World Cup Preview

Every four years, the biggest international sporting event takes center stage: the World Cup. In early April, the full line-up of teams competing was confirmed, and now our attention turns to the U.S, Canada, and Mexico as they host the 23rd edition of the tournament, which kicks off in June. In this article, I will preview everything you need to know, including: how it works, who the favorites are, how I think the U.S will perform, and finally, my predictions. 

How Will It Work? 

A record 48 teams will compete in this summer’s edition of the World Cup – up from the last seven, which saw 32 teams compete. This will see a total of 104 matches played across three countries. It will take place in 16 cities - 11 in the U.S (including Seattle), three in Mexico, and two in Canada. On June 11, 2026, Mexico will face South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City to kick off the tournament. There are 12 groups of four, and the top two teams from each group, as well as the eight best third-place nations, will advance to an expanded knockout phase that will start with the Round of 32. The champions of the World will be crowned on July 19, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. 

Who Are The Favorites?

Spain

The reigning European champions right now are the bookies’ favorites to lift the trophy. The Spanish enjoyed an almost flawless qualification process, winning five and drawing one in their six games. Their squad is filled with talent such as Pedri, Ferran Torres, Martin Zubimendi, and 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. However, the main focal point of their squad is the 18-year-old starlet Lamine Yamal. He (as of this writing) has 26 goals and 17 assists across 44 games in all competitions for Barcelona. All eyes will be on him as it will be his first World Cup, and he will be the main man for Spain. 

France

Just behind Spain are their neighbors to the north, France. Les Bleus won the 2018 edition of the tournament and were the runners-up in Qatar four years later. France was also unbeaten in World Cup qualifying. The team also boasts its fair share of superstars such as Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola, Rayan Cherki, and, most notably, Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe. This frontline will be the most explosive and feared in the entire tournament and is the main reason they are neck and neck with Spain.

England

Just behind Spain and France sits England who has one of its most talented teams that finished runners-up at both Euro 2020 and Euro 2024. The Three Lions are led by German manager Thomas Tuchel and are hoping to finally bring it home after 60 years of hurt. They qualified with a perfect record and without conceding a goal in the qualifiers. They have a squad brimming with talent, such as Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane. 

Argentina

The last of the favorites I will mention is Argentina. The Albiceleste are reigning world champions and finished top of South American qualifying by a comfortable margin. Coupled with back-to-back Copa Americas, the team is looking strong. Argentina, of course, has the legendary Lionel Messi. However, the question is whether he still has it at 39 years of age. 

How Will the United States do? 

The United States will be hosting the bulk of the tournament. It will be the first time they have hosted since 1994. After failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, there was much disappointment and frustration with the U.S Soccer Federation. In changing their approach, they qualified for the 2022 World Cup and reached the Round of 16 before getting knocked out by the Netherlands. The U.S went into the 2022 World Cup with one of the youngest squads, and there was much hope that going into the 2026 cycle, they would develop and we would see a golden age of American soccer. This is one of the most talented and talked-about teams in American history, as they have never had so much of their squad competing in elite European leagues. However, after the 2022 World Cup, the team regressed, and very few players have truly broken out in Europe. In 2024, the team crashed out of the group stage in the Copa America, losing to both Panama and Uruguay. After this disappointment, the U.S fired head coach Greg Berhalter and spent big on hiring Mauricio Pochettino, who was a major club coach in Europe. Since his hiring, the team hasn’t looked much better and has had many ups and downs. In their most recent run of friendlies in March, the Stars and Stripes lost 2-0 to Portugal and 5-2 to Belgium. While there were some good wins against teams like Paraguay and Australia in the fall, their abysmal performances against the big teams in Europe give me little belief that they can truly compete at this World Cup. As much as I would like to, I find it hard to think that this team can go far. My prediction for them is that they will, at the very least, make it out of the group, but not any further than the Round of 16, and the last four years for American soccer will be marked as a colossal failure. 

My Predictions

This is probably the part you guys should care the least about, as most of these will probably be proven wrong by July, but here goes nothing.

Winner: France

Top Scorer: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England) 

Golden Ball: Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, France)

Golden Glove: David Raya (Arsenal, Spain) 

Dark Horse: Turkïye 

Flop: Portugal (more specifically Cristiano Ronaldo) 

Yeah, that’s pretty much it. I can’t wait for this tournament to get going, as I don’t think there is anything better than international football. It has a unifying effect that the Olympics simply doesn’t have (no hate to the Olympics). There is nothing like it. Please feel free to make fun of my predictions, but if you do, you must give me yours to counter that.