I sure hope not. I’ll be watching and rooting for them in all their games. I think Poland is beatable and they should certainly be favored over Saudi Arabia
Mexico always are out in the Rnd of 16. I think that’s realistic again.
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I would like to see all the CONCACAF teams do well but realistically the USA may be the only one that gets to the Group of 16.
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Thank you. I was looking for something like this but I only saw betting odds which are not as relevant.
Surprising that Canada and US show roughly the same percentage chance of advancing to the Group of 16 whereas Mexico’s chances show about 50% better?
I do think Mexico should have significantly better odds of reaching R16. Having one of the weaker ELO teams in their group is a meaningful advantage, and they are also favored vs the Pot 3 team. Canada having to get past Croatia and US having to battle fairly evenly matched pot 3 and 4 teams mean they have a harder path than Mexico.
I was a little surprised Wales’ chances were somewhat close to the US, as they still have to qualify.
It’s a conditional probability. If Wales qualifies, their chances will move to a little over 40%. With a current Elo of 1841 to our 1822, a playoff win will bump that gap up a few more points. Same with Ukraine; currently 1817, but qualifying likely means two wins and that would push it above USA.
Other reason is so next round of friendlies can be set to play teams whose styles are in your group.
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Should be some exciting matches for us. Guessing Bale will be hurt by then or at least unfit. That English back line ain’t fearsome.
The Dutch are the happiest team in the draw especially after missing last time. Sets up nice for a good run. Good chance we get the Dutch in round of 16.
Brazil did get a nice set up for the knockouts. At least 4 Pot C or higher advance.
Quite looking forward to the friendlies. Canada looking at some European and African matches.
Looking forward to seeing Davies healthy again.
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/alphonso-davies-named-top-concacaf-men-player-2021-1.6408462
FIFA getting into the streaming game:
https://www.espn.com/soccer/fifa-world-cup/story/4640315/fifa-to-rival-netflix-amazon-prime-with-new-football-streaming-platform
FIFA should be announcing North American cities for 2026 World Cup games in the next few weeks? Happy to see Vancouver is back in the running even though it would probably be a maximum of four first round games.
We have dates for all the playoff games
Slots Remaining - 3
UEFA - 1
Scotland vs Ukraine (June 1 in Glasgow)
Wales vs Scotland/Ukraine winner (June 5 in Cardiff)
CONMEBOL / AFC Playoff - 1
UAE vs Australia (June 7 in Doha)
Peru vs UAE/Australia winner (June 13 in Doha)
CONCACAF / OFC Playoff - 1
Costa Rica vs New Zealand (June 14 in Doha)
So no two-legged ties this time coz covid. Good for Wales.
Gonna put in grass? Or is the surface there “legal” for FIFA?
I mean, these are MEN’s teams we’re talking about.
Meanwhile, will EPL soccer club owner Stan Cranky demolish some seats in order to host the final (again, would have to put in grass)? Or will the venerable Rose Bowl handle what other stadiums cannot do? I think Jerry Jones knows how to bribe the right people, so Dallas will likely get it. ATT Stadium also has the luxury of luxury boxes, so as to keep the elite away from the rabble. Rose Bowl has some, but not as many.
Of the 17 U.S. stadiums listed on wiki as Association Football qualified stadiums, only six have grass surfaces.
And, just like that, Cranky is going to show the world that his stadium will not fit a properly-sized soccer stadium.
This sounds almost interesting enough to go to. Will have to check ticket and parking prices. Could take the C Line (née Green Line) and walk 2.3 miles through Inglewood. Maybe Uber. Could take the whole day off, get down there early and play poker until game time.
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The proposed Vancouver venue, BC Place, closed down for several months this winter to replace the existing turf with FieldTurf. The hope had been to get a few CONCACAF qualifying matches. FieldTurf is the system used by both the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders and is a product many others defend as the gold standard for soccer. FieldTurf’s bid for B.C. Place received a 10 out of 10 from the FIFA bid committee.
