2026 FIFA World Cup – Group J Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

I know I’ve done quite a bit of talk about the World Cup controversies. From this point on, I want to focus on the good things of the World Cup. Besides the other controversies of the World Cup are pretty minor in comparison.

So without further ado, here is my look at the four teams of World Cup Group J:

-Argentina (1): How about that? La Albiceleste are the reigning World Cup holders! For so long, it was a case where the whole team relied on Messi. It finally made sense to build up a full team and they did it in time for 2022. They carried their success to Copa America 2024 and won again! As a result, Lionel Scaloni will be the first coach for Argentina to coach in two World Cups in a long time! Can they do it two in a row?

Lionel Scaloni who has been head coach of the Argentinean team since 2018 is still head coach. Only two players play for Argentinean teams with most of the others playing for European teams. Top stars include many of the players form the World Cup winning team. There’s goalkeeper Dibu Martinez who plays for Aston Villa, defender Nicolas Otamendi who plays for Portugal’s Benefica, midfielder Rodrigo De Paul who plays for Inter Miami and striker and captain Lionel Messi who will play in is sixth World Cup! Their last twelve months of play has been mostly consistent. Their wins include Chile, Puerto Rico, Angola and Zambia. Their only draw was to Colombia and their only loss was to Ecuador. The arena is set for Argentina to defend their World Cup. Can they do it? Only time will tell.

-Algeria (28): It’s safe to say the Desert Warriors are one of the more overlooked African teams. They’re a team who has qualifier to the knockout round of a World Cup before. They could have been the first African team to do so in 1982, had it not been for the Disgrace Of Gijon. They’ve won two African Cup Of Nations; their most recent in 2019. They also won the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup. Algeria has a lot to prove as a football nation.

Algeria’s coaching staff is a mix of Algerian and European coaches and their head coach Vladimir Petkovic is Bosnian who coached Switzerland’s World Cup team in 2018. Most of the players play for teams of European or Arabian nations. Top players include goalkeeper Luca Zidane (who is the son of French legend Zinedine Zidane), defender Aissa Mandi who plays for Lille, midfielder Nabil Bentaleb who’s also a player for Lille, and captain and forward Riyad Mahrez who plays for Saudi team Al-Ahli. Their play in the last twelve months have mostly been strong. Notable wins include against the Netherlands, Guatemala, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. They’ve had a win and a draw against Sudan as well as draws against Guinea, Uruguay and the UAE. Their only loss has been to Nigeria back in January. United 2026 is the ideal arena for the Algerian team to take their play to new achievements.

-Austria (23): This is the first World Cup in 28 years for Das Burchen and will be their eighth ever. In between that time, they had their longest gap of World Cup absence. In the 2020’s, they’ve been showing signs of returning to top form with respectable results at the Euro tournaments. They may not have the prowess of their third-place team from 1954 but Austria can show the world how good they are.

Austria’s coaching staff is a mix of Austrian and German coaches and their head coach is Germany’s Ralf Rangnick. The players all play for a wide variety of European teams. Stars include goalkeeper Alexander Schlager who plays for Red Bull Salzburg, defender and captain David Alaba who plays for Real Madrid, midfielder Marcel Sabitzer who plays for Borussia Dortmund and striker Marko Arnautovic who plays for Red Star Belgrade. They’ve had consistent play in the last twelve months with notable wins to Tunisia, Ghana and South Korea. They had a win and a draw to Bosnia and a win and a loss to Romania. Chances could be that Austria could be one of the surprises of this World Cup. It’s up to the team to deliver.

-Jordan (63): Right when we are at a time of big turmoil in the Middle East, there are teams like Jordan that can bring hope. This is the first World Cup for The Chivalrous Ones. They have served notice on major tournaments that they can be a force to be reckoned with. They were runners up at the 2023 Asian Cup and runners-up at the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup. Jordanian football has already reached their biggest moments and there still more to prove!

Jordan’s coaching staff come mostly from Jordan or North African nations. Their head coach Jamal Sellami is from Morocco and played for the Moroccan team at the 1998 World Cup. Very few players play for teams outside of the Jordanian Pro League. Top players include goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila, defender Yazan Al-Arab who plays for FC Seoul, midfielder Rajaei Ayed, and striker and captain Musa Al-Taamari who plays for France’s Rennes. heir play in the last twelve months has been a mixed set of results. Their most notable wins have been against Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE. They drew against Russia and Mali and their most notable losses have been to Switzerland, Morocco and Tunisia. People like it when long shots make it . If Jordan’s all there at United 2026, they could surprise the world.

