World Cup Qualifying for 2026

[andyt]

Germany picked Winston-Salem and Wake Forest University as their World Cup base.


View: https://x.com/demondeacons/status/2009644415631954176?s=46&t=8056gLL6Pl3wbApF5otK6g

 

[jeffbear]

Good choice. Wake’s facilities are top notch and it will be nice and low key for them in Winston.

 

[andyt]

Scotland will train in Charlotte, using CharlotteFC’s facilities.


View: https://x.com/mikesolarte/status/2023760472898761099?s=61

 

[jeffbear]

Scotland will train in Charlotte, using CharlotteFC’s facilities.


View: https://x.com/mikesolarte/status/2023760472898761099?s=61

Planning a day trip as we speak :0)

I ain’t shelling out for actual tickets, but I’ll go spend a day with the Tartan Army anytime.

 

[andyt]

Planning a day trip as we speak :0)

I ain’t shelling out for actual tickets, but I’ll go spend a day with the Tartan Army anytime.

I’m shocked.

It will be easier when they finish relocating the Charlotte Amtrak station to the uptown transportation hub.

 

[Ed H in Pasadena]

Iran's sports minister has said the men's national team "cannot participate" in this summer's World Cup. The growing clusterf**k that is the World Cup 2026. I've never been less excited about a World Cup than this one.

Iran 'cannot participate' in the World Cup, sports minister says

Iran is scheduled to play three group-stage games in Los Angeles and Seattle in June.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[VinatieriDefinesClutch]

At this point I've kind of resigned myself to never watching the world cup again as it's just going to be the most corrupt organization on earth holding it in the most evil countries on earth.

 

[jeffbear]

Yeah. Same. This sucks

 

[Ed H in Pasadena]

UEFA Playoffs
Italy 2-0 Northern Ireland
Sweden 3-1 Ukraine (Viktor Gyökeres hat-trick)
Denmark 4-0 North Macedonia
Poland 2-1 Albania
Turkey 1-0 Romania
Kosovo 4-3 Slovakia
Czechia 2-2 Ireland (Czechia advance on penalties 4-3)
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1 Wales (BH advance on penalties 4-2)

Here's the four finals on Tuesday night:
Bosnia vs Italy
Sweden vs Poland
Kosovo vs Turkey
Czechia vs Denmark

Remaining qualifying playoffs
Bolivia 2-1 Suriname
Jamaica 1-0 New Caledonia

Again on Tuesday, Bolivia advance to play Iraq (given a bye to the finals in Monterrey, Mexico) while Jamaica play DR Congo (also given a bye to the finals in Guadalajara, Mexico)

12 teams, 6 matches, 6 remaining qualifiers to advance.

 

[jeffbear]

Pretty much chalk from this round of playoffs aside from maybe Kosovo. We’ll see what we get from the teams with the bye.

 

[Ed H in Pasadena]

Final six qualifiers were

Bosnia 1-1 Italy (Bosnia advances 4-1 on penalties)
Sweden 3-2 Poland (Viktor Gyokeres scores match winner in the 88th minute)
Kosovo 0-1 Turkiye
Czechia 2-2 Denmark (Czechia advances 3-1 on penalties)
Jamaica 0-1 DR Congo (AET on 101' goal by Axel Tuanzebe)
Bolivia 2-1 Iraq

I had ViX to watch Czechia v Denmark, then turned on Fox 1 to watch end of Bosnia v Italy. Then I watched parts of both halves and most of extra time of Jamaica match. Two Euro matches were gripping; only ET was for DR Congo/Jamaica.

Sweden didn't win a single match in qualifying but were playoff bound because of how they did in Nations League.

And finally, Italy understandably sacked Genaro Gattuso after they failed to qualify for the third consecutive World Cup.

 

[jeffbear]

And finally, Italy understandably sacked Genaro Gattuso after they failed to qualify for the third consecutive World Cup.

I thought they might literally fire him into the sun. The anger in Italy over their repeated failures to qualify for the World Cup have reached emergency levels.

For whatever fading interest I have in the US campaign, getting Turkey in their Group ain’t good news. That side is perfectly capable of nipping points off of the Americans.

 

[andyt]

Dick Advocaat resigned as Curaçao’s coach in February due to his daughter’s health issues. She recovered and he’s back with the team, he’ll be the oldest coach in World Cup history.

So the oldest coach leads the smallest country. They’re in a group with Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador.