Road to FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026

Karen-W said:
Uhm... the US isn't playing Bosnia again, lol. Belgium gets to face us in Seattle at Lumen Field, home of the famed Seahawks 12th Man, for what may be the most epic edition of Monday Night Football in history.
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Oh yeah sorry it was too early in the morning :slinkaway
 
allezfred said:
None of them had the president of their countries call FIFA up asking to change the cards, but I guess you all are good with cheating and corruption when it benefits your team.
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How do we know? And I am no fan of Trump and his interference. Just pointing out that there is precedent and lesser players/teams should not need the unfair interference to be treated the same, but this is FIFA we are talking about.
 
Our Belgian friends texted us to let us know that they were cheering for Canada in our last match so I will return the favour and cheer for Belgium tonight.

Also, DS is chickening out from getting a buzz cut following Brazil’s defeat. :lol:
 
Absoulte power corrupts absolutely---isn't that the saying? Sigh. We were doing so well keeping the tournament away from him. But of course he was going to find a way to harm it. And I bet he thinks he did something wonderful. It was fun while it lasted.
 
Rob said:
How do we know? And I am no fan of Trump and his interference. Just pointing out that there is precedent and lesser players/teams should not need the unfair interference to be treated the same, but this is FIFA we are talking about.
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At the end of the day the bottom line is any progress Team US makes going forward will always have an asterisk beside it in the eyes of most football fans around the world. Should have just dug in and got on with the cards dealt instead of catering to the request of a dictator
🤷‍♀️
 
If the US wins and advances, the rest of the world (and some of us US soccer fans) will believe the win is invalid

Presidential pressure on an organization responsible for the largest sporting event in the world is cheating.

The US coach should not put him in the game.
 
marbri said:
At the end of the day the bottom line is any progress Team US makes going forward will always have an asterisk beside it in the eyes of most football fans around the world. Should have just dug in and got on with the cards dealt instead of catering to the request of a dictator
🤷‍♀️
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Totally agree.
 
once_upon said:
If the US wins and advances, the rest of the world (and some of us US soccer fans) will believe the win is invalid

Presidential pressure on an organization responsible for the largest sporting event in the world is cheating.

The US coach should not put him in the game.
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The current reporting is that Trump called Infantino to ask him to explain the rule & the process for appeal. Infantino gave the explanation and told Trump that it was under review by FIFA's Disciplinary Commission. Yes, the WH was prepared to offer legal assistance to US Soccer with their own legal maneuverings, but it sounds like US Soccer already had that under control (which makes sense since sports law experts are a specialty far different from US constitutional & federal law).

All this handwringing over Trump and potential cheating with FIFA disregards so many other instances of FIFA bending it's own rules (Ronaldo having his own red card suspended for this WC) or outright corruption (Qatar 2022). It is laughably predictable - and more than a little pathetic that folks are swallowing bogus political talking points instead of... 1) recognizing that Balogun's red card was improperly applied in the first place, 2) being appalled that there is no appeal process for an improperly applied red card, and 3) showing cringe-worthy levels of self-loathing to root against fairness and improving the game in the long run.

I don't get it. Belgium beat the USA 5-2 just in March. Are they really that scared to face a fully-stocked Team USA 4 months later? Was that win in March just dumb luck? You'd think they'd feel confident going into today's game regardless of whether or not they're facing Balogun. This latest "right to appeal" smacks of fear & desperation rather than wanting to go up against the best Team USA has to offer and win in what will surely be a very hostile environment. Man up, Red Devils, and win or go home.
 
Exploring the City with my nephew yesterday. Granville Island's Watch Party was very exciting during the Brazil/Norway game. I took my nephew on the Aquabus which I haven't taken for decades. It was extremely busy, but I don't normally take it during tourist season anyway. I went to a bakery (that my mom worked at eons ago) and they had cookies shaped like football jerseys. They had the normal famous players names (no Canadian, though?) but my nephew chose Granit Xhaka because his favourite colour is green. But a nice touch by the bakery considering how long the Swiss team has been in Vancouver. I would love to know how the Swiss fans have been enjoying Vancouver. Given the length of their stay, they could easily visit other places like Whistler and Victoria.

Granville Street remains busy after the Canada loss, but that is likely helped by the Brazil fans (sad but resilient) and the Mexican fans (no idea how they reacted after their defeat). Granville Street was pedestrian-only, but each cross street was still open to traffic so you had to wait to cross when the light hits green. This weekend, they even closed off the side streets.

