# FIFA World Cup 2026 - discussion etc **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-soccer-fifa\ **Created:** [October 14, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962 "2025-10-14T15:43:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 124
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2461 "2026-07-01T18:02:53Z")
Kane on 5 with Haaland. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2462 "2026-07-01T18:03:16Z")
Harry Kane showing up when the team needed him to show up, a characteristic of great players. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2463 "2026-07-01T18:03:35Z")
Ah, gave him one more than he scored. But he will catch up. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2464 "2026-07-01T18:07:37Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I don’t really have any dog in this fight anymore No, indeed, your avatar does not look like a fighting dog. Cute, yes. Ferocious? Nope. I have decided that instead of rooting for someone I will root against France. Whoever they play against. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2465 "2026-07-01T18:07:42Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Harry Kane showing up when the team needed him to show up, a characteristic of great players. I read an article the other day in which one of the current English squad was quoted saying that “Harry is the best footballer England ever had” (I don’t remember who it was, maybe Jude Bellingham). Sorry, Sir Bobby Charlton and other legends, I think he was right. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2466 "2026-07-01T18:10:12Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I have decided that instead of rooting for someone I will root against France. Whoever they play against. Ah, interesting, even if France plays the final against the USA? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2467 "2026-07-01T18:10:58Z")
That. Is. Not. Possible. 😡 ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2468 "2026-07-01T18:11:05Z")
Surely God in his infinite mercy would save us from such horrid fate. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2469 "2026-07-01T18:12:30Z")
I find it so hard to talk about very old players because the game was so different then. The early 2000s England team was considered a golden generation though, with Gerrard, Scholes, Lampard, Ferdinand, Cole, etc. I’d put Kane above all those guys for sure. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2470 "2026-07-01T18:15:08Z")
And miles above a wanker like Beckham. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2471 "2026-07-01T18:18:48Z")
Godott does not play dice, **EinsteinsHund** master once said, but he set up the crossings in such a way that they would meet in the semis (I had to check it, the thought! Oh, the thought!). There, and ony there, I might root for France. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2472 "2026-07-01T18:21:51Z")
Beckham’s a weird player, his position has basically completely left the game. Maybe some wingbacks fill similar roles? He was super popular when he was playing, then everyone said he was overrated, then some some analysts have said advanced stats show that went to far and he was fine. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2473 "2026-07-01T18:23:05Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Godott does not play dice, **EinsteinsHund** master once said But my master was wrong! (in the physical sense, I don’t know what he thought about football, which we all know has its own laws) ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2474 "2026-07-01T18:24:09Z")
Anyway God did not like the U.S., He had bad experiences there (that whole doping kerfuffle) so He would not allow them to reach the final. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2475 "2026-07-01T18:24:43Z")
According to my bracket USA can only meet France in the final. And to do so they would have to beat (most likely) Spain in the QF and Argentina in the SF ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2476 "2026-07-01T18:26:40Z")
That is the picture I based my statement on: [![](https://estaticos-cdn.prensaiberica.es/clip/892902a0-a205-42d1-b1ae-b6529ddb2acc_16-9-discover-aspect-ratio_default_0_x960y360.webp) ](https://estaticos-cdn.prensaiberica.es/clip/892902a0-a205-42d1-b1ae-b6529ddb2acc_16-9-discover-aspect-ratio_default_0_x960y360.webp) It is in Spanish, but the flags are clear, I believe. France and the USA can only meet in the semis on Tuesday, the 14th of July (isn’t that a national holiday somewhere?). The USA and France can only meet Argentina in the final. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2477 "2026-07-01T18:34:51Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > The USA and France can only meet Argentina in the final. Or England!, or Brazil!, or Colombia!.. Damn it **Pardel-Lux** don’t jinx us! ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2478 "2026-07-01T18:36:07Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > That is the picture I based my statement on: That bracket looks wrong to me. It looks like the top right and bottom left quadrants should be switched. The bracket simulator I used is here: [FIFA World Cup 2026 Simulator & Bracket Predictor](https://worldcuppass.com/simulator/) ETA - but it matches the one on the FIFA site. So don’t use [worldcuppass.com](http://worldcuppass.com) for simulations. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2479 "2026-07-01T18:41:19Z")
**[Link](https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/knockout-stage-match-schedule-bracket)** to the FIFA site in English, which agrees with the picture I posted in Spanish. In is a bit down and you have to scroll left and right, but it is clear and official. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2480 "2026-07-01T18:42:47Z")
First, Copilot was wrong in fact checking the announcers and then the bracket predictor Microsoft sent me to had the brackets reversed. Clearly I have relied too much on technology. I’ll just shut up now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=123) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=125)