World Cup Qualification Thread for 2026 - Socceroos/Asia

[huddo]

Velupillay is delivering at international level. Riddle me that Riley. McGree has been so frustrating in his way to not get involved in games. My favourite player but invariably a lot of good players at club level just can't click for a national team. Look at McGinn for Scotland. Absolutely nowhere.

I think Mcgree was in the same boat as Irvine. the style of build up play that Arnie endeavoured to play had McGrees static up the park, if you look how he was played in Middlesbrough ( and where he seems the most effective) he sits alot deeper and runs in to space. Caceres, Nizzy and Robbo are all advance playmakers that would have worked better in Arnie's system, Mcgree I believe is more of a False 10.

 

[Mr Cleansheets]

I love McGree and he's definitely worth persisting with.

Too good not to be featuring for the Socceroos.

 

[Pasquali]

Have a read of this thread if you're interested.

 

[huddo]

Have a read of this thread if you're interested.

Shock!! I await (and fear) a manager that analyses Popa's tactics, and counters them rather than just pushes their own.

Playing Asian opposition is really making me lower my expectation on Asian employed managers.

 

[booney52]

Shock!! I await (and fear) a manager that analyses Popa's tactics, and counters them rather than just pushes their own.

Playing Asian opposition is really making me lower my expectation on Asian employed managers.

Kluivert is a very inexperienced manager and as he said before the game he likes to play football.He was brought up in the Ajax/Cruyff style and would want his team to play that expansive style( like Ange does).In the game in Sydney this possibly was not really clever in the long run but for the first 15-20 minutes they had the Socceroos on the back foot and if Ryan had not made that top save and if the penalty had gone in we would have been in trouble.
The Chinese coach was stymied by the loss through injury and suspension of some of his top players .The Saudi coach is smart and if that is the deciding game for second place he will have the tactics and home advantage to really test Popa's style and tactics.

 

[JS96]

Browsing the world cup groups and their respective game locations. Interesting. Some stadiums are going to suck. It'll hopefully be dry but so few have roofs and places like Foxborough and others with their distance from the pitch won't make for enjoyable viewing.

 

[NicCarBel]

Browsing the world cup groups and their respective game locations. Interesting. Some stadiums are going to suck. It'll hopefully be dry but so few have roofs and places like Foxborough and others with their distance from the pitch won't make for enjoyable viewing.

Are they using any that aren’t American Football grounds? You’d expect those ones to be close to the pitch (at least in the first tiers)

 

[JS96]

Are they using any that aren’t American Football grounds? You’d expect those ones to be close to the pitch (at least in the first tiers)

They've chosen the best available with size and proximity. Of course smaller boutique grounds like the one in Minnesota won't be used.

I guess it's no different to Hannover which also has a curved main stand as do most of these American ones. Interesting to note is an NFL field is smaller than football. Still, the games in these large stadiums tend to have a lot of logistical rook on the side for advertising and junk lying around.

It's undoubtedly on the FIFA website but the B1 vs B4 etc notes aren't on the wiki. You just wonder if you'll be playing in New York then Philadelphia then Atlanta. There are so many domestic flights but the use of price surging and algorithms tells me they're going to gouge. I have no intention on attending but it'll make for interesting viewing.

 

[JS96]

I'm not sure what questions are on the current ESTA but with past convictions probably being part of it, you wonder how many who'd misbehave would even get a visa to go to the WC.

I think a lot of people need to realise in certain areas that verbal banter over there can sadly lead to someone quickly drawing a pistol.

 

[JS96]

The thing that got me writing was a projected world cup pot. 4 massive posts. All projections and also less confed based rather rabkings so you could see France Germany Australia New Zealand. Best 8? 3rds advance too.

I can't do the math. Would there be any other way of doing it? It just feels like 4 points could see absolutes where rank 1 plays rank 48. Possible amongst 32 but the range is really there.

 

[NicCarBel]

The thing that got me writing was a projected world cup pot. 4 massive posts. All projections and also less confed based rather rabkings so you could see France Germany Australia New Zealand. Best 8? 3rds advance too.

I can't do the math. Would there be any other way of doing it? It just feels like 4 points could see absolutes where rank 1 plays rank 48. Possible amongst 32 but the range is really there.

I’m not sure what the question being asked here is?

I mean they’d do the usual way of the 4 pots sorted by ranking, surely? No more than 2x European nations in a group, and no more than one per continent in each group (if that still works?)

you could very well get 1 v 48 - I might do a mock draw using my projections from a few days ago as an example

They've chosen the best available with size and proximity. Of course smaller boutique grounds like the one in Minnesota won't be used.

I guess it's no different to Hannover which also has a curved main stand as do most of these American ones. Interesting to note is an NFL field is smaller than football. Still, the games in these large stadiums tend to have a lot of logistical rook on the side for advertising and junk lying around.

It's undoubtedly on the FIFA website but the B1 vs B4 etc notes aren't on the wiki. You just wonder if you'll be playing in New York then Philadelphia then Atlanta. There are so many domestic flights but the use of price surging and algorithms tells me they're going to gouge. I have no intention on attending but it'll make for interesting viewing.

What notes do you mean? All the matches seem to have a venue and date attached in wiki (just not a kick off time)

 

[NicCarBel]

I’m not sure what the question being asked here is?

I mean they’d do the usual way of the 4 pots sorted by ranking, surely? No more than 2x European nations in a group, and no more than one per continent in each group (if that still works?)

you could very well get 1 v 48 - I might do a mock draw using my projections from a few days ago as an example

What notes do you mean? All the matches seem to have a venue and date attached in wiki (just not a kick off time)

Here’s what the pots would look like using current rankings, and the current seeding system that was previously used:


So using the rankings as an example, the “strongest” possible group would be Argentina, Germany, Korea, Tunisia.