My Qualifier Predictions: Interesting how this group has three A-teams. I predict Argentina to top the group with Algeria second. Austria will finish third and their results will be good enough to qualify.

And to look at one of the more positive things of the World Cup, I will be focusing on things like the mascots, the ball and the music.

World Cup Mascots – Maple, Zayu and Clutch

Of course you can’t complete talk about the World Cup without some focus on the mascots! With three nations hosting, this World Cup will have three mascots. All three are in their national color of uniform and all three are species that are either representative of their nation or very common. Their names are Maple, Zayu and Clutch:

  • Maple: an anthromorphic Canadian moose in red. He represents creativity and resilience. He is a goalkeeper and he draws inspiration from Canada’s national symbol: the Maple Leaf.
  • Zayu: an anthromorphic Mexican jaguar in green and is a forward. He is inspired by the importance of the jaguar to ancient civilizations of Mexico and symbolizes strength, agility and cultural pride.
  • Clutch: an anthromorphic American bald eagle in blue and is a midfielder. He symbolized courage, leadership and unity and is named ‘clutch’ because he’s able to perform well under pressure.

And there you go. That’s my look at the Group J teams of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Also a look at the Mascots. It’s always nice to look at something more positive or uplifting.

WORK CITED:
“Maple, Zayu and Clutch.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2026. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple,_Zayu_and_Clutch>

2026 FIFA World Cup – Group I Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

I know I haven’t focused too much on the controversies with this World Cup. My biggest focus is on the teams and the play happening. Nevertheless they are hard to ignore.

More controversies? First, the war in Iran proved difficult for the players of Iraq to play their intercontinental playoff game against Bolivia. Political tension was so tight, FIFA sent the players a chartered jet to bring them into Mexico. Second, FIFA decided to declare one match as a ‘Pride Match’ It was to be decided by draw and it ended up being Iran vs. Egypt: two nations with a terrible record of LGBT rights (if any). Third, there’s talk of a halftime show right in the middle of the Final. That goes against game protocol for most FIFA members.

I’m sure if you go to Wikipedia, you will see all of the controversies about this year’s World Cup. I won’t talk about them anymore. Let’s get back to focusing on the groups of the Group Stage. I’d rather focus on the teams about to play rather than the controversies.

Group I is a unique set of four. Two teams competed last Cup and both made the Round Of 16. One team is in their first World Cup in 28 years and another their first in 40 years and their second only! Also the first match of France vs. Senegal should be interesting because it was the very first match of World Cup 2002 and France was shocked by Senegal with a 1-0 loss! Should be interesting. Anyways enough with the trivia. Here’s my look at Group I:

-France (3): These last thirty years has been about the meteoric rise of Les Bleus. No other nation has been in four World Cup finals nor has won twice. They’ve had rough spots back in 2002 and 2010, but they would come back. They even proved the ‘curse of the defending World Cup champions wrong by making it to the final in the last World Cup. Although their success at the Euro isn’t as big, it’s still consistent, like semifinalists in the most recent tournament in 2024.

The team’s coaching staff is completely French and the head coach is Didier Deschamps who has coached the team since 2012. The players part of the World Cup roster play for teams all over Europe. Top stars include goalkeeper Mike Maignan who plays for AC Milan, defender Lucas Digne who plays for Aston Villa, midfielder N’Golo Kante who plays for Turkey’s Fenerbahce, and striker and captain Kylian Mbappe who plays for Real Madrid. France’s play in the last twelve months has been strong. France has had notable wins including against Brazil, Germany and twice to Ukraine, a draw against Iceland and their only loss being to Spain this past June. Chances are France can rise to the occasion again and win the world over in 2026.

-Senegal (15): Many people would describe either Cameroon or Nigeria as the best African team in history. Neither qualified for this World Cup. One team to look out for is Les Lions de la Teranga. They made the quarterfinals in their first World Cup in 2002 where they defeated defending champions France in the opening game. They qualified again in 2018 and they made the Round Of 16 back in 2022. Adding to their glory, they won the African Cup Of Nations in 2021 and could have won again in 2025, but their walkout in the final caused the AFC to overturn their win.

