2026 FIFA World Cup Thread

[kphoger]

By what other name are they more often called?

Now you're just being silly.  A team of soccer players representing Mexico and commonly referred to as 'Mexico' for simplicity's sake in the World Cup doesn't make it actually Mexico—any more than a group of athletes representing Mexico and commonly referred to as 'Mexico' for simplicity's sake during the Olympics are actually Mexico.

I'm going to press the Olympics angle here.  Those games have both individual and team sports.  Let's take the 2020 summer games as an example.  Tom Dean, of Great Britain, won a gold medal in the 200 meter individual freestyle swimming event, and his team also won a gold medal in the 4x200 meter freestyle relay.  Would you say that it was acceptable for an American to cheer for Dean during the former but unacceptable during the latter?  After all, he competed as an individual in the former, but part of team in the latter.

[thspfc]

Tom Dean, of Great Britain, won a gold medal in the 200 meter individual freestyle swimming event, and his team also won a gold medal in the 4x200 meter freestyle relay.  Would you say that it was acceptable for an American to cheer for Dean during the former but unacceptable during the latter?

Correct. That's the UK's sole 4x2 relay team. Tom Dean is not the UK's runner, he's a runner that happens to compete under the UK flag.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I'm more so pissy at Americans who wake up and decide they're Mexico fans despite likely not even being able to tell me who a single one of their players plays their club ball for.

What does this even mean? Is it wrong then to cheer for any side (aside from ones you have ties to) that doesn't have a globally-recognized superstar on the roster then?

[thspfc]

I'm more so pissy at Americans who wake up and decide they're Mexico fans despite likely not even being able to tell me who a single one of their players plays their club ball for.

What does this even mean? Is it wrong then to cheer for any team that doesn't have a globally-recognized superstar on the team then?

How did you get there from what I said?

If you're familiar with the players and actually know enough about them to for example root for Mexico because you like one or several, I respect that much more than just deciding you like Mexico.

[kphoger]

If you're familiar with the players and actually know enough about them to for example root for Mexico because you like one or several, I respect that much more than just deciding you like Mexico.

So, before we come over to your house, we have to tell you the reasons why we root for a certain team, so you can evaluate our rationale?

[thspfc]

If you're familiar with the players and actually know enough about them to for example root for Mexico because you like one or several, I respect that much more than just deciding you like Mexico.

So, before we come over to your house, we have to tell you the reasons why we root for a certain team, so you can evaluate our rationale?

Okay, I'll play: you didn't have the right to enter my house to begin with. Rather, my rule is only relevant to those who otherwise would have that permission.

I am not aware of anyone who both has permission to enter my home and roots for Mexico without legitimate ties to Mexico. Thus, there are 0 people for whom my rule currently applies to, however, if I was to meet such a person, my opinion on them would shift depending on their rationale for rooting for Mexico, up to the extent of determining whether I would be interested in having them over, and thus, granting them permission to enter my house.

[kphoger]

So, now that we've straightened that all out...

Why do you dislike people cheering for another country's sports team without an approved reason?  What's bad about that?

What happens when your own country's team is out of the tournament, but there are still other countries' teams competing?  Do you have to stop rooting for any side at all?  So for example, in the 2024 Olympics, I remember watching the women's water polo gold medal match between Spain and Australia, having previously watched both teams win their semi-finals—Spain against the Netherlands and Australia against the USA.  Because the USA had been knocked out of the competition, was I supposed to no longer care whether Spain or Australia won gold?  That particular match was probably the most emotional for me to watch during the whole Olympic games, yet the U.S. team wasn't even in it.

(For the record, I usually root for Hungary in water polo when the Olympics are on.  In 2024, when the bronze medal match between the U.S. and Hungarian men's teams was tied at the end of regulation time, I was actually disappointed when the USA beat Hungary in overtime to win the medal.  I have absolutely no personal connection to Hungary, nor do I know anything about the individual players.  I guess I'll never get invited to your house.)

[GaryV]

I guess I'll never get invited to your house.

I am reminded of Groucho Marx's joke about not wanting to belong to any club that would accept him.

[thspfc]

So, now that we've straightened that all out...

Why do you dislike people cheering for another country's sports team without an approved reason?  What's bad about that?

It's unpatriotic. Criticize your home country all you want, I criticize this country on the daily, but you're not cool for rooting against it for no reason, especially for Mexico, its rival. You can say it doesn't matter, well, it clearly does because you went out of your way to do it.

To clarify I mean rooting for Mexico as much as or above the US, not rooting for Mexico at all.

