2026 FIFA World Cup thread [R]

Argentina in 2nd to Mexico in most favorable VAR interventions, and they've gotten some *critical* game-chaning ones.

 

If Messi playing it's rigged^2.

 

Switzerland sucks, and the red was deserved, so not feeling the outrage. Your data may vary.

 

Switzerland is not bad. It's not just this one game, it's been multiple games, now, most notably the Egypt game.

 

Switzerland gives Paraguay vibes. Down to ten seems to be advantageous to their game plan.

 

Nothing like Paraguay. They were tied for 10th out of 64 in goals scored in the group stage with 7. Paraguay scored 2. Switzerland also scored 2 on Algeria in the 1st knockout. Colombia game was scoreless but they didn't bunker. It was back and forth.

 

64 what? There were 48 teams in the tournament.

 

Switzerland 1 FIFA 3

 

Right, 48.

 

Argentina will finally get to play someone within the top 10 FIFA ranking. Some far the highest is Switzerland which was #19 before World Cup started. That tells you how easy their path has been and they still only got through with 12 men.

 

And once again they get the easier draw (England, instead of Spain or France).

 

Excellent come back!

The "Brit" announcers make an effort to pronounce most names correctly, except that they butcher Spanish names and words. One of them, speaking of something unrelated, mentioned the "Copa del Rey," pronouncing it more or less correctly. But then said: "in plain language, the King's Cup." That's not plain language, it's just English. I find them offensive. Your mileage may vary. They talk about South American teams using "the dark arts." But never talk about Euro teams doing the same thing. They are exceptionally dismissive of African and Asian teams. It's rude.

Also, last July (July '25) when I visited the Culloden Battlefield, I took a picture of the grave stone marking where my ancestors are buried. So it's entirely possible that I'm biased. But I'm not the only one who notices this stuff.

Have a good day.

Go Humans!!

 

France on Bastille Day.

 

LAndy agrees that youth soccer has become a racket....


This might be one of the reasons of why they had a disappointing World Cup...

Former U.S. star Landon Donovan criticized the American soccer system and the “pay-to-play” model.

“If you don’t make $50,000 a year, your child can’t play soccer. My mom made $34,000 a year as a single mother raising three kids. She couldn’t afford the $4,000 it cost for me to play in clubs. But someone allowed me to join the team and paid for me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made it.”

Donovan highlighted that only 2% of children from families earning less than $50,000 per year have the opportunity to play.

 

Anybody but France and their team of mercenaries lifting the cup.

 

I agree completely... they are my least favorite.

 

It's way more than 4K now. It was 4K, of which at least 1/2 was travel costs, when I was coaching a million years ago.

 

Yeah that is sad.

Honestly, I don't know how some familes can afford it.

They should just concentrate on playing on local AYSO teams and High School soccer.

If the players are good anyway, they will progress.

I mean it is either that, or go broke trying to make it to the top.

 

In his England postgame comments Haaland said it was a hard fought match and a big step for Norway to compete in a match like that, and that it could have ended differently if some of the calls went a different way. He then said that, playing for Man City, he’s not used to not getting the calls.

 

Those guys were born in France. They are part of the African diaspora.