Looking at the picture, I think you can get pretty close to a “normal” soccer field in their. It may have to be a little narrow due to the way the stands curl inwards in the corners.
UEFA requires fields to be 115 yd x 75 yd in order to host games for “main competition”. A football field is 53 yards wide. So you probably could get close to a 70 yd wide field in there.
I need some more info about FIFA and their stance on artificial surfaces…
After googling for several minutes, seems FIFA is ok with general matches played on artificial surfaces, has qualifying standards and stuff.
But not for The World Cup Finals.
For 2023:
I see artificial turf companies making a different claim.
Polytan:
https://www.polytan.com/blog/kunstrasenplatz-blog/fifa-quality-programme-the-most-important-certification-for-artificial-turf-2/
In the first phase – the laboratory test – the artificial turf is tested for its suitability for football and other quality criteria before installation. The second phase – the field test – takes place on fully installed and ready-to-play pitches and is the principal basis for certification . If an artificial football pitch passes the field test, it means it has met FIFA’s stringent requirements in terms of playing characteristics, safety and quality, and may also be used for competitions at the highest level, including FIFA World Cup matches and UEFA Champions League and Europe League competitions.
Still not sure the final bolded (which is mine – the others are already bolded) is true.
The year 2015 marked a significant turning point in the development of artificial turf as FIFA once again tightened its criteria for systems and products. The stricter requirements set out in the FIFA Manual related in particular to the requirements for FIFA Quality Pro certifications for football pitches used at the professional level , taking into particular account the demands of pro clubs and players in top leagues.
Do note that this qualifying process is referencing pro clubs, not The World Cup Finals.
From the ajc re MB Stadium:
That will have to change in the summer of 2026 if Atlanta succeeds in its bid to host some World Cup games.
Because FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, has a firm requirement that any stadium hosting the 2026 World Cup must have a natural-grass playing surface, Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s artificial turf would have to be temporarily replaced with real grass, which would have to be kept thriving for more than a month.
This isn’t just an Atlanta issue. Eleven of the 23 North American stadiums under consideration as sites for the 2026 World Cup have artificial turf, according to a FIFA bid evaluation report. All 11 have accepted that they’ll have to convert to grass if they’re among the 16 stadiums chosen for games.
Finally, here is a whiner in Seattle, thinking that the current surface will be an excuse for not being picked, while the real reason is that FIFA just doesn’t want to go there.
https://www.sounderatheart.com/2021/3/18/22338308/seattle-2026-world-cup-bid-artificial-turf
If the Sounders make a bigger investment that allows for something akin to semi-permanent grass, there’s no reason it can’t be a top-notch playing surface.
They do have a roommate who would also have to be convinced.
My suspicion is that concerns about the playing surface will only be used as a convenient excuse, possibly to avoid places FIFA doesn’t want to go in the first place. Seattle’s summer weather, the robust supply of world-class training facilities, the stadium’s proximity to downtown, and the ample hotel rooms — to speak nothing of the soccer culture — are all aspects of the bid that will compare favorably to the other bid cities.
I’d say that it will be better if the groups were housed geographically into two nearby cities. So Seattle and Vancouver would host a group. Downside is that the current idea is 48 teams in three-team groups, so only three matches will be played per Group. (I hope they smarten up and chose six-team Groups, but that would be five matches in Group, and four more for the Finalists.) Two-city pods could host two Groups each.
My proposed Two-city pods:
SEA-VAN
Guadalajara-Monterrey
BAL-WAS
ATL-NAS
These sites would also host the Round of 16 knockouts of the respective Groups, cutting down on travel for fans and teams.
QF Hosts:
KC
LV
Glendale, AZ
ORL
SF Hosts:
DAL
HOU
Finals Host: Rose Bowl, Pasadena
(Or The Big House in Ann Arbor)
Probably will have to squeeze in NY in there somehow, cuz they’ll get all pissy. Exchange NY for ORL.
Note that on this site:
https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2026/destination
First pic is of SEA’s stadium.