What happens when your own country's team is out of the tournament, but there are still other countries' teams competing?  Do you have to stop rooting for any side at all?  So for example, in the 2024 Olympics, I remember watching the women's water polo gold medal match between Spain and Australia, having previously watched both teams win their semi-finals—Spain against the Netherlands and Australia against the USA.  Because the USA had been knocked out of the competition, was I supposed to no longer care whether Spain or Australia won gold?  That particular match was probably the most emotional for me to watch during the whole Olympic games, yet the U.S. team wasn't even in it.

Fine, though if you start pretending you've actually always been connected to that team then that's an issue to me.

I guess I'll never get invited to your house.)

Strangers tend not to get invited to my house, yeah.

[kphoger]

It's unpatriotic. Criticize your home country all you want, I criticize this country on the daily, but you're not cool for rooting against it for no reason, especially for Mexico, its rival. You can say it doesn't matter, well, it clearly does because you went out of your way to do it.

To clarify I mean rooting for Mexico as much as or above the US, not rooting for Mexico at all.

meh.  A soccer team is not a nation.  This isn't war.  It's just a game.

(Also, patriotism is overrated.)

if you start pretending you've actually always been connected to that team then that's an issue to me.

Spain's performance in the 2024 gold medal match will likely influence how I feel about them in the 2028 games.  Nobody is pretending anything here.

Similarly, when watching men's indoor volleyball, my feelings about Argentina (the volleyball team, not the country) was influenced by the previous Olympics.  None of this is unpatriotic—it's just sports.

[NWI_Irish96]

The Bears have only been in two of the past 41 Super Bowls, yet I've always rooted for one team over the other in 38 of the other 39 (the year it was the Packers vs Patriots, I had my own little Star Wars movie marathon in lieu of watching the game).

The World Cup should be no different. Once the US is eliminated, I find a reason to root for somebody else.

On a side note, I think it would benefit the US, Mexico and Canada to apply to join CONMEBOL. Being in CONCACAF is forcing us to play too many games against weak competition.

[Scott5114]

I feel like CONCACAF should be something you put in coffee to make it taste better.

[kphoger]

I feel like CONCACAF should be something you put in coffee to make it taste better.

I feel like CONCACAF should be what gets text-messaged out to your mom when your two-year-old grabs your phone and you don't notice for a couple of minutes.

[thspfc]

No clue how Norway haven't been shown a single yellow in this game.

[thspfc]

Which country is hoarding all the goalkeepers that can make it through a World Cup without committing an absolutely backbreaking error?

[thspfc]

Brazil defeats South Korea
Netherlands defeats Germany
France defeats Ecuador
England defeats Mexico
United States defeats Belgium
Spain defeats Colombia
Turkey defeats Switzerland
Argentina defeats Portugal

Netherlands defeats Brazil
France defeats England
Spain defeats United States
Argentina defeats Turkey

France defeats Netherlands
Spain defeats Argentina

Spain defeats France

Pre-tournament picks:
- 11/16 round of 16
- 4/8 quarterfinal
- 3/4 semifinal

My revised picks given the real bracket:

Germany defeats Paraguay
France defeats Sweden
Canada defeats South Africa
Netherlands defeats Morocco
Croatia defeats Portugal
Spain defeats ?
United States defeats BHG
Senegal defeats Belgium
Brazil defeats Japan
Ivory Coast defeats Norway
Mexico defeats Ecuador
England defeats Congo
Argentina defeats Cape Verde ( )
Egypt defeats Australia
Switzerland defeats ?
Colombia defeats Ghana

France defeats Germany
Netherlands defeats Canada
Spain defeats Croatia
United States defeats Senegal
Brazil defeats Ivory Coast
England defeats Mexico
Argentina defeats Egypt
Colombia defeats Switzerland

France defeats Netherlands
Spain defeats United States
England defeats Brazil
Argentina defeats Colombia

France defeats Spain
England defeats Argentina

France defeats England

Post-group stage picks:
- 11/16 round of 16
- 4/8 quarterfinal
- 4/4 semifinal

In short: France, Argentina, Spain, and England are the four best teams in the world and, though all except France have been tested multiple times, were not going to lose until they played each other.

[Great Lakes Roads]

The final is set: Spain vs. Argentina!

[JayhawkCO]

Thomas Tuchel will never be allowed in England again.

[thspfc]

There goes about 95% of the local interest in Fresno and probably most of the Central Valley with Mexico losing to England.

This whole thing is especially funny to me because most of my department at work, almost none of whom are/were soccer fans, was gathered around the break room TV for England/Argentina today.

[Ted$8roadFan]

What a brutal loss by England. A bad year, too: 250 years since, you know, and now this.

[kalvado]

What a brutal loss by England. A bad year, too: 250 years since, you know, and now this.

But now they have France to deal with. Another long standing rival.

[NWI_Irish96]

What a brutal loss by England. A bad year, too: 250 years since, you know, and now this.

But now they have France to deal with. Another long standing rival.

Not sure how much either team is going to care about that game. May see lots of bench players starting.