2026 FIFA World Cup: Canada's Run Ends, Biggest Upsets & My Final Predictions | TFTO

Sue 0:00

Canada may not have won the World Cup, but I honestly think this tournament changed Canadian soccer forever. Today, I'm sharing why I believe Canada's run mattered, my biggest surprises of the tournament, and the predictions I think could surprise a lot of fans. Welcome to True Fan True Opinions. I'm Sue. Around here, being a true fan doesn't mean blindly agreeing with everything your team does. It means caring enough to tell the truth. So let's talk sports, like fans do. Today we're gonna talk FIFA World Cup, Teams Canada's run, who came out of the quarterfinals, my prediction for the semifinals and finals, and any hot topics that has happened during this tournament. So if you're looking for tactical diagrams and advanced analytics, deep or deep diving into players and their goals, yeah, this is not gonna be the broadcast for you today. But if you're looking for a passionate sports fan who was glued to this tournament, who watched so many matches and isn't afraid to share her opinions, you're in the right place. So let's talk sports, like fans do. And we're gonna start with our Team Canada. They were in group B. That first match against Bosnia, 1-1. I thought it was a very entertaining game. I've mentioned before I'm not the biggest soccer football fan. I will watch anything Canadian. So, of course, I was invested in this tournament because Team Canada was in. What a great first match to get people involved, right? It was entertaining, there were chances. I surely enjoyed it, and I couldn't wait for the next matches. So, speaking of that next match, the second one against Qatar, what a game! I was so excited watching this. I was at the edge of my couch just watching all these goals. I believe it was 6-0. Yeah, Kone got hurt, and that was devastating. He was fun to watch. He's gonna be a player that's very important moving forward for Canada. In this match, I believe Canada was very dominating. The score shows it. I don't think Qatar had a chance. It looked like we were the dominating team, the more organized team, the one with more opportunities, the one who had more possessions. I just love this game. I believe it was the starting point of Canada just believing in this team and the players believing it. You could see it in their eyes. I just couldn't wait for that third match. I was really pumped going into that third match. And for me, that first half was not the same team I saw the last two matches. It was a slower pace. I didn't feel like they were attacking, they didn't create any opportunities. They didn't execute when they had opportunities. And I should mention that they lost 2-1 to Switzerland. If they would have won that game, they would have finished first in their group. But we knew we were already going to the round of 32. So that was exciting. I just thought I would have seen a little bit more pep from them, a little bit more speed, a little bit more energy, I guess is the word I was looking for. So was I a little disappointed? Sure. But I was very excited that we knew that we were going to round 32, which was history. Um, and that was exciting. And I believe the nation was excited. It felt like we were all together again, right? Coast to coast to coast. And I could not wait for that next match of round 32. So, what we saw in the group stage, I believe we saw a lot of improvements from game to game. Maybe not so much with the Switzerland game. To me, they looked nervous, they were a little anxious in that game, but you saw some good stuff, and we knew that there was a chance in round 32. So let's talk about round 32. Wow, such a great game. They dominated South Africa. It ended up being 1-0 for us. They looked dominating, they were very in control of that game. I think they could have scored more goals, they created opportunity, defense was great. I just love this team. I love the guys, I love the energy. And later on, you're gonna hear in Sue's True Moment, a little recording that I did after the goal. It was amazing. I was so excited. Again, not the biggest soccer fan, but when Eustachio scored, I screamed, I jumped off the couch, fist pumping the air, and I just couldn't believe it. And it was amazing. We were waiting all game for that goal. And Team Canada did not disappoint. Then they were going to round against Morocco. I was looking into it, not a lot of good stats against Morocco. They usually beat us. I thought the first half that we were gonna win this match, right? We eventually lost 3-0. But that first half, I was like, oh god, here we go. We're gonna go to the quarterfinals. We just had so many opportunities. Again, no execution. Gotta give Morocco kudos. They played very well. And then there was halftime, and then we came back for the second half. And that second half, I'm not sure what happened. Did Team Canada think they had this match already wrapped up? Because I saw nothing. It was very nerve-wracking. Players looked nervous, they weren't completing their passes, they weren't attacking like they were. I think they were playing more defense, which I don't think is Canada's strength. I believe they should be attacking all the time. They're fast, they have a lot of energy when