The Footie Thread

[Orikoru]

Agree.

Success is last 4.

QF's should be achievable for England but it does depend on how the chips fall with regard the knockout draws.

Scotland will do well to make top 2 in their group...Morocco and Brazil are both better teams...but they should proceed as one of the best 3rd placed teams but are then likely to come up against a group winner...so last 16 would be a huge achievement.

This is a bit of fun, you can either enter your own score predictions and see how things pan out or let the system "simulate" results....the simulation isn't just throwing random scores at matches.....play it enough times and you see "predictable" patterns (though there are a few "shocks" thrown in that are unlikely to happen....but hey....we all remember Senegal beating France in 2002 and Cameroon doing over Argentina in 1990...so who am I to really say what is likely/unlikely....any way...as i said, its a bit of fun...

FIFA World Cup 2026 Simulator | Predict Tournament Results

Interactive FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament simulator with 48 teams. Predict every match, track group standings, and simulate the knockout bracket.

www.profootballnetwork.com

I went through this and I have us meeting Brazil in the Quarter-Finals - which could be a loss, but if we win, then Argentina in the semis. Would be tough to get through those two in order to face France in the final.

 

[clubchamp98]

No idea how they do things in Brazil. But I'm pretty sure kids still play football on the beaches. I'm pretty sure Cunha still plays a bit on the beaches when he goes back on holiday, think he mentioned it in an interview

There you go then.

He’s not a bad player.

 

[Rlburnside]

Let’s be honest guys, go back on here or google it and we’ll see the same moans and complaints we get before every tournament.

I genuinely can’t remember us ever playing well in build up fixtures.

For a team that relies on one player apparently we really don’t have a bad record in recent tournaments.

Quarter finals are a must for me, semi’s or final, anything can happen.

If you go back on here and google you will find Kane getting slated and should be dropped, even getting called a donkey.
Now he’s the messiah

I think the starting 11 will play better and should create more chances, we have some decent attacking players. It’s not all doom and gloom.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

It helped in 1966!

All the best Brazilian players used to say the learned to play on the beach!
Uneven surfaces help your ball control
Maybe it’s why Brazil are not what they were and most other countries.

1966

 

[PaulMdj]

Think it’s more iPads and phones.

When’s the last time you saw a bunch of kids playing footy in the park outside the organised teams.?
Never by me and I go through the park most days.

I wonder if Italy has a similar problem.

Saw kids in the park near me yesterday when I was out walking the dog.

Maybe it’s the area you live nearby, but up here in the NE I often see kids playing footy in the parks or grassed areas around the houses.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

It helped in 1966!

All the best Brazilian players used to say the learned to play on the beach!
Uneven surfaces help your ball control
Maybe it’s why Brazil are not what they were and most other countries.

So did the lack of goal line technology!

You don’t need uneven surfaces to practice ball control. Half the issue is clubs don’t let kids develop naturally and make mistakes. From to young and age they’re teaching possession based football and patterns of play.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I went through this and I have us meeting Brazil in the Quarter-Finals - which could be a loss, but if we win, then Argentina in the semis. Would be tough to get through those two in order to face France in the final.

Brazil came 5th in their World Cup qualifying. So much awe of Brazil is historical. There is no reason to fear them, or Argentina. They wont fear us either to be fair but we shouldn't build them up based on past history

 

[Neilds]

Kids shouldn't be playing in organised leagues until they are about 11 or 12 imo. Teach them the basic skills (which a lot seem to lack) and not have them playing matches

 

[Orikoru]

Brazil came 5th in their World Cup qualifying. So much awe of Brazil is historical. There is no reason to fear them, or Argentina. They wont fear us either to be fair but we shouldn't build them up based on past history

I agree Brazil have one of their poorest sides to date, but I usually expect England to just not turn up as soon as they face one of the bigger nations.