2026 FIFA World Cup: Everything You Need to Know About All 48 Teams

The wait is almost over ... the 2026 FIFA World Cup , hosted across Canada, Mexico and the United States, is about to begin! That means we will soon start getting answers to all our burning pre-tournament questions.

Will Lionel Messi lead Argentina to retain the trophy they won in Qatar in 2022 and cement his claim to GOAT status? Or will Cristiano Ronaldo -- who, like his longtime rival, is set to appear at a record sixth World Cup -- lift the trophy for Portugal ?

What about the other star-studded teams that have genuine ambitions to be the last one standing after the final on July 19? Can Spain and boy wonder Lamine Yamal add the World Cup to their 2024 European Championship crown? Two-time winners France were runners-up four years ago despite Kylian Mbappé scoring three goals in the final; could it be their year again? What about Harry Kane 's England ? Or Vinícius Júnior 's Brazil ? And can you ever really discount Germany from the running?

The three host nations -- Canada , Mexico and the United States -- will all bring something different to the party, but which of their teams will go the furthest? And what will the four World Cup debutants -- Cape Verde , Curaçao , Jordan and Uzbekistan -- do to make their mark?

- World Cup 2026 format and tiebreakers explained, full match schedule

- Kit ranking: All 105 home, away, third alternate jersey at the World Cup

- Meet the World Cup debutants: Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, Uzbekistan

This will be the first World Cup to feature 48 teams, meaning there are plenty of facts and information that even the most ardent soccer fan will need to learn before the big kickoff on June 11. And so ESPN's experts are here with what you need to know at a glance on every team: key players (all pictured below), rising stars, tournament history, fixtures, fascinating facts, expectations and betting odds to win what will be the biggest World Cup ever.

Group previews written by Damián Didonato, Ed Dove, Cesar Hernandez, Joey Lynch, Gabriel Tan, Sam Marsden and Sam Tighe. Additional writing and editing by Tony Mabert, Mike Wise and Connor O'Halloran. Betting odds via DraftKings (correct at time of publication).

Groups: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L

Search match schedule by team | Stadium guide

Mexico will open the World Cup on June 11 and be eying a win to kick-start a march into the knockout rounds and, hopefully, the quarterfinals. Doing so would equal El Tri's best-ever performances, which came in the previous two times they hosted the World Cup. Standing in their way for that curtain-raiser will be South Africa , whose stability and continuity under Hugo Broos means that the hope of reaching the knockouts for the first time is a real possibility.

Qualifying from the group in at least third should also be the minimum aim for an experienced, grizzled Czechia squad, and given the evenness of Group A, perhaps even second could be in play. South Korea , meanwhile, will always be expected to make it out of the group stage, but history shows it hasn't always been straightforward. Matching their round-of-16 appearance from four years ago would be a decent achievement, but Son Heung-Min & Co. will be dreaming of the quarterfinals at least.

Thursday, June 11

Mexico vs. South Africa (Mexico City), 3 p.m. ET

South Korea vs. Czechia (Zapopan, Mexico), 10 p.m. ET

Thursday, June 18

Czechia vs. South Africa (Atlanta), noon ET

Mexico vs. South Korea (Zapopan, Mexico), 11 p.m. ET

Wednesday, June 24

Czechia vs. Mexico (Mexico City), 9 p.m. ET

South Africa vs. South Korea (Guadalupe, Mexico), 9 p.m. ET

Mexico: +8000

South Africa: +100000

South Korea: +40000

Czechia: +25000

Switzerland are the strongest team in Group B on paper, and should they sew up top spot, have the very real prospect of avoiding any traditional heavyweights until the round of 16. That's an extremely promising path if they can pull it off.

The likes of Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina , however, should not be underestimated. Jesse Marsch's co-hosts have never won a World Cup match, but the expectation for the 2024 Copa América semifinalists is to at least qualify for the knockout phase. Bosnia-Herzegovina, for their part, beat Italy in the playoffs to get to the tournament and therefore cannot be taken lightly. They could even sneak into second in Group A if Canada's injury troubles derail them.

Rounding out Group B are Qatar . After becoming the first host nation to fail to pick up a point when they welcomed the World Cup in 2022, the Maroons will be hoping to capitalize on a group without a true global power to spring a surprise or two.

Friday, June 12

Canada vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina (Toronto), 3 p.m. ET

Saturday, June 13

Qatar vs. Switzerland (Santa Clara, California), 3 p.m. ET

Thursday, June 18

Switzerland vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina (Inglewood, California), 3 p.m. ET

Canada vs. Qatar (Vancouver, British Columbia), 6 p.m. ET

Wednesday, June 24

Switzerland vs. Canada (Vancouver, British Columbia), 3 p.m. ET

Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Qatar (Seattle), 3 p.m. ET

Canada: +20000

Bosnia-Herzegovina: +50000

Qatar: +150000

Switzerland: +6500

Brazil's objective will always be to win the World Cup. Twenty-four years have passed since their last title, which is an agonizingly long drought for the only nation to win the trophy five times. Although this squad might lack the abundance of individual brilliance of past eras, the Seleção always boast a team capable of overcoming any obstacle.

After the historic 2022 run and a top-10 world ranking, Morocco will expect to escape the group and at least reach the quarterfinals. A more attractive, front-foot playing style would be appreciated after some fans rallied against the conservatism under previous head coach Walid Regragui.

Scotland and Haiti aren't in Group C just to make up the numbers, but both of them face a difficult task to reach the knockout phase. Steve Clarke's squad looks suspiciously similar to the one that nosedived at Euro 2024 , so the round of 32 feels like their ceiling. Haiti at least expect to make things difficult for their opponents in the group stage, and maybe, just maybe, get some early hope with a draw against Scotland in their opener.