they're creating opportunities, and I didn't see any of that in the second half. And sadly, the better team did win that match. For me, the two rounds, round 32 and a knockout round of 16, it was fun, it was exciting. I was nervous, there was a lot of joy and the heartbreak. And this is why we love sports, this is why I love sports, this is why I watch as much as I can, and I got to learn the players. And we're gonna talk about those players. Again, I don't know a lot about soccer, but why was Alfonso Davies not playing? I believe he only played 16 minutes. I would have loved to see him more. That's the name everybody knows. If you're not a soccer fan, that's who you were going, you wanted to see play. And that one game that he played, there was chances. It changed the tempo of the game. It was exciting. I saw a difference. I don't watch a lot of matches, so for myself to see the change, why wasn't he playing more? Injuries. I'm not a doctor, but if he can play 16 minutes in one game, why couldn't he play the second game? Why couldn't he have been playing it in the knockout rounds? I I don't know. It was very disappointing. I would have liked to seen him, and I'm sure other people would have liked to see him as well. I'm gonna be diving into some of the players that I thought were our best and some surprises. But what I want to know from the real soccer fans, the one that have that been watching FIFA and soccer, what was your favorite game? What was your favorite moment? Did you think Canada outperformed? Or do you think they were good at times and dominating and will be improving? Are we set to play at the world stage? Are we ready for this? Was this a fluke? Personally, I don't think it was. I saw some really good stuff. They were an enjoyable team to watch, they were exciting, and I'm looking for the future, and I think we do deserve to be at this stage. So let me know what you're thinking. What was your favorite moment? What was your favorite game? What was your favorite goal? Alright, I'm gonna mention a couple of players here that I thought were Canada's best players of the tournament. Um I'm gonna start by talking, because I already did about Alfonso Davies. Is he our best player? Yes. In this tournament, no, because he didn't play. He played like 16 minutes. All right, he but he is our captain. He is the best player on this team. Moving forward, he's our guy, right? And it's too bad for those injuries because he would have made a such a big impact on this team. And we saw it. I believe Canada missed his pace, his creativity, his leadership. And you felt that presence missing throughout the whole World Cup, right? Through the Canada's run. I personally was really looking forward to seeing him. So when I'm mentioning best players, I'm gonna mention him, even though for this tournament he wasn't. My top three was Alistair Johnston. I think he was the most consistent player of the tournament for Canada. I really didn't see any errors. I think he was very strong on both sides of the ball. Uh, he rarely made any mistakes. One of my favorites, Alistair Johnston. For me, he was the most consistent player of Team Canada for this tournament. Very strong defensively. Hardly, rarely costly mistakes, right? You didn't really see that. I think he brought leadership to the matches, composure to the back line. He was just a very solid player two-way. So for me, he was our most consistent player. Jonathan David, he was very dangerous, all right, on attacking threats. There was a lot of opportunities for goals with him. He delivered key goals in key moments when we needed it. And when he wasn't scoring, like he was creating a lot of chances. He was exciting to watch. Like every time he ran into what is it called? The box, it was like, oh man, is he gonna score? And you're just waiting. So I love that. To me, he looked tired later on, especially in the knockout stages. But you have to give him kudos, you have to give him a two-star, he's up there for me. And then my favorite is Takio. Not just because of that one goal. I mean, that helps, right? I just think he was such a leader. And if you didn't know of about Alfonso Davies, you would think he is our captain. He's that little spark, a constant leader. He controlled the temple, right? When we had the possession of the ball. Again, I haven't watched a lot of soccer, but to me, his work seemed tirelessly. Like at both ends, like he's just constant out there. And he was that instant hero with that goal. Like the nation just went wild. He was our guy, right? It was almost like Cindy Crosby golden goal. It was like right up there. And I think his role changed when we saw Davies out there for 16 minutes. The tempo changed. Both of them created different chances. Um, man, I wish Davies was out there a little bit longer. Or for other games. Anyways, those are my three stars. Uh, I would like to know what you think. Who is your star? Who is up there for you? Now I'm gonna mention three more players that were surprises for me. Uh I really didn't know their names because I haven't watched a lot of matches, I haven't watched a lot of Team Canada, but I loved watching them when they were playing. So, Liam Miller, when he came on, because he didn't always play, he didn't