Sports – Soccer/Football

2026 FIFA World Cup – Group C Focus

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

With the World Cup now expanded to contest 48 teams for the Cup, it will be very hard for one single nation to host. Even long before Qatar hosted in 2022, I thought having a nation as small as Qatar to host was a bad idea. They did host to the best of their abilities and did a good job of it, but I still feel a nation that small is too small to host a World Cup of 32 teams.

For 2030, Spain, Portugal and Morocco will share the hosting duties but there will be a special tribute to the 100th anniversary of the World Cup with Montevideo, Uruguay, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Asuncion, Paraguay staging a single match each for the Centennial celebration. For 2034, it has been stated Saudi Arabia alone will host that World Cup. Can a World Cup of 48 nations be staged in a single nation? That World Cup will be the first test.

In the meantime, here are the participating teams of Group C:

-Brazil (6): It’s not the World Cup without Brazil. They’ve been present all 22 previous World Cups. It’s easy to see why the Selecao Canarinho are one of the most beloved teams in the world. Five World Cups, nine Copa Americas and legendary players like Leonidas, Pele, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. The problem is the last 20 years have not been kind to Brazil. Since their World Cup win in 2002, the best World Cup finish has been fourth when they hosted in 2014. They had three Copa America wins this century but the last Copa America had them out in the quarterfinals. It’s been a common thing with Brazil in the 21st Century: big expectations, a talent-packed team, falling short too soon. Heck, since their embarrassment at the 2014 World Cup, they have gone through five different head coaches!

Although most of the coaching staff are Brazilian, the current head coach of Brazil’s national team is an Italian: Carlo Ancelotti, who has experience in coaching eleven major league teams. Standout players include goalkeeper Alisson who plays for Liverpool, defender and captain Marqinhos who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, midfielder Casemiro who plays for Manchester United, and defenders Neymar and rising talent Vinicius Junior. Their play in the past twelve months have been a set of mixed results. They’ve achieved key wins against Chile, Senegal and Croatia, draws to Ecuador and Tunisia, and notable losses to France and Japan. The 2026 World Cup is another chance for Brazil to achieve their sixth World Cup and they have what it takes to deliver at the occasion.

-Morocco (7): One thing we learned from the last World Cup is do not underestimate the Atlas Lions. They shocked by beating Belgium 2-0 while qualifying from the Group Stage and defeated highly-favored rivals like Spain and Portugal to qualify for the semifinals. They became the first African team to achieve this feat. They also added to their fears the first African team to qualify for the knockout round back in 1986 and the first African team when continental allocations were introduced in 1970.

The team comes strong after winning the last three African Nations Championships and also winning the last African Cup of Nations thanks to a controversy caused by Senegal’s poor sportsmanship in the final. They also have a new head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, who is the former coach of the national under-23 team. With many of the players under 25, they will be familiar with his coaching style. Top players include goalkeeper Yassine Bounou who was one of the stars of World Cup 2022, defender and captain Achraf Hakimi who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, midfielder Sofyan Ambarat who plays for Spain’s Betis, and striker Ayoub el-Kaabi who plays for Greece’s Olympiacos. Morocco is fortunate they haven’t had a loss in the last twelve months. Their five draws have been against Oman, Mali, Nigeria, Norway and Ecuador. This World Cup offers another chance for Morocco to prove its ability to perform well under the world’s spotlight.

-Haiti (81): Haiti may be the poorest nation in the Americas but they have shown their football prowess at times. Les Grenadiers did win the 1973 CONCACAF Gold Cup and did play at the World Cup of 1974. They have had struggles since such as their last Caribbean Cup win being in 2007 and finishing last in the Group Stage of the most recent CONCACAF Gold Cup. Their qualification for the World Cup is a story of resilience. Their qualification campaign came as their country was going through political turmoil and had to do training and playing home games in Curacao. Just being in the World Cup is enough of an achievement for Haiti.

Their coaching staff is mostly Haitian but their head coach is a Frenchman: Sebastien Migne. Because of the political turmoil in Haiti, Migne has never set foot on Haitian soil. The team has a lot of players under the age of 25. Star players include goalkeeper Johny Placide who plays for France’s Bastia, defender Ricardo Ade, midfielder Leverton Pierre and striker Duckens Nazon who plays for Iran’s Esteghlal. Recent play includes wins against Costa Rica< New Zealand and Nicaragua, draws to Iceland and Trinidad, and losses to the United States, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. This World Cup can be an opportunity for Haiti to take their football to a new level. Qualifying is already their reward but they could go further than expected during United 2026.

-Scotland (43): Scotland have been to the World Cup eight times before. The Tartan Army hold an unfortunate World Cup record. They have the most World Cup participations without ever making it past the first round! They also have that bad luck at the Euro tournament. It happens each time The team is loaded with talent but it fails to live up to expectations!

The current head coach is Scotsman Steve Clark who has coached since 2020 and it the longest-serving head coach ever for the Scottish national team. Most of the team plays for either England’s Premier League or Scotland’s Premiership. Star players include goalkeeper Craig Gordon, defender and captain Andy Robertson from Liverpool, midfielder John McGinn from Aston Villa, and striker Lyndon Dykes. For their play in the last twelve months, they’ve achieved notable wins against Belarus, Bolivia and Curacao, a win and a draw against Denmark, a win and a loss to Greece and losses to Japan and the Ivory Coast. This World Cup is another chance for Scotland to take their football to another level.

My Qualifier Predictions: I have no problem here predicting the two main qualifiers: Brazil and Morocco. The difficult part is the wildcard prediction. Just remember there will be four third-place teams that won’t qualify. Game stats will decide it all. Nevertheless, I feel Scotland will qualify.

And that’s my look at World Cup groups for now. My look at Group C is complete and I have nine more to go. In my blogs, I won’t just focus on the teams. There’s lots to talk about when the topic is the World Cup!

2026 FIFA World Cup – Group B Focus

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

Never in my lifetime did I think Canada would host a men’s World Cup. We hosted an impressive Women’s World Cup but I figured we really needed to improve our national team big time if we wanted to host a men’s World Cup.

This paragraph is my personal opinion. I am happy that Canada is one of the three host nations but I’m unhappy that only two Canadian cities will stage matches. Toronto and Vancouver are good picks but we could have also added in Edmonton and Montreal. Those two cities have the two biggest stadiums in Canada. Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium and Montreal’s Olympic Stadium can seat just over 56,000. Why weren’t they included?

I’m also unhappy Mexico is only having three cities stage matches. Mexico hosted two previous World Cups and they have good enough venues. The three staging matches are Mexico City’s 87,500-seat Azteca Stadium which was part of Mexico’s two previous World Cups and even hosted matches during the 1968 Summer Olympics. Second is Monterrey’s Estadio BBVA. It’s a modern 53,500-seat stadium that opened to the public in 2015. Third is Guadalajara’s Estadio Akron. This stadium opened in 2010, seats almost 50,000 and was the host venue for the 2011 Pan Amercian Games.

Those wondering about the two Canadian stadiums, Vancouver’s BC Place was opened in 1983 and can seat 54,000. Toronto’s BMO Field was opened in 2007 and can seat 45,000.

