OT: World Cup 2026
- Thread starter FiliUTEP
- Start date
There’s nowhere to play in San Diego. The city isn’t going to build a new stadium for 3 soccer games in 2026.
Big soccer fan huh? They don’t have “warm up” games. They’re called friendlies and they’re played in the teams home countries, not where the World Cup is taking place.
The question is, is FIFA going to give U.S., Canada and Mexico
the automatic bid?. I would imagine the rest of the Concacaf members
will get pissed of because our region only gets 3 bids into the world
cup. One has to play another team from another region to qualify.
the automatic bid?. I would imagine the rest of the Concacaf members
will get pissed of because our region only gets 3 bids into the world
cup. One has to play another team from another region to qualify.
That’s going to be an expanded 48 team tournament. I’m sure CONCACAF will be receiving additional bids.
If you really think about it the only one that’s getting a free bid is Canada since USA/Mex should be locks every WC.
Speaking of, when is the US's first game this WC? I can't seem to find it on the schedule.
jinx, you owe me a coke.Yet I don't see the US on the schedule that starts today....
There are some good teams not in this year including Ghana, the Neatherlands, Italy, and Chile. Still is going to be an amazing tournament. Wish the US was in it but they choked.
I have to think the Germans are the favorite again. This will be fun. Watch the game Friday with Portugal/Spain...wwwwweeeeeeeeeeee
According to this article(which I believe is based on how the bid was proposed), all 3 countries(USA, Canada, and Mexico) will get an automatic bid and also likely play on the opening day.
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...teams-how-the-2026-world-cup-will-work-united
But when the field expands to 48 teams(which might even happen as early as the next World Cup), then CONCACAF is going to get 6 auto bids(instead of the current 3.5). So there will still be 3 bids left for CONCACAF teams even after the USA, Canada, and Mexico get theirs.
Plus there is also going to be a crazy safety net play-off system for teams that don't qualify. Which will fill two more spots. It's like a 6 team play-off, where 4 teams will play each other and then the two winners will play the two highest non-European ranked FIFA teams that didn't qualify. So the USA is currently ranked #25 even though we didn't qualify for the World Cup. Basically if we somehow didn't finish in the top 6 of CONCACAF, then we would represent CONCACAF at the last chance Tournament and likely have to only win one game against a winner from the lesser 4 who also didn't make it. So long story short, it will almost be impossible for the USA to miss the World Cup once it expands and if we ever miss it again, then we certainly would be so bad that we would not deserve to be there anyway.
BTW, the expanded field is also going to create some issues, like some teams who haven't played a game having to play other teams who have already played a game.
Neither is Chile, who won the Copa America and is currently ranked in the top 10 in the world but didn't qualify for the World Cup.Yet I don't see the US on the schedule that starts today....
If teams like Chile can miss the World Cup, then USA and Mexico sure as hell shouldn't be considered locks.
I really don't understand, though: how could the USA both win the Gold Cup and crap the bed in World Cup Qualifying in such a short time period? The USA can at least clinch a spot in the next Confederations Cup if they win the next Gold Cup...
The big shockers to me were Netherlands and Italy. These two have been Major players in the world cup as long as I can remember. For both to be out is almost unthinkable.
At least that means we won't have to play Ghana in the World Cup again. Why do we always seem to get matched with them? (At least we won last time.) I hardly consider Ghana an elite team (currently ranked 47th), although they're always a thorn in our side (which probably shows that we're not an elite team). Their strategy always seems to be to get a one-goal lead and then to stall the rest of the game by faking injuries. That's just no fun to watch.
Sorry, without the USA in the tournament I just don't care. If Iceland makes a run that would at least be interesting and I might watch then, but there is no other reason I would watch any other game in the tournament.
There’s a huge difference in qualifying from CONCACAF to the CONMEBOL. USA/Mex are like the Brazil/Argentina of the region. Obviously it happened this cycle and last WC Mex almost didn’t qualify but when you compare the infrastructure of the North American heavy weights to the rest of the CONCACAF there shouldn’t ever be a reason those two nations don’t qualify.
I heard that the current US Soccer Federation is working on restructuring
soccer the way the do in football and basketball. They want to open
the door and guide new talent. They know that a lot of good players
with a lot of athletic ability divert to other sports cause they don't
have the support other sports do.
Go Miners...
soccer the way the do in football and basketball. They want to open
the door and guide new talent. They know that a lot of good players
with a lot of athletic ability divert to other sports cause they don't
have the support other sports do.
Go Miners...
Correct me if I'm wrong but soccer in this country is a sport for the relatively wealthy or at least upper middle class. Poor kids, among others, play football and basketball.
When we can make upper level soccer more accessible to those that can't afford the travel, equipment, fees etc, thats is when America will be a force in soccer. If we can get soccer into the inner cities and playgrounds, watch out.
When we can make upper level soccer more accessible to those that can't afford the travel, equipment, fees etc, thats is when America will be a force in soccer. If we can get soccer into the inner cities and playgrounds, watch out.