always start. I think he took a lot of advantage of when he had those opportunities. He played with confidence. He wasn't afraid to attack the defenders, and he added so much pace and energy whenever he was on the pitch. I just love seeing him run, running down these balls, going after the passes. I just wish I would have seen him play a little bit more. And that leads me to Shaffelberg. Why this guy doesn't play more minutes? I don't know. I'm not a coach. Again, I don't watch a lot of soccer, but he had a lot of speed. He always looked dangerous for me. He's that player that changes the energy of the game, right? When he got out there, it the pace was a little different. Again, why didn't he start more games? I don't know. You guys are the soccer fans. You tell me. Leave me a comment. Tell me why these two don't play more. Something I'm not getting? I I I don't know. And then we have to mention, I have to mention, Promise David. Canada's future? Yeah, I think so. Love the energy he brings. I think he's gonna be a very important role for this national team moving forward. Is he still developing? Yeah, I I see it. But is the potential there? Of course. I see that as well. And and I don't know much about soccer, but these three that I mentioned, I love their energy. And I believe they're younger, right? They're the young ones on the team. With that leadership from the other guys I mentioned, this team I think deserve to be at this world stage. I think we deserve to be not the top teams, but we're there. Should we be going to round 32s? I think so. Should we be coming out of our groups? Yeah. And they made a believer out of me. I was rooting from them from the moment that I was gonna say the ball drop, I don't know, but when the start of the game, it was fun. I loved it, and I wanted more. Okay, we have to mention coaching. I don't know much much about coaching in soccer. I really don't. And I know a lot of football soccer fans out there, when I'm reading, listening to the radio, TV, whatever, a lot of people don't like Jesse Marsh. I don't get it. But maybe I just looking at the personality because I love it. I love watching him on the sidelines, getting excited when there's a goal, when there's a missed opportunity, when somebody executes something right, the way he interacts with his players. I like it. I love it. My question for him is what about Davies? Like, what the heck? Or Miller and Shuffleberg, why weren't they in there earlier? But I don't know. Personally, I don't mind the guy. But I want to hear from you guys on this, and I want to know the reasons why people don't like him, don't think he should be our coach. And and you guys need to enlighten me on this subject. So I'm not gonna talk a lot about coaching. I mean, I think they did well. Uh, we played some really hard matches, we were attacking a lot, a lot of energy. So you tell me why people don't like Jesse March. Or am I wrong? Am I misreading the media out there? So, going forward with this Team Canada national team, there's gonna be a lot of positives coming out of this tournament. There's gonna be some concerns. So let's talk about those a little bit. So Canada reached round 16. That's a positive, guys. History, right? I mention it, they belong at this world stage. So that's a positive. Moving forward for FIFA, for Team Canada, for fans, like we're gonna support these guys way more. Nothing brings a community together, fan base together like winning. And they done that. So that's a big positive moving forward for Soccer Canada, for fan base, media, everything. Reading up of this team going into this tournament, because that's what I do when I don't know much about a team and players, there was always questions about defensive. And what I saw was they were much improved. The concern going in was defense, and I saw good defenders. They didn't give away too many chances. Yeah, there was a couple games there, like I said, the one Switzerland and obviously with Morocco in that second half. So I think if they tweak that, they're gonna compete more. They're gonna be in those games a lot longer. So that's an improvement. They competed. That's another positive, right? They were in every match, even the Morocco game, except, you know, when that was that second goal, and then you're like, okay, now it's near the end of the game and we get it. But they competed and they didn't look overwhelmed. Team Canada didn't look overwhelmed, maybe against Morocco. But overall, they were very in control. They were pacing the games more than the opposing team, and they earned a lot of respect in this tournament from other nations. That's a positive. The other big positive for me is the confidence that they got in this tournament. And that's for the future, right? For these young guys, for moving on with this organization, for this, you know, nation to get involved with this team. A healthy Davies remains the cornerstone of Canada. He's our guy. If he's healthy, we're gonna win more matches, we're gonna be up there more. So let's hope he's not injury prone and he's gonna be an impactful person moving on, moving forward. This tournament gives the next generation something to build on. You know, for the future international games tournaments. This was so much