Anyways, that’s enough for stadium talk until I focus on the U.S. Now it’s time to focus on the teams of World Cup’s Group B. This is an interesting mix including a present host-nation and the last host nation. Additional irony is one finished last at the last World Cup while the other finished second-last! Enough with the trivia! Here’s my look at Group B:

-Canada (30): To most of the world, Canada is seen as a joke in football. Sure, our women are very good at delivering in major tournaments, but our men are very lackluster. The Canucks have only qualified for two previous World Cups and have lost all their matches. Back in 1986, they didn’t score a single goal. In 2022, they finally scored but still lost all their matches. Much to Canada’s relief, they only finished second-last with hosts Qatar behind them. More on them later. The Canadian men have delivered some noteworthy feats in the past. Fourth at the 2024 Copa America and winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1985 and 2000. Most recently, they beat the United States for third-place at the CONCACAF Nations League.

Canada has worked hard to build a national team the host nation can be proud of. American Jesse Marsch is the head coach with a mix of other coaches from North America and Europe. The top players of the team are goalkeeper Maxine Crepeau who plays for Orlando City, defender and captain Alphonso Davies who plays for Bayern Munich, midfielder Jonathan Osorio who plays for Toronto FC, and striker Cyle Larin who plays for Southampton. For their play in the last 12 months, their most notable wins are Ukraine, Wales and Uzbekistan. They’ve had notable draws to Colombia, Ireland and Ecuador and their only loss has been to Australia. Chances are Canada can rise to the occasion and deliver a great showing as a host nation!

-Bosnia-Hercegovina (64): If there’s one thing to learn from the qualifying matches, it’s that you should never underestimate Zmajevi or The Dragons. Their road to the World Cup led them to the longer path after they finished second to Austria in their qualifying group. They would have to face Wales and Italy in the playoff berths. In both cases, they drew 1-1 during the game and won on penalty kicks. Never underestimate the power of teams you dismiss as ‘minnows.’ Interesting they’ve never qualified for a Euro but this will be their second World Cup!

Leading the coaching for the team is Bosnia’s Sergej Barbarez. Only two members of Bosnia’s coaching staff are not from Bosnia. Top players for the team include defender Sead Kolasinac who plays for Italy Serie A team Atalanta, midfielder Amir Hadziametovic who plays for Hull City and legendary striker Edin Dzeko. Their play has been notable these past twelve months for resulting in a lot of draws. Their wins may have been to Malta, San Marino and Romania but they’ve achieved draws against more lauded teams like Austria, Panama, Wales, and Italy. The latter two, they had the winning edge in penalty kicks. Chances are it’s here in United 2026 where Bosnia can surprise the world on a big scale!

-Qatar (55): It’s tempting to either feel sorry for The Maroons or laugh at them after the 2022 World Cup. Back in 2022, they achieved three ignominious firsts for a World Cup host nation: first-ever host nation to lose their opening match, first-ever host nation to lose all their Group Stage games, and first-ever host nation to finish dead last! But Qatar showed they can rebound from humiliation.  Back in 2023, they successfully defended their AFC Asian Cup on home soil. For World Cup qualifying, this marks the first time they’ve achieved qualification outside of hosting the last Cup with Almoez Ali being the second-biggest scorer of the qualifiers. No kidding they will be coming here with something to prove.

The current team’s head coach is Spain’s Julen Lopetegui and the majority of its coaching staff is Spanish. All but one of the players play in teams with Qatar’s Stars League. Top players include goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham, defender Boualem Khoukhi, midfielder Abdulaziz Hatem and strikers Hassan al-Haydos and Almoez Ali. The last twelve months have included wins against Iran and the UAE, draws against Bahrain, Oman and Syria, and losses against Ireland, Zimbabwe and Tunisia. North America can be the stage for Qatar to prove their redemption in the football world.

-Switzerland (19): Right now the A-Team or the Nati are hard to describe. Their common World Cup frustration of bombing out in the Round of 16 keeps on happening, like the three previous World Cups. The past two Euros showed some improvement as in those two, the Swiss team won their first knockout match and made it as far as the quarterfinals. It’s a case that the talent is there but it’s a matter of consistent delivering.

The Swiss coaching staff is completely Swiss and the Head Coach Murat Yakin is the same coach from World Cup 2022. Top players include goalkeeper Gregor Kobel who plays for Borussia, defender Ricardo Rodriguez who plays for Spain’s Betiz, legendary midfielder Granit Xhaka who plays for Sunderland and striker Breel Embolo who plays for France’s Rennes. Their play in the last 12 months have been mostly consistent. Their most notable wins include the United States, Mexico and Sweden. They’ve had draws to Slovenia, Australia and Norway and their only loss was to Germany back in March. Chances are here in World Cup 2026, Switzerland can deliver their best finish ever.

My Qualifier Predictions: This is a very different mix of teams. It’s easy for me to make my first pick: Switzerland. My second pick is tough but I will go with Bosnia. I predict Canada to be the wildcard qualifier.

And there is my look at World Cup Group B. Interesting three of the nations are either former or present host nations. More unique group mix-ups to come.

WORK CITED:
“2026 FIFA World Cup.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2026. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup>

2026 FIFA World Cup – Group A Focus

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

It’s 2026. For football fans around the world, this is their favorite year of the quadrennial because that mean the contesting of the FIFA World Cup! This year is the first year in which 48 teams will compete! This should make for a lot of excitement.

This World Cup also marks the first ever World Cup consisting of three host nations. True, we had a case where two Asian nations — Japan and South Korea — shared hosting duties but this is the first in which three nations agree to host together. Billed as the ‘United’ hosting, the nations are the North American nations of Canada, Mexico and the United States.

For those wondering of the venues hosting this World Cup, I’ll give a brief mention. The opening match will take place at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on Friday, June 11th. The Final for the Cup will take place on Sunday, July 19th at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  Here’s a brief guide to the sixteen stadiums staging the matches:

  • MEXICO: Mexico City – EstadioAzteca
  • Guadalajara – Estadio Akron
  • Monterrey – Estadio BBVA
  • CANADA: Toronto – BMO Field
  • Vancouver – BC Place Stadium
  • U.S.A.: Dallas – AT & T Stadium
  • New York/New Jersey – MetLife Stadium
  • Atlanta – Mercedes Benz Stadium
  • Kansas City – GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
  • Houston – NRG Stadium
  • San Francisco Bay Area – Levi’s Stadium
  • Los Angeles – SoFi Stadium
  • Philadelphia – Lincoln Financial Field
  • Seattle – Lumen Field
  • Boston – Gilette Stadium
  • Miami – Hard Rock Stadium

The two nations hosting together have alerted of some possible complications. For those of you who paid attention to North American news in the past ten years, the political news has been a circus. The biggest news being the havoc Donald Trump provokes. In his first term, it was all about him building a wall against Mexico because of illegal immigration. Since returning to the presidency in January 2025, it’s been about threatening tariffs on Canada, claiming we shortchanged the nation. Even after he withdraws the tariffs, that hasn’t stopped him from talking smack about Canada. Further controversy erupted as it’s possible some nations like Iran are on Trump’s ‘no entry’ list. Is FIFA sure he deserved that Peace Prize?

Whatever the situation, the World Cup will go on and 48 teams will contest over a 39-day period to decide the best football nation in the world!

