7 months ago
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Mark OgdenJun 11, 2025, 05:00 AM ET
The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup kicks disconnected a twelvemonth contiguous erstwhile joint-hosts Mexico get the tourney underway successful Mexico City's Azteca Stadium connected June 11, 2026.
It volition beryllium the biggest-ever World Cup, with the format expanding from 32 nations astatine Qatar 2022 to 48 teams successful USA, Mexico and Canada. The effect is 104 games crossed 16 cities successful 3 nations earlier the caller satellite champion is crowned astatine New Jersey's MetLife Stadium connected July 19.
There volition beryllium immoderate acquainted faces, immoderate World Cup rookies, plentifulness of players and coaches nether unit to present and besides large questions inactive to beryllium answered astir what happens off the pitch. So, with the World Cup countdown present conscionable 365 days away, here's everything you request to cognize astir what lies up successful North America successful 2026.
Messi vs. Ronaldo for the last time?
When Lionel Messi led Argentina to World Cup glory successful Qatar successful 2022, it seemed to beryllium the last enactment successful the decade-long conflict betwixt himself and Cristiano Ronaldo. By winning the World Cup, Messi had done thing Portugal skipper Ronaldo had ne'er done, and with the erstwhile Real Madrid and Manchester United prima turning 41 adjacent February, determination was nary accidental helium could instrumentality for 1 past changeable astatine the large one.
But conjecture what? Ronaldo is inactive going strong, starring Portugal to UEFA Nations League occurrence with wins against Germany and Spain this period -- helium scored successful some games excessively -- portion Messi, who volition beryllium 38 connected June 24, is inactive the prima attraction successful MLS with Inter Miami and helium continues to skipper Argentina.
Four years ago, Qatar truly seemed to beryllium Messi and Ronaldo's last quality successful the World Cup, but it's present astir definite that they volition some prevention their past creation for the 2026 edition.
2:28
Is it clip for Portugal to look for a Ronaldo replacement?
The "ESPN FC" unit sermon whether Portugal request to look for a caller striker earlier the 2026 World Cup.
The caller kids connected the block
World Cups ever motorboat caller stars onto the planetary signifier -- Pele was 17 erstwhile helium burst onto the country with Brazil successful 1958 -- and the 2026 tourney has an array of young endowment waiting to go the biggest sanction successful the game.
Lamine Yamal volition beryllium conscionable 18 erstwhile the 2026 variation kicks disconnected and the Spain and Barcelona guardant undoubtedly has what it takes to beryllium the prima of the show, hoping to animate his federation to a 2nd World Cup win. But France besides person a wonderkid successful 20-year-old Désiré Doué, who scored doubly successful Paris Saint-Germain's 5-0 Champions League last triumph against Inter Milan, and Germany's attacking duo of Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, some 22, are susceptible of dominating adjacent year.
Brazil, who are hopeless to triumph a archetypal World Cup since claiming their 5th rubric successful 2002, person 2 teen sensations successful Real Madrid's Endrick (18) and Chelsea-bound Estevao Willian (18) who volition beryllium expected to radiance connected the large stage.
Will it beryllium Haaland's time?
Erling Haaland is astir apt the biggest sanction successful shot close present who is yet to play successful a World Cup. The Manchester City forward, who volition beryllium 25 adjacent month, was calved successful Leeds portion his begetter Alfie played for Leeds United successful the Premier League, but contempt a tentative effort by the English FA to assertion him for England, Haaland has lone ever represented Norway.
Yet that loyalty to his household location has yet to beryllium rewarded with an quality astatine a large tourney since Haaland made his planetary debut successful 2019. But with Arsenal's Martin Odegaard besides attempting to usher the Landslaget to a archetypal World Cup since 1998, Haaland is doing his part, scoring 4 goals successful 4 games to assistance his state to the apical of UEFA Qualifying Group I -- a tally that includes a 3-0 triumph against four-time World Cup winners, Italy.
Norway person 4 much qualifiers to clinch their spot and a nine-point pb implicit Italy, though the Azzurri person six qualifiers remaining owed to a crowded schedule.
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How Brazil clinched their spot for the 2026 World Cup
Brazil qualified for the 2026 World Cup with a 1-0 triumph implicit Paraguay connected Tuesday nighttime successful Sao Paulo.
Can Carlo Ancelotti extremity Brazil's World Cup drought?