Lopsided (2 strongest, 2 weakest) would be Argentina, Germany, Ivory Coast, New Zealand. Probably could make an argument of Mexico, Germany, Venezuela, New Zealand.

The “weakest” group would be: Canada, Austria, Venezuela, New Zealand.

And as for us, we would be essentially paired with anyone from all the other pots, (except Japan and Iran for Pot 2, and Qatar, Uzbekistan and Jordan from Pot 4) - so our “Group of Death” would look like Argentina, Germany, Australia, Tunisia, and “Group of Dreams” as Canada, Austria, Australia, New Zealand.

 

[JS96]

I’m not sure what the question being asked here is?

I mean they’d do the usual way of the 4 pots sorted by ranking, surely? No more than 2x European nations in a group, and no more than one per continent in each group (if that still works?)

you could very well get 1 v 48 - I might do a mock draw using my projections from a few days ago as an example

What notes do you mean? All the matches seem to have a venue and date attached in wiki (just not a kick off time)

The wiki would often have say, game 3 B1 vs B3. I'm curious which specific team will play 3 games where.

In regards to the pots, they're just massive an in wonder if there is some other way of doing the draw. I guess it's random enough but we may see a group of Canada, Senegal, Uzbekistan, NZ and one of Argentina Germany Ivory Coast Norway

 

[JS96]

Here’s what the pots would look like using current rankings, and the current seeding system that was previously used:

View attachment 1571
So using the rankings as an example, the “strongest” possible group would be Argentina, Germany, Korea, Tunisia.

Lopsided (2 strongest, 2 weakest) would be Argentina, Germany, Ivory Coast, New Zealand. Probably could make an argument of Mexico, Germany, Venezuela, New Zealand.

The “weakest” group would be: Canada, Austria, Venezuela, New Zealand.

And as for us, we would be essentially paired with anyone from all the other pots, (except Japan and Iran for Pot 2, and Qatar, Uzbekistan and Jordan from Pot 4) - so our “Group of Death” would look like Argentina, Germany, Australia, Tunisia, and “Group of Dreams” as Canada, Austria, Australia, New Zealand.

I'd like to draw Austria just to confuse Americans.

 

[NicCarBel]

The wiki would often have say, game 3 B1 vs B3. I'm curious which specific team will play 3 games where.

In regards to the pots, they're just massive an in wonder if there is some other way of doing the draw. I guess it's random enough but we may see a group of Canada, Senegal, Uzbekistan, NZ and one of Argentina Germany Ivory Coast Norway

The only other way it could be done is geographically a la 2006 (Pot 1 being seeded, with the other 3 geographically based)

Pros for that is that it makes the draw process (in relation to placing countries when they are drawn generally simple). The cons for it, everything up to that point is complicated (which continents are paired together, etc, etc)

I do see what you’re saying re: B1 v B3, etc now. From looking at the wiki, the US, Mexico and Canada groups have been drawn to specific matches, but not exactly with the others..
This bit on the wiki page sorta confirms that: Prior to the final draw, stadiums were assigned to specific groups.<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup#cite_note-upd_schedule-74"><span>[</span>74<span>]</span></a> Following the final draw, pairings will be allocated to specific matches, and the kick-off times will be confirmed.<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup#cite_note-Q&amp;A-71"><span>[</span>71<span>]</span></a>

 

[huddo]

I'm not sure what questions are on the current ESTA but with past convictions probably being part of it, you wonder how many who'd misbehave would even get a visa to go to the WC.

I think a lot of people need to realise in certain areas that verbal banter over there can sadly lead to someone quickly drawing a pistol.

They'll just create a special visa for players and managers. The yanks won't risk a fuck up like that.

As for the areas you're talking about where verbals escalate to gunfights, honestly you can work out those areas pretty easily.

Travelling to the US was one of the nicest places I visited, and 99% of the people were extremely nice. Wouldn't want to live there though, but will definately be going back.

 

[Decentric]

I love McGree and he's definitely worth persisting with.

Too good not to be featuring for the Socceroos.

I agree re McGree's age cohort.

However, having looked at the vastly superior quality of those aged 23 and under, can't see any hope of McGree holding his place if the younger whiz kids keep developing as fast as they currently are.

Just based on talent, and skill set, I predict that unless injuries occur en masse, as the whiz kids gain experience, they are vastly superior and have such quantity of quality, McGree et al, have no hope of holding their places in a few years.

This is exemplified in Teague's debut. Already, he is as good as the more experienced DMs, Irvine and O'Neill. And Teague isn't outstanding in his cohort, like McGree is in his cohort. Teague is just another one of many high quality youngsters coming through.

I subscribe to Popa's view that he won't chase players to play for Aus, like Volpato and Robertson. Popa is aware that there is plenty of talent as good, desperate to play for the Socceroos.

 

[Decentric]

I think Mcgree was in the same boat as Irvine. the style of build up play that Arnie endeavoured to play had McGrees static up the park, if you look how he was played in Middlesbrough ( and where he seems the most effective) he sits alot deeper and runs in to space. Caceres, Nizzy and Robbo are all advance playmakers that would have worked better in Arnie's system, Mcgree I believe is more of a False 10.

Insightful post, Huddo!

 

[huddo]

Insightful post, Huddo!

For as much as I dislike Popa, It is one thing I think I have to give Popa credit for. He understands how the individual player plays and slots them in to his system well.

 

[jas88]

I can't remember what game it was but one of Arnie's last I remember we were struggling down our left and then mcgree or bos came on and those two just started cutting them to pieces. We got to get them on the park together in this formation.