To start things off, here’s my look at Group A. The number in brackets is the team’s latest FIFA World Ranking:

–Mexico (14): Of all nations in North America, Mexico seems most rightful to host. This makes it the eighteenth World Cup Mexico will compete in and the third time they will host, having been the sole host of 1970 and 1986. Unfortunately Mexico has had some World Cup difficulties. They’re often the CONCACAF qualifiers but they are the team with the most World Cup defeats. Their best finishes are the quarterfinals but only when they’ve hosted. The 1986 is the only World Cup where they won a knockout match. At last year’s World Cup, it became the first since 1978 where they failed to qualify out of group play.

There is a ray of hope for El Tricolor. They won last year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. Their intercontinental play is still in question. The team has been coached by Javier Aguirre since 2024 and the team features stars like goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, defender Jesus Gallardo, midfielder Edson Alvarez and striker Raul Jimenez who plays in England for Fulham. They’ve recently had key wins against Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Serbia. They’ve also had some notable draws to Portugal, Belgium and South Korea and they’ve had notable losses to Colombia and Switzerland. The home stage is set for Mexico to prove they can be among the best.

FUN FACT: Here at United 2026, three players will make history as being the only players ever to play in six World Cups! One is Argentina’s Lionel Messi, the other is Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and the other is Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa!

-South Africa (60): Talk about history repeating itself! The very first match of World Cup 2010 was South Africa vs. Mexico. This World Cup’s opening match will be Mexico vs. South Africa!

No kidding Bafana Bafana are glad to be back at the World Cup for the first time since they hosted in 2010. When they were first reintroduced to FIFA in the late-90’s, there was a lot of hope for the team. Unfortunately things have not gone as well as they hoped. Three World Cup participations and out in the Group Stage. Even as host, they became the first host nation to fail to make it to the second round. Lately there have been signs of hope. South Africa finished third at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Also qualifying after being socked three game points for fielding an ineligible player during a qualifier game against Lesotho should tell the team is back.

The team is coached by Belgian Hugo Broos. Most of the players play for South Africa’s Premiership league but there are some who play for European teams. They’ve showed their ability to win against some of Africa’s biggest teams but they’ve also had losses to Cameroon, Egypt and Lesotho. They also haven’t had much experience playing teams outside of Africa over this year’s time but they recently had a win against Jamaica. Nevertheless, United 2026 is the ideal arena for South Africa to possibly pull a shocker and delight the nation in the process.

-South Korea (25): I’m sure South Korea must be annoyed with being referred to as ‘Korea Republic.’ It’s easy to label them Asia’s best football team, especially since they have been at every World Cup since 1986 and are the only Asian team to make it to the semifinals. Only thing is the last time they won an Asian Cup was in 1960. Also despite having more success at the World Cup than the other Asian teams, I’m sure the Taegeuk Warriors would like to move past the Round Of 16 which is where they finished last World Cup. At the last Asian Cup, they only made it to the semifinals.

Since 2024, South Korea has made a return to having coaches from the home nation. Current head coach is Hong Myung-bo who lead South Korea to their fourth place finish in 2002 as World Cup co-hosts. The coaching staff is a mix of Koreans and Portuguese. The team features great players like goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu, defender Kim Min-jae who plays for Bayern Munich, midfielder Lee Jae-sung who plays for Mainz and striker Son Heung-min who plays for Los Angeles FC and is South Korea’s most capped player ever. Recent play has given them some key wins against the United States, Bolivia, El Salvador and Ghana. They endured a 2-2 draw against Mexico in September, and had losses to Brazil, Austria and the Ivory Coast. This World Cup is another change for South Korea to prove themselves and what they’re able to achieve.

-Czechia (39): It’s tempting to feel for Czechia. Back when Czechoslovakia existed, the team qualified for eight World Cups and made it to the the final twice. After Czechoslovakia split up, the Narodak have qualified for every Euro and even finished in the Top 3 twice, but this is only their second World Cup! The only other World Cup appearance was back in 2006. Hard to believe a nation with that much football talent has only qualified for two World Cups.

The current team has an all-Czech coaching staff with 75 year-old Miroslav Koubek being the head coach. Top stars of the national team include defender Valdimir Coufal who plays for TSG Hoffenheim, midfielder Tomas Soucek who plays for West Ham United and striker Patrik Schick who plays for Bayer Leverkusen. Over the past twelve months, they’ve achieved many wins over major European teams, a draw to Saudi Arabia and losses to Croatia and the Faroe Islands. Chances are Czechia could achieve its best success in decades at this World Cup.

My Qualifier Predictions: Not only do I review the teams but I also predict which teams will qualify for the knockout rounds. For this tournament, it’s the Top 2 of each group and the eight best third-place teams that qualify. Very much like the World Cups from 1986 to 1994 where it was the four best third-place teams! I will go with Korea Republic and Mexico with Czechia being the wildcard qualifier.

Also since we’re on the topic of the knockout rounds, I have to bring up something unique about this year’s World Cup. It’s the first World Cup to have the Knockout Round start with a Round Of 32! That’s how it is with 48 teams! Going from starting with a Round of 16 to starting with a Round Of 32! Possibly the craziest thing is how this new format is expanding the World Cup from 64 games to 104! No wonder three nations are needed to host this format of tournament for the first time! Another notable difference is how starting in Germany 1974 and going to Qatar 2022, the final for the Cup would be the teams’ seventh game. Starting this Cup, it will be their eighth! Talk about a marathon of a tournament!

On the topic of the third-place ‘wildcard’ qualifiers, we’ve had three World Cups in the past with a 24-team tournament that lead to four wildcard qualifiers and two non-qualifiers. Now it’s eight wildcard qualifiers with four non-qualifiers! FIFA has a list of which group’s wildcard team will play who once the eight qualifiers are decides. When you see it on Wikipedia or at the FIFA website, you can see how it will only make sense to FIFA!

And there you have it! There’s my look at the teams from Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Hard to believe I have eleven more blogs to go! For past World Cup blogs, I would have seven after my first. Now it’s eleven!

WORK CITED:
“2026 FIFA World Cup.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2026. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup>

Copa America 2024: My Prediction For The Final

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment
Will this be Argentina’s record-setting sixteenth win?
Or Colombia’s second?

Back on my talk about the Euro final, I talked about how people shouldn’t see continental tournaments as joke tournaments. Same with the Copa America. Especially knowing that all the teams of the CONMEBOL are as capable of losing to each other as they are winning. Argentina may be the World Cup holder but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll win every game in their wake. Most likely, they’ll face defeat at the hands of a South American team. In fact, Argentina’s only loss since their World Cup win was to Uruguay this past November!

Here in the Copa America, the final is down to two teams from the CONMEBOL, as I feel it should be. One team is tied with Uruguay for fifteen previous wins while one won it only once back in 2001. So the big question is which team will win the Copa America on Sunday? Here’s my look:

Head-To-Head Stats: The two teams have played each other 42 times before. Argentina has won 25 times before, Colombia has won nine times before, and eight games were draws.

Team-By-Team Analysis:

ARGENTINA: Coming to this tournament as the reigning World Cup holders, it’s easy to assume they would become the favorites to win. Added to the fact they are the reigning Copa holders from their 2021 win. Very often, many World Cup winning teams start feeling immediate changes after their win. That hasn’t been the case for the Albiceleste. Lionel Scaloni is still the team’s head manager as he’s been since after the 2018 World Cup. Many anticipated Lionel Messi would retire after the win in Qatar 2022 but he’s still part of the team and still captain. Also remaining with the team are star players like Angel di Maria, Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez and goalkeeper Dibu Martinez. Their play in the US has been consistent with their reputation as they won all three of their Group Stage games and made it through both of their knockout matches.

