FIFA WC 2026

[straighttalk]

23 hours ago, vvvslaxman said:

 What a team they have put together. Given the ages of their players they will.dominate the next world cup as well.

Highly doubt that...will be demolished by pacy counter attacking teams with low block ...will be strong if they get a halland type striker though...

 

This does not mean that they are not a strong team...it just means that their style of play is not fool proof by any means...they are a strong team..that can be demolished by any other strong team...even this Argentina team can break their play if these teams meet again without injuries fatigue etc.

 

They just caught the argentina team with fatigue injury and bad luck throughout the match...some questionable decisions to  give up midfield but also lack full counter attacking setup. They either needed fast runners or overload the midfield...by doing both..he lost the midfield and apart from  nico had no one to take advantage of long balls.

Edited July 20 by straighttalk

[vvvslaxman]

22 minutes ago, straighttalk said:

They effectively neutralized him before they went into a shell....also Argentina plays better without Messi...look at their last copa America campaign..Messi didn't contribute much. And then the qualifiers which Messi missed. It lacks the magic but it is more coherent. Argentina was outclassed due to managers  lack of risk taking

 

 

He trusted a core group of players and didn't give chances it youngsters. 

 

The players carried injuries coming into the world cup or didn't play in top European clubs anymore.

 

Some like rdp or otamendi should not be playing.

 

Due to lack of roster rotation..the players were fatigued and injury prone in the final...we saw two of their cb injured .

 

 

This resulted in them not able to win or keep the ball. And then what will the team or Messi do...they were reduced to sending long balls but there was no one to take advantage.

 

But in that particular match they let Messi do whatever he wanted.  He is still very good serving crosses and   in set pieces which Argentina heavily relied on. I think they have the highest goals in set pieces in this world cup. England was out of breath towards the end. Even youngsters were not energetic.   SOme channel explained how Spain countered this.  How they plugged all the little gaps that Messi could exploit.  To do this you need a lot of moving bodies somethign England didn't have. It was often 1 v 1. Sometimes 1 v 0. Messsi freely took the cross. With spain it was almost always 1 v 3. That is why they kept on dispossessing with utmost ease.  You need a lot of energetic players who can run all 90 minutes.  Not surprisingly Rodri has covered the most distance in this world cup. About 90 kilometer.

 

 

Edited July 20 by vvvslaxman

[vvvslaxman]

28 minutes ago, straighttalk said:

Highly doubt that...will be demolished by pacy counter attacking teams with low block ...will be strong if they get a halland type striker though...

 

This does not mean that they are not a strong team...it just means that their style of play is not fool proof by any means...they are a strong team..that can be demolished by any other strong team...even this Argentina team can break their play if these teams meet again without injuries fatigue etc.

 

They just caught the argentina team with fatigue injury and bad luck throughout the match...some questionable decisions to  give up midfield but also lack full counter attacking setup. They either needed fast runners or overload the midfield...by doing both..he lost the midfield and apart from  nico had no one to take advantage of long balls.

They are undefeated for 38 games in a row.  They are holding this record since 2024.  Yes they are not flawless. Add a couple of strikers they will be rock solid. Even with this set up they breached Argentina seamlessly took 11 shots. Couple of them good saves. One disallowed.  Argentina played the worst final in history. 0 shots  for 90 minutes. That is the most embarrassing display. 

 

 

1st) Spain – 38 matches (ongoing since 2024)
2nd) Italy – 37 matches (2018-21)
3rd) Argentina – 36 matches (2019-22)
4th) Brazil – 35 matches (1993-96)
4th) Spain – 35 matches (2007-09)
6th) Senegal – 33 matches (2023-25)
6th) Morocco – 33 matches (2025-26)
8th) Argentina – 31 Matches (1991-93)
8th) Spain – 31 matches (1994-98)
8th) Morocco – 31 matches (2019-22)

 

Edited July 20 by vvvslaxman

[vvvslaxman]

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/cristiano-ronaldo-ignites-fifa-corruption-215000995.html

Cristiano Ronaldo Ignites FIFA Corruption Debate After Instagram Activity

 

 

[vvvslaxman]

Can't find a single video that says little positive about Argentina. Universally hated.