confidence for them. And they gain a huge fan base, right? Including this hockey Blue Jays fan. And I think that gives them confidence, not just me alone, but as a fan base. They know that people are watching them, people are loving them, and people are supporting them, and we're right in that fight with them. So there's a lot of positives. Okay, so a couple concerns, and this is coming from not a soccer fan or somebody that followed a lot of soccer, because I kind of am a fan now. So I think Canada had a hard time finishing games. We saw that with Switzerland, actually, all the games, except for that Qatar game. They created enough scoring chances, but they need to execute those opportunities, they need to finish that and create a little bit more. I think it it well, it'll be more exciting. That's what I love about all sports, home runs, goals. So I want to see that in soccer too, right? More goals. And then I think the concern, and they gain that experience with Morocco, is those tight games, right? One and done games, pressured games, how to finish the game, how to stay in the game, how to not lose their composure, to keep the pressure on. Because that first half, I thought we were going to the quarterfinals. And then I don't know what happened in the second half. There was no energy. They played like they were scared at times, scared of making mistakes, which now they're not finishing their passes and creating opportunities. So for me, that could be a concern. But they've gained that experience as well. Let's see how this team is gonna take all this experience and move forward. So, my takeaway from this team, being a new fan, is that Canada leaves the World Cup disappointed, sure, that they're out, but not disappointed in what they accomplished, right? They made history. You can't be upset. I know they're heartbroken, but I think in time they're gonna see, wow, look what we accomplish. I think they proved that they belong. They gained valuable experience, like I said. And they gave Canadian fans plenty of reasons to believe that the best is still ahead. And there's this little side note I want to throw out there that I love seeing Canadian celebrities at these matches. Seeing Christine St. Clair was amazing. And there are many other ones, especially some of the games in the States, seeing all these Canadian celebrities, and I can't even think of them all now. But that was awesome. That I love seeing that, that these glamorous people are still just sports fans, and that makes me happy. I guess I can't finish this episode without talking some more FIFA, other countries, players. Not gonna talk a lot about it, just what I saw and what I liked and what I didn't like, a little bit of drama, thank you, Donald Trump, and some of the controversial games and decisions, whatever. We're gonna talk a little bit about that now. So before this tournament started, I wanted to read up a little bit about other countries and who are the power teams. And I wrote down France, Spain, Argentina, England, Brazil, Germany, Netherlands, and Portugal. If you soccer fans think that's wrong, let me know. Uh, but I believe going into this tournament, those were our favorites. Reading up on them and watching a little bit, I think France and probably England are the most strongest. They're dominant, they're even exciting to watch. It was fun for me to learn other players and other teams. And there are some big names in this tournament, right? And yeah, I knew some of the names before. You have like Messi, Ronaldo, Kane, Mepape. But then I learned some other ones. And that was fun. I haven't watched all the matches, many more than I would have ever years past. And I have to say, I'm really enjoying these games. I love watching soccer right now. I think I am a soccer fan. And how can you not when a lot of these matches went into extra time and penalty shots? Like, that's fun. And there were some upsets, and that's always fun as a sports fan. And Cinderella stories. So I'm gonna mention a few here. Again, you guys comment, give me some feedback, tell me what your upsets were. If I'm full of it, do I not know what I'm talking about? Let me know. Alright, so some of the upsets I saw, or I thought it was upsets, were Norway eliminates Brazil. I think it Norway made history going to the quarterfinals, so that was fun. Germany is eliminated by Paraguay in round 32. So, what I was reading up, Germany was strong. They were one of the favorites. So them getting knocked. Out in round 32. That was dramatic. Morocco eliminates Netherlands in a knockout round. That was exciting. That was one of the matches I watched. It was one of my favorites. Okay, now we gotta talk about Argentina versus Egypt. Round 16. Like so much drama. I don't even know where to start. You guys know all about it. So Argentina is down by two. Two? Three? Two. And they came back to win. Okay, is that exciting? Sure. But then there was like a disallowed goal from Egypt, and it was like a lengthy review, and that was crazy. When I saw the highlights, and when I saw that, I I mean it looked like a good goal, but I don't know. You tell me. And then before that winning goal, there was a foul on somebody, and Egypt thought, you know, they should have got a the other team should