Despite their great play, they have shown vulnerability. As anticipated, it’s come at the hands of South American teams. Recently it was in their quarterfinal against Ecuador that went to a 1-1 draw. It was after penalty kicks that they won. I know I talked about Argentina’s only loss since their World Cup win being to Uruguay. It’s possible Colombia could expose their vulnerability in the final. The last time they met back in February 2022, Argentina won 1-0. If Argentina is not overconfident and they take their rivalry against Colombia seriously, they can become repeat Copa winners.

COLOMBIA: It hasn’t been an easy time for Los Cafeteros. Right after they learned they would not qualify for the 2022 World Cup, they dropped their coach for Argentine coach Nestor Lorenzo. Since then, they have not lost a game. Actually their 1-0 loss to Argentina in February 2022 in a World Cup qualifier is their last loss. James Rodriguez is the captain with David Ospina being the head goalkeeper. Here at the Copa, Colombia delivered the best results in their group, delivered the only win in regulation time in their quarterfinal against Panama and delivered another win against Uruguay 1-0.

Other than Argentina, Colombia has delivered the best consistency in play. They’ve been scoring well and delivering strongly against their opponents. I know I talked about possible vulnerability of Argentina. Colombia can be just as vulnerable and Argentina could take full advantage of it. In the final, neither team can afford to give anything away. If Colombia want to upset the current World Cup Holder, they will have to be on the ball from the start and give nothing away.

My Final Verdict: We should remember that the Copa America and the World Cup are two different tournaments and both have their own challenges. Winning either trophy is not easy at all. My prediction is Argentina to take it 2-0.

And there you have it! That’s my look at the 2024 Copa America final and my prediction for the win. Interesting how both the Euro final and the Copa America final are happening on the same day! Aren’t you relieved of the time difference?

UEFA Euro 2024: My Prediction For The Final

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment
Will Spain win its record-setting fourth Euro?
Or will England win its first ever?

In the last while, I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about continental championships and some people going as far as saying some are jokes of tournaments. Continental or confederation championships are not jokes. I think it’s a good idea that the continent’s best play each other. Also they can be challenging competitions themselves. The opponents from your confederation know your team better than other teams in the world. You could win your continental championship one year but fail to qualify for the World Cup another year. They’re a tough competition all themselves.

The Euro has been one tough competition. The defending champions went out in the Round of 16, the bronze medalists from the World Cup went out in the Group Stage, the hosts went out in the quarterfinals and a finalist from the World Cup went out in the semifinals. 114 goals have been scored in the 50 matches, ten of them own-goals, seven red cards have been handed out as well as a total of over $1,000,000 in fines to national teams for bad fan behavior. Now it’s time for the dust to settle and for the final to be played. One team has won the Euro three times before and played in one additional previous final. The other team makes it their second consecutive Euro final which is also their second ever! So let’s have a look at the two Euro finalists. Spain and England: same two finalists as in the Women’s World Cup last year!

Head-To-Head Statistics:

They’ve met 27 times before in the past, including three past Euro games. Spain was won ten games, England won fourteen and three were ties.

Team Breakdown:

SPAIN:

We’ve seen a lot of teams who gave bad performances at the 2022 World Cup or teams that failed to qualify for Qatar continue to give a lackluster performance. On that same token, we also saw teams that did well in Qatar 2022 fall short here in Germany. There are also some teams that either did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup or did bad in Qatarthat have shown considerable improvement since. The most noticeable is Spain. La Furia Roja didn’t live up to their name at the 2022 World Cup as they were ousted in the Round Of 16 by eventual semifinalists Morocco. Immediately after, they hired a new coach: Luis de la Fuente. De la Fuente is a coach who likes to focus more on the young or on rising talents. A grassroots approach. It has paid off noticeably as last year, Spain won the UEFA Nations League final. Germany 2024 would show Spain had more to prove. Here in Germany, they’ve won every game without having to resort to a penalty shootout, scoring thirteen goals and only conceding three. Sure, their win over Germany in the quarterfinals came in added extra time but so far, Spain has had the best record of all teams at Euro 2024.

It’s obvious de la Fuente has assembled quite the tram for this Euro. We’ve seen excellent performances from defender Jesus Navas, midfielders Dani Olmo and Rodri, and the young gun of Lamine Yamal, who turns 17 the day before the Euro final! Judging by their play, Spain doesn’t appear to have any faults that would give notice of them losing the final. Mind you this is football and anything can happen. I’ve seen cases where the team with the more superior play before the final would end up losing. Basically Spain needs to play as consistently as they’ve been playing in Germany and not underestimate their opponent if they want to win their record-setting fourth Euro Cup. Besides I’ll bet Spaniards don’t want to hear any singing of “It’s Coming Home” at the end of the game!

ENGLAND: Before Euro 2024 started, the strength of the Three Lions were in question. It was here in his eight-year tenure as head manager of Team England that Gareth Southgate came under his biggest criticism. Even many of the veteran players like Harry Kane and Phil Foden were under question. Most critics would eventually be silenced as England did work its way to becoming finalists for the second Euro in a row. Despite topping Group C upon delivering the group’s only winning game, England has delivered by coming from behind each knockout game. First was the Round of 16 match against Slovakia that first appeared to end as a loss until Bellingham equalized near the end and Kane delivered the winner in added extra time. Then came the quarterfinal against Switzerland that ended as a 1-1 draw and England won on penalties. Then came the semifinal where what appeared to end as a 1-1 draw became a case of Ollie Watkins delivering the game winner in the 90th minute!

Southgate and Team England have done a lot to silence their critics and showcase a new English team. Over the eight years of Southgate, England has delivered a team with the most team unity in decades. Even their penalty kick results are a surprise. Before Southgate, England had only won a single penalty kick round in a major tournament. Since Southgate has taken over, they’ve won three. No doubt they want to win their first ever Euro. One thing Southgate, Kane, Bellingham and Bukayo Saka need to do is play better than they have in previous Euro games. In each of their knockout games, their opponent would score first. Their two winning games were a case of suddenly coming from behind. They can’t afford to do tricks like those in the Euro final. It’s too risky against a team like Spain. If they want to win, they need to be the most in control from the start. Also they can’t take the chance of drawing and going to penalty kicks. They may have won their quarterfinal but we all remember what happened in the last Euro final.

My Final Verdict: So many predictions from others. So many guesstimates. Yet nothing in football is guaranteed. I feel this will be a case where Spain will win 2-1.

And there you have it! That’s my prediction for the final of the 2024 European Championships. Expect it to be one intense evening!

2024 Copa America: My Semifinals Predictions

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment
Just four teams are left in the running for the Copa America.

Some of you may wonder why I didn’t do a Copa America blog for the groups with a game to go or a quarterfinals prediction blog. Firstly, blogs are too tiring. I like the Copa America but my hands can only take so much typing and I can only have so much inspiration. I’m not a professional blogger. Secondly, I was on vacation in my city of birth. So naturally, I will embrace my rest and relaxation while I have it.

