​

Neither team looks like they care about a 3rd place medal anyway, so why not just fully embrace it and turn the game into a show?

Loose defending, let players try 35m screamers, rabonas, bicycle kicks, keepers going on runs… just a game to show off their skills, kinda like an all star game, just play for entertainment.

End it 5–5 for absolutely no reason so we still get a penalty shootout to decide it.

🇨🇻 Cabo Verde's goalkeeper Vozinha talks about how his life changed after his rise to celebrity status after the World Cup:

"​I grew up in Cabo Verde chasing a professional football dream. The odds against an African kid on a small island remain brutal. You fight for visas. You train without real facilities. Our coaches gave us their heart, but they lacked tactical training. Talented players in my neighborhood missed the path to Europe because big clubs ignored our region.

​My professional career started late, at twenty-five. Peers reached their peak while I started my grind. I worked multiple jobs to survive. I kept going because the game consumed me.

​The tournament changed my life. The world used to ask where Cabo Verde was on a map. They know us now. That shift is the best thing to happen to our country. Before the cup, I lived an anonymous life. I cooked meals in the street and ate outside my front door. Now, people lose their minds when I walk down the sidewalk. The change feels chaotic. I miss the quiet, simple connection, but seeing our flag gain global respect makes the noise worth it.

​I am forty now, and a free agent. People whisper about Miami and Messi. I want to play football for one or two more years. My body feels strong. My passion remains heavy. I need a team that wants my skill. I refuse to join a club as a marketing gimmick.

​And for the fans asking: I am single."

Canadian wildfires are causing dangerous air quality levels.

One thing that stands out to me is how Messi adapted and carried his country throughout his international career. He went from being the young star expected to win everything, to being unfairly blamed for every failure, to becoming the leader who finally ended Argentina's trophy drought and inspired one of the greatest international football stories ever.

At 39 years old, performing like that at the highest level is extraordinary. Winning another World Cup is just 1 game away.

Simply the GOD of Football.

Do you think the 2026 Argentina squad is stronger overall than the 2022 World Cup-winning team?

Let's say Argentina wins back to back World Cups. What do you guys think of the prospects of Messi going for three in a row in 2030? He already basically walks around the pitch for like 50% of the game. The skill level will always be there and sports science has advanced so much. For Argentina there ain't another Messi walking through that door.

Undoubtedly England vs Mexico for me.

It may be a reason beyond the understanding of fair-weather-every -4-years-out-of-the- woodworks soccer fans, but it is a reason nonetheless. Anyone who’s been watching the World Cup for a long time now could tell you: You DON’T want to be 4th place.

4th place is the biggest loser of the tournament. To carry the spotlight and attention with 3 with other teams for most of the tournament, only to bow out empty handed with that same spotlight on you is massive insult to injury.

When a dark horse team plays in it, it’s fulfilling to see them walk away with recognizable hardware for their efforts. When two known powerhouses countries face off in it, it’s absolutely a matter of pride.

People act like these games are 1-0 bores- they are not! They are anything but that! We get plenty of chaos and late game heroics in third place matches. The teams historically DO go out and try. It’s a completely false stigma that nobody is actually going to try. Literally go back and watch some of these games. Use your eyes if not your brain.

I’ve seen some terrible takes throughout this entire WC on this subreddit but this takes the cake for me. Some of y’all don’t clap for third place at the Olympics either huh.

Referee: Slavko Vincic
AR1: Tomaz Klancnik
AR2: Andraz Kovacic
4th Official: Adham Makhadmeh
RAR: Mohammad Alkalaf

Source: @fifacom on X

BBC debunks the viral images which is spread during world cup for views.

Might be a dumb question, but I was wondering if Messi is fitted to play in Barcelona like the old days. Would his performance be as good?

Edit: I'm taking in a hypothetical setup, I'm not saying he should go and play for Barca, there are probably a million reasons why that could not be of his interest (money, family, personal preference). I was just asking if he could perform in a competitive league.

It seems like there's a lot of worrying cracks for South America looking forward.

Brazil still produces stars, but hasn't produced a team capable of winning since 2014 (and we all know how that WC went for them). Basically every attack from Argentina in the knockouts has been routed through Messi, and the rest of their midfield and attack skews old. Colombia is at the tail end of a golden generation, while Chile and Uruguay's golden generation is long past. Ecuador is the only youthful team in the continent.

Europe's youth development seems unassailable at this point, with African diaspora players benefiting from that network. Meanwhile it seems like youth development in the Americas is falling further and further behind, and their squads are much older than the European ones as they're relying on older talent that's already been through European club competitions.

For their most recent matchups, this is how many players 25 years old or younger were on the pitch over the course of the game:

Ecuador: 9

Germany: 7

Netherlands: 7

England: 6 (Gordon, Bellingham, Rogers, Anderson, Spence, O'Reilly)

France: 6

Brazil: 5

Spain: 5

Switzerland: 4

Argentina: 2 (Simeone and Fernandez)

Colombia: 1

Uruguay: 1

In four years, these players like Bellingham, Lamal, Cubarsi, Haaland, Doue and Olise are going to get better. Who will Argentina have? Let alone Uruguay or Colombia.

title

To me vuvuzela was peak annoyance.

1. Kylian Mbappé (France)
2. Lionel Messi (Argentina)
3. Jude Bellingham (England)
4. Erling Haaland (Norway)
5. Charles De Ketelaere (Belgium)
6. Ousmane Dembélé (France)
7. Vinícius Júnior (Brazil)
8. Johan Manzambi (Switzerland)
9. Julián Quiñones (Mexico)
10. Harry Kane (England)

(note that these are the official FIFA rankins and not mine, so dont be rude, also pretty sure Olise is in 200+ spot below Ronaldo somehow)

Also if your wondering where any specific player is, Ill look for it