 

 

[vvvslaxman]

This is the most comical moment lol Simone was pulling socks at the worst possible time.

 

 

[MechEng]

5 hours ago, vvvslaxman said:

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/cristiano-ronaldo-ignites-fifa-corruption-215000995.html

Cristiano Ronaldo Ignites FIFA Corruption Debate After Instagram Activity

 

 

 

Now I want Messi to unfollow Cristiano as a revenge move. 

[MechEng]

5 hours ago, vvvslaxman said:

You need a lot of energetic players who can run all 90 minutes.  Not surprisingly Rodri has covered the most distance in this world cup. About 90 kilometer.

 

 

 

This is where carbs wins over protein.

[straighttalk]

6 hours ago, vvvslaxman said:

 

But in that particular match they let Messi do whatever he wanted.  He is still very good serving crosses and   in set pieces which Argentina heavily relied on. I think they have the highest goals in set pieces in this world cup. England was out of breath towards the end. Even youngsters were not energetic.   SOme channel explained how Spain countered this.  How they plugged all the little gaps that Messi could exploit.  To do this you need a lot of moving bodies somethign England didn't have. It was often 1 v 1. Sometimes 1 v 0. Messsi freely took the cross. With spain it was almost always 1 v 3. That is why they kept on dispossessing with utmost ease.  You need a lot of energetic players who can run all 90 minutes.  Not surprisingly Rodri has covered the most distance in this world cup. About 90 kilometer.

 

 

Ya Spain did better but the better was completely cutting off Messi service...but England before their bottle job ensured Messi didn't have his moments...after their hara kiri..ya Messi came into his own.

 

I think Spain dominated the final but they may not have won it yesterday if not for the two injuries to argentina central backs and the red card...scaloni had a plan...play defensive footbaal and thrawt Spain...then hit towards the end with  attacking subs..but the injuries and card completely changed the game...Spain would have clearly dominated the game but their lack of finishing meant they may not have won without the injuries and red card 

[straighttalk]

5 hours ago, vvvslaxman said:

They are undefeated for 38 games in a row.  They are holding this record since 2024.  Yes they are not flawless. Add a couple of strikers they will be rock solid. Even with this set up they breached Argentina seamlessly took 11 shots. Couple of them good saves. One disallowed.  Argentina played the worst final in history. 0 shots  for 90 minutes. That is the most embarrassing display. 

 

 

1st) Spain – 38 matches (ongoing since 2024)
2nd) Italy – 37 matches (2018-21)
3rd) Argentina – 36 matches (2019-22)
4th) Brazil – 35 matches (1993-96)
4th) Spain – 35 matches (2007-09)
6th) Senegal – 33 matches (2023-25)
6th) Morocco – 33 matches (2025-26)
8th) Argentina – 31 Matches (1991-93)
8th) Spain – 31 matches (1994-98)
8th) Morocco – 31 matches (2019-22)

 

No I was specifically talking. About your comment of dominating next world cup..that's the part I doubt it...they will be taken apart in one match...their strategy is extremely high risk and they lack a finisher....france is one team that can win under real madrdi counter attacking coach zidane. So are other European teams. Even this Argentina without Messi but younger fitter players will match Spains possession style.

 

I even doubt id Spain would have won yesterday without the injuries and card...this doesn't mean that they utterly dominated the final ...but if you can't score and the opposition has Messi and are known to explode late in the match...then it's a risk. To be honest in the last 10 mins ..10 man defensive argentina had arguably the best chance of the game. And two half chances . The Messi face shot was perhaps a goal.  Nothing to take away from the fact that Spain was the deserved winners and played a beautiful beautiful game...but that's different from victory.

[MechEng]

@straighttalk kitna cope karega bhai??

