England Forum - FIFA World Cup 2026: Other Teams Thread

CONEMBOL seem to think it will be a 64 team World Cup
Very clear CONEMBOL and UEFA are complete opposites now. CONCAFF and the AFC are opposed to 64 teams as it stands.

 

Yes I get where you're going. That improvisational ability Messi has is very South American. It doesn't really exist in Spanish archetypes.

And it appears like Barcelona took that player with the highest creative ceiling we've seen in along time and turned it into a machine.

Without Messi moving to Spain young, you don't get those stats and output over so many years. Likewise, without the Argentine foundations, the improvisation ceiling would not be there.

But this is possibly another argument as to why we probably won't see another Messi in our lifetimes. The stars would have to align so perfectly to create one, that it makes it extremely improbable.

 

I don't agree with people comparing Yamal to Messi. He's nowhere near messi's level not even a 19 year old Messi. He's a different kind of player, more like saka with his ability to find room then deliver a perfect cross or finish. Of course He's going to be a lot better than saka

 

Exactly he is a rare phenomenon. People will talk about him in 200 years.

 

Legend.

The only thing that scares Zlatan? Helicopters.@Ibra_official pic.twitter.com/aTOUx21SSz

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 19, 2026

 

The most technically adept players seem to hail from the Mediterranean region, Southern Europe and North Africa.

 

Remember early on the tallest teams were winning every game and then the final had the two shortest teams more or less. This is something that makes football stand apart from other sports.
Even Pele was only 5'8.

Rooney was 5'9 again no surprise but German manager like tall!

 

You mean banned from National team call ups if they move to Europe early?

 

Yes.

 

Yes he is not near Messi's level he is a Spanish recreation of Messi so he is a safe system player with little genius but supreme technique. There is not really a player like him exactly because they really built him to be like Messi in the ways that you can control.

Maybe we can compare him to Cruyff? That is probably his absolute max ceiling if he fulfills his potentially but he likely falls short of that.

 

Not sure how you can argue Yamal is "nowhere near" a 19-year-old Messi.

Yamal's teenage years have been quite clearly better than Messi's. Yamal is arguably the best teenager we've seen.

Messi exploded in his early 20s and just didn't stop improving throughout his career which is like nothing we've seen before.

 

I'd say Ronaldo was a better teenager, but that's it.

 

I never noticed how relatively short Rooney is when I saw him play live. Stood next to Joe Hart for the BBC Final coverage he looked tiny. Rooney just had presence on the pitch. I saw Federer play tennis at Wimbledon and he just filled the court, although he was not tall for a tennis player, he seemed massive. Some people just exude greatness. Gazza was fairly short too. Chris Waddle was my footballing hero as a young kid before Gazza. Supremely skillful winger and quite tall.

 

Winning the euros and then world cup by 19 is absurd. That is likely a record that will never be broken.

Pele was 17 in 1958 so he is likely still the best teenager of all time. I think Messi was more talented than Yamal 16-19 but they just didn't throw him into the fire. Barca of 2004/05/06 was not the same as it was from Pep until now. In pure ability I think we can watch Messi at 5 years old and see he was already a genius somehow.

 

being low centre of gravity helps. it is no coincidence that Messi Maradona Pele are all under 5'10. Does not mean you can't be tall and have great skill Zidane was fairly large which is why he was so dangerous because he could dribble like Cruyff but lean on you too.

most people had a young Rooney above a young Ronaldo for ability too.
he was a bull very similar to a young Carlos Tevez but an even better dribbler passer that could play as a 10. He was incredible. I wont so easily rank Kane or even Jude ahead of Rooney. Careers accolades can be somewhat molded by smart good decision making. Rooney could have went to Real Madrid in 2009 and scored easier goals and lifted 5 CL titles too. The eye test show he was a serious serious talent.

 

I think at 19, Messi's ceiling was obviously there to see. As you said Horris, we just didn't foresee the complete stat monster he would later morph into throughout his 20's.

Nobody could have foreseen that tbh.

 

yes in terms of stats no one could have seen that. Yamal could become a stat monster too so we will see. Yamal is not as fast as Messi was and he is a good bit taller. He is now 5'11 he was slightly shorter at Euro 2024 at 5'9/5'10 I think when he was shorter he was a better dribbler.

Either way Yamal is the best RW in the world he has been world class since he was 17 it is just silly how good he is for his age. Comparisons to Messi are silly for any player it will only unnecessarily diminish them see Ronaldo.

 

Yamal will be like Sterling and some others who by 30 are as good as done,

 

that's the problem age and football age are different. his legs wont be the legs of a normal 30 year old he will have seen some serious miles by then. Sports science was not what it is now but even Pele was cooked by 30.

 

I'm not denying yamal's ability. He just plays nothing like Messi. I saw Messi as an 18 year old dribble past 6 players then take it round the keeper to score. Yamal is more of a player who can find some space then whip in a great cross or score into the top corner. Both amazing teenagers but different styles

 

Leandro Paredes was not sent off after being involved in a brawl following Argentina's World Cup final defeat to Spain, contrary to initial reports - The Independent

Argentina's press has praised its national team's behaviour during and after Sunday's World Cup final defeat by Spain, despite international condemnation - The Telegraph

The 2030 World Cup will be expanded to 64 teams according to the president of the South American football confederation - The Telegraph

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cqjxzy44l0vo
Javier Tebas calling for Infantino to go but also for international football to be reduced because it’s damaging the club game. I suspect if he got his way international football would only occur every summer and never mid season.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c62xzle86n4o
Emi Martinez thinking about retiring from Argentina.

 

He can call all he wants. Its not going to happen

 

I know but shows the risks of something like an UEFA breakaway could have. That bad faith actors will try and exploit disruption to get their own gains which might be pretty controversial as well.

 

Spanish clubs have been pushing hardest for a super league. They were also in favour of the CWC.

There is a balance to be had. No more international expansion but no more club games either. European club competition has gone too far.