Senegal’s coaching staff is completely of Senegalese coaches and head coach Pape Thiaw was part of Senegal’s first-ever team at the World Cup back in 2002. The players play for various teams in Europe but most of them in France’s Ligue 1. Top players include goalkeeper Edouard Mendy who plays for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli, defender Kalidou Koulibaly who plays for Saudi team Al-Hilal, midfielder Idrissa Gueye who plays for England’s Everton and striker Sadio Mane who plays for Saudi team Al-Nassr. Senegal’s play in the last twelve months has been a mixed showing. Notable wins include against England, Sudan and Egypt. They had a win and a draw against DR Congo and they’ve had losses to the United States and Brazil. If Senegal is all there in North America, they could deliver another shocker result.

-Iraq (56): The last time the Lions Of Mesopotamia played in the World Cup was their debut tournament in 1986. Since then, the nation of Iraq has gone through a lot of turmoil with the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, two American-led wars, Saddam’s overthrow and retaliation from his supporters. This has affected their football as well. In recent years, they made progress. They were AFC Champions in 2007 and runners-up in 2015. For qualification to the World Cup, they played well enough to be relegated to an intercontinental playoff berths. Training and preparing was difficult as Iraq was in the crossfire of the War In Iran. The team had to train in the United Arab Emirates for safety reasons and had to fly in a jet chartered by FIFA to get them to play the match. In that match, they faced Bolivia and won 2-1!

Iraq’s coaches are a mix of Iraqi coaches and coaches from other nations and head coach Graham Arnold is from Australia and is Australia’s coach from 2022. Most of Iraq’s team plays for teams in the Iraq Stars League and European teams. Top players include goalkeeper Jalal Hassan, defender Rebin Salaka, midfielder Ibrahim Bayesh and striker Aymen Hussein. All of their wins have been against Asian teams except for Bolivia and Andorra both this year. They had two draws, against the UAE and Saudi Arabia and their losses have been against Algeria, Jordan and South Korea. It’s very possible Iraq could defy people’s expectations and become one of the tournament’s biggest surprises.

-Norway (31): Norway is a nation not entirely known for its football. More often, Norway is known for winter sports athletes. The best Norway ever did at the World Cup was the Round Of 16 in 1998. Very rarely do their footballers deliver big on the world stage, but things are changing for the Rode Hvite Bla. They qualified for their fourth World Cup by topping their UEFA group (and beating out favorites Italy) and Erling Haaland was the top scorer of the World Cup qualifiers! Haaland is also UEFA’s 2022-23 Men’s Player Of The Year.

Norway’s team is coached by coaches from around the world but most are from Norway and head coach Stale Solbakken is from Norway’s 1998 World Cup team. The team plays for various clubs from around Europe. Stars include goalkeeper Orjan Nyland who plays for Sevilla, defender Kristoffer Vassbakk Ajer who plays for England’s Brentford, midfielder and captain Martin Odegaard who plays for Arsenal and striker Erling Haaland who plays for Manchester City. Norway’s play in the last twelve months has been mostly strong. Notable wins include Sweden, Israel and twice against both Estonia and Italy. They’ve also had draws against Switzerland and New Zealand and their only loss was against the Netherlands back in March this year. The stage is ready in North America and Norway can prove itself to be a delightful upsetter at this World Cup.

My Qualifier Predictions: Many of the teams are tough rivals and this is one of the groups many are labelling the ‘Group Of Death.’ I predict France to top with Senegal second. Norway will be third and they will play well enough to qualify for the knockout round.

And there you have it! That’s my look at World Cup Group I. Isn’t it something about World Cup group play? You have the favorites and can make all these predictions but it’s their three games that will decide if they’re worth advancing or not!

WORK CITED:
“Concerns: 2026 FIFA World Cup.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2026. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup#Concerns>

2026 FIFA World Cup – Group H Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

I hate to start this blog with more World Cup controversies but the US isn’t the only nation causing World Cup controversy.

Mexico’s controversies are underneath the headlines of the American controversies but they’re worth noting. One is FIFA blockading inspection of the treatment of labor workers at Azteca Stadium. It could be possible labor laws are being violated and FIFA doing things to hide it. Another controversy is a cartel leader in the Jalisco region was captured and killed. Members of that cartel have carried out various acts of retaliatory violence. That sparked concern because Guadalajara is in the Jalisco region. FIFA stated there will be no change of host and the Mexican government have increased police force starting in March.

Whatever the situation of controversies, hopefully it won’t stop your intrigue with the tournament. With the tournament, here is my look at the teams of Group H:

-Spain (2): It’s crazy right now that La Roja and La Furia Roja are both beloved worldwide right now and also an enigma right now. Their win at the 2010 World Cup really increased their popularity and worldwide fandom. Since then, their World Cup results have been lackluster. In the three previous World Cups, their highest finish has been the Round of 16. They have won two European championships and made an additional semifinal since but their World Cup choking has really made people question what happened? They are the current reigning Euro winners so they have a lot to live up to when they start playing here.