have got a penalty, and that didn't happen. And I think the most dramatic thing about all this, which I loved and I was reading on it and I was watching, is that the Egypt coaching staff they were accusing the officials that they didn't give the team the penalty because they wanted Messi and and Argentina to still be in the tournament. I love that. Because we all, even non-soccer fans, we've all heard about FIFA in the past and how corrupt it is. That soccer is one of the most corrupted tournaments out there and sport out there. So for me to see something like this and to hear about it and listen to the fan base and the broadcasters and all the analysts, them talking, I mean, to me, that does seem a little bit suspicious, but who knows? It was fun though. I love stuff like that. It gets me going as a sports fan, right? Because I always think about conspiracy theories and everything, and that was one. I'm gonna mention here a few of my honorable mentions of matches that I personally watched, um, and that got me yelling at the TV and got me all excited, and that made me a new fan. So it was the England game against Mexico. Yeah, it wasn't an upset. England did win, but I didn't think it was such a big deal, but after watching, it was. They mostly played the second half with only 10 men, and they were still dominating. It was fun. That was fun. I I really enjoyed that game. Egypt defeats Australia on Pelonies to reach round 16. That was crazy. I was glued to the TV, it was so much fun. And then one of the other matches that took forever to end the game, like it felt like the game would never end, was Portugal over Croatia in round 32. And this is where I need you guys to help me out here. I watch a lot of sports that when the time runs out, or when there's nine innings and all, you know, three up, three down in baseball, when the game's over, the game is over. Why does soccer keep going? I know. Injury times and all the players diving on the pitch and grabbing their legs, and they add times to that, and they add times for celebrations and all all that fun stuff, right? I get that. But for this game, like if I was Portugal, I would be fuming that it wasn't ending. So I need you guys to help me out here. I really want some feedback from the soccer fans to tell me how does how do you know when the game ends? Because if I was playing, that would drive me bonkers. I would not, I mean, I wouldn't even play the sport because I can't run and I have no cardio. But why doesn't it end at 90 minutes? Why doesn't it not end after 30 minutes in extra time? I like I I'm seriously, I really need to know because I'm very confused. All right, so in every tournament, every playoff run, there's always a Cinderella team, right? There's always that good feel team, a little run that this team goes on that people are like, wow, who are they? Or we didn't expect this. Anyways, my team for this tournament, and please bear with me, I do not want to slaughter this name, is Cabo Varde. God, I hope I said that right. This was a country I was just cheering for. Like, they were a feel-good story. Um, what is it? Their first World Cup. They made the knockout round. It was a huge success for them. And they were fun to watch. I was hoping they would keep going on and on and on. So again, that was my Cinderella. And of course, we have to mention Team Canada defeating South Africa. Uh, I don't think it was an upset. So I think they were the better team, but it was a milestone for this team, right? And we cannot deny that. And that was a feel-good, so we have to mention Team Canada over South Africa. All right, so now I'm gonna talk about the quarterfinals, which to me were a little bit more boring than the knockout rounds. Those were way more entertaining, even the group stages were more entertaining. They were good matches, don't get me wrong, but I guess there was more drama and everything in the knockout rounds, which I appreciate. And it was fun to watch. And then I'm gonna set up my predictions for the semifinals and final. Alright, so let's start with France over Morocco. 2-0. Uh to me, France just looks so dominating, right? They did throughout the whole tournament. One of my favorites, I was just a clinical performance. And I felt bad for Morocco. Was it a Cinderella run? Sure. I mean, they had some great games, they knocked out some good opponents. Um, I just found that they were struggling a little bit with France. France was just more dominating, stronger team. And you could see that. So yeah, like I said, it was sad to see Morocco go. Um, I mean, knocking out Canada, the Netherlands. They had a good run. France was just way, way better and a lot stronger. Alright, the next quarterfinals, Spain and Belgium. 