# 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:** 258
**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 21, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5141 "2026-07-21T17:30:46Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > one team is going to have to play a single away match in Argentina Perhaps FIFA manages to put Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile in one group and they can play among themselves for a while. I hear they have a similar fondness for fouls. And what if one, two, or even **three** (looking at you, **Frodo** ) of those nations do not qualify? ---
**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 21, 2026, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5142 "2026-07-21T17:59:41Z")
The theory it’s based mostly in the performance of teams that avoided qualifiers by virtue of being the previous champions, for example Argentina 1982 and 1990 (were the team reached the final with 99% huevos and 1% performance (it helps having that 1% being in divine legs)), France in 2002, Italy in 2010, until they ended up removing automatic qualification for champions. Host teams always overperform so the effect is muted for them. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5143 "2026-07-21T18:00:06Z")
I think they will all automatically qualify as “hosts”. The implications of that are that even more minnows like Cape Verde and Curacao may qualify from CONCACAF as three of the big boys will not be competing. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5144 "2026-07-21T18:05:05Z")
That would be quite a feat for Cape Verde to qualify from CONCACAF. I don’t think continental drift will accelerate that much in the next few years. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5145 "2026-07-21T18:12:49Z")
you mean CONMEBOL. And it’s not easier it’s harder as they still only have 6.5 berths, 3 of them are now pre-snaffled and 1 will almost certainly go to Brazil. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5146 "2026-07-21T18:35:28Z")
Mad, isn’t it? Just hold 2030 in Spain/Portugal/Morocco and 2034 in Argentina/Uruguay/Paraguay. Forget Saudi. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5147 "2026-07-21T18:50:16Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > Forget Saudi. You expect FIFA to pass up all the potential oil money bribes?? 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5148 "2026-07-21T19:48:07Z")
I definitely don’t and they definitely won’t. ---
**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 21, 2026, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5149 "2026-07-21T20:17:10Z")
Nope, the abomination they are perpetrating for 2030 is Spain/Portugal/Morocco with some games being played in Argentina/Uruguay/Paraguay. ---
**Author:** ![Pheoinix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7993a0/32.png) [@Pheoinix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pheoinix)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5150 "2026-07-22T10:07:31Z")
This whole South American business in 2030 is for one reason only. To exclude CONMEBOL from hosting in 2034 which frees the path for Saudi Arabia. ---
**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 22, 2026, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5151 "2026-07-22T12:25:03Z")
Probably. It’s also a sop to the fact that WC 2030 should’ve been played in Uruguay/Argentina to commemorate the first world cup in Uruguay in 1930 (Uruguay alone couldn’t do it but Uruguay plus Argentina, plus perhaps some other neighboring country or two could). But as in 1996 (when the Olympic games should’ve been held in Athens, 100 years after the first modern Games) money wins over doing the right thing. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2026, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5152 "2026-07-22T12:54:49Z")
FIFA is such a moral joke that were I a trillionaire, like Musk, I’d offer a fabulous amount of money for the rights to host the World Cup in the most ridiculous place I could think of just to see if I could pull it off. How about Luxemburg? … WHAT?! Whadaya mean it’s too small! 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![Pheoinix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7993a0/32.png) [@Pheoinix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pheoinix)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5153 "2026-07-22T13:03:31Z")
Musk would probably make them play on the Moon, charging fans and players for breathing aparatus and oxygenation beaks every five minutes. ---
**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 22, 2026, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5154 "2026-07-22T13:10:03Z")
The only player that’s basically guaranteed to age out of their starting lineup is Laporte. A lot of the guys that would be questionable ages (Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Oyarzabal) already have world class backups. Maybe questionable on Oyarzabal, but yeah, Spain’s going to still be really good in 4 years. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5155 "2026-07-22T13:17:01Z")
Here’s a list of 11 players that most of us have probably never heard of, but who could feature in 4 years: [The uncapped breakthrough stars of the 2030 World Cup – as predicted by the experts - The Athletic](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7433185/2026/07/22/world-cup-2030-debutants-xi/) ---
**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 22, 2026, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5156 "2026-07-22T13:55:42Z")
Paywalled, unfortunately. Can you perhaps provide a gift link? ---
**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 22, 2026, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5157 "2026-07-22T14:01:41Z")
Here’s a link I found on reddit: [Reddit - Please wait for verification](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1v39wvt/the_athletic_the_uncapped_breakthrough_stars_of/) Haven’t heard of any of them even though there’s one from Barca’s academy. Surprised they didn’t throw a token American on there like Cavan Sullivan ---
**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 22, 2026, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5158 "2026-07-22T14:09:48Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Here’s a link I found on reddit: [Reddit - Please wait for verification](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1v39wvt/the_athletic_the_uncapped_breakthrough_stars_of/) Thanks, I see that Lennart Karl wasn’t on that list, but you should really look out for him, he’s the most exciting young German player, and he would have already played this WC but got injured shortly before the tournament. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2026, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5159 "2026-07-22T14:27:03Z")
Lennart Karl has three caps already, I think (at least based on the headline) that would disqualify him. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5160 "2026-07-22T14:36:18Z")
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