Group E is Germany’s group. Die Mannschaft face arguably the weakest group of any elite team in the draw, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, and Curacao. This is Germany’s tournament to lose at the group stage. But history reminds us that Germany went home in the group stage in 2018 as defending champions. Nagelsmann will not let
Group D is the USA’s group. The co-hosts play all three group games in American cities, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Kansas City in front of enormous home crowds that will create some of the loudest atmospheres of the entire tournament. Turkey bring Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz. Australia return with their 2022 quarter-final experience. Paraguay
Group C is the most colourful group at the 2026 World Cup. The five-time world champions. Africa’s 2022 semi-finalists. Scotland returning to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. And Haiti, back at the tournament for the first time since 1974. Every game in this group has a story attached to it
Group B is the most open group at the 2026 World Cup. Italy’s elimination in the playoffs turned Group B into the weakest group in the tournament by some margin. Canada co-host at home. Switzerland are consistent and reliable. Bosnia qualified by beating Italy, one of qualifying’s great upsets. Qatar return after hosting 2022. Any
Group A opens the 2026 World Cup. Mexico host the tournament opener against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca on June 11, the same stadium where Diego Maradona scored the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century in 1986. Son Heung-min leads South Korea. Czech Republic qualified through the playoffs. South Africa return
Every World Cup needs its underdogs. Without them, you would not have Saudi Arabia beating Argentina. You would not have Cameroon dismantling the reigning world champions in 1990. You would not have Morocco becoming the first African team to reach a semi-final. Every one of those giant-killing stories started with a team that most people
England have not won the World Cup since 1966. Sixty years of hurt. Sixty years of watching superior tournament teams from Germany, France, Argentina, Brazil, and Spain lift the trophy while England found increasingly creative ways to fall short. But the squad Thomas Tuchel has assembled for the 2026 World Cup may be the most
The Netherlands have been quietly building one of the most underrated squads at this tournament. Under Ronald Koeman, they reached the semi-finals of Euro 2024 and the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup. Their squad, anchored by Virgil van Dijk’s commanding presence and supercharged by the creativity of Xavi Simons and the directness of Cody
Germany are back. After the humiliation of 2018 when they went home in the group stage as defending champions and the disappointment of 2022, Julian Nagelsmann has rebuilt this team around the most exciting young creative partnership in world football. Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala playing together for Germany is one of the great tactical
Brazil have not won a World Cup since 2002. That 24-year wait is the central pressure point that Carlo Ancelotti has been tasked with resolving. He brings with him the same tactical intelligence that has turned Real Madrid into the dominant force in European club football and with a squad that includes Vinicius Junior, Raphinha,
The United States Men’s National Team has never had a better squad than the one heading into the 2026 World Cup. For the first time, the USMNT goes into a World Cup with genuine quality at almost every position, a settled manager in Mauricio Pochettino, and the enormous advantage of playing on home soil in
Argentina are the defending world champions. They won in Qatar in 2022 in the most dramatic final in tournament history, surviving a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick to win on penalties. The core of that squad is back, most of them in the prime years of their careers. Lionel Messi, in what will almost certainly be his
This is Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup. That fact alone gives Portugal’s 2026 campaign an emotional weight and a narrative power that transforms every match they play into something more than football. But Portugal are far more than just Ronaldo’s farewell tour. Roberto Martinez has built the deepest and most talented Portuguese squad in the
Spain are the reigning European champions and the tournament favourites. They won Euro 2024 convincingly, beating England in the final with a performance that confirmed they are the most tactically complete international team in world football right now. The squad combines the experienced brilliance of Rodri and Pedri with the explosive youth of Lamine Yamal
France are the world’s number one ranked team heading into the 2026 World Cup. They have reached the last two World Cup finals. Their squad is the deepest and most expensive in the tournament. And Kylian Mbappe, at 27 and in the absolute peak of his career is the most dangerous individual player in world
Nigeria should be at the 2026 World Cup. By talent alone, the Super Eagles have enough quality to compete with almost any team at the tournament. Victor Osimhen is one of the most feared strikers in European football. Ademola Lookman won the African Player of the Year award. Victor Boniface, Calvin Bassey, Frank Onyeka, and
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