Spain’s coaching staff is completely Spanish and their head coach is Luis de la Fuente who was hired just after the 2022 World Cup. Most of the team plays for teams with La Liga or other European teams. Star players include goalkeeper Unai Simon from Athletic Bilbao, defender Aymeric Laporte also from Athletic Bilbao, midfielder Fabian Ruiz who plays for Paris St. Germain and striker Ferran Torres from FC Barcelona. For their play in the last twelve months, they have not has a loss. Notable wins include against Georgia, Serbia and France, they’ve had a win and a draw against Turkey and other notable draws have been against Egypt and Portugal. Chances are Spain could be ready to deliver again to clinch their second World Cup.

-Cape Verde (68): Never underestimate a team you label a ‘minnow.’ That’s what Cape Verde proved in qualifying for the World Cup. Even before qualifying for United 2026, the Blue Sharks or the Creoles have made it to the quarterfinals at the African Cup of Nations twice before. With the population of just less than half a million, Cape Verde joins Curacao as one of two nations with less than a million people to qualify for this World Cup! Some may argue the expansion to 48 teams may have something to do with it but knowing they beat out Cameroon who has competed in eight World Cups, that says a lot!

Cabo Verde have a head coach who is from the home nation. Named Bubista, he’s played professionally for European teams and African teams. Most of the players play for European teams with many playing in teams from Portugal’s Primeira Liga. Top players include goalkeeper Vozinha who plays for Chaves, defender Stopira who plays for Torreense, midfielder Jamiro Monteiro who plays for the Netherlands’ PEC Zwolle, and striker and captain Ryan Mendes who plays for Turkey’s Igdir. Their play in the last twelve months have been mostly consistent. They’ve had notable wins against Serbia, Cameroon and twice against Malaysia. They’e had draws against Georgia, Iran and Egypt, and their only loss came to Chile. Chances are in 2026 Cabo Verde can surprise the world and play better than most people expect.

-Saudi Arabia (61): 2026 will make it the seventh World Cup appearance for The Green Falcons. Mind you their appearances have been full of difficulty and surprises. At the first World Cup in 1994, they were surprise qualifiers to the knockout round beating out many favorites. That is so far the only time they’ve advanced past the Group Stage. Even after a stunning 2-1 upset against eventual Cup winners Argentina, they lost their next two games! Their last Arab Cup win was in 2002 and the last time they finished in the Top 3 of the Asian Cup was 2007.

Most of the coaching staff of the Saudi team are either Saudi or Greek. The head coach is Greek, Georgios Donis, who has coached many Saudi league teams. Almost everyone on the national team plays for teams that are part of the Saudi Pro League. Top players include goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais, defender Saud Abdulhamid, midfielder Salem Al-Dawsari, and striker Firas Al-Buraikan. Their play in the last twelve months has been challenging. They’ve had wins against Jordan, Ivory Coast and North Macedonia. Notable draws include Czechia, Iraq and Trinidad and Tobago. They have endured a lot of losses and all three of their matches of 2026 have been losses. The World Cup will be the arena for the Saudi team and they have a chance to prove to the world they can be among the best in the world.

-Uruguay (17): One thing about the last 20 years is that La Celeste or Los Charruas are proving they are not a simple blast from the past. This will be their fifteenth World Cup and fifth consecutive: their longest qualification streak ever. Despite the recent retirements from the team like Diego Godin, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, their team of new younger members have delivered success like a third-place at the Copa America and in qualifying for the Cup, they had the fourth-best results of the CONMEBOL teams.

Uruguay’s coaching staff is mostly from all around South America and their head coach is an Argentinean: Marcelo Bielsa. One of the big shockers was that Luis Suarez was not named to the national team. Most of the players play for teams in Europe and South America. Top players include goalkeeper Fernando Muslera from Argentina’s Estudiantes, defender and captain Jose Maria Gimenez who plays for Atletico Madrid, midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, and striker Darwin Nunez who plays for Saudi team Al-Hilal. In the last twelve months they’ve had notable wins against Venezuela, Peru and the Dominican Republic. They’ve had draws to Chile and Mexico and losses to the United States and Paraguay. Chances are Uruguay can deliver in the world arena and prove themselves among the biggest in the world.