Saturday, June 13

Brazil vs. Morocco (East Rutherford, New Jersey), 6 p.m. ET

Haiti vs. Scotland (Foxborough, Massachusetts), 9 p.m. ET

Friday, June 19

Scotland vs. Morocco (Foxborough, Massachusetts), 6 p.m. ET

Brazil vs. Haiti (Philadelphia), 9 p.m. ET

Wednesday, June 24

Scotland vs. Brazil (Miami Gardens, Florida), 6 p.m. ET

Morocco vs. Haiti (Atlanta), 6 p.m. ET

Brazil: +850

Morocco: +5000

Haiti: +250000

Scotland: +20000

Group D is the World Cup's most even group, according to the FIFA World Ranking, so it's easy to envision all four nations either topping the pool or tumbling out in last place. Mauricio Pochettino's United States have the pressure on them and will be expected to make some noise in the knockout rounds. No realistic fan will anticipate a run to the final, but if healthy and at their best, they should be able to win a game or two (or three?) in the knockouts.

Türkiye , however, have arguably the best side on paper in the group and, if they win it, will likely be rewarded with a favorable draw in the round of 32. Australia and Paraguay are no cannon fodder -- the Socceroos reached the knockout stages against all odds in 2022 and have genuine aspirations of doing the same this time around, while Los Guaraníes appear perfectly built for tournament football. Gustavo Alfaro's charges will prove a stubborn opponent for anyone at the World Cup and possess the X factor needed to reach the round of 16.

Friday, June 12

United States vs. Paraguay (Inglewood, California), 9 p.m. ET

Saturday, June 13

Australia vs. Türkiye (Vancouver, British Columbia), midnight ET (June 14)

Friday, June 19

United States vs. Australia (Seattle), 3 p.m. ET

Türkiye vs. Paraguay (Santa Clara, California), midnight ET (June 20)

Thursday, June 25

Türkiye vs. United States (Inglewood, California), 10 p.m. ET

Paraguay vs. Australia (Santa Clara, California.), 10 p.m. ET

United States: +6000

Paraguay: +30000

Australia: +60000

Türkiye: +10000

After two disappointing World Cups, a quarterfinal appearance is a must for Julian Nagelsmann's Germany . Anything else would be a bonus, although life won't be easy for Die Mannschaft in Group E.

In Champions League finalists Willian Pacho and Piero Hincapié , plus Chelsea star Moisés Caicedo , Ecuador possess a defensive trio that few national teams can match. Backed by this elite core, Ecuador can realistically aim to surpass their best tournament performance and potentially break into the quarterfinals. Then there's the Ivory Coast , who have a squad packed with attacking quality, and have recent experience of a deep tournament run at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations . Not reaching the knockouts would be seen as massive failure for Emerse Faé, and he has the talent at his disposal to go further.

Group minnows Curaçao won't be happy to have just secured an invitation, and with the decorated Dick Advocaat at the helm, they'll seek to challenge their opponents with their first-ever goal (or two) at the tournament and make history.

Sunday, June 14

Germany vs. Curaçao (Houston), 1 p.m. ET

Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador (Philadelphia), 7 p.m. ET

Saturday, June 20

Germany vs. Ivory Coast (Toronto), 4 p.m. ET

Ecuador vs. Curaçao (Kansas City, Missouri), 8 p.m. ET

Thursday, June 25

Ecuador vs. Germany (East Rutherford, New Jersey), 4 p.m. ET

Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast (Philadelphia), 4 p.m. ET

Germany: +1400

Curaçao: +250000

Ivory Coast: +25000

Ecuador: +8000

In another extremely well-matched and even group, three teams can all rightly claim that a quarterfinal berth is well within their capacity. The Dutch FA have gone a step further, saying their target is for Netherlands to reach the semifinals -- an objective echoed by head coach Ronald Koeman in a recent interview with ESPN.

Asian powerhouses Japan have also been bullish about their ultimate goal being to win the World Cup, and they won't be putting a ceiling that it can't be as soon as this summer. For a team that has never made it past the round of 16, however, reaching at least the quarterfinals -- especially given the expanded nature of the tournament -- is a more likely scenario for the Samurai Blue if they can overcome some key injuries. Sweden , meanwhile, can call on the likes of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres in attack, and they could surprise a few teams if they can keep it tight at the back.

Tunisia are usually organized and difficult to beat, but after some poor recent Africa Cup of Nations performances, escaping the group will be seen as an achievement.

Sunday, June 14

Netherlands vs. Japan (Arlington, Texas), 4 p.m. ET

Sweden vs. Tunisia (Guadalupe, Mexico), 10 p.m. ET

Saturday, June 20

Netherlands vs. Sweden (Houston), 1 p.m. ET

Tunisia vs. Japan (Guadalupe, Mexico), midnight ET (June 21)

Thursday, June 25

Japan vs. Sweden (Arlington, Texas), 7 p.m. ET

Tunisia vs. Netherlands (Kansas City, Missouri), 7 p.m. ET

Netherlands: +2200

Japan: +6500

Sweden: +10000

Tunisia: +50000

Belgium might no longer be viewed among the favorites at tournaments these days, but with the experience of veterans Kevin De Bruyne , Thibaut Courtois and Romelu Lukaku along with the emergence of wing wizard Jérémy Doku , anything less than the round of 16 would be a failure.

The Belgians kick off against an Egypt side that's limited even with Mohamed Salah on board. For them, and with third place potentially enough to reach the round of 32, they will fancy their chances of reaching the knockouts for the first time ever. Iran have also never made it out of their group at any of their six previous World Cups, although they came close in each of the past two editions. On paper, reaching the knockouts has to be their minimum target. But their l

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48871263/world-cup-2026-key-players-facts-expectations-fixtures-odds-all-48-teams)._