Now that my vacation is near ending, it’s time to focus on the semifinals of Copa America 2024. The group play has been something. Argentina was great as expected, but Canada progressed even though they scored just a single goal in group play! Also Canada’s more lauded CONCACAF rivals of the USA and Mexico didn’t qualify for the quarterfinals! Even Panama qualified thanks to their 2-1 win over the USA! Venezuela, who has never won a Copa or even qualified for a World Cup, topped Group B with straight wins! The tight rivalry of Colombia and Brazil was expected to pour over into group play and it did!

Then the semifinals! Interesting that the CONMEBOL have it there’s no added extra time and goes straight to penalty kicks. It’s something because that was the case for three of the four quarterfinals! Only Colombia’s 5-0 win over Panama was a decisive game.

Now we have the semifinals. Like the Euro, they will also be contested on the Tuesday and Wednesday. Only one CONCACAF team still stands. Chances are it will again go to a CONMEBOL team. A CONMEBOL team has always won the Copa and that’s how it should be. In the meantime, here’s my look at the two semifinals:

SEMIFINAL #1: ARGENTINA vs. CANADA

Head-To-Head Stuff:

Aside from Argentina’s 2-0 win over Canada in the very first game of this Copa, their only other time meeting was in 2010 where Argentina again won, but the score was 5-0.

Team-By-Team Analysis

ARGENTINA: When you are the current World Cup Holder, a lot is expected from you. The Albiceleste did not disappoint in the Group Stage. They began the Copa with a 2-0 win over Canada, followed it with a 1-0 win over Chile and capped it off with a 2-0 win against Peru. All three games won, nothing conceded. It’s when they got into their quarterfinal against Ecuador that the challenge began. They conceded for the first time at this Copa and drew 1-1. It was after the penalty shootout that they won.

No doubt they intend to repeat as Copa champions. In the past few years, they built up a full top-notch team instead of relying on just Messi. Actually here at the Copa, the top scorer has been 26 year-old Lautaro Martinez! For their semifinal, I can’t really see them having much of a chance of losing. I think the only way they can is if they underestimate their opponent. It’s highly unlikely they will but I have seen big-name teams underestimate opponents and then lose.

CANADA: It’s easy to underestimate The Canucks. Most of the other teams here at this Copa have had bigger renown and are way more lauded. Canada came with something to prove and they did a good job of proving it. They may have opened with a 2-0 loss to Argentina but they came back with a 1-0 win over Peru and a scoreless draw against Chile. It is possible to qualify for the knockout round by scoring a single goal! That’s football for you!

Their quarterfinal win against Venezuela was a game where Canada showed both its strengths at the right time, but also their weaknesses. It’s obvious Canada intends to send a top team to the World Cup when they co-host two years from now. Their first time ever to a Copa America semifinal is a feat all its own. Nevertheless they will need to improve more if they want to go far. As for their upcoming semi, they should not let their group stage loss get to them. Argentina is a tough team but they’re beatable. It’s up to Canada to deliver well.

My Final Verdict: I thought tournaments organize themselves so that teams that play each other in group play don’t meet again until the final. I know the World Cup does it. Despite the two clashing again so soon, I think Argentina will take it 3-0.

SEMIFINAL #1: URUGUAY vs. COLOMBIA

Head-To-Head Stuff:

The two have dueled each other 45 times before. Uruguay won 20 times, Colombia won 14 times, there were 11 draws.

Team-By-Team Analysis:

URUGUAY: Here in the USA, La Céleste have put on quite a show. At a time when one wonders who the successors for Suarez and Cavani will become, in come new stars like Darwin Nunez, Maximiliano Araujo and Mathias Olivera who have dazzled during the Copa. Uruguay opened with a 3-1 win over Panama, followed it up with a 5-0 win over Bolivia and then delivered a 1-0 win over the hosting Americans.

Despite the stellar play in the Group Stage, they followed it with a scoreless draw against Brazil in the quarterfinals that was won on penalty kicks. Many complained it was lacklustre play from two top teams. A team like Uruguay will have to get itself together. Especially since Colombia had a big win in their quarterfinal.

COLOMBIA: Most people originally thought Group D was Brazil’s for topping, but Los Cafeteros had other plans. They began with a 2-1 win over Paraguay, followed it with a 3-0 win over Costa Rica and followed it with a 1-1 draw to Brazil. Their consistency took them to the top of Group D. They also followed it up in the quarterfinal with a 5-0 win over Panama. They were the only team to actually win their quarterfinal match!

The team have it together and they have what it takes to win. It’s a matter of them delivering at the moment. As they face Uruguay, they know it can go either way. They’ve been brilliant this whole tournament. They will have to continue their brilliance to get into the final.

My Final Verdict: They’ve had fierce rivalries before. The winning team is usually the one with the better World Cup chances. I think this will play to a 2-2 draw and Uruguay will win on penalty kicks.

And there you have it! Those are my predictions for the semifinals of the Copa America. Interesting this is while the Euro doesn’t have a third-place game, the Copa America does. I’m undecided if when I do my blog predictions for the final, I should predict the third-place match. Only time will tell.

2024 UEFA Euro: My Semifinals Predictions

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment
After more than three weeks and 48 games, only four teams remain in contention.

If you thought the group play had a lot of crazy moments, the Round of 16 matches and quarterfinals have their share of shockers too. Where do I start? Starting with the quarterfinals, first came Switzerland surprising Italy 2-0. Any hopes of a comeback for Team Italy will have to be put on development. Just when England appeared to lose to Slovakia, a goal from Bellingham in the 90+5th minute saved them and the goal from Kane in the 91st minute kept them alive. Then what seemed to be a scoreless draw for Belgium vs. France became a winner for France thanks to Kolo Muani’s strike bouncing off Ventonghen’s knee. A scoreless Portugal-Slovenia game saw a penalty kick from Cristiano Ronaldo stopped.

Then came the quarterfinals. In the very first match, Spain vs. Germany, lots of shockers as an 89th-minute goal from Germany’s Wirtz prevented Spain from winning in regulation. Then a 119th minute goal from Spain’s Merino stopped any hope for a penalty kicks round for the hosts. What would be Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth Euro would become the first and only where he doesn’t score a goal. What would become yet another scoreless draw for Portugal, France beat them in penalties. England not only had the rare case of winning a game on penalty shootout in their match against Switzerland but they sank all five! To end it all, Netherlands arrived late but won it despite Turkey’s attempt for a big comeback.

Now that the first rounds of the knockout stage are done, it’s the semifinals. Three of the semifinalists have already won the Euro at least once before. The other was a finalist at the last Euro for their first time ever and missed winning its first Championship “by that much!” The quarterfinal winners from Friday’s games will play Tuesday’s match and the quarterfinal winners of Saturday’s matches will play Wednesday’s match. With that in mind, here’s my look at the two semifinals and my predictions:

SEMIFINAL #1: SPAIN vs. FRANCE

Head-To-Head Stuff: The two teams have squared off 36 times before. Spain have won 16 times, France has won 13 times and seven were draws.

Team-By-Team Analysis

SPAIN: La Furia Roja have won the Euro three times before. Here in Germany they came to this tournament in an unknown situation. They were out at the 2022 World Cup in the Round Of 16 but came back to win the UEFA Nations League this past year. Here in Germany, they appear to be the team that’s delivered best. Their group stage play was straight wins without even conceding a goal. Their Round Of 16 match against Georgia started with an own-goal but they made up for it by scoring four for themselves. They faced a tough challenge against Germany in the quarterfinal but hung in to win 2-1 in added extra time.

