FIFA World Cup 2026 Results & Discussion Thread [R]

lol, ref stopped the game when the Swiss had an advantage, here he says play on. no consistency.

 

The announcers are preying for Argentina to score a goal.

 

Julian Alvarez wow.

 

Wow what a hit.

 

FIFA got their wish.

France v Spain and England v Argentina.

 

It's unfair that you have Alvarez on the left who can shoot like that, or Messi on the right who can shoot like that.

 

I don't see England beating such a resilient Argentina with 15 men. France/Spain vs Argentina final it is.

 

Exciting semis on paper.

 

That is very fair.

What isn't fair is having to defend for over 50 minutes because officials call matches to aid Argentina

 

I don't know.

What will Argentina do when they have to actually play against some elite attackers in Kane and Bellingham.

Defensively solid and tenacious teams have taken them to the limit multiple times and scored on them with attackers that are not normally lighting up the world stage.

 

I think the France-Spain match is interesting. The England-Argentina?

We all know what will happen. If England dares to play well I expect multiple penalties and a red card.

Then again who knows? FIFA probably just wanted them at least in the bronze medal match

 

It wasn’t that difficult to predict.

 

Hand of God game 40 years later. I am old enough to watch that game on TV. I was 17.

 

Argentina hasn't beaten a single team inside the top 15 of the fifa rankings. Logic says that any team inside should take care of them. But with referees being the primary protagonist of multiple ties in their favor, I don't see anything other than a finals appearance.

 

I’m predicting a Spain v Argentina final. And the whole narrative will be Messi passing the torch to Yamal…..

FIFA outcome scripted of course.

 

Not 1 match without controversy and dubious calls for the fraud team

Meanwhile Jude and Kane carrying us with clean victories no sane person can question about.

But we know this ends in the semis, don't we?

 

England looks significantly better than Argentina. If that game goes according to chalk and without referee interference, England likely wins by a goal or two. Sure, Argentina could play well, England bad, or there could be a fluke, but the above scenario would seem the most likely. In that case, are “they” really going to pull an all-time screw job on England and risk the British media uproar and possibly even investigate journalism exosés? Will be interesting to see.

 

in a world where pigs could fly...

 

England fans serenade Jude after the game against Norway.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DarBpyCiTQ6/?igsh=M3AxdWlkNmJobnpq

Mad respect to Jude. The dude carries the weight of a very heavy shirt and nation. He's ballin' out at the perfect time, and I'm here for it.

What would totally make my day is if Jude found someway to beat Argentina alongside Kane so he can get the Golden Ball. I would love that, and for Mbappe to get the golden boot.

 

That's a likely outcome as the extreme favoritism for Argentina in the last 2 World Cups does not seem to abate.

Just look at the mind boggling comparison between the 2006-2018 and 2022-2026 World Cup periods.

PENALTY KICK RATES: Penalties received by Argentina
2006: 0
2010: 0
2014: 0
2018: 1
2022–2026: 8 penalties in 12 matches so far (7 in the last 9 matches). Sudden inexplicable spike in penalty awarding (no other team showing anything close to this increase).

FOUL-TO-CARD RATIOS: When policed with standard level of stringency, Argentina received:
2006: A card every 7.5 fouls (tournament average: 4.5)
2010: A card every 9.0 fouls (tournament average: 7.0)
2014: A card every 10.0 fouls (tournament average: 8.0)
2018: A card every 5.0 fouls (tournament average: 6.0).

Currently, Argentina is permitted a staggering 22 fouls before a referee pulls out a single card (which is inevitably yellow; never red), while their rivals receive cards every 5 to 10 fouls (Egypt every 5; Brazil every 6). This metric will become even more skewed after today's game against Switzerland.

Of course, there are demonstrable double standards in the application of VAR every match, alongside highly favorable group-stage draws and easy knockout pathways. Off the pitch, the rot runs even deeper with fraud and money laundering allegations involving the Argentine Football Association (alleged $300 million money laundering scheme, including World Cup prize money), with FIFA serving as the direct source of the laundered funds.

So, it is an uphill battle for England. However, let’s have faith in the power of the English media. If their own team gets cheated against, they are capable of exposing this entire charade.