2-1 for Spain. This was a bit more entertaining for me. I enjoyed this match a lot. Spain controlled most of the play, but Belgium, give them credit, right? Like they refused to go away. They hung in there. I mean, it was pretty tense at the end. Um, you know, not too much drama. There was that late push from Belgium to make it, you know, to tie it up. But again, Spain was a better team, stronger team, um, and they were able to handle the pressure more. These two matches are gonna set up a really good semifinal. It's gonna be France versus Spain. In my eyes, it's a heavyweight showdown, right, between the two of the tr uh tournament's strongest teams, consistent teams. It could be worthy of a final. This could have been a final game. Alright, so my prediction for this semifinal is France over Spain. So the next two quarterfinals. We got England 2-1 over Norway. And it went to extra time, so that was fine. That was entertaining. Norway struck first. I'm like, oh wow, here we go, right? Is there gonna be an upset? Because England is the strongest team, a stronger team out of the two for sure. I think Norway played very well. I mean, they push England really hard. I think England felt a lot of pressure at times. And there was that late goal, right, that was disallowed. Oh man, that could have changed the game, changed the outcome of this game for sure. So you got England over Norway. The next quarterfinal was Argentina over Switzerland. To me, this was a no-brainer. I took Argentina all the way with this one. But you gotta give the Swiss some credit here, right? They kept it tied throughout the whole regulation. But Argentina just dominated the extra time. You could tell they were the more experienced team. They were able to handle the pressure way better than Switzerland. Uh, Switzerland also went down to 10 players, which I think it really hurt them. You could tell they were just really tired at the end of the match. So you gotta give the Swiss credit, but I believe the stronger team did win that match. So this is gonna set up another great semifinal. England versus Argentina, right? Two teams that had drama in a lot of their matches. Neither team dominated this quarterfinal, except for Argentina in extra time, but they both found a way to survive, right? To win, to move on. The leadership group just took over. This is gonna be a great match. My prediction, England. Okay, so for the final, I got France over England. And why not, guys? Why not? I'm gonna throw in a score and I'm gonna go 2-1. I know I'm excited. I believe the final will be Sunday, July 19th. I know I'm gonna be watching, even though the Canada is not in it anymore. Like I said, I am a soccer fan, a football fan now. What I'm interested is you soccer fans, the ones that watch football, the one that knows the players, the teams. I want to know your predictions for the semifinals. I want to know your prediction for the final. Who's your World Cup winner? I'm really, really curious. And now it's time for Sue's true moment. What you are about to hear are two different clips. These are my real unfiltered reactions recorded immediately after Canada's matches. No script, no second guessing. Just what I was feeling in a moment. First, the excitement after Canada's win over South Africa, and then my thoughts after the heartbreaking loss to Morocco. Take a listen. Round 16, baby, let's go, Canada! I had to run in here and do a quick little recording. Okay, I'm gonna admit something. Never was really the biggest soccer fan, except when I was watching Christine St. Clair. But man, oh man, what a game. What's his name? Estaq Kiel. I believe I said his name right. What amazing goal. I was so excited throughout the whole game. The edge of the couch. Just couldn't believe it. I was waiting for that moment, that one special moment. And of course it had to come at the end, right? In extra time. Anyways, round 16, baby, this Saturday. Can't wait. What a time to be a Canadian soccer fan. Again, wasn't the biggest fan. I am now though. Let's go, Canada. Let's go. Let's have a big win against what is it? Netherlands? Morocco? Whatever. I don't care. Let's go Saturday. Let's go, Canada. Woohoo! Let's go! Can't wait. Can't wait. So Team Canada just lost against Morocco. And I have to say, I'm gonna be sad not seeing these guys keep playing. I'm a big hockey fan, big Blue Jay fan. Was never really a soccer football fan. But wow, what a ride! And I really like these guys, right? I'm just so sad that it had to end. Heartbreaking. But saying that, wow, such pride, right? Such emotion from you guys. Real grit. Love the way you guys played. I love how it united the country. And I just wish it would have kept on going just like the players. I know they're heartbroken. I just want to personally say thank you, thank you for wearing that jersey, wearing it with pride, and playing with your hearts out. Again, thank you. And that's the emotional roller coaster of being a sports fan, right? The highs, the lows, and everything in between. It hurt then, and it still hurts. But I'm incredibly proud of what Team Canada accomplished. They proved they belong on this stage, and I truly believe the best is still ahead. And they gain not just me as a fan, but I believe many, many more. A nation. And that, my friends, was Sue's true moment. Thanks so much for listening to another episode of TrueFan True Opinion. If you enjoyed today's conversation, I really appreciate it if you followed the show, leave a review, and share it with another sports fan. And don't forget, I want to hear your thoughts. Did you agree with my tweets? Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments or on social media. Until next time, keep caring, keep believing, you're a member. Turn up, don't give up. I'm rooting for you.