Brazil person done thing unprecedented successful their effort to extremity their 24-year World Cup drought, hiring a non-Brazilian -- Carlo Ancelotti -- to manager the Selecao for the archetypal clip successful the team's history. The 66-year-old is the lone manager to triumph 5 Champions League titles, truthful helium has the credentials to instrumentality connected Brazil, winners of 5 World Cups, but does helium person the players?
Ancelotti's archetypal Brazil squad included Premier League strugglers similar Manchester United brace Casemiro and Antony and Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison, but helium besides has the world-class endowment of Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, PSG defender Marquinhos and Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior to gully from successful the endowment pool.
Brazil person gone beyond the quarterfinal signifier conscionable erstwhile since past winning the World Cup successful 2002, erstwhile they finished 4th connected location ungraded successful 2014, truthful Ancelotti volition beryllium nether immense unit to alteration each that adjacent year.
How acold tin Poch's U.S. go?
Mauricio Pochettino was hired by the USSF past twelvemonth to bring elite level coaching and absorption skills to an under-performing U.S. men's nationalist team, but it has been a bumpy thrust truthful acold for the erstwhile Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain coach.
Following Tuesday's dismal 4-0 affable nonaccomplishment to Switzerland, Pochettino has won 5 and mislaid 5 of his 10 games successful complaint and has displayed small grounds of gathering a squad susceptible of reaching the second stages of the World Cup adjacent year. Several Europe-based stars -- including Christian Pulisic, Timothy Weah, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson and Yunus Musah -- are absent from this summer's friendlies and Gold Cup run for assorted reasons, causing immoderate contention among fans and erstwhile players, but Pochettino has cited the request for those players to remainder successful bid to beryllium much prepared for the World Cup.
Much depends connected the radical signifier gully for the World Cup, but close now, Pochettino's squad would conflict to adjacent scope the knockout stages.
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Dan and Stevie get heated implicit Pochettino
Dan Thomas and Steve Nicol clash implicit Maurico Pochettino's reign truthful acold arsenic USMNT coach.
Look retired for the World Cup rookies
The enlargement to 48 teams adjacent summertime has opened a way for caller nations to suffice for the tournament, with Uzbekistan and Jordan some securing qualification for the archetypal time.
Uzbekistan, nicknamed the White Wolves, person Manchester City's Abdukodir Khusanov successful their defence, portion Jordan's prima guardant Musa Al-Taamari plays successful Ligue 1 with Rennes. New Caledonia, a tiny archipelago successful the South Pacific, person qualified for adjacent year's Inter-Continental play-off, portion Cape Verde -- known arsenic the Blue Sharks -- are apical of their African qualifying radical with a squad that includes erstwhile Manchester United winger Bebé.
Curacao, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Suriname person each reached the last circular of qualification successful Concacaf, portion Venezuela are well-placed to assertion South America's spot successful the Inter-Continental play-offs. It each means we should spot plentifulness of triumphant debutants adjacent summer.
Are Italy backmost successful the large clip oregon volition it beryllium a three-peat of absences?
Italy are World Cup aristocracy, with lone Brazil (5) winning the tourney much than the Azzurri's four, but the Italians are successful information of missing retired connected qualification for the 3rd successive World Cup.
After losing 3-0 to Norway past week, Italy are successful crisis. Manager Luciano Spalletti has been fired and erstwhile Chelsea, Leicester City and AS Roma manager Claudio Ranieri has turned down the occupation arsenic his replacement.
When attempting to suffice for the past 2 World Cups, Italy mislaid retired successful the play-offs to Sweden (2018) and North Macedonia (2022), and they beryllium 3rd successful UEFA Group I, 9 points down leaders Norway and 3 points down Israel, who inhabit the play-off spot.
One of the game's astir storied nationalist teams needs to improve, and quickly, if they're to diagnostic adjacent summer.
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Who volition beryllium Italy's caller manager?
Gabriele Marcotti goes implicit who could beryllium the caller manager for Italy aft Luciano Spalletti managed his last crippled connected Monday.
Who wins it all? These are the teams to watch...
Argentina ended 20 years of European dominance by winning their 3rd World Cup astatine Qatar 2022 and the reigning champions volition fancy their chances of retaining their crown adjacent summer. But portion South American rivals Brazil volition beryllium beardown nether Ancelotti and a existent menace to Argentina, the large situation volition undoubtedly travel from Europe.
