The Road to World Cup 2026: The biggest teams to watch and what to expect

Fox Sports

a day ago

The 2026 World Cup is one year away, and the countdown is on to see which teams will qualify for the largest-ever edition of the world's most popular sporting event.
So far, only 11 of the 48 teams - including the co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States – are officially in. Argentina, winner of the 2022 World Cup, is also set. But even though the full field is still not complete – qualification will go through next March 2026 before the first game kicks off on June 11 – we're expecting the world's best sides to be vying for the trophy.
There will be plenty of twists and turns as teams fight for those coveted spots, but we've identified 12 sides to keep an eye on, including the three co-hosts. These teams are packed with some of the world's biggest stars and include some of the heavy favorites to win it all. Let's dive into why we hope (and expect) to see them next summer.
The road to '26: Argentina are still basking in the glow from their triumph in Qatar and almost every match this cycle has had the feel of a victory tour. Lionel Scaloni's men added another Copa América title to their collection and cruised through South American qualifying, securing a World Cup berth with five rounds to spare.
The opportunity now beckons to become the first repeat World Cup winners since Brazil in 1962, while Scaloni can join Italy's Vittorio Pozzo as the only managers to win two World Cups. Not much has changed since Qatar, save for Ángel Di María's international retirement and the emergence of talented youngsters like Franco Mastantuono.
Lionel Messi still commands the spotlight, though Argentina proved they are much more than Messi by dismantling Brazil this past March without their injured star. With prolific strikers Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez, and a midfield built around the likes of Rodrigo De Paul and Alexis Mac Allister, Argentina has no intention of relinquishing their crown. - Mosse
The keys to success: Where to begin? What we learned from the Copa América last year is that this is a team that doesn't need Lionel Messi to be a superstar to win trophies. Of course, Lionel Scaloni has said Lionel Messi can and will be part of the national team for as long as he wants. But Argentina has a laundry list of talent playing at the highest levels around Europe who could lead La Albiceleste to another World Cup title.
As one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Emiliano Martinez has proven it for both club (Aston Villa) and country. He has a highlight reel and trophy cabinet to prove it. Alexis Mac Allister may only be 26, but he plays more like a veteran in the midfield for both Argentina and Liverpool, who he just helped win the Premier League. And then there's Julián Alvarez, the young and gifted forward who has been killing it for new club Atlético Madrid, where he scored 29 goals across all competitions this season. - Litman
The road to '26: Brazil finally got their man in Carlo Ancelotti, hiring the five-time UEFA Champions League winner as the team's new manager earlier this month. But the Italian has plenty of work to do to repair the damage from what's been a disastrous cycle so far. A quarterfinal elimination at the Copa América and disappointing results in qualifying have Brazil at their lowest ebb in a very long time.
Ancelotti's first priority is to build a midfield that can exert control over games. The coach who jumpstarted Vinícius Júnior's Real Madrid career must also solve the riddle of why the talented winger can't reproduce the same form for his country. And it wouldn't hurt to have a healthy Neymar back in the fold, though that seems less likely by the day.
No non-Brazilian manager has ever won a men's World Cup with this team, so Brazil are hoping Ancelotti can make history next year. One positive omen is that Brazil captured the 1994 World Cup in the United States, ending a 24-year title drought. The five-time champions will go into next summer exactly 24 years removed from their last triumph. - Mosse
The keys to success: The five-time champions have been in a rut – just last summer the squad was eliminated in the Copa América quarterfinal after losing to a 10-man Uruguay team in a penalty shootout. Despite an insanely talented and entertaining roster, the Seleção must find another level in order to make a deep run.
That will require players like Vinícius (the 2024 Best FIFA Men's Player), Neymar (who has battled injuries and been out of the recent spotlight), Alisson Becker(one of the top goalkeepers in the world who just won the Premier League with Liverpool) and Raphinha (the Barcelona forward scored a career-high 34 goals in all competitions this season) to lead the way and shed any negative stigma currently associated with the team. - Litman
The road to '26: Gareth Southgate's tenure ended with another near miss, as England finished runners-up to Spain at Euro 2024. The task now falls to Thomas Tuchel to guide the Three Lions to their first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
Tuchel is the third non-English coach this century for this team, following Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. The German will have plenty of talent at his disposal, particularly upfront with Harry Kane still one of the finest strikers on the planet. Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice are capable of controlling the center of the park, while England's conveyor belt has produced another dazzling left-footed winger in Cole Palmer to go with Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka.
There are questions at the back, but those didn't prevent the Three Lions from reaching the final of the last two Euros. England has only ever lifted the World Cup on home soil, and there would be a delicious irony if that drought ended in the very summer in which the United States is celebrating 250 years of independence. - Mosse
The keys to success: One of the biggest storylines surrounding this team is the fact that we're now in the Thomas Tuchel era after Gareth Southgate's resignation. Another will be how desperate England wants to win a major tournament after falling short at Euro 2024. At the last World Cup, the Three Lions ran into a hot France team in the quarterfinal.
