2026 WC USA (et al): Worldwide Opponents Watch [all R's]

I am confused.

 

4-1 no offside

 

Oh, there was another touch (maybe?)

 

Yeah looks like Isak actually flicked it on, making it onside.

Almost a 5th goal for Sweden.

 

Sweden is sure to advance with gd

 

Sweden 5_1…Goalkeeper’s positioning is poor

 

Even if their qualification is a sham, the talent is undeniably there for Sweden. I think they're gonna hang with Netherlands and Japan

 

Worst case they should be among the 8 best 3rd place teams.

 

There were some really interesting bets with this group available, Ivory Coast definitely looked to be getting the short end of the stick in terms of projected results and odds, so I tilted their direction slightly for the longer odds, but still felt lucky in the first half to have it a draw. I just figured this game featured 2 excellent defenses and only 1 quality attack, but in the end, Ecuador looked better to me in the first half and unlucky not to be leading despite my preference for the Ivorians. Second half sounded like Ivory Coast really improved a good deal (I missed a huge chunk of it while making dinner).

So far:
I had Mexico over South Africa
South Korea over Czech Republic.
2-0

Friday:
I had Canada over Bosnia, got that wrong.
USA over Paraguay, got that right
1-1 (3-1)

Saturday:
I had Switzerland over Qatar: Lost that.
Morocco +0.5 and a draw, got that right.
Scotland 1 Haiti 0, got that right
Australia 2 Turkey 0, got that wrong
2-2 for 5-3

Sunday:
Germany over Curacao: got that right
Netherlands-Japan Draw: got that wrong
Ivory Coast +0.5 Draw (won the bet, but wrong on the result)
Sweden over Tunisia: Got that right
7-5 so far.

So far the biggest surprises to me:
Australia, Qatar, Haiti being better than Scotland, kind of.....Paraguay being atrocious, rather than losing to us in a tight 2-1 or 2-0 game, and yeah, the Swiss being total ---.

 

I think people liked the first 45 of the USMNT win, the quality of the attacking, hated the second half other than the pretty Reyna finish. That's the vibe I got anyway.

Best watches for me beyond my homer pick with the USMNT...

South Korea over the Czech's: justice was served and the South Koreans were a joy to watch.
Brazil vs Morocco was fun
Japan and Netherlands draw was fun from what I watched in patches in the second half....
Ivory Coast vs Ecuador was a rare entertaining 0-0 draw through 88 minutes.....

No classic's yet beyond the second half of the Japan-Netherlands game.

 

That's what happens every single time Tunisia takes their sterling defensive record outside of CAF and gets sandblasted off the field for 90 minutes. There are few teams I'm more completely sick of than Tunisia at the WC. Every single cycle their prior history of qualifying gifts them a cake group, and they qualify before getting their ---es handed to them for another 3 games. Oh what I would give for literally anyone else from Africa, freaking anyone. Give me Liberia, give me Ethiopia, give me Namibia, Eswafreakingtini. Anything but another boring --- Tunisian team that either puts you to sleep in tight losses, or gets obliterated the second they leave their continent.

Credit to them for being the first CAF side to win a World Cup match (apparently against El Tri, so even better), and maybe they get a mulligan for sucking again at this WC because for once they didn't actually suck last cycle (tied Denmark and inexplicably beat France), but man oh man am I sick of that team and their fraud defend and counter suck they drag to every WC. After allowing zero goals in ten matches in an absolute joke qualify directly group, they go to the AFCON, actually have to play real teams, and give up 6 goals in four games, pitching zero shutouts, while surrendering goals to Uganda (1), Nigeria (3), Tanzania (1) and Mali (1) before crashing out in the Round of 16.

I don't know why they stick in my craw so much but it's probably because I know they are the very essence of CAF mediocrity and have just patented a technique to qualify for WC's no matter how ugly their play and then suck, and suck horribly in said world cups (26th in '98, 29th in '02, 24th in '06, we got a break from their suck in '10 and '14, before they came back and were 24th in '18 and a radically improved 21st in '22 lol)....I'm just bitter that teams that could give us beautiful soccer or at least entertain to some degree like Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali even Burkina Faso, are home, and this bore fest is back to show us how to lose by multiple goals in 2 of 3 games as per usual and finish with a -3 or worse GD as per usual, but not even in a joyful inept way like Curacao or Haiti, but just in a dull as dishwater way as they always are. I'm just glad Sweden took them to the sword, I don't want them in a 4th game pretty much ever. I'm bitter, not sure why, there's just something that sticks in my craw about how they keep coming in over and over and over and it's the same ---- every time. I don't mind teams sucking if they bring something of some sort. Curacao scoring against Germany was cool, Haiti fought like crazed dogs all game per the famous LT quote, they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn at times, and they overhit about 99% of their final passes, but they fought like mad, and left it all out there. Tunisia just puts me to sleep, and they simply won't go away. Hate it. I love a 48 team World Cup, love it, it doesn't bother me at all, it's teams like Tunisia that just bum me out. I see them, and I know it's a game I'll just have to skip. Yuck. I know I'm being unfair, I'm just sick of their game, beyond sick of it, while acknowledging that they had some great performances for the first time ever last cycle, but now they are back to hot garbage, ready to serve, 3 times in 3 weeks.

 

Apparently Curacao's manager Dick Advocaat told his team to 'play like Brazil'.. and they did, lost 7-1 to Germany

 

🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Tunisia have SACKED head coach Sabri Lamouchi following their 5-1 defeat to Sweden. 🇹🇳👋

Lamouchi becomes the first manager to lose his job at the 2026 World Cup, with Tunisia acting swiftly after their heavy loss.

(Source: @Romain_Molina) pic.twitter.com/l63EI0zi0I

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) June 15, 2026

 

There's no way. We sure that's real?

 

In the interim they have brought in Big Sam.

 

The decision to play 352 with Isak and Gyorkes up top certainly has helped. Along with Isak being healthy.

2 of those goals were gifts. 2 of them were also absolute screamers.

 

I bet they go to their other keeper immediately. But with the Dutch & Japan left.....that is tough sledding.

 

I wonder if Spain will pour it on or stop after a certain score?

 

They better score at least 4 for no particular reason whatsoever.

 

5 . . . the number is 5, blood

 

I got it in yesterday at 4. Like shooting fish in a barrel with some of these. Im 4 for 4. (Picked USA winning by 2 or more, Morrocco-Brazil tie, Canada Bosnia tie, Germany scoring at least 6, and today I hope to continue that streak)

And that said, at 5, youre completely safe too

 

Interestingly enough, former USYNT player CJ dos Santos does not get the start in Cape Verde's opener vs Spain. They've elected to stick with 40 year-old Vozinha. Only surprises me due to Vozinha's age, it's not like dos Santos has been lighting MLS aflame this season...

either that, or they're trying to spare CJ the humiliation of a shellacking... TBD.

 

I think a guy that old deserves a start just for putting in a shift that long. This is the least likely game to win so might as well give it to him.

Cape Verde set up camp here in Tampa so I gotta root for them a little bit.

 

Cape Verde have survived the opening 15', and it sounds like the crowd is behind them even if the lower bowl looks like its dominated by La Roja jerseys