My nephew was around my and my sister's (his mother's) age at the time of Expo 86. I doubt World Cup will have the same impact but when the inevitable 10 or 20-year anniversary commemoration comes around, I'd like to think he will remember it as "Huh, I remember that, my Uncle Manhn took me to a watch party where Canada got blasted by Morocco. I was bored, so I went shopping at Old Navy and Zara."
 
Karen-W said:
The current reporting is that Trump called Infantino to ask him to explain the rule & the process for appeal. Infantino gave the explanation and told Trump that it was under review by FIFA's Disciplinary Commission. Yes, the WH was prepared to offer legal assistance to US Soccer with their own legal maneuverings, but it sounds like US Soccer already had that under control (which makes sense since sports law experts are a specialty far different from US constitutional & federal law).

All this handwringing over Trump and potential cheating with FIFA disregards so many other instances of FIFA bending it's own rules (Ronaldo having his own red card suspended for this WC) or outright corruption (Qatar 2022). It is laughably predictable - and more than a little pathetic that folks are swallowing bogus political talking points instead of... 1) recognizing that Balogun's red card was improperly applied in the first place, 2) being appalled that there is no appeal process for an improperly applied red card, and 3) showing cringe-worthy levels of self-loathing to root against fairness and improving the game in the long run.

I don't get it. Belgium beat the USA 5-2 just in March. Are they really that scared to face a fully-stocked Team USA 4 months later? Was that win in March just dumb luck? You'd think they'd feel confident going into today's game regardless of whether or not they're facing Balogun. This latest "right to appeal" smacks of fear & desperation rather than wanting to go up against the best Team USA has to offer and win in what will surely be a very hostile environment. Man up, Red Devils, and win or go home.
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It's the optics. There are several other sports - which this is not the time or place - where political interference caused a black mark.

Rules are rules. Whether or not we like them. If as reported even the lack courtesy of informing Belgium prior to the announcement of reinstatement occurred, it's a huge issue.

Fear of loss has zero to do with it.
 
Karen-W said:
The current reporting is that Trump called Infantino to ask him to explain the rule & the process for appeal. Infantino gave the explanation and told Trump that it was under review by FIFA's Disciplinary Commission. Yes, the WH was prepared to offer legal assistance to US Soccer with their own legal maneuverings, but it sounds like US Soccer already had that under control (which makes sense since sports law experts are a specialty far different from US constitutional & federal law).
I
All this handwringing over Trump and potential cheating with FIFA disregards so many other instances of FIFA bending it's own rules (Ronaldo having his own red card suspended for this WC) or outright corruption (Qatar 2022). It is laughably predictable - and more than a little pathetic that folks are swallowing bogus political talking points instead of... 1) recognizing that Balogun's red card was improperly applied in the first place, 2) being appalled that there is no appeal process for an improperly applied red card, and 3) showing cringe-worthy levels of self-loathing to root against fairness and improving the game in the long run.

I don't get it. Belgium beat the USA 5-2 just in March. Are they really that scared to face a fully-stocked Team USA 4 months later? Was that win in March just dumb luck? You'd think they'd feel confident going into today's game regardless of whether or not they're facing Balogun. This latest "right to appeal" smacks of fear & desperation rather than wanting to go up against the best Team USA has to offer and win in what will surely be a very hostile environment. Man up, Red Devils, and win or go home.
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If I had my druthers, FIFA would have looked into this on Friday and possibly reinstated him. There are folks out there who thought the red was excessive. And they should have told Trump to stay in his lane. But that isn't what happened and now we stuck with this. And yes, it will look tainted if the US wins.

Is the situation with Ronaldo the same or is his situation something else entirely? I don't know enough about the game to understand his situation vs what is happening with the US team.
 
Rob said:
How do we know? And I am no fan of Trump and his interference. Just pointing out that there is precedent and lesser players/teams should not need the unfair interference to be treated the same, but this is FIFA we are talking about.
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There is no precedent for a head of state blatantly interfering in a referee’s decision at a World Cup! You and your fellow citizens are happy to go along with Trump and his absolute megalomania when it suits you and therein lies the problem and why you have Trump.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2074136347967619337
 
once_upon said:
It's the optics. There are several other sports - which this is not the time or place - where political interference caused a black mark.