My Qualifier Predictions: Here we go again with predicting. I predict Spain to top the group and Uruguay to finish second. I predict Saudi Arabia to be third, but not to qualify.

And there you have it. That’s my review of the Group H teams of the 2026 World Cup. It’s funny that by now, I would be finished my review blogs. A big expansion of the tournament can and will change everything.

WORK CITED:
“Concerns: 2026 FIFA World Cup.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2026. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup#Concerns>

2026 FIFA World Cup – Group G Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

With the World Cup about to start, one of the things I haven’t talked much about has been the controversies. Every World Cup gets them. Most of the time, the biggest controversies of a World Cup tournament happen on the playing field. This World Cup seems to have the most controversies before it even happening.

This is a controversy worth noting because two of the nations in this group are affected by all this. The biggest has to be the US Immigration Policies. Even in Trump’s first term while the United big won the right to host, Trump had a list of Muslim-majority nations where immigration was banned. FIFA warned Trump of the problems trying to ban coaches, players and fans from countries that qualify. At the time, Trump reminded FIFA that all eligible people would be able to enter the United States without discrimination. That claim has been seen with suspicion lately with Trump’s return to the Presidency and him instituting a travel ban to people of 39 countries. Some nations on that ban have qualified for the World Cup. Also adding to the concern is the recent over-implementation of ICE and loading police forces in cities. The White House has stated that the travel ban does have an exemption for athletes and coaches for sporting events. Whether the ban has fans exempt, only time will tell.

I’ll save talking about the other controversies for other blogs. In the meantime, here’s my look at World Cup Group G:

-Belgium (9): Usually the big success of The Red Devils is an on-again, off-again thing. They captured the World’s imagination when they finished third in 2018 but success would soon evade them. At the 2022 World Cup, they failed to advance past the Group Stage. At the 2024 Euro, they only got as far as the Round Of 16. It was evident the coaches relied too much on the players of the Golden Generation and wasn’t paying enough attention to the younger talent. Changes needed to be done.

Since January 2025, the head coach of Belgium’s team is Frenchman Rudi Garcia and the team’s coaching staff is a mix of French, Belgian and English. Most of the team from the legendary 2018 World Cup team have retired from the national team but legends like striker Romelu Lukaku, midfielders Kevin De Bruyne and Axel Witsel, and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois are still active. Joining them are rising young talents like defender Zeno Debast, midfielder Amadou Onana and defender Arthur Theate. In the past twelve months, Belgium have not had a single defeat. They’ve had notable wins to Wales, Croatia and the United States and they’ve also had draws to Mexico and North Macedonia. This World Cup looks to be a chance for Belgium to redeem its reputation in the football world.

-Egypt (29): I know I mentioned Morocco to be the first African team when continental placements were introduced in 1970 but Egypt is the first ever African team to play in a World Cup. It was at the very second World Cup in 1934. Unfortunately this will only be their fourth World Cup. If there’s one plus thing for The Pharaohs, it’s that this is Egypt’s best era for football. The eight-year gap between the 2018 World Cup and this Cup is the shortest gap ever for the team. Having a top player like Mohamed Salah really helps the team.

The coaching staff is almost all Egyptian except for a Brazilian coach who’s a load trainer. Head coach Hossam Hassan was part of Egypt’s team that competed at the 1990 World Cup. Most players play for either European teams or for Egypt’s own Premier League. Top players include goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy, defender Ramy Rabia, midfielder Hamdy Fathy and striker Mohamed Salah. In the last twelve months, notable wins include against Russia, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. They’ve had notable draws against Burkina Faso, the UAE and Angola, and their three losses were to Jordan, Uzbekistan and Senegal. Chances are at this World Cup, Egypt can take its football to new achievements.

-Iran (20): Right now is a tense time for Iran to play in the United States. A war just started in their nation and it has increased a lot of international tension. Recently, Donald Trump mentioned Iran should be replaced with Italy. Both nations were insulted. Especially since Team Melli have proven themselves both in the past and in the present. This will be their seventh World Cup: fourth consecutive. They’ve also finished runners-up at the last two Asian championships. The team has a lot to prove.

Iran’s coaching staff is mostly Iranian with some European coaches. Their head coach Amir Ghalenoei. Most of the players play for teams in Europe or with Iranian teams in the Persian Gulf Pro League. Top players include goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, defender Ehsan Hajsafi, midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh who plays for Belgium’s Dender, and striker Mehdi Taremi who plays for Greece’s Olympiacos. In the past twelve months, they’ve had notable wins against Costa Rica, Tanzania and India. They’ve had notable draws to Uzbekistan and Cape Verde, and losses to Nigeria, Russia and Qatar. If all goes well for Iran both in terms of their play and barring political pressures, they could deliver their best ever performance here at United 2026!

