Forget the Super Bowl; the real football is taking place in North America this summer. America, Canada, and Mexico are hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, known globally as the biggest sporting event in the world.
This year’s tournament format, however, differs from the traditional one. Due to the three-country host setup, 48 teams are competing instead of the traditional 32. With this expansion, the knockout stage has also grown; instead of the top two teams from each of the eight groups, the tournament will advance eight of the best third-place finishers.
Along with the new format, we are seeing the dawn of a new generation of players emerging on the big stage—such as Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Lamine Yamal—who are beginning to overshadow the sport’s “Golden Age,” which includes stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar Jr. With this shift in greatness, there is a lot on the line for teams and individual players ready
to make a statement and break records.
One of the biggest stakes at this year’s World Cup is, of course, who will be crowned world champion, as many nations are vying for the title.
A majority of fans consider France the team to beat, as they have reached consecutive World Cup
finals and won in Russia in 2018. They have a squad full of depth and talent, featuring big names like Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise, both considered favorites to win the Ballon d’Or in October. They also boast a player who is already one of the top goal scorers in tournament history: Kylian Mbappé,
who scored a hat trick in the 2022 final in Qatar and took home the Golden Boot. As of yesterday, he became the fourth all-time leading scorer in tournament history with 14 goals, and he is now France’s all-time leading scorer following a brace in a 3-1 victory over Senegal.
Even given France’s world dominance and
experience, Spain is also regarded as one of the top contenders to bring the World Cup home. They are considered the most cohesive and technically advanced
team in the tournament, with a playstyle focusing heavily on possession and “tiki-taka”—making small, quick passes to shift the opposing team’s defense and create openings—which helped them become the Euro 2024 champions.
Spain is also a favorite due to its young star, Lamine Yamal, widely regarded as the most creative player to contain when the ball is at his feet. Some describe his style as a mix of Messi, with his left-footed brilliance and vision, and Neymar, with his flair and Brazilian-esque style dribbling.
With these young teams emerging as contenders, many fans are looking to Argentina to defend its title.
The squad remains relatively similar to the one from Qatar, but now features emerging young talents who have proven their readiness for the world’s biggest stage at the club level.
Argentina is known for its chemistry and for being well-balanced across every area of the pitch. Many are picking Argentina because they still have Lionel Messi playing for one last dance. Though many thought he had declined, he has proven everyone wrong, even one–upping the young stars with his stellar performance yesterday against Algeria, where he scored a hat trick and tied Miroslav Klose for the most all-time goals in the World Cup.
Even though these three juggernaut countries are most likely to win the World Cup, there are still many people who have proven and need to prove themselves in this World Cup.
On Monday, June 15, Spain faced off against Cape Verde in a game where critics said Cape Verde was going to be demolished by the Spanish forces. But, thanks to 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who made eight crucial saves throughout the match, Cape Verde managed a 0-0 draw against the European champions.
This made Vozinha a hero for Cape Verde and all around the world, increasing his Instagram following from 43,000 to 12.9 million followers in just two days.
Even though his family wasn’t able to get visas to watch him perform, the U.S. recognized Vozinha for his heroics and granted his family entry to the U.S. to watch him become a sensation in this year’s World Cup.
Other players, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, need this
World Cup to prove themselves to the world. Ever since Messi won the World Cup in 2022, many saw him as the undisputed GOAT of football, while Ronaldo didn’t play in Portugal’s Round of 16 match against Switzerland, where they won 6-2, and barely played against Mor-occo in the quarterfinals, where they lost 1-0, crushing Ronaldo’s dreams of finding the missing piece his illustrious career has been missing for so long.
But, if Ronaldo is able to perform well and even go on to win, it will prove that Ronaldo isn’t declining as rapidly as people believed he was, and will put him back into conversation with Messi as to who is the actual GOAT of the beautiful sport.
With nations chasing glory, legends seeking one last triumph, and a new generation ready to take over the sport, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to become a defining chapter in football history.