Rules are rules. Whether or not we like them. If as reported even the lack courtesy of informing Belgium prior to the announcement of reinstatement occurred, it's a huge issue.

Fear of loss has zero to do with it.
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Making a phone call to inquire is NOT interference, no matter what some people want to say about "optics".

I don't have the links handy (been scrolling on X, reading updates) but it sounds like FIFA found this loophole not because of Trump's call but because US Soccer had made it clear they were going to appeal to CAS over the VAR being improperly used in this circumstance and FIFA didn't want to lose control of the situation, which they knew would happen if it went to CAS.

It's rich to bellyache and moan about "rules" and "process" when the red card in question was issued because RULES WEREN'T PROPERLY FOLLOWED in the first place. But, please, cite for me the rule that requires FIFA to notify Team USA's next opponent or any of the other teams left in the tournament, of a Disciplinary Commission decision to suspend a red card prior to it being announced publicly.
 
I wish Trump hadn't stuck his foot in, whether he actually tried to influence the decision or not, it just annoys that he somehow found a way to get his name into the conversation. But I was one of those who thought Balogun's RC was grossly unfair, so bottom line, I'm happy he will be eligible to play tonight.
 
Karen-W said:
Making a phone call to inquire is NOT interference, no matter what some people want to say about "optics".

I don't have the links handy (been scrolling on X, reading updates) but it sounds like FIFA found this loophole not because of Trump's call but because US Soccer had made it clear they were going to appeal to CAS over the VAR being improperly used in this circumstance and FIFA didn't want to lose control of the situation, which they knew would happen if it went to CAS.

It's rich to bellyache and moan about "rules" and "process" when the red card in question was issued because RULES WEREN'T PROPERLY FOLLOWED in the first place. But, please, cite for me the rule that requires FIFA to notify Team USA's next opponent or any of the other teams left in the tournament, of a Disciplinary Commission decision to suspend a red card prior to it being announced publicly.
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Of course, Ms “I started watching the World Cup three weeks ago and know more about the rules than actual governing bodies, federations and players” would say something like this. You’re a cheater supporter, no different to the fans of doped up Russian skaters.
 
I'm learning rules. I don't claim to know when yellow cards or red cards are issued. I do know even in junior high select soccer - there are rarely appeals granted. I learn from those select teams (although not at a professional level).

I do not gleam thru the cesspool of x or reddit or other social. I don't have registration or logins. It has been reported by some newspaper outlets and members of the soccer playoffs, a phone call was made, who specifically made it from the administration is really immaterial. If made by the US political machine it is inappropriate. I don't care if it was made by GOP or Democrat leaders.

Doping, allowing certain countries to compete, dare I say incidences where sport rules were scrapped and new in place if a country didn't like the results. Some driven by political leaders. Not right.

Political machinery interference especially from a host country, is inappropriate.
 
pollyanna said:
sports.yahoo.com

World Cup 2026: Belgium has appeal denied after FIFA reversed USMNT's Folarin Balogun 1-game ban after red card

Folarin Balogun could still be banned ahead of Monday's match.
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com

Good. At least Belgium gets a voice.
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Karen-W said:
All this handwringing over Trump and potential cheating with FIFA disregards so many other instances of FIFA bending it's own rules (Ronaldo having his own red card suspended for this WC) or outright corruption (Qatar 2022). It is laughably predictable - and more than a little pathetic that folks are swallowing bogus political talking points instead of... 1) recognizing that Balogun's red card was improperly applied in the first place, 2) being appalled that there is no appeal process for an improperly applied red card, and 3) showing cringe-worthy levels of self-loathing to root against fairness and improving the game in the long run.
Click to expand...

It's too bad Trump inserted himself, but the decision is the right one since the decision to give the red card was wrong per pretty much every knowledgeable commentator and FIFA's own rules. Why should Belgium get a voice? The supposed infraction was committed against a Bosnian player, and Belgium has nothing to do with it.
 
Many of us know that Trump has no integrity and needs to give himself credit for absolutely everything. If Infantino had any integrity, he wouldn’t have taken Trump’s call until after the decision was final and the game was played. Both should be investigated and Infantino should be removed if he gave favors. I wish Trump could be removed but that’s another process. In any event, Balogun and the other players do not deserve the ire.
 
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