–New Zealand (85): For the first time ever at this World Cup, one birth would go to a team from the OFC: teams representing Oceania. Not surprisingly, it went to the All Whites! Mind you New Zealand does have the talent to play well. Although they didn’t qualify for the knockout round at their last World Cup, they did prove they knew how to contend by drawing all their matches. Even against defending champions Italy. In recent years, New Zealand has been showing a resurgence of better play.

The coaching staff is mostly from New Zealand with coaches form England, Scotland and South Africa. Head coach Andrew Boyens was part of New Zealand’s World Cup team for 2010 and has coached the national team since 2018. Most of the players play for European teams or for the Australia/New Zealand mixed A-League. Top players include goalkeeper Max Crocombe who plays for England’s Millwall, defender Michael Boxall who plays for MLS’s Minnesota United, midfielder Elijah Just who plays for Scotland’s Motherwell, and striker and captain Chris Wood who plays for Nottingham Forest. Their international play in the last twelve months have been mostly losses but they had a notable draw against Norway and wins against Ivory Coast and Chile. At this World Cup, New Zealand could defy the critics and deliver spectacular play.

My Qualifier Predictions: Alright. Here is where I stop praising the teams and where I start cutting to the chase and picking the best of the bunch. I anticipate Belgium to top with Iran to be second. I think Egypt will be third but they won’t make the wildcard cut.

And there you go. That’s my look at Group G of the World Cup. I know people don’t like hearing about the controversies but one thing about a World Cup, the show must go on!

WORK CITED:
“Concerns: 2026 FIFA World Cup.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2026. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup#Concerns>

2026 FIFA World Cup – Group F Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

With each group, you get a mix of teams and how much they’ve achieved in the past. Two teams of Group F have been finalists, one has only made it as far as the Round Of 16 and one has never made it out of the Group Stage. We’ll see what this World Cup has in store for them. Here’s my review of the teams for Group F:

-Netherlands (8): Event though this will be their twelfth World Cup, the World Cup does not feel complete if Oranje is not present. Known for finishing runner-up at the World Cup three times and known for having beloved players like Cruyff, Bergkamp and Rijkaard, Oranje have become beloved around the world. Recent play in the last ten years have shown difficulties in creating a new Dutch team. They failed to qualify for Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018. Also in the past twenty years, they appeared to make a move from graceful play to overly aggressive play. That’s been noticed as they gave played in the three most carded World Cup games including the 2010 Final: the most carded final in World Cup history. A recent third-place at the 2024 Euro has improved their reputation.

The Netherlands’ coaching staff is completely Dutch and their head coach is Ronald Koeman who has coached the team since their 2022 World Cup quarterfinals defeat. Most of the team plays in teams for the Premier League. Star players include goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen who plays for Brighton & Hove Albion, defender and captain Virgil van Dijk who plays for Liverpool, midfielder Marten de Roon who plays for Atalanta, and striker Memphis Depay who plays for Brazil’s Corinthians. The team’s last defeat was against Germany in October 2024. In the past twelve months, they’ve had wins against Malta, Finland, Lithuania and Norway. They’ve drawn against Ecuador and both games against Poland. Chances are Clockwork Orange can deliver a winning performance for the Cup if they all do things right.

-Japan (18): Samurai Blue made their first World Cup appearance in 1998 and they haven’t missed since. Their first World Cup appearance would lead to a boom in football in Japan. The unfortunate thing is that they have not been able to make it past the Round Of 16: something they’ve done four times. To their achievement, they have won the Asian Cup four times. Their last win being in 2011. Japan comes to the Americas with something to prove.

Japan’s coaching staff is completely Japanese and their head coach Hajime Moriyasu once played for the Japanese team, but retired from the national team before their first-ever World Cup appearance (1996). Star players include goalkeeper Zion Suzuki who plays for Italy’s Parma, defender Yuto Nagatomo who plays for FC Tokyo, midfielder and captain Wataru Endo who plays for Liverpool and striker Ayase Ueda who plays for the Netherlands’ Feyenoord. Their play in the last twelve months have mostly been wins and their most notable have been against England, Scotland, Brazil and South Korea. They’ve endured draws against Paraguay and Mexico, and losses against the United States and Australia. If there’s one team that can pull a surprise at United 2026, it’s Japan. Only the tournament will tell.