If we get into whataboutery, then Egypt should have knocked out Argentina in the quarters itself.

[vvvslaxman]

9 minutes ago, straighttalk said:

No I was specifically talking. About your comment of dominating next world cup..that's the part I doubt it...they will be taken apart in one match...their strategy is extremely high risk and they lack a finisher....france is one team that can win under real madrdi counter attacking coach zidane. So are other European teams. Even this Argentina without Messi but younger fitter players will match Spains possession style.

 

I even doubt id Spain would have won yesterday without the injuries and card...this doesn't mean that they utterly dominated the final ...but if you can't score and the opposition has Messi and are known to explode late in the match...then it's a risk. To be honest in the last 10 mins ..10 man defensive argentina had arguably the best chance of the game. And two half chances . The Messi face shot was perhaps a goal.  Nothing to take away from the fact that Spain was the deserved winners and played a beautiful beautiful game...but that's different from victory.

I cant think of one good match played by Argentina. Could have been eliminated by Cabo verse or Egypt or even England.  It was downright dirty football. If a team plays for penalty from first minute using physical game then you dont deserve a win.  Brazil is the only south American team that doesn't resort to much of physical game.  Argentina has become another Uruguay team. Angel de Maria was a joker in the pack. He is the guy they missed. Rest are thugs. They were lucky to make the final.

[vvvslaxman]

19 minutes ago, straighttalk said:

Ya Spain did better but the better was completely cutting off Messi service...but England before their bottle job ensured Messi didn't have his moments...after their hara kiri..ya Messi came into his own.

 

I think Spain dominated the final but they may not have won it yesterday if not for the two injuries to argentina central backs and the red card...scaloni had a plan...play defensive footbaal and thrawt Spain...then hit towards the end with  attacking subs..but the injuries and card completely changed the game...Spain would have clearly dominated the game but their lack of finishing meant they may not have won without the injuries and red card 

Argentina was not a good team apart from Messi. They struggled against every team. Messi literally dragged them to final. Argentina was owned by Spain in every playing area except Maetinez area..Almost all the analysts concur this is the worst performance by a team in the final. They toyed with them.  9 out of 10 times Spain would thrash this oldie team.  

[vvvslaxman]

Gulbadin Naib moment lol

 

 

[Lone Wolf]

1 hour ago, straighttalk said:

Ya Spain did better but the better was completely cutting off Messi service...but England before their bottle job ensured Messi didn't have his moments...after their hara kiri..ya Messi came into his own.

 

I think Spain dominated the final but they may not have won it yesterday if not for the two injuries to argentina central backs and the red card...scaloni had a plan...play defensive footbaal and thrawt Spain...then hit towards the end with  attacking subs..but the injuries and card completely changed the game...Spain would have clearly dominated the game but their lack of finishing meant they may not have won without the injuries and red card 

This is a cope atp..  it was a brutal thrashing.  Argentina were lucky to get away with 1-0 instead of a humiliating scoreline.

Absolute one sided thrashing at the hands of a much superior and talented opponent 

[straighttalk]

49 minutes ago, vvvslaxman said:

Argentina was not a good team apart from Messi. They struggled against every team. Messi literally dragged them to final. Argentina was owned by Spain in every playing area except Maetinez area..Almost all the analysts concur this is the worst performance by a team in the final. They toyed with them.  9 out of 10 times Spain would thrash this oldie team.  

I agree..even before the final and after the English game..I caLled this Argentina team ordinary...but ordinary doesn't mean they can't beat Spain even on their worst day..they were outplayed.had two of their best center back injured...had an old team carrying niggles and injuries playing gruelling knockout rounds agaisnt a well rested team .had a red card...yet they held strong...who is to say they can't get a goal at the end or go to penalties if they had 11 players and their optimal subs.

Edited July 21 by straighttalk

[straighttalk]

1 hour ago, MechEng said:

@straighttalk kitna cope karega bhai??

If we get into whataboutery, then Egypt should have knocked out Argentina in the quarters itself.

