# 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:** 6\ **Page:** 263
**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:** [August 23, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5241 "2026-08-23T18:00:52Z")
For starters, Luís Paredes is a Colombian football player, the Argentinian we are talking about is called **[Leandro Paredes](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leandro_Paredes)**. Then he was born 1994, he has been with the Argentinian squad since 2017, nine years. I don’t think he is likely to be an active international player for the World Cup 2030, aged 36. Players keep playing longer and longer, see Messi, but I don’t see it in his case. But he is going to miss the next **Copa América** — oficially, **Conmebol Copa América** —, the only international tournament where the participating nations do not have to qualify to participate. He has won the last two editions of this tournament, 2021 (in Brazil) and 2024 (in the USA). There will likely be no more for him. His international career is over. _Chau, viejo_, good riddance! So Paredes gets a 10 game suspension, Molina 7, Almada gets one, Ayala 3, and the Spanish player Gavi, the victim who was thrown to the ground, also gets one. _Algo habrá hecho_ (@Frodo is going to Pit me some day). ---
**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:** [August 23, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5242 "2026-08-23T20:52:24Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > There will likely be no more for him. His international career is over. _Chau, viejo_, good riddance! The Copa is in 2028, and Argentina will easily have 10 friendlies in hand by then, just looking at the FIFA [fixture calendar](https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/3123d37097318f7f/original/Men-s-International-Match-Calendar-2023-2030_EN.pdf). That said, whether they care to have a wrecklessly violent 34-yo midfielder on the team… …ah, who am I kidding, they’ll happily have him on the bench if he’s still fit. ---
**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:** [August 23, 2026, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5243 "2026-08-23T20:55:05Z")
Are you sure that international friendlies count as official matches? ---
**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:** [August 23, 2026, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5244 "2026-08-23T21:01:30Z")
They have in the past, so as sure as I am of anything with FIFA. Which I guess isn’t much. ---
**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:** [August 23, 2026, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5245 "2026-08-23T21:05:57Z")
I’ll take your word for it, but it feels strange to me, as I don’t think they count at club level. You can’t get rid of a suspension in the Champions League or in La Liga after, say, receiving three or five yellow cards or a red card by having your club play a friendly match in which you don’t participate. I understand the situation is different, as is the calendar, and FIFA is not UEFA. ---
**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:** [August 23, 2026, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/5246 "2026-08-23T21:16:08Z")
Huh, well, searching the internet, it becomes less clear. And by that I mean, I can’t convince myself either way, but the word ‘official’ is making me lean more toward your interpretation. Sorry that I was so sure of myself! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=262)