Spain and Portugal btw. What. A. Match. In a lifetime of greatness, this might be Ronaldo's greatest performance.
Most american boys have kicked like that once in their young lifetime. You know? Dad's car (maybe)....at night? Kicking those briefs off so fast that they spin into the corner at 50 mph and you can't find them when you need to put them back on? Amazing what a person can do with the right motivation.
Soccer sucks, Period, the End....sorry for being a troll, I'll see myself out of this thread....
Soccer and baseball don’t have many black star players like the other two sports. Basketball and football are seen as tickets out of poverty, not baseball and soccer.
Don't let the door hit your where the good lord split you.
Unfortunately you are correct sir. As a kid playing back in the 80s I remember my parents paying a one time fee of 30 to 50 bucks for the season and maybe an extra 10 to 20 bucks for the uniform, that was it. Now that I have kids of my own I was shocked at all the fees I had to pay for him to play. Coaches today are no longer doing it for the kids or for the love of the game, they’re getting paid big time for their services. I can afford the ridiculous amount I just couldn’t fathom shelling out hundreds of dollars for a 6 year old, it’s the principle. Consequently my son plays baseball and I can sleep at night knowing I’m not getting gouged.
I loved playing soccer and baseball growing up, but they can be difficult to watch when the action is slow....similar thing with golf, but I enjoy playing it too.
Today's Spain vs Portugal game was a barn burner and a pleasure to watch. Those last 2 goals by each side were equally awesome. The ability to attack and score is what makes the game exciting. Those teams from Europe and South America just play at a different level. We don't see that much with the USMNT, or Mexico for that matter.
We have some of the best athletes in the world. If US soccer can garner interest at a young age and find a way to take kids out of poverty and place them in proper programs, then we will make up ground and compete on a world level sooner than later. Soccer is the most popular sport in 90% of the world, but maybe 4th/5th in the U.S.
IMO we also need more academies associated with the European leagues, more U.S. players overseas and we need relegation in the MLS. Our young group is looking very decent and playing with a much better flow and attack. Im looking forward to 2022 and 2026 already.
Agree. That Portugal-Spain game was a great game. For the last 10-12 years Spain has reminded me of old Brazil. Their ability to possess the ball and create lanes is as good as I’ve seen. They are the epitome of how to “joga bonita”.
Although we have improved, the US has so far to go, and will probably never “get there” so to speak. Our only recourse against top notch competition has been to park the bus in front of the goal and hope for a couple counter attack opportunities. That can only take a team so far. Even so, I still wish we were part of this WC hoping for a miracle or two.
I do agree that the US and even Mexican leagues are very hard to watch. Sometimes the games are just one team kicks it down the field and tries to run under it, and then it’s the same thing going the other way.
And because those are the two leagues shown most on TV people get a bad taste in their mouth about soccer. But if you follow The Premiere League or The Champions league, that’s almost aa good as the World Cup.
I think a major problem with both US and Mexican soccer is that they don’t develop players who have that one on one style where they can take someone one and beat them, either with speed, or dribbling. Watch an MLS or Liga MX game and you’ll see 1 attacker taking it vs 2 defenders. And 99.999999999% of the time the defenders win because all anyone can do is put their head down and run forward. The US just tries to outwork teams
I don’t know how you develop that style, flair or whatever you want to call it. But that’s what we need. But you look at basketball for example, American players have a style/flair. With the crossovers, step backs etc.
Fun fact, 'joga bonito' is known as tiki taka in spanish. I always grew up knowing it as joga bonito, but there was a lot of brazilian influence in El Paso with Marinho (RIP) and Oscar Lira.
There was a previous comment made about soccer being expensive and that is completely true. Before, we paid our player registration and that was it. Now I pay about $150 bucks a month for my son to be on a club team, plus the uniforms, warmups, bag (cuz our kids gotta look cool) and coaches traveling expenses for tournaments. Hell, when I grew up, kids played for a Brazilian World Cup player and didn't pay a dime. Today these guys just do it for the money.
I think I remember you saying you played with Santos...correct? But if I remember correctly you were younger than Eric Feliberti, Edgar ?, Herman and Jimmie Guardado and the rest of that group???
Although probably not anywhere near the extent you knew him, I also had the good fortune of knowing Marinho. Great guy. As you previously stated, R.I.P.
Yeah, even 10 years ago I was paying $90 each for monthly training fees here in the SA area, for my two sons. That wasn’t even the bulk of it. As you mentioned, the constant travel was extremely costly. I missed the game a lot when my oldest went the fb route and my youngest went the extreme sports route...but my wallet wasn’t quite as light.
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What sport is cheap nowadays for kids? These thinks are money-making schemes on the highest level.
So.... just 77 more days till REAL football returns. Soccer is for little kids riding in minvans.
pfffffftttt. Lets do this, we'll play a soccer game, a bball game and some other sport, we can even figure out something for 'football'.... whoever loses pays the other guy's tab, then he drives a broken down minivan home
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