If the team is to go further this time and win, it will need the best performances out of what is arguably one of the most talented and deep rosters in the world. There's Harry Kane, who won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich this season and is anxious to win a World Cup at his age (he'll be 32 next summer). Jude Bellingham, who is only 21 years old and has already won a LaLiga championship and Champions League with Real Madrid. Bukayo Saka, who has become Arsenal's most lethal attacker, will also be a key playmaker. - Litman
The road to '26: France came agonizingly close to retaining the World Cup crown in Qatar, and their pedigree in recent decades is the envy of every other nation. Les Bleus have reached the final in four of the last seven World Cups, winning two and dropping the other two on penalties. Their focus is on reclaiming the trophy next year.
Didier Deschamps will manage in his fourth and final World Cup, bringing the curtain down on a tenure that, remarkably, stretches back to July 2012. Such is the wealth of talent at Deschamps' disposal that Ousmane Dembele may very well win the Ballon d'Or this year and still end up playing second fiddle to Kylian Mbappe in 2026.
Mbappé has found the back of the net 12 times in the last two World Cups, including a hat-trick against Argentina in the 2022 final. Miroslav Klose's record of 16 World Cup goals is very much in sight, and while Mbappé was unable to prevent semifinal defeats to Spain in both Euro 2024 and last week's UEFA Nations League, the Real Madrid star has his eyes on the ultimate prize. - Mosse
The keys to success: The thing about France is you can never count this team out. Who could forget the 2022 World Cup final when it seemed like Argentina had the trophy wrapped up until Kylian Mbappé scored that memorable hat -trick (only for Argentina to win on penalties) in what will probably always be considered the wildest World Cup final in history?
Just check out the wealth of talent that nearly helped France pull off a stunning comeback against Spain in the UEFA Nations League semifinals last week. Mbappé scored, as did Rayan Cherki (linked with a move from Lyon to Manchester City) and Juventus striker Randal Kolo Muani. PSG duo Ousmane Dembélé and Desire Doue were also dangerous in the attack against Spain, hoping to capitalize on their recent Champions League success. We could potentially see this matchup once again in a World Cup final, and expect these stars to shine if Les Bleus are there. - Litman
The road to '26: It seems hard to believe that Germany's 2014 final victory over Argentina represents their last World Cup knockout match. After crashing out in the group stage in both Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, the Germans will have plenty to prove next summer. The question is whether this squad boasts enough quality to recapture past glory.
Germany fell to Spain in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals and to Portugal in the semifinals of last week's UEFA Nations League, both on home soil, and their trophy drought stretches back to the 2017 Confederations Cup. The good news is that both Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz have emerged as genuine stars who can command the spotlight in 2026.
The pair will be counted on for inspiration, while veterans Antonio Rudiger and Joshua Kimmich should anchor the back line. But the lack of an elite center forward may prove costly, and the international retirements of Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos have robbed Germany of any links to their last era of success. - Mosse
The keys to success: It's still hard to believe that four-time champion Germany failed to make it out of the group stage at the 2022 World Cup. For what it's worth, that squad didn't have Bayern Leverkusan's Florian Wirtz, the 22-year-old attacking midfielder who could be playing for Liverpool by the time he suits up for Germany at the 2026 World Cup.
Wirtz is a versatile player who can play on either wing or as a No. 9 or No. 10 and scored the lone goal for Die Mannschaft in the 2-1 loss last week to Portugal in the UEFA Nations League. Additionally, Real Madrid center back Antonio Rüdiger is reliable in the back line and Marc-André ter Stegen, one of the best goalkeepers in the world, will play key roles if Germany is to make any kind of run next summer. - Litman
The road to '26: The first step towards success in 2026 is qualifying for the tournament, something no Italian will take for granted after missing out on the last two World Cups. Provided the four-time champions can punch their ticket for 2026, Italy will then have to find some genuine solutions in attack.
For all their reputation as the land of Catenaccio, Italy have produced some of the most gifted players in the world in recent decades, from Roberto Baggio to Alessandro Del Piero to Francesco Totti. But those players have seemingly vanished from Italian football, leaving the national team shockingly bereft of ideas in recent years.
The rest of the picture is less gloomy. Sandro Tonali and Nico Barella are the lynchpins of a quality midfield, while Alessandro Bastoni will anchor a back line playing in front of the most in-form goalkeeper on the planet in Gianluigi Donnarumma. But more is needed if Italy are to make any kind of deep run next summer. - Mosse
The keys to success: After the remarkable run to the Euro 2020 title, this team then lost a playoff semifinal match to North Macedonia that kept the Italians out of the 2022 World Cup (they didn't qualify for 2018, either).
