10 June,2026 09:01 AM IST | Mumbai | Ashwin Ferro
Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal and Vinicius Jr. Pics/AFP
Being co-hosts and having underperformed at the last few World Cups, Mexico are good enough to soak in all the pressure they will be subjected to. South Africa, who've had 12 different goal-scorers in the qualifiers, have proved that they don't rely on one or two strikers, which is a great thing. Returning to the World Cup after 20 years, Czechia will be keen to add a new chapter to their football story while South Korea won't have it easy.
Players to watch: Raul Jimenez (Mexico), Ronwen Williams (SA), Patrick Schick (Czechia), Son Heung-min (South Korea)
World No. 30 Canada have a favourable group with just Switzerland (No. 19) being higher ranked, meaning the co-hosts can qualify for Rd 2 by finishing second in the group, beating Qatar (No. 57) and a gritty Bosnia & Herzegovina (No. 64), who qualified after ousting former champs Italy.
Players to watch: Jonathan David (Canada), Granit Xhaka (Switzerland), Esmir Bajraktarevic (Bosnia)
Five-time champs Brazil, who have lost in the quarter-finals each time since 2002, will be desperate to make amends. Last year's semi-finalists, Morocco, who shocked Spain and Portugal, will be eager to prove 2022 was no fluke. Returning to the World Cup stage after 52 years (since 1974), Haiti will struggle to make Rd 2. Scotland, who have played eight World Cups but have never made Rd 2, could do so this time.
Players to watch: Vinicius Junior (Brazil), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), Derrick Etienne Jr (Haiti), Scott McTominay (Scotland)
USA will have a lot of home support, but since all the other teams are tough, they won't have it first up. Turkiye are one of the most attacking outfits in Europe while Paraguay are speedy. Australia are no pushovers either.
Germany, who made an early exit in 2022, will be very eager to prove a point, while Ivory Coast have been among the best African teams recently. Ecuador have a young attack which makes them threatening. Meanwhile, Curacao, playing in their first-ever World Cup, could make for one of the finest underdog stories of this competition.
Players to watch: Jamal Musiala (Germany), Sebastien Haller (Ivory Coast), Moises Caicedo (Ecuador)
Netherlands are favourites here despite the fact that they've been underachievers. An in-form Japan will keep Asia's flag flying high given their top spot in the AFC qualifying group, while Sweden, who are known to be a European powerhouse traditionally, have had an uninspiring qualification run. Tunisia will have to work to progress.
Players to watch: Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands), Takefusa Kubo (Japan), Viktor Gyokeres (Sweden), Ellyes Skhiri (Tunisia)
Belgium are group favourites with names like Thibaut Courtois (goalkeeper), midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, and striker Romelu Lukaku in their ranks. Egypt should be a close second, while Iran will look to prove their worth in the USA, a country they are at war with. New Zealand are a spirited outfit but will find it tough to progress.
Spain had a near-perfect qualifying campaign given their slew of star players. Uruguay could play perfect bridesmaid in this group, while Cape Verde will have to stretch every sinew to get points. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia could throw up a surprise result again.
Players to watch: Lamine Yamal (Spain), Federico Valverde (Uruguay), Ryan Mendes (Cape Verde), Salem Al-Dawsari (Saudi Arabia)
France come into this Group of Death as favourites, but African heavyweights Senegal, have the experience and physical strength to keep off any opposition. Norway have had a fine qualification campaign with Erling Haaland headlining their striking capabilities. Iraq enter as underdogs, but their defensive solidity and resilience make them tough.
Players to Watch: Kylian Mbappe (France), Erling Haaland (Norway), Sadio Mane (Senegal), Zidane Iqbal (Iraq)
Lionel Messi's defending champions Argentina should not be troubled too much in this group. Austria are decent challengers under tactician Ralf Rangnick, while Algeria have a skillful and attacking squad, led by Riyad Mahrez. Jordan enter their maiden World Cup with a lot of promise.
Players to Watch: Lionel Messi (Argentina), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Marcel Sabitzer (Austria), Musa Al-Taamari (Jordan)
Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal should rule here, given their brilliant mix of youth and experience. Colombia are creative in attack while Uzbekistan will be happy to do well on debut. Congo have a good defence, but goal-scoring prowess is lacking.
Players to Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Luis Diaz (Colombia), Eldor Shomurodov (Uzbekistan), Chancel Mbemba (DR Congo)
England are the clear top seeds here and should go through to the next round comfortably. Croatia continue to be one of the most resilient teams in the world, while Ghana have a sharp attacking flair and can spring a surprise. Panama will be the underdogs.
Players to watch: Harry Kane (England), Luka Modric (Croatia), Mohammed Kudus (Ghana), Michael Amir Murillo (Panama)
1930: Uruguay 4-2 Argentina
1934: Italy 2-1 Czechoslovakia
1938: Italy 4-2 Hungary
1950: Uruguay 2-1 Brazil
1954: West Germany 3-2 Hungary
1958: Brazil 5-2 Sweden
1962: Brazil 3-1 Czechoslovakia
1966: England 4-2 West Germany (after extra-time)
1970: Brazil 4-1 Italy
1974: West Germany 2-1 Netherlands
1978: Argentina 3-1 Netherlands
1982: Italy 3-1 West Germany
1986: Argentina 3-1 West Germany
1990: West Germany 1-0 Argentina
1994: Brazil 0-0 Italy (Brazil won 3-2 via tie-breaker)
1998: France 3-0 Brazil
2002: Brazil 2-0 Germany
2006: Italy 1-1 France (Italy won 5-3 via tie-breaker)
2010: Spain 1-0 Netherlands
2014: Germany 1-0 Argentina
2018: France 4-2 Croatia
2022: Argentina 3-3 France (Argentina won 4-2 via tie-breaker)
