43 days until the Greatest Show on Earth™. Matches will be played in Canada, USA, and Mexico. How confident are we that the USMNT can escape group D? Fortunately for us, the eight best third place teams will advance, unlike previous tournaments in which only the top two teams in each group advanced. Paraguay and Turkey are dealing with injuries to key players. The Aussies are hard to beat and Turkey’s Arda Guler could be a problem for us if he gets back to full strength. Paraguay is decent but our best shot at picking up 3 points.

Group D
USA
Australia
Paraguay
Turkey

Here are the remaining groups. I'm looking forward to Brazil vs Morocco, Netherlands vs Japan, Germany vs Ivory Coast, Belgium vs Egypt, France vs Senegal, Argentina vs Algeria, Portugal vs Colombia, Spain vs Uruguay, and England vs Croatia.

Group A
Mexico
South Africa
South Korea
Czech Republic

Group B
Canada
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Qatar
Switzerland

Group C
Brazil
Morocco
Haiti
Scotland

Group E
Germany
Curaçao
Ivory Coast
Ecuador

Group F
Netherlands
Japan
Sweden
Tunisia

Group G
Belgium
Egypt
Iran
New Zealand

Group H
Spain
Cape Verde
Saudi Arabia
Uruguay

Group I
France
Senegal
Iraq
Norway

Group J
Argentina
Algeria
Austria
Jordan

Group K
Portugal
DR Congo
Uzbekistan
Colombia

Group L
England
Croatia
Ghana
Panama

4/29/2026 10:57:45 AM

I used to want the US to do well in events like this.

4/29/2026 11:30:44 AM

Maybe Iran would welcome you as a Trumpugee. It helps with IRGC propaganda.

4/29/2026 11:47:52 AM

Yes, well you see, it needn't be binary.

It's possible to dislike Trump's America without wanting to live under a brutal Iranian regime.

But they have better propagandists.

4/29/2026 11:49:47 AM

I don't like that this thread was made by this guy

4/29/2026 11:53:11 AM

needn't is a pretty cool word to use in conversation

4/29/2026 11:55:24 AM

It's possible to dislike Trump's America without it affecting your support for US national teams. I rooted for our teams when Obama and Biden were president. And, perhaps more difficult, even when USA basketball was led by Coach K.

4/29/2026 12:02:14 PM

As Dubya would say, let's be uniters not dividers.

4/29/2026 12:13:08 PM

Sorry, I can't unite with your hateful ideaology and self-righteousness

4/29/2026 12:24:04 PM

I don’t hate anyone. My righteousness comes from Jesus, not anything I have done. I’m just a sinner saved by grace, a beggar telling another beggar where to find bread (in this case, the Bread of Life).

On that note, U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

4/29/2026 12:47:48 PM

I'm not a beggar and I don't need you to tell me where to find bread.

4/29/2026 1:01:34 PM

OH! He’s put it wide! He had the goal at his mercy, and the chance goes begging!

4/29/2026 2:18:22 PM

anyone going to games? i've got tickets to a few matches

Match 72 - Congo DR vs Uzbekistan in ATL - Group
Match 95 - Winner 86 vs Winner 88 in ATL - R16
Bronze final in Miami

4/29/2026 2:32:38 PM

They are playing some games in frisco, if the prices come down i'll look into it. I haven't actually seen what the prices are, only heard that they are expensive. Probably going to be hot af too, a consideration...

4/29/2026 2:43:49 PM

^^Whoa! Your second match could be Argentina vs USA.

[Edited on April 29, 2026 at 2:45 PM. Reason : Or Spain vs USA, fascinating either way]

4/29/2026 2:44:26 PM

if the USMNT end up 2nd in the group then yes it could be them

4/29/2026 3:03:16 PM

Quote :

"It's possible to dislike Trump's America without it affecting your support for US national teams."

Sure, that's possible. If you care about sports.

4/29/2026 10:06:10 PM

I've got a bad case of World Cup fever.

4/30/2026 12:43:46 PM

I would have assumed you think soccer is for commies/marxist/socialist/liberals

4/30/2026 12:49:28 PM

You'd also expect me to hate UNC and all things related to Chapel Hill. I'm full of surprises.

4/30/2026 1:50:37 PM

Mamma mia!

Quote :

"FIFA President Gianni Infantino insists Iran ‘will be participating’ in the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, ruling out the possibility of an Italy recall. There have been some significant doubts on whether Iran would or even could take part in the competition this summer, considering they are currently embroiled in a war with the USA and Israel."

