# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/21 "2025-10-14T20:22:13Z")
Can’t ever rule out Brazil in a World Cup. ---
**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:** [October 14, 2025, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/22 "2025-10-14T20:25:45Z")
I agree, and I appreciate giving weight to a team’s history even when their current form is not so good, but I would put them a step below Argentina (and England I guess, but I haven’t been following them too much) ---
**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:** [October 14, 2025, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/23 "2025-10-14T20:38:08Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Can’t ever rule out Brazil in a World Cup. You could say the same about Germany. True, at the moment things aren’t looking good, although we did get back on track in the qualifiers and I’m quite sure we will qualify. We were also having a bad streak of injured key players (ter Stegen, Musiala, Havertz, Rüdiger) in the last 12 months or so. Of course the current squad isn’t on par with the team from 2014, but let’s see what happens in 2026 (if we make it there…). ---
**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:** [October 14, 2025, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/24 "2025-10-14T20:40:26Z")
+1 ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/25 "2025-10-14T20:52:10Z")
Okay so we’re saying the winners will come from Spain, France, England, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, and I’m going to add Portugal and Italy to that list. I assume the USA and Mexico will play all their games inside their own country (unless they face each other at some point) so I think we should add them to the list of unlikely but not impossible. I’m gonna write Canada off though, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/26 "2025-10-14T20:54:14Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > You had to jinx it, didn’t you? Italy scored a goal shortly after you posted that! And a 3-0 loss. I guess it will be at least another 4 years before we qualify. ---
**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:** [October 14, 2025, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/27 "2025-10-14T20:56:46Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Okay so we’re saying the winners will come from Spain, France, England, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, and I’m going to add Portugal and Italy to that list. These are the big guns, but I would also add Belgium and Croatia to the list, though only as underdogs. Or maybe an African team will make it very far this time (Egypt? Ghana?), which would be great for international football. Let’s face it, it’s long overdue for a non-European and non-South-American team to win the title. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/28 "2025-10-14T21:02:11Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > I assume the USA and Mexico will play all their games inside their own country How will the draw work? Is that guaranteed? ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/29 "2025-10-14T21:06:19Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > How will the draw work? Is that guaranteed? It is according to Wikipedia. At least the cohosts will all play their first group game in their home country stadium. Doesn’t guarantee all the group games will be in the host country though? > **[2026 FIFA World Cup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup)** > > The 2026 FIFA World Cup, marketed as FIFA World Cup 26, will be the 23rd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international men's soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. It will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in three North American countries; the main host country of matches is the United States, while Canada and Mexico will be the auxiliary hosts. The tournament will be the first to be h... ---
**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:** [October 14, 2025, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/30 "2025-10-14T21:07:47Z")
I would also add Japan to the dark horse candidates. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/31 "2025-10-14T21:12:03Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > These are the big guns, but I would also add Belgium and Croatia to the list, though only as underdogs. Or maybe an African team will make it very far this time (Egypt? Ghana?), which would be great for international football. Let’s face it, it’s long overdue for a non-European and non-South-American team to win the title. If you’re going to add Belgium and Croatia, I think you’d also have to add the Netherlands. ---
**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:** [October 14, 2025, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/32 "2025-10-14T21:17:55Z")
Yes, I concur, I forgot about them, always a force to be reckoned with in tournaments. ETA: and yes @Frodo , Japan, maybe the strongest Asian team. They just beat Brazil. ---
**Author:** ![Jegpeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/33 "2025-10-14T21:54:45Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > One thing that gives me hope (for england but not for an entertaining world cup) is the new format with a whole bunch of teams and an extra round of 32. Being able to dispatch smaller teams without drama and substitute your big players early, while you increase team cohesion from game to game, is actually going more important in this world cup. I actually think the new format is bad for England. While it is no guarantee even with 32 teams I was pretty confident England would get out of the group and get to the last 16. After that you are hoping the draw is kind (like it was in the 2018 world cup where we still managed to lose to Croatia in the Semis) and not like Euro 2020 when we won the group and had to face Germany in R16 becasue they finished 2nd in their group. With the new format get through the group only gets you to the last 32 and then it is the luck of the draw who you need ot beat to get through the the last 16. We could play another highly ranked team at these point and even if we play a weaker team in a one off game we can lose to anyone so getting to the last 16 is much less certain than it was in the old format where one slip in the group stage wouldn’t be fatal. If we get to the last 16 we wll have played one more game but I am not convinced that is much of an advantage to teams like England. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/34 "2025-10-14T22:12:17Z")
Isn’t it basically the same after the group stage? If I understand correctly, if they win their group, for example, they’ll be up against either the runner-up in a different group, or one of the top third-place teams. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/35 "2025-10-14T22:28:24Z")
> [@Jegpeg](#): > > I actually think the new format is bad for England We’ll see next summer. It depends a lot on the luck of the draw of course. But probably the round of 32 opponent will be a mid-ranked team who England can dispatch with some aplomb and go into the round of 16 on a high. Of course inglorious failure is always an option, as always, but I’d say another round of not too challenging opposition (combined with a probably less challenging group stage) will help England ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/36 "2025-10-14T22:30:35Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Isn’t it basically the same after the group stage? No there is a whole other knock out round, the round of 32 that is new. ---
**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:** [October 14, 2025, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/37 "2025-10-14T22:45:52Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I don’t know how we would be doing right now if we had to qualify the old fashioned way - perhaps a Doper who follows international soccer more closely could tell me They almost certainly would have comfortably qualified. Yes, I would have probably said the same thing before the 2018 cycle started. However, by far and away the best player on that team was a Christian Pulisic that had just started his professional career. He’s still the best player, but 2026 Pulisic is much better than 2018 Pulsic, and the gap is smaller. Looking at the roster that lost to Trinidad and Tobago I think Howard, Guzan, Ream, and a Pulisic clone are the only ones that make a 2026 roster. Maybe Bradley. Starting Paul Arriola and Bobby Wood? Yeesh. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/38 "2025-10-15T13:57:22Z")
And here we see the hidden security costs of holding a tournament in crime-ridden hellholes like Foxborough Boston or Philadelphia. [![](https://i.imgur.com/8RjqXdU.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/8RjqXdU.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/39 "2025-10-15T14:03:27Z")
Fortunately, we automatically qualify because we are a co-host, so we don’t have the monumental task of beating, say, Trinidad and Tobago in order to qualify. 🙃 ---
**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:** [October 15, 2025, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/40 "2025-10-15T14:27:00Z")
I wish the US had to qualify. Better to play games where results matter, even if it’s against Canada and Guatemala, than friendlies. Maybe if they scheduled all teams in the top 10 instead of 1 of them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=3)