-Sweden (38): Sweden are an on-again, off-again nation in football. This is the thirteenth World Cup for the Blagult and their best finish is finalists when they hosted in 1958. Unfortunately they have missed qualifying for the last World Cup and the last Euro. Just as they did for qualifying in 2018, they know how to luck out in qualifying this time around too. They didn’t win a single game in their qualifying play but their UEFA status helped them qualify for the playoff rounds. What happened next? It was there when they finally started winning, beating Ukraine and Poland to qualify.

The Swedish coaching staff is made up of Swedish coaches except for the head coach, Graham Potter, who is from England. Most of the team plays in teams from all over Europe but are most common with England’s Premier League. Star players include goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeld who plays for Sweden’s AIK, defender Viktor Lindelof who plays for Aston Villa, midfielder Mattias Svanberg who plays for VfL Wolfsburg and striker Alexander Isak who plays for Liverpool. Their play in the last twelve months has been a case of mixed results. They won their playoff games against Ukraine and Poland as well as against Hungary and Algeria. They drew twice against Slovenia and also lost to Norway, Kosovo and Switzerland. It’s very possible their play at the World Cup can prove their naysayers wrong.

-Tunisia (46): One team that seems to have one of the most frustrating World Cup careers happen to be the Eagles Of Carthage. It’s easy to see why. Six previous World Cup participations starting in 1978 and never qualifying for the next round. The 21st Century has given them feats to be proud of like winning the 2004 African Cup of Nations and finalists for the 2021 Arab Cup but they have a record of inconsistency. There’s no doubt Tunisia is hoping this will be their breakthrough year.

Tunisia’s coaching staff is a mix of Tunisian and French coaches and their head coach Sabri Lamouchi was born in France to Tunisian parents. Top players include goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen, defender Montassar Talbi who plays for France’s Lorient, midfielder Ellyes Skhiri who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt and striker Elias Achouri who plays for FC Copenhagen. For their play in the last twelve months, most of their wins have been to African teams but they also won against Haiti, Qatar and Jordan. They’ve had draws to Canada, Palestine and Brazil, and they’ve had notable losses to Nigeria, Syria and Austria. 2026 could finally be the breakthrough year Tunisia has been waiting for.

My Qualifier Predictions: Predicting the Top 2 is easy. I think Netherlands will top it with Japan second. However, I feel my third-place pick, Tunisia, will not be a wildcard qualifier.

FUN FACT: The June 20th game of Tunisia vs. Japan at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe will be the 1000th World Cup match ever.

And there you go. That’s my look at World Cup Group F. Hard to believe I’ve done six blogs of this and I’m only half-finished! Did they have to expand to 48 teams?

2026 FIFA World Cup – Group E Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

You know, I went into a Walmart in Vancouver and I’ve already seen lots of memorabilia and collector’s items already being sold. It’s very exciting to see, but the items are quite expensive. That’s what happens with a World Cup. A lot of keepsakes at a big price.

Moving on, here’s my look at the teams of Group E of this year’s World Cup:

-Germany (10): For a long time, Die Mannschaft were one of the most feared teams in the world. One with an excellent record of consistency and performing well at major tournaments time and time again. Things changed right after their fourth World Cup win in 2014. The following World Cup, they failed to progress past the opening round for the first time in 80 years. Further disappointment came as they again missed qualifying for the knockout round in 2022 and in the last two Euros, the furthest they got was the quarterfinals. It appears like right now is the toughest era for German football.

The German team’s coaching staff is from a mix of European nations but their head coach is German: Julian Nagelsmann. Star players include legendary goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from Bayern Munich, defender Antonio Rudiger from Real Madrid, midfielder Joshua Kimmich also from Bayern Munich and striker Kai Havertz from Arsenal. In these past twelve months, the team had a terrible UEFA Nations League losing to Portugal, France and Slovakia. They would then come back with wins against Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Finland and Ghana. This World Cup is the arena where Germany can seize redemption in the world’s eyes.

-Curacao (83): One thing about this World Cup is that we will have teams the never previously had a chance in qualifying in the past make it this time. Increasing it to 48 teams really changes a lot. Curacao is one of four teams competing in its first-ever World Cup. Nicknamed The Blue Wave, Curacao competed as an independent nation after the Netherlands Antilles dissolved in 2010. They’ve qualified for three CONCACAF Gold Cups and won one Caribbean Cup back in 2017. Upon coming first in their qualifying CONCACAF group, Curacao, with a population of just over 155,000, became the smallest country to qualify for a World Cup!