Euro 2024 winners Spain, Nations League champions Portugal and 2018 World Cup winners France volition beryllium the strongest European contenders, with Germany and England possessing the players to spell each the mode if they find immoderate consistency. But close now, Spain, France and Portugal, acknowledgment to prima names similar Yamal, Kylian Mbappé and Ronaldo, respectively, are the teams to beat.
... but don't place these dangerously talented outsiders
Ok, we've marked your paper for the favourites to triumph the World Cup, but who are the unsafe outsiders susceptible of emulating Morocco's tally to the 2022 semifinals, oregon Croatia's feat successful reaching the 2018 last and the semis 4 years later?
Ecuador person tally Argentina adjacent for apical spot successful the South America qualifiers and are inactive successful 2nd spot, contempt a three-point deduction. With Moisés Caicedo, Willian Pacho and Pervis Estupiñán successful their team, Ecuador volition beryllium beardown adjacent summer.
Mexico person reached the quarterfinals doubly -- some occasions erstwhile they hosted the World Cup successful 1970 and 1986 -- truthful El Tri tin exploit location vantage again. However, they mightiness conflict without competitory fixtures betwixt present and adjacent summertime by virtuousness of qualifying automatically arsenic co-hosts.
Morocco and Egypt volition pb Africa's hopes of success, portion successful Europe, Turkey and Georgia -- some warring for a playoff spot down Spain successful Group E -- showed astatine Euro 2024 that they person the endowment to origin an upset if they suffice for the World Cup.
Will it beryllium the aforesaid aged communicative for England?
England are satellite football's large under-achievers -- the location of the Premier League and erstwhile greats specified arsenic Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer, Paul Gascoigne and Steven Gerrard -- and adjacent twelvemonth volition people 60 years since their 1 and lone World Cup success. But aft 2 successive defeats successful the finals of Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, the English FA person gone large by hiring erstwhile Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel to crook the Three Lions into winners.
But don't slope connected England winning adjacent summer. A woeful 1-0 triumph implicit Andorra astatine the play , followed by a astonishment 3-1 location nonaccomplishment to Senegal connected Tuesday, exposed England's array of under-performing stars, and you tin constitute the publication for adjacent summertime close now.
After a draining Premier League season, Tuchel's players volition wilt successful the vigor successful North America because, similar forever, they can't support the shot and usage it arsenic good arsenic the apical teams.
2:35
How should Tuchel measure England's nonaccomplishment to Senegal?
The "ESPN FC" unit respond to England's 3-1 nonaccomplishment to Senegal successful an planetary affable and statement what Thomas Tuchel should instrumentality distant from his team's performance.
Will the U.S. question prohibition origin logistical problems?
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a question prohibition connected the citizens of 12 countries, preventing them from entering the United States. One of those nations is Iran, whose shot squad has qualified for adjacent year's World Cup. Haiti, a imaginable qualifier from Concacaf, is besides listed.
Beyond the 12 countries banned from each travel, 7 nations person been deed with partial restrictions -- including Venezuela, who are apt to scope the Inter-Continental playoffs.
There are exemptions, however, and the U.S. has stated that immoderate jock oregon subordinate of an diversion squad -- including coaches, persons performing a indispensable enactment role, and contiguous relatives -- volition beryllium allowed to question to the World Cup and 2028 Olympics successful Los Angeles. As it stands, each indispensable nationalist squad unit volition beryllium cleared to question to the U.S., but it looks improbable that supporters from nations connected the banned database volition beryllium allowed to participate the state and amusement their support.
It volition beryllium blistery and hectic
In the aboriginal stages of adjacent year's World Cup, determination volition beryllium arsenic galore arsenic 4 games a day, with immoderate fixtures scheduled to kick-off arsenic aboriginal arsenic noon and that could pb to issues relating to players, officials and supporters being impacted by utmost heat. During past year's Copa America, adjunct referee Humberto Panjoj fainted during the first-half of Peru's radical crippled against Canada successful Kansas City with temperatures reaching 93 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the U.S. past hosted the World Cup successful 1994, Republic of Ireland defender Steve Staunton was forced to deterioration a hat during the nationalist anthems to structure from the prima earlier a midday kick-off against Mexico successful Orlando erstwhile the somesthesia was recorded astatine 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
FIFA has said that each teams volition beryllium fixed a minimum of 3 days betwixt games, but kick-off times are to beryllium finalised pursuing the World Cup gully aboriginal this year.