Bhai I'm not an Argentine supporter..see my post after the English game..people were up against me for saying Argentina was lucky to be in the finals and not same quality as Spain. 

[vvvslaxman]

6 minutes ago, straighttalk said:

I agree..even before the final and after the English game..I caLled this Argentina team ordinary...but ordinary doesn't mean they can't beat Spain even on their worst day..they were outplayed.had two of their best center back injured...had an old team carrying niggles and injuries playing gruelling knockout rounds agaisnt a well rested team .had a red card...yet they held strong...who is to say they can't get a goal at the end or go to penalties if they had 11 players and their optimal subs.

If Argentina plays normal football without resorting to thuggery and with proper refereeing they will lose to most teams. Just that they had the experience on their side having won a world cup already and 10 members are already part of the world cup winning side. They have that advantage with a leader like Messi.Each team were missing some key elements. Spain missed a striker like Haaland.  Imagine they find one striker like him they would be destroying every team.  Where they seperate themselves is there are no superstars. Luis de la Fuente  is a bit like Gambhir. He never wanted superstarts. He wanted them to work as a unit. Look Norway suffered once their players decided to be selfish. Two crucial passes were not passed to Haaland. They were out of the tournament. 

 

https://tribuna.com/en/news/2026-06-08-there-can-be-no-selfishness-de-la-fuente-on-spains-team-culture/

'There can be no selfishness': De la Fuente on Spain’s team culture

 

 

[kepler37b]

7 hours ago, vvvslaxman said:

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/cristiano-ronaldo-ignites-fifa-corruption-215000995.html

Cristiano Ronaldo Ignites FIFA Corruption Debate After Instagram Activity

 

 

 

Penaldo is a celebity first and sportsman next. He is Kohli, but without the sophistication than Indian middle class family inculcates.

 

 

[vvvslaxman]

@Chaos

 

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49410201/spain-open-betting-favorite-repeat-2030-world-cup

Spain open as betting favorite to repeat at 2030 World Cup 

 

 

With the 2026 World Cup complete, bookmakers are already looking ahead four years to the 2030 tournament, where they have already installed co-host Spain as the favorite to repeat as world champion.

 

Spain is the consensus favorite to win the 2030 FIFA World Cup across the sportsbook marketplace, with DraftKings

Spain entered the 2026 World Cup as the favorite to win it all, thus becoming just the fourth pre-tournament favorite to lift the trophy, joining 1974 West Germany, 1994 Brazil and 2010 Spain, according to data from SportsOddsHistory.

 

La Roja was well-supported in the futures market before the competition, according to bookmakers at multiple sportsbooks, but their short price prior to and throughout the tournament did not necessarily make them a large liability, with France, Portugal and the U.S. representing bigger hazards.

In general, the 2026 World Cup was a landmark event for Americans betting on soccer.

 

"This record-breaking final capped off a fantastic tournament. A home-nation World Cup brought high expectations for engagement and interest. Thankfully, the tournament exceeded even our most optimistic projections," Caesars head of soccer Mark Bickerdike said over email.

"There was some uncertainty around the impact of an extended tournament format, but World Cup fever took hold following the USMNT's promising start, and that enthusiasm continued throughout the knockout stages and into the final."

 

The final between Spain and Argentina was the most-bet soccer match in the histories of BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook, with the former saying it outperformed every 2026 College Football Playoff game besides the championship, as well as every March Madness, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Final and World Series game in the last year.

Caesars said the final generated 65% more handle than its previously most-bet soccer match, which also came during the 2026 World Cup.

Sportsbook assigning La Roja +450 odds -- already shorter than the +500 they showed on Sunday following their 2026 World Cup victory.

Semifinalists France (+600) and England (+900) are next on DraftKings' odds board, with fellow co-host Portugal tied with the English for that third spot.

Meanwhile, 2026 runner-up Argentina is tied for the sixth-best odds at 11-1, while 2030 co-host Morocco is a longer 35-1. The United States and Mexico check in at 80-1.