With five wins, eleven goals and two conceded, Spain looks to be in top form to win. It’s also something one should not rush into thinking. Even they can face stiff challenges from their highly-ranked opponents. Their win over Italy came on an own goal and was the only goal of the match. Their win over Germany was in added extra time. Even though France’s play has been lacklustre here in Germany, they should not underestimate them or they could be in trouble.

FRANCE: I honestly think Les Bleus are the luckiest team here at the Euro so far. Their first game was a 1-0 win over Austria due to an own-goal from Wober. Their game against the Netherlands was a scoreless draw and their game against Poland was a 1-1 draw. In the Round of 16, they again benefited from an own-goal as Kolo Muani’s strike bounced off Ventonghen’s knee. In their quarterfinal, their game against Portugal went scoreless but a perfect five-set of penalty kicks gave France the win.

It’s easy to label France’s success at this Euro as being “by fluke.” Two 1-0 wins won by an own-goal, having two of the six 0-0 draws of this Euro, only three goals for them and the only one that wasn’t an own-goal was a penalty by Mbappe against Poland. If France wants to win their third Euro ever, they will have to come alive in the semi because Spain will deliver a challenge where their luck could run out on Tuesday.

My Final Verdict: Will Spain continue its winning ways of play? Will France’s lucking out continue in the semis? I think Spain will take it 2-0. I have more faith that consistent play will pay off that night.

SEMIFINAL #2: THE NETHERLANDS vs. ENGLAND

Head-To-Head Stuff: They have met 22 times before including two Euro meetings; the last being in 1996 which England hosted. Past results are The Netherlands won seven games, England won six, and nine are draws.

Team-By-Team Analysis

THE NETHERLANDS: They’ve won one Euro before; back in 1988. No doubt they want to do it again. Oranje has the talent to do it again with the likes of Cody Gakpo and Memphis Depay. They also have the play to achieve their second Euro. Their 3-0 win over Romania shows they know how to dominate. Their 2-1 win over Turkey in the quarterfinals also shows they know how to come from behind.

They’ve also shown some vulnerability during this tournament. That was evident in their scoreless draw to France and their 3-2 loss to Austria caused by an own-goal by Donyell Malen near the start. Even their win over Turkey was a concern as they only came alive in the last 25 minutes. If they want to win the semifinal, they can’t afford to give anything away. Especially if they’re playing England.

ENGLAND: They’re the team many love to hate. They boast the best combined football talent in the world but they have the habit of falling short in major tournaments. Nevertheless The Three Lions are able to pull the unexpected. In group play, their 1-0 win over Serbia was the only game in Group C that wasn’t a draw. That sole win of the group put them in first of Group C. What appeared looming to be a 1-0 loss to Slovakia in the Round Of 16 was ended thanks to a last-minute goal from Jude Bellingham and an almost -immediate goal from Harry Kane to win. Then their quarterfinal against Switzerland ended in a 1-1. Usually penalty kicks are England’s biggest weakness but they sank all five of their openers en route to the win.

No question England is talented. They have a lot of talent. They also have one of their best coaches in decades. Nevertheless as we’ve seen in play here, England can underplay. They often deliver short of what they’re capable of and we’ve seen it in the past as well as at this very Euro. Holding back and not arriving until the last few minutes of the game can cost them in the semifinals. Additionally, coach Gareth Southgate has received criticism for some of his coaching decisions. Decision here will affect if he continues on as team manager or if his eight-year stint ends here.

My Final Verdict: I know this will be a tight match with it being against two of the toughest European teams. I predict the game will end as a 1-1 draw and The Netherlands will win on penalty kicks.

And there you have it. Those are my thoughts on the two semifinals and my predictions for the winners of the games. Hard to believe the final is just a week away!

UEFA Euro 2024: Predictions For Knockout Rounds

Jon The Blogcentric2 Comments

The image above shows the flags of the sixteen nations still in the running. The whole point of those 36 games of group play is to reduce the field of 24 to the 16 most worthy of advancing. After that, each round is a knockout match to pare down the field to the two to square off for the Euro Cup. The group play was quite interesting. A hat trick wasn’t scored but a lot of brilliant goals. There were four 0-0 games. I hate 0-0 games! There were a lot of controversial referee calls. Also a lot of shockers from teams one wouldn’t consider a favorite but made it through. For all the teams, none of the teams had a case of losing all three games. One group was a case of only a single win and the rest draws to decide. Another group was a case all four teams had a win, a loss and a draw. It must have been tough to decide the finishing order, which they eventually did.

On Saturday the 29th starts the knockout rounds. After all that group play to narrow the 24 to 16, the upcoming Round Of 16 is just a single game for each team to narrow the field of 16 to 8. The layout for the Round of 16 doesn’t make the same clear sense as the Round of 16 in a 32-team World Cup, but this is how UEFA arranges it. I just hope the tournament ends up with the right two in the final. In the meantime, here are my predictions for each match. Matches are in chronological order and my prediction for the winner will be bolded:

ROUND OF 16

Switzerland (Group A 2nd.) vs. Italy (Group B 2nd.): Switzerland finished 2nd in Group A without a loss. It all started with a 3-1 win to Hungary, then 1-1 draws to both Scotland and Germany. Italy opened well against Albania 2-1, lost to Spain 1-0 thanks to an own-goal and drew 1-1 against Croatia in the stoppage time at the end. For this match, I predict Switzerland to win on penalty kicks. The last time Switzerland lost to Italy was 1993.

Germany (Group A 1st.) vs. Denmark (Group C 2nd.): Being the host nation, Germany knew they had to deliver, and deliver well! They did just that opening the Euro with a 5-1 win over Scotland and a 2-0 win over Hungary. Their qualification guaranteed, they could afford to draw 1-1 against Switzerland. Denmark had the good fortune of drawing all three games in their group: 1-1 draws to Slovenia and England and ending with a scoreless draw to Serbia. For this game, I predict Germany to win because they’ve been better at delivering this tournament and making wins happen.

England (Group C 1st.) vs. Slovakia (Group D/E/F 3rd.) Group C was the group where five of the six games were draws. England delivered the only win: 1-0 against Serbia. With their scoreless draw to Slovenia and 1-1 draw to Denmark, that was enough to make them top Group C. Slovakia was in a group that was just as tight. All four Group E teams had a win, a draw and a loss. Slovakia’s win was to Belgium 1-0, their loss to Ukraine 2-1, and their draw to Romania 1-1. For this game I predict England. England has never lost to Slovakia in the six times they played. A single draw at Euro 2016 but never lost.

Spain (Group B 1st.) vs. Georgia (Group D/E/F 3rd.): Spain had it’s win of Group B guaranteed after the second game! They opened 3-1 against Croatia and did 2-1 against Italy. Their 1-0 win over Albania just was a bonus for straight wins. Georgia went from the surprise of qualifying to the surprise of this tournament. They lost their opener to Turkey 3-1, came back to draw against Czechia 1-1 and then win to Portugal 2-0. For this match, I predict Spain. The two have met head-to-head seven times and Spain only lost to Georgia once. Spain won the rest of the times..

France (Group D 2nd.) vs. Belgium (Group E 2nd.): A classic match! France finished second in Group D starting with a 1-0 win over Austria, the only Group F team to beat Austria, a scoreless draw to the Netherlands and a 1-1 draw to Poland. Belgium started their Group E play with a surprise 1-0 loss to Slovakia, then came back with a 2-0 win to Romania and ended with a scoreless draw to Ukraine. For this, I think this will go to a draw with France winning on penalty kicks.

