World Cup 2026

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Hannah1989 said:
Well last nights England game is exactly why we wont win the WC.

WC winning nations find a way to win games, not just plod along

Gordan should have been off at HT, that clearly isnt working

as soon as he was subbed off we looked better, giving Rashford just over 10 mins was stupid.
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We won't win it as we don't have good enough players. But drawing ugly group games, or even losing them is no barometer at all. Winners have often started slowly.

Right about Gordon though. He just isn't an international footballer and is particularly useless when a defence backs up and his speed can't help him. Against teams like that you need a player who always goes at his man and doesn't mind getting beaten in the effort.

Jarrod Bowen is extremely unlucky not to be in that squad. He always affects games.
 
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Blond Bombshell said:
If we win the group, we "could" draw a third place team last 32, and then draw a second place team in the last 16

By then the mood music will be...

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If we win the group, we will almost certainly play Mexico in R16, if we win R32.

We will play them at over 7000 ft above sea level, with no acclimatisation to altitude which normally takes two weeks plus, and in hot weather in an open bowl. Very hot. Playing at altitude in a tournament where up to two opponents will have no preparation is unprecedented and IMO is a scandal.

I genuinely do not see that England team, or many others, getting through that. Mexico have lost only two or three games in the last eighty plus at home. It hurts playing there and you can't just "run through it". It's the running that suffers, between ten and fifteen percent in lung capacity.

I hope we finish second.
 
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rowley said:
If we win the group, we will almost certainly play Mexico in R16, if we win R32.

We will play them at over 7000 ft above sea level, with no acclimatisation to altitude which normally takes two weeks plus, and in hot weather in an open bowl. Very hot. Playing at altitude in a tournament where up to two opponents will have no preparation is unprecedented and IMO is a scandal.

I genuinely do not see that England team, or many others, getting through that. Mexico have lost only two or three games in the last eighty plus at home. It hurts playing there and you can't just "run through it". It's the running that suffers, between ten and fifteen percent in lung capacity.

I hope we finish second.
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Unbelievable that... don't know what to want really... surely second place is going to have a tougher R32
 
Blond Bombshell said:
Unbelievable that... don't know what to want really... surely second place is going to have a tougher R32
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Probably. But I can't see us getting past Mexico. I think it's been designed for them to get to the quarters.

Maybe we can find a way, we certainly have better players, but anyone who's been at highish altitude will know how hard it hits you.

A good bit ago now, me and Mrs rowley did some walking in the Cairngorms. It's only about 4000ft above and even walking you can feel it a bit. At 7000 ft, even a professional athlete will more than feel it.

At the top of Tiede in Tenerife, which is about 12000ft above, once there ( in a cable car!) you can't envisage running.

I'd prefer second.
 
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rowley said:
Probably. But I can't see us getting past Mexico. I think it's been designed for them to get to the quarters.

Maybe we can find a way, we certainly have better players, but anyone who's been at highish altitude will know how hard it hits you.

A good bit ago now, me and Mrs rowley did some walking in the Cairngorms. It's only about 4000ft above and even walking you can feel it a bit. At 7000 ft, even a professional athlete will more than feel it.

At the top of Tiede in Tenerife, which is about 12000ft above, once there ( in a cable car!) you can't envisage running.

I'd prefer second.
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I've hiked at 16000 ft above sea level. That was a challenge!
 
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Becs said:
I've hiked at 16000 ft above sea level. That was a challenge!
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Not for the faint hearted that!

The only England can handle playing at 7000ft, if they win the group, is to get in late, and play the game.

They'll still have to deal with the thin air, but they can avoid the altitude sickness, which has to overcome if you're there for more than a day or so.

So, I gather it's an evening kick off, so it will be train at a base at normal altitude, fly in maybe late morning, loosen up and play.

Hell of an ask.
 
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WorkyTicketFTM said:
How has Xhaka been booked there. Woke nonsense. Didn’t want to book Larin in front of the Canadian crowd so hooks them both :emoticon-0102-bigsm
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Quite literally how I’ve watched this World Cup. Refs afraid to book home nation players and willing to give yellows for trivial stuff against them!

That and Messi not being unable to be carded of course! FIFA are a laughing stock for me on this front! (Amongst others)!!
 
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