Perhaps the luck of Gli Azzurri will change. For one, they have Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, who had six clean sheets for PSG in the Champions League this season, including in the 5-0 win over Inter Milan in the final. They don't call him "The Wall" for nothing.
Then there's Inter Milan's Nicolo Barella, the heart of the Italian midfield who could quite literally cover an entire pitch if he needed to. If Italy qualifies this time – and gets out of its group – these guys will be a major reason why. - Litman
The road to '26: So much of the discourse around Portugal in recent years has centered on Cristiano Ronaldo's role, given that he failed to find the back of the net in the knockout stage of the last two World Cups and the last two Euros. But manager Roberto Martinez has continued to place his faith in Ronaldo and that likely won't change next summer.
The 40-year-old is poised to play in his sixth World Cup, having scored in the previous five, and the good news is he'll be surrounded by a supporting cast sparkling with talent. Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, and Rafael Leao can all be counted on to provide inspiration, while Vitinha is one of the very best midfielders on the planet.
Ruben Dias anchors the back line and Diogo Costa represents a safe pair of hands in goal. It all adds up to a team more than capable of making a deep run, as evidenced by their recent UEFA Nations League triumph. But much will depend on Ronaldo once again turning back the clock and delivering when it matters most. - Mosse
The keys to success: The obvious answer here is Cristiano Ronaldo. We can't forget the drama that followed him at the 2022 World Cup – he was benched and later brought on as a sub; then he left the pitch in tears following Portugal's quarterfinal loss to Morocco.
But he did score in Portugal's Nations League final victory over Spain, and is still the national team captain. He'll be 41 at the 2026 World Cup and nothing would mean more than to win the country's first-ever trophy in the tournament.
Other key players for this Portugal side will be goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who also showed off his heroics against Germany in the UEFA Nations League, as well as PSG midfielder Vitinha, who just helped his club win the Champions League. - Litman
The road to '26: The Netherlands remain the most accomplished soccer nation yet to win a World Cup. The Dutch have been runners-up three times and fell on penalties to eventual champions Argentina in the quarterfinals in Qatar. This cycle has already featured another near miss in the form of a semifinal exit at Euro 2024.
Whether the Netherlands can finally get over the hump next year may depend on whether Cody Gakpo scores enough goals to take some of the pressure off the aging Memphis Depay. Neither one will be starved for service thanks to the emerging Xavi Simons, and the dynamic Denzel Dumfries flying down the wing.
Frenkie de Jong, Tijjani Reijnders and Ryan Gravenberch provide plenty of quality in the midfield, while Virgil van Dijk is still an imposing figure at the back. The Dutch won't be lacking in talent, and the hope is that, if they once again arrive at the latter stages of a World Cup, the breaks might just go their way for a change. - Mosse
The keys to success: The Netherlands have come oh-so-close to winning a World Cup – they've made the final three times – but to no avail. The Oranje were knocked out in Qatar by eventual champions Argentina following a dramatic quarterfinal penalty shootout, otherwise there's a good chance they would have made a deeper run.
Regardless, a talented roster will be assembled, including captain Virgil Van Dijk, who some would consider to be the best center back in the world. The 6'5" Liverpool defender is strong on the ball and in the air, and is not a player an attacker wants to see coming. He's flanked by fullback Denzel Dumfries, who helped Inter Milan reach the Champions League final, and supported by Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong, who controls the midfield. - Litman
The road to '26: With all their success in other competitions of late, it's easy to forget that Spain have underwhelmed in each of the last three World Cups, crashing out in the group stage in 2014, followed by round-of-16 exits in both 2018 and 2022. But another early elimination seems unlikely. In fact, Spain might just be the clear-cut favorite in 2026.
It has been a remarkable trophy haul so far in this cycle with the Spanish capturing the 2023 UEFA Nations League title, followed by both the Euros and the Olympic gold medal in 2024. A World Cup crown would be the icing on the cake, and it's difficult to bet against them given the presence of Lamine Yamal, a player displaying a level of preciousness not seen since Pele.
The Barcelona teenager headlines an explosive attack that includes Nico Williams, while a midfield featuring Pedri and Ballon d'Or winner Rodri will likely ensure that Spain controls every game next summer. Spain captured the 2010 World Cup with one of the greatest teams of all-time, and this current group feels like worthy successors. - Mosse
The keys to success: This team is the favorite to win the World Cup. The reigning European champions just seem to keep getting better and better as Lamine Yamal gets more experienced (probably not a coincidence!). The 17-year-old winger is coming off a stellar season with Barcelona where at times he looked like the best player in the world. Yamal plays free and fearless, and exudes joy on the pitch.