Portugal (Group F 1st.) vs. Slovenia (Group A/B/C 3rd.): Portugal not only clinched qualification after their first two games, but they also clinched first place in Group F in the process! A 2-1 win over Czechia and a 3-0 win over Turkey is all it took. They could afford to lose to Georgia 2-0 and still top Group F! Slovenia was straight draws with 1-1 to Denmark, 1-1 to Serbia and ended with scoreless against Denmark. Despite the same goal differentials as Denmark, their extra yellow card caused them to finish third in the group. Portugal look on target but I think the game will go to Slovenia. Why? In the one time they ever met, a friendly just three months ago, Slovenia won 2-0.

Romania (Group E 1st.) vs. The Netherlands (Group A/C/D 3rd.): Romania began Group E with a 3-0 win over Ukraine, then endured a 2-0 loss to Belgium and ended it with a 1-1 draw to Slovakia. The Netherlands also had their own win, loss and draw in Group D. They began with a 2-1 win over Poland, a scoreless draw to France and a surprise 3-2 loss to Austria. The two have met 13 times and Netherlands have won nine times. I predict Netherlands to win again.

Austria (Group D 1st.) vs. Turkey (Group F 2nd.): Nobody expected Austria to go too far at Euro 2024. Even their 1-0 to France thanks to an own-goal didn’t help. Then came their 3-1 win over Poland and their 3-2 win over the Netherlands en route to topping Group D. Maybe Austria is a stronger team than we thought! Turkey began Euro 2024 with a 3-1 win over Georgia, endured a 3-0 loss to Portugal and came back to a 2-1 win over Czechia. The last time Austria and Turkey met was three months ago and Austria won 6-1. I expect Austria to win again.

QUARTERFINALS

Why do I predict quarterfinals before I even know who the quarterfinalists are? Do you know how tiring writing is? Anyways as in past years, I plan to take a short break and not publish my next Euro blog until just before the semifinals. With that in mind, I’ll go as if my predictions for the Round of 16 matches actually came true. So here are my thoughts:

Spain vs. Germany – They frequently meet and the results alternate: 26 previous meetings; 8 Spain wins; 9 Germany wins; 9 draws. I think this will be a tight match leading into a penalty kick round which Germany will win.

Slovenia vs. France – They’ve met three times in the past and France has won each time. Even though their last previous meeting was over 20 years ago, I don’t think much has changed. I expect France to win again.

Netherlands vs. Austria – It’s possible two teams that clashed in the Group stage could meet again this soon. If they do meet again, I anticipate a draw game with Netherlands to win on penalties.

England vs. Switzerland – They’ve met 27 times before but England has won nineteen times. I’m not expecting much to change this time so I think it will be a win for England again.

And there you have it. Those are predictions for the Round of 16 matches and my ‘estimates’ for the quarterfinals. All we have to do is wait for the games to play to see who really wins. In the meantime, you’ll get my next blog where I predict the semifinals.

UEFA Euro 2024: Group Stage With One Game To Go

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

How about that? All 24 teams have completed their second game, or Matchday 2. There’s only one last group game to play and that will finalize the Group Stage standings and determine the qualifiers for the knockout rounds.

This year, there is an interesting allotment of the types of teams playing, but there are certain types of teams here in Germany that have stood out the most. We have teams who appeared to have lost their greatness before now playing hard to get it back. We have teams demonstrating their known consistency. We have underdogs surprising fans with wins over big guns. We also have teams that had a “Golden Generation” for many years that looks like their luster is running out and the younger players haven’t been well-trained to keep their team’s prowess active.

Now there’s only one game remaining in the Group Stage. That’s commonly referred to as ‘Matchday 3.’ Three teams right now have already guaranteed qualification by winning their first two games. With more than two groups having at least one draw game, two wins are a guarantee for qualification at this stage. Two of those teams have also already guaranteed a first-place finish in their group because of their win over the team in second place. Here at Euro, head-to-head results supersede goal differentials which the World Cup uses to to be the top tie-breaker in group rankings. In addition, only one team is guaranteed elimination already. Right now, the fates of twenty teams are still unknown and they will all need Matchday 3 to decide everything.

With one game to go, here’s my look at the teams in each of the Euro 2024 groups and what they need to qualify. Teams that have already qualified will be bolded. Group titles will contain links to my original group blogs:

Group A:

Some could say Germany did it in the very opening game. That remains to be seen. What is a fact is Germany won both their opening games and the hosts have guaranteed themselves qualification to the knockout round! A 5-1 against Scotland in the opener and their 2-0 win over Hungary did it. Second in the standings is Switzerland with their 3-1 win over Hungary and a 1-1 draw against Scotland. Germany and Switzerland meet for their last game. Switzerland can guarantee qualification with a draw. Even if they lose, the are still assured a top-three finish and are in conformable standings to qualify, though it’s not guaranteed. Their play against Germany will decide it all.

Of the teams in Group A that have not won a match, Scotland is third with a 5-1 loss to Germany and a 1-1 draw to Switzerland. At the bottom is Hungary with a 3-1 loss to Switzerland and a 2-0 loss to Germany. Both teams will face each other Sunday. No doubt that in order to have qualifying chances for the knockout round, either team must win. Despite the advantage of a draw to Switzerland, a draw against Hungary will not be enough for Scotland to qualify with two draws and a big loss. Even if Hungary wins over Scotland, it’s game results and goal differentials that will decide if their among the four wildcard teams that advance.

Group B:

Spain did it! They opened with a 3-0 win over Croatia and a 1-0 win against Italy thanks to an own goal from Riccardo Calafiore. Their two wins guarantee them qualification no matter what happens in Game 3. Their win over Italy guarantees them first place in Group B! Although Italy’s qualification is not guaranteed, the Azzurri are second with their 2-1 win over Albania. A draw against Croatia is all they need to qualify.

For the two teams at the bottom, Albania and Croatia, they still have qualification chances with both having a loss and a draw but for both teams, they need nothing less than a win to qualify. That will be a nail biter especially because both teams will face a highly touted opponent on Matchday 3; Albania will face Spain and Croatia will face Italy. After that 2-2 draw, Albania has an advantage because they have less of a goal differential. Nevertheless it’s down to the wire for both teams in a must-win situation. I don’t call Group B the Group Of Death for nothing!

Group C:

Sometimes in group play, you can get some groups that are quite decisive in who are the biggest and best in the group. Other times, the play in the group will be hard to decipher who are the powers of the group. Group C is that group as it’s hard to tell who are the better teams. Four games have been played and three of them were 1-1 draws. The only game where a winner was declared was England’s 1-0 win over Serbia. That lone win puts England at the top of the group and with very comfortable chances to qualify. I’ve been calling Group B the “Group Of Death” because of the caliber of the teams but it looks like with the closeness of play at Euro 2024, Group C should be called the “Group Of Death.”

Actually right now, none of the teams have enough points to qualify, but none of the teams are out. All four are still eligible. Despite England having it best, both Slovenia and Denmark have it good with two tie games each. A win from either will solidify qualifying. At the very least, a draw could help either of them for a wildcard berth as three draws is three game points and even goal differentials. Serbia still has qualifying chances but being the one team in Group C to take a loss, they will need nothing less than a win to qualify. Two draws and a loss won’t cut it in the wildcard third-place runoff.

