There are just 62 days until the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins, with a total of 104 games being played across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. As the tournament draws closer, teams and coaches are faced with a difficult question: Who will make the final roster, and will they have enough skill, discipline, and passion to win the most prestigious trophy in all of soccer?
Across the 48 teams that have qualified for the tournament, only a few seem like they have what it takes to dominate the opposition and go on a deep run in the tournament. The final international games before rosters are finalized were played recently, with France, Brazil, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, and Argentina looking at their best.
France:
The French National team showed in their matches that they are one of the favorites to win the 2026 World Cup, due to their overwhelming talent and the depth of their roster. Star players like Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Michael Olise are all top players in the world. France opened up their international break with a 2-1 win against Brazil. Although centerback Dayot Upamecano received a red card in the 55th minute of the game, goals from Mbappe and Hugo Ekitike sealed the win over one of the best teams in the world.
Later, France matched up against Colombia, a passionate team filled with many technical players like Luis Diaz. France dominated this matchup, winning 3-1 due to two Desire Doue goals and a third from striker Marcus Thuram. France beat two of the most promising South American teams, proving that their current squad will be able to compete at the highest level when the World Cup comes around.
Brazil:
Although Brazil lost their opening game against opponent France, they still showed positive notes. Center back Gleison Bremer from Juventus managed to pull a goal back late in the game, demonstrating the team’s desire to play until the final whistle. Additionally, Brazil received much passionate support from their fans. Sophomore Kwaku Oppong, who was in attendance, claimed, “It was electric. There was a sea of Brazil fans.” The undying support of Brazil’s fans will play a major part in their potential success at the World Cup.
Brazil then matched up against an underrated opponent, Croatia, winning 3-1 with goals from Danilo, Igor Thiago, and Gabriel Martinelli. Brazil’s competitive performance against France and their domination against Croatia has built up positive momentum that they will hope to carry into the World Cup.
Belgium:
Belgium has been one of the top teams in the world in recent years even after a disappointing performance in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Belgium opened up their international matches with a game against a host country, the United States. In dominant fashion, Belgium destroyed the USA 5-2 with goals coming from Zeno Debast, Amadou Onana, Charles De Ketelaere, and two from Dodi Lukebakio.
Their next match was against another host country, Mexico, where they drew 1-1, with Lukebakio scoring yet another goal. Belgium has shown considerable promise in their attacking play, and if they continue this form they are in, there will be little to no teams that could stop them. Agreeing with this, senior soccer player Kiki McGourty says, “I believe Belgium will win due to their past successes and their skills this year.” Belgium hopes to continue their form and make a deep run in the World Cup.
Portugal:
Portugal played the exact same matches as Belgium, expect in the opposite order and with varying results. In their opening match against Mexico, they drew 0-0, unable to get their attack going and put one by the Mexican defense.
In their next match against the United States, their attack began to click. They won 2-0, with goals coming from Francisco Trincao and Joao Felix. Portugal played both of these games without Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41 year old striker who has long been their best attacking option, and is considered by some to be the greatest player of all time. Portugal hopes to improve their results and build up chemistry in their attack so they will avoid the shortcomings they experienced in these games when it is time for the World Cup.
Spain:
Spain is another heavy favorite for the World Cup, with dominant young players like Lamine Yamal and Pedri leading the team to strong performances. Spain won their first game against Serbia 3-0, with two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and one from Victor Munoz.
Their next match was much more disappointing. They drew 0-0 against Egypt, who received a red card during the game. Spain, even though showing much promise in their first match, failed to prove that they were entirely ready for the World Cup. They were supposed to test themselves with a match against Argentina, a matchup of the European champions against the South American champions, but the game was unfortunately cancelled. They are left in a position where they will need to play much better if they wish to achieve national glory at the World Cup.
Argentina:
The last of the favorites and the defending champions of the World Cup, Argentina played two matches against weak opposition. Led by the player most of the world believes to be the greatest of all time over the aforementioned Ronaldo, Lionel Messi led Argentina to two victories against Mauritania and Zambia. Argentina won against Mauritania 2-1, with goals from Enzo Fernandez and Nico Paz. Against Zambia, they won 5-0, with goals from Julian Alvarez, Messi, Nicolas Otamendi, an own goal, and Valentin Barco. Argentina was originally scheduled to play against Spain and Qatar, but a change in plans led to them to face much weaker opposition. As a result, Argentina will need to find form against good teams quickly to have a chance at repeating as winners of the World Cup.
All of these teams have shown much promise throughout their international games, and they have proven that they have a good chance of winning it all. Importantly, and hopefully, the United States will manage to find good form and figure out their technical and roster issues before the tournament begins. The United States has struggled with finding solid depth in their lineups, leading to many games turning into losses due to inadequate players coming on from the bench, and a lack of goals from their starting lineups. For example, against Belgium, the United States were tied 1-1 at halftime, but a poor performance from substitutes and tired starters led to their heavy 5-2 defeat. If the US coach Mauricio Pochettino can figure these struggles out, the United States may have a chance to shock the world. This World Cup is set to be one of the best ever, and the world is eagerly waiting for it to get underway.
