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
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
The four teams who reach the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will do something that only a tiny fraction of nations in football history have ever managed. They will have won five consecutive knockout matches, navigated a bracket packed with the best teams in the world, survived injuries, fatigue, penalty shootouts, and the
The 2026 World Cup is unlike any tournament that came before it. For the first time in history, 48 teams enter the competition. Twelve groups play out across three host nations. The top two from each group advance automatically, joined by the eight best third-place finishers, creating a brand new Round of 32 before the
The answer is yes. Cristiano Ronaldo will play at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. At 41 years old, he has been officially named in Portugal’s squad and is preparing for what he has confirmed will be his final chapter in international football. But the more interesting question is not whether he will be there. It
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