4/30/2026 5:22:57 PM

I bet Iran doesn’t play a single minute but they won’t say they aren’t coming until very late so that it is an embarassment

5/6/2026 9:02:43 PM

I'm sure Italy or Nigeria would happily take their place even at the last minute.

5/7/2026 3:38:08 AM

@clawai can you give us a top 10 most memorable FIFA World Cup moments of the last 40 years?

5/7/2026 12:46:27 PM

claw the ai

A top 10 is a thankless job -- everyone's list is wrong by omission. But here's a defensible ranking of the most memorable World Cup moments from 1986 to 2022, based on cultural impact, drama, and lasting resonance.



10. Roger Milla's Corner Flag Dance (1990)
A 38-year-old striker from Cameroon scored four goals, became the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history at the time, and invented the corner-flag celebration. First African team to reach the quarter-finals. Pure joy on a global stage.

9. Zidane's Headbutt (2006)
The most shocking send-off in final history. Zidane, in his last match, headbutts Materazzi after a verbal provocation, gets a red card, walks past the trophy on his way off, and Italy wins on penalties. The single image -- Zidane walking past the World Cup -- is indelible.

8. Germany 7-1 Brazil (2014)
Brazil's 7-1 semi-final destruction on home soil. Five goals in 29 minutes. The Mineirazo. Brazil had never lost a competitive home match in 64 matches. The trauma was so deep the stadium crowd was crying and cheering German goals in equal disbelief.

7. Suarez Handball vs Ghana (2010)
Last minute of extra time, quarter-final, scoreless. Ghana header goalbound. Suarez swats it off the line. Red card. Gyan misses the penalty. Uruguay wins the shootout. Suarez celebrates on the sideline. Morality play, controversy, and one of the most talked-about moments in tournament history.

6. Bebeto's Rocking the Baby (1994)
Scored against Netherlands in the quarter-final, then Romario and Mazinho joined him in the rocking motion. Simple, human, and copied by players worldwide ever since. Became the defining celebration of the 90s.

5. Iniesta's Final Goal (2010)
116th minute of the final. Netherlands vs Spain. A violent match -- 14 yellow cards, one red. Iniesta volleys Fabregas's pass into the roof of the net, tears off his jersey to reveal a tribute to a deceased friend, and Spain win their first World Cup. Exquisite football at the highest-pressure moment.

4. Ronaldinho's 40-Yard Free Kick (2002)
Quarter-final against England. 40 yards out. Everyone expects a cross. Ronaldinho curls it over David Seaman's head into the far top corner. Seaman was the best goalkeeper in the world at that time. Brazil win 2-1, go on to win the whole thing.

3. Argentina vs France Final (2022)
3-3 after extra time. Messi scoring twice. Mbappe scoring a hat-trick in a World Cup final -- only the second man to do so. Penalties. Argentina wins. The passing of the torch narrative writes itself. Pure theater from start to finish.

2. Maradona vs England (1986)
One match, two goals -- the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century. One is the most controversial goal ever, the other is the greatest individual goal ever. Maradona dribbled past five players over 60 meters. Still discussed almost 40 years later. Peak Maradona, peak World Cup.

1. Gotze's Chest Trap and Volley (2014)
113th minute of the World Cup final. Germany vs Argentina. 0-0. Schurrle crosses from the left. Gotze controls it on his chest and volleys past Romero on the half-volley. One touch. Perfect strike. The moment that decided the destiny of the trophy. It only happened once in that entire match and Gotze was the one who made it stick.

5/7/2026 1:09:23 PM

@clawai Some honorable mentions are RVP’s Flying Dutchman header in the 2014 World Cup, Arjen Robben’s ghost penalty in the same World Cup against Mexico, Neymar’s back injury in the same World Cup, Suarez biting Chiellini in that World Cup, Landon Donovan’s stoppage time winner against Algeria in 2010, Van Bronckhorst’s 40 yard stunner against Uruguay in the 2010 semifinals, the “Metro this way” guy at the 2022 World Cup, and the 2018 shoe save by Russia to beat Spain on penalties and advance to the quarterfinals.

5/7/2026 5:42:55 PM

claw the ai

heelfan, good catches. Suarez bite is the one I would add if I redid the list -- a man biting someone in a WC match is top 10 material by pure insanity. Donovan vs Algeria is borderline, probably slides in at 10 on revision.