He's supported by top talents like Manchester City midfielder and 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, who is currently coming back from a knee injury, as well as club teammate Pedri, who is lethal on the dribble and is one of the most creative midfielders in the game right now. - Litman
The road to '26: After reaching the round of 16 in Qatar with the second-youngest squad in the tournament, expectations were supposed to be sky high for the United States in 2026. But concerns began to creep in after a disappointing group stage exit at last year's Copa América, which ultimately cost Gregg Berhalter his job as manager.
His replacement Mauricio Pochettino then presided over defeats to Panama and Canada in the Concacaf Nations League, raising further doubts about whether this generation of players is golden after all. The good news is Pochettino has 12 months to address current problems and the potential still exists for a successful campaign on home soil.
Christian Pulisic will need to be a genuine match-winner to make up for the lack of a prolific center forward. Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie should help form a strong midfield, while Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson can provide inspiration from the flanks. Question marks do remain at both center back and in goal. - Mosse
The keys to success: There's a lot to be concerned about as it pertains to the 2026 World Cup co-hosts. After a disastrous Concacaf Nations League in March, which saw the USMNT flame out in losses to Panama and Canada, the team was heavily criticized for being entitled and not caring enough about playing for their country.
To make matters worse, the team's biggest stars like Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson and Weston McKennie are among a larger group that will not play in this summer's Gold Cup, which is the last competitive tournament the team will play in before the World Cup since they don't have to qualify. How will new manager Mauricio Pochettino come up with a roster for next summer that is cohesive, understands each other's tendencies and can win tough games together? That will remain a massive question for the next 12 months. - Litman
The road to '26: Mexico entered the last World Cup with visions of getting over the round-of-16 hump, but they failed to even make it out of the group stage. Tata Martino presided over that disastrous campaign, and the lack of success under him has prompted El Tri to turn back to a familiar face on the bench.
Javier Aguirre will manage Mexico at a World Cup for the third time, having previously taken charge in 2002 and 2010. His experience paid off this past March in helping the team capture the Concacaf Nations League crown which, coupled with a Gold Cup title in 2023, has allowed Mexico fans to regain some of their swagger.
The main catalyst for Mexico's improvement has been the return to health of Raul Jimenez, and the Fulham striker will likely be paired with Santiago Gimenez next year. The tournament co-hosts also won't be lacking support, and with Edson Alvarez providing leadership at the back, the pieces might just be in place for a surprising run. - Mosse
The keys to success: If the U.S. is a co-host that's feeling uncertain about its World Cup preparation, Mexico is the opposite. El Tri was crowned Concacaf Nations League champs in March and is a favorite to dominate and defend its Gold Cup title this summer.
Forwards Santiago Gimenez (AC Milan) and Raul Jimenez (Fulham) are building chemistry up top and should be an easy reason for fans to feel optimistic about 2026. Mexico has never made it past the quarterfinal stage of the World Cup, but if that attacking duo is clicking and in sync, things could get interesting. - Litman
The road to '26: Canada's first World Cup appearance since 1986 didn't last very long, as they dropped all three games in Qatar, exiting at the group stage. But the Canucks get a second bite at the apple, this time as tournament co-hosts, and the arrival of American manager Jesse Marsch has raised hopes for a successful campaign.
Marsch proved his worth by orchestrating a semifinal run at last year's Copa América, and a Concacaf Nations League win over the U.S. this past March also endeared him to fans. That victory did come at a cost with Alphonso Davies tearing his ACL, but the Bayern Munich standout is expected back well before the start of the World Cup.
Davies headlines a talented generation that includes midfielder Stephen Eustaquio, and the prolific strike pairing of Jonathan David and Cyle Larin. David in particular could be one of next summer's breakout stars, and a strong performance from him would go a long way towards helping Canada confirm all their recent progress. - Mosse
The key players to success: Canada won't have defender Alphonso Davies for this summer's Gold Cup while he continues to recover from the torn ACL he sustained vs. the United States in the Nations League, but he's certainly expected to return and be at full fitness in time for the 2026 World Cup. Davies, who is only 24, is a strong and speedy presence on the left side and has been a reliable defender for Bayern Munich since 2019.
Elsewhere, Jonathan David is a player who could really use this summer's Gold Cup as an opportunity to boost his stock ahead of what will be an important 2026 for the dynamic forward. David has said he will leave French club Lille when his contract expires, and he'll be a huge get for a bigger European club. David, 25, is Canada's men's all-time leading goalscorer (32 goals in 61 games) and will have plenty of expectations put on his shoulders next summer. - Litman
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman .
David Mosse is a researcher for FOX Sports and co-host of Alexi Lalas' State of the Union Podcast.
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