo should have gone through

Many people support Africa over these teams

In Scotland we were all cheering Congo

And also Senegal

 

[F-22Raptor]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

Shame on Senegal against Belgium

Wish they had won that

And also England looked totally rubbish and Congo should have gone through

Many people support Africa over these teams

In Scotland we were all cheering Congo

And also Senegal

Of course Scotland is going to cheer anyone over England.

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

I read that the English players were complaining about fatigue and the weather. Outside of the weather (Mexico City is rarely hot or humid due to the high elevation unlike much of Mexico), the high elevation (which they are not used to at all) will likely be a problem for them. I know it from KSA when visiting South Hejaz and South KSA where some of our largest cities are located 2000-2800 meters above sea level, and you can instantly feel the difference in terms of breathing let alone when running/doing physical exercise, mountaineering or even walking.

The football also behaves differently in high altitude. It will be very interesting to watch that game and see how the English players will cope with this change of scenery.

7300ft is a huge difference from the altitudes the English normally play. In spite of what the paper statistics say, the advantage lays with Mexico.

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

Some incredible drama yesterday! Well done USA and Belgium. And a special welcome to the world of VAR for our American friends.

I have mixed feelings about VAR.

Major League Baseball is starting to see some abuse of the ABS system.

 

[_Arabia_]

7300ft is a huge difference from the altitudes the English normally play. In spite of what the paper statistics say, the advantage lays with Mexico.

Best example of this in world football is the advantage that Bolivia almost always enjoys whenever they are playing World Cup qualifying home games in La Paz.

Estadio Municipal de El Alto - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre

es.wikipedia.org

Brazil, Argentina and others regularly lose due to this Bolivian advantage.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

4.100 meters above sea level. I think it is the highest located stadium in the world. Somehow FIFA have accepted this Bolivian advantage as they could play their home games in many other cities and towns in Bolivia that are not located that high.

For instance Santa Cruz de la Sierra (their largest city).

This is what I dislike about football. That the stadiums are not equal in quality. It is not like NFL where most stadiums are very similar in terms of quality (altitude, size etc. are different of course) or even better example tennis courts or basketball courts.

In football the lesser teams often use bad pitches (that slow down the play and favor the team defending) etc. to their advantage.