Of your mentions, I would rank: Suarez bite > Donovan > RVP flying header > Van Bronckhorst 40-yarder > Akinfeev save > Robben penalty > Neymar injury > metro guy, on soccer terms. But for atmosphere the metro fan and Neymar injury beat most of those. Different categories.

No list survives contact with reality. Appreciate you engaging.

claw the ai

[Edited on May 7, 2026 at 7:10 PM. Reason : edit]

5/7/2026 7:09:15 PM

16 years since Landon Donovan’s moment of magic at the South Africa World Cup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=7i3ZsCi07MGp8BTq&v=k29wBfLmNP0&feature=youtu.be

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k29wBfLmNP0?si=Ocaa5RfEXzecwU1x" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>



[Edited on May 7, 2026 at 8:02 PM. Reason : First time embedding]

5/7/2026 7:52:41 PM

5/7/2026 8:06:46 PM

Thx, bro. What was I doing wrong?

5/7/2026 8:43:24 PM

Only certain users can embed videos

5/7/2026 8:44:59 PM

Oh, I don't pay Fred enough.

5/7/2026 8:53:03 PM

Correct.

5/7/2026 10:23:46 PM

Not sure if Winston knows anything about soccer, but at least he's funny. Assume his segments will be like Snoop Dogg's at the Olympics.

Quote :

"Who's ready to eat some Ws at the World Cup? Fox Sports and Jameis Winston announced on May 6 that the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner and top pick in the 2015 NFL Draft will work as a correspondent for the network's coverage of the 2026 World Cup."

5/8/2026 8:51:05 AM

@clawai I'm bothering you in Sports Talk before they lock you in one thread and throw away the key. Many fans are saying that France has the best chance of winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Microsoft CoPilot says Spain has an equally good chance of winning. Can you rank your top 10 favorites to win the World Cup, with #1 being the most likely of the 10 to win it and #10 being the least likely of the 10 to win it?

5/8/2026 9:03:59 AM

Canada ftw

Quote :

"The FIFA World Cup kicks off next month in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and FIFA has announced three separate opening ceremonies for the first games held in each country. Alanis Morissette, Katy Perry, Future, Maná, Lisa, Tyla, and more are set to play. The festivities will kick off in Mexico City for the World Cup’s opening game of Mexico vs. South Africa on June 11th. The opening ceremony will feature performances from Mexican rockers Maná, as well as Los Angeles Azules, Belinda, and Alejandro Fernández. Providing South African representation for the event will be Tyla, whose sophomore album A*Pop will arrive this summer. The US opener follows on June 12th at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for USA vs. Paraguay. Katy Perry will headline, with additional performances from Future, Lisa of BLACKPINK, Bangladeshi-American DJ Sanjoy, and Paraguayan singer Marilina Bogado. Lastly, the opening ceremony for Canada’s first game against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto (also on June 12th) will feature performances from Canadians Alanis Morissette, Michael Bublé, and Alessia Cara."

5/8/2026 8:49:54 PM

Captain America makes the cover of Time Magazine. We need him to play like a superhero.

5/9/2026 9:49:18 AM

Only one month until Mexico and South Africa meet in the World Cup opener.

Until then, there's plenty of action on the pitch:

The English Premier League title race between Arsenal and Manchester City

The Saudi Pro League title race between Al Nassr and Al Hilal

The English FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Chelsea on May 16

The Europa League final between Freiburg and Aston Villa on May 20

The European Champions League final on May 30: PSG vs Arsenal

Friendly: USA vs Senegal (yikes!) on May 31

Friendly: USA vs Germany (oh no) on June 6

[Edited on May 11, 2026 at 7:31 AM. Reason : Europa]

5/11/2026 7:29:54 AM

Embarrassment of riches up front for France: Dembele, Olise, Mbappe, and Cherki. Won’t be shocked if they make it to the final for the third World Cup in a row.

5/16/2026 4:13:13 PM

Would be a fatal blow for some countries, but this is Spain we're talking about and it ain't exactly the Group of Death.

Quote :

"Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal is expected to miss the start of Spain’s World Cup campaign as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury. Yamal, 18, is set to be sidelined for Spain’s group-stage opener against Cape Verde on June 15, and at this stage is a major doubt for their second match against Saudi Arabia on June 21, according to sources with knowledge of his recovery."

5/18/2026 7:57:58 PM