Group D:

Group D has a unique situation. None of the teams have guaranteed qualification and one team is out of contention. The three teams that still have chances will need Matchday 3 to decide anything and everything. Leading the group are the Netherlands and France with a win and a draw each. The Netherlands opened well with a 2-1 win over Poland while France won over Austria 1-0 thanks to an own-goal by Maximilian Wober. The two teams played each other on Friday but it ended a scoreless draw. If you ask me, there are a lot of big name teams that are not playing like they want it. A simple draw can guarantee qualification for either team.

Austria opened up with the hard luck of a 1-0 loss to France thanks to Wober’s own goal. When they faced Poland, it was a surprise 3-1 win for Austria. That win is crucial for Austria’s qualifying chances, but their match against the Netherlands will decide things. As for Poland, they’re out. They lost 2-1 to the Netherlands and 3-1 to Austria. Even if they win their game against France and Austria loses, Austria will still have the advantage for their win over Poland. The head-to-head factor.

Group E:

Sigh. That subject about the ‘Group Of Death’ again! Group E is another group worthy of being labeled the Group Of Death because of the play so far. Talk about tight play! All four teams of Group E are even. All four had a win and a loss. Teams most people thought would not be among contenders delivered surprise wins at the start and keep their qualifying chances healthy. I’m not sure if there are any specific head-to-head rules that explain the current rankings, but the goal differentials look to be what’s deciding the current rankings. Despite losing to Belgium 2-0, Romania leads thanks to their 3-0 win over Ukraine while Belgium takes second due to their 1-0 loss to Slovakia. Slovakia is third because of even goal differentials after their 2-1 loss to Ukraine and Ukraine is at the bottom as the one nation with negative goal differentials thanks to their 3-0 loss to Romania.

Any of the four can qualify. Thanks to all four having a win and a loss, none have guaranteed qualification and none are out and it will take Matchday 3 to decide everything. Slovakia will play Romania and Ukraine will play Belgium. If both games are draws, only then would the current standings factor in qualification. It will have to be a case of either both games having a winner and a loser or the case of one game having a winner and the other drawing in order to decide the qualifiers to the next round.

Group F:

There must be something about being a team from the Iberian Peninsula this year because Portugal not only qualified but like Spain, they too guaranteed top of their group! It took a 2-1 win over Czechia and a 3-0 win over Turkey to solidify it! Even if they lose to Georgia on Wednesday and Turkey wins, Portugal will still finish first because of their win over Turkey.

Despite the loss, Turkey is second in the group and has good chances to qualify. Turkey can still qualify if they draw, even if Georgia wins. For both Czechia and Georgia, both teams will need nothing less than a win to qualify. Their 1-1 draw against each other keeps them in contention but a win needs to happen for either to qualify. Especially for the third-place wildcard berths because the two third-place teams with the lowest game results will join the fourth-place teams from each group packing for home sooner than they hoped!

And there you have it! That’s my summary for the Euro 2024 groups with Matchday 3 being all that’s left for all 24 teams. It will be interesting to learn of the other thirteen that advance and the seven others that get an earlier-than-hoped return home!

2024 Copa America: Group D Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

Interesting as the Euro is almost halfway finished into their group play, the Copa America starts playing. Sometimes it does seem unusual for the US to host it. Personally I want to see it being a predominantly CONMEBOL event. I don’t mind the idea of guest teams coming, but I do hope to see a South American team win in the true spirit of the event.

Group D is only one of two groups that has only one CONCACAF team and the rest CONMEBOL. Also interesting is all but one team has an Argentinean coach! The only team in this group without an Argentinean coach Is Brazil, of course. So here’s a look at the last Copa America group: Group D:

-Brazil (5): Right now seems to be one of the toughest times for the Seleção Canarinha. Ever since their fifth and last World Cup, they haven’t finished in the Top 3 since, going out in the quarterfinals most of the time. Even now with 1/3 of World Cup qualification games played, Brazil is in sixth and the last qualifying spot currently. At the Copa America, however, it has not been a complete downer for Brazil as they won in 2019 and were runner-up in 2021.

Since the beginning of this year, Brazil has been managed by Dorival Junior. Top players include defender Marquinhos, midfielder Lucas Paqueta, forward Vinicius Junior and goalkeeper Alisson. Since Qatar 2022, Brazil has had wins to England, Peru, Bolivia and Mexico. It’s had draws to Spain and Venezuela, and losses to Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia and Senegal. The stage is set here in the USA. Brazil can pave another path for them here at the Copa and aim to get their greatness back.

-Colombia (12): It’s been an up-and-down ride for Los Cafeteros. The 2010’s seemed to be their breakthrough with their first time ever in the World Cup quarterfinals. Over time their magic wore off as they made it to the Round of 16 in 2018 and failed to qualify for 2022. One bright light is they did finish third at the last Copa America. The current team is hoping to bring their past prowess back.

Since September 2022, the Colombian team has been managed by Argentinean Nestor Lorenzo. Top players include defenders Davinson Sanchez and Santiago Arias, midfielder James Rodriguez, forward Luis Diaz and goalkeeper David Ospina. Interestingly since the start of 2023, Colombia has not had a single loss! Wins in that time include Spain, Mexico, Brazil and Germany. They’ve had a win and a draw against the United States and draws against Uruguay, Ecuador and Chile. If their prowess is still with them, Colombia could find themselves the new Copa winners. It will all be decided right here.

-Paraguay (56): It does seem like the biggest days of Los Guaraníes or La Albirroja are a thing of the past. Their streak of four straight World Cups ended in 2010. They won the Copa in 1953 and 1979 and their last Top 3 finish was runner-up in 2011, but they’ve faded in to making it only as far as the quarterfinals. The next generation of players look to change that.

Paraguay’s team has been managed by Argentinean Daniel Garnero for a year. Top players include defenders Gustavo Gomez and Junior Alonso, midfielder Miguel Almiron, and forward Derlis Gonzalez and Angel Romero. Since the start of 2023, they’ve had wins to Bolivia, Panama and Nicaragua. They’ve had a draw and a loss to both Peru and Chile, and losses to Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela. Despite that, anything can happen in football and a team with low expectations like Paraguay could deliver a strong performance to send a message to the Americas.

-Costa Rica (52): One way to describe Los Ticos is unpredictable. No doubt they’re arguably the best Central American team. They’ve been to six World Cups including the last three and made it as far as the quarterfinals, they’ve been to five previous Copas and no other Central American nation has won three CONCACAF championships or Gold Cups.

The current Costa Rica team has been managed by Argentinean Gustavo Alfaro for over a year. Top players include defender Francisco Calvo, midfielder Ariel Lassiter, and forward Joel Campbell. Since World Cup 2022, they’ve had wins to Martinique, Honduras and Saudi Arabia. They’ve had a win and a draw to El Salvador along with losses to Argentina, Panama, Mexico and Ecuador. The arena here in the US gives Costa Rica another opportunity to prove itself and possibly surprise the world again.

My Predictions: Sometimes I feel this group is the Group Of Death because of three teams that are known for great play and delivering shockers. I will have to go with Brazil and Colombia as the qualifiers.

And there you have it. That’s my review for Group D of Copa America 2024. Now all that’s remaining is for the Copa to start! Lots of excitement ahead.