Curacao is making sure they’re team will be ready for the World Cup. Their coaching staff is of mostly Dutch coaches and their head coach Dirk Advocaat will make his fifth World Cup appearance as head coach, for five different teams! Most of the players play for either MLS or the Netherlands’ Eredivisie. Top players include goalkeeper Eloy Room who plays for Miami FC, defender Jurien Gaari who plays for Saudi Arabia’s Abha, midfielder Leandro Bacuna who plays for Turkey’s Igdir and striker Kenji Forre who plays for Israel’s Maccabi Haifa. Their play in the last twelve months have included wins to Jamaica, Bermuda and Haiti. They’ve drawn against Trinidad and Canada. They’ve also lost to Scotland, Australia and China. Whatever the result, the 2026 World Cup will take Curacao and its football to a whole new level.

-Ivory Coast (33): The Ivory Coast, or Cote d’Ivoire, have participated in three previous World Cups. All of them were consecutive from 2006 to 2014 and all of them were out in the Group Stage. In all three previous times, Les Elephants had their most heralded players: defender Didier Zokora and striker Dider Drogba. The team has struggled since those two players retired after World Cup 2014 but a new team has come of age and they have a win at the 2023 African Cup Of Nations to their credit.

The team has a mostly-Ivorian coaching staff. Head coach is Emerse Fae who has played in the 2006 and 2010 World Cup. The team plays for a mix of of European teams. Top players include goalkeeper Yahia Fofana who plays for Turkey’s Caykur Rizespor, defender Ghislain Konan who plays for Portugal’s Gil Vicente, midfielder and captain Franck Kessie who plays for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli, and striker Nicolas Pepe who plays for Villareal. Their play in the last twelve months tell a lot. They’ve had wins to non-African teams like South Korea and Scotland. They’ve had draws to Gabon, Cameroon and Canada. Their losses came to New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The World Cup can be the chance for the Ivory Coast to take their football to a new level.

-Ecuador (24): Hard to believe La Tricolor never participated in a World Cup in the 20th Century. This coming World Cup will be their fifth. Making a name for themselves has been a struggle. Their best-ever World Cup result in the Round of 16 and the best they ever did at the Copa America was a fourth-place finish. Proving themselves in the CONMEBOL is tough for them. Ecuador did prove themselves as a team ready to play well. They succeeded in qualifying for the World Cup despite a three-point deduction for player Byron Castillo having a passport with falsified information.

Their coaching staff is completely made up of Argentineans and their head coach Sebastian Beccacece is a former assistant with the 2018 Argentinean national team. Top players include goalkeeper Hernan Galindez who plays for Argentina’s Huracan, defender Angelo Preciado who plays for Brazil’s Atletico Mineiro, midfielder Moises Caicedo who plays for Chelsea, and striker and captain Enner Valencia who plays for Mexico’s Pachuca. In the past twelve months, they have not had a single loss! They have only had three wins: to New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Argentina. They’ve had draws to the USA, Mexico, Canada and Brazil to name a few. If there’s one team that pull a surprise at the World Cup, it’s Ecuador.

My Qualifier Predictions: Sometimes you think you know who will qualify. Sometimes it’s all a shocker. I predict Germany will top the group with Ecuador second. I think my third-place pick Ivory Coast will qualify.

And that completes my look at Group E of this year’s World Cup. Sometimes I wonder how I’m able to do all this typing and have it all completed before the first game begins!

2026 FIFA World Cup – Group D Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

Of the three nations hosting, it’s the United States that will have the most cities and venues contesting with 11 stadiums: 2/3 of the stadiums of this Cup. That number is two more than when they hosted the 24-team World Cup of 1994.

Here’s a brief description of the stadiums:

  • Dallas’s AT&T Stadium, which is actually in Arlington, is a 94,000-sest stadium opened in 2009.
  • MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey was opened in 2010 and seats 82,500.
  • Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta opened in 2017 and it seats 75,000.
  • GEHA Field at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium can seat 73,000 and was opened in 1972.
  • Houston’s NRG Stadium was opened in 2002 and seats 72,000.
  • Levi’ Stadium in Santa Clara, California opened in 2014 and can seat 71,000.
  • SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles is a 70,000-seat stadium that’s actually in Inglewood and was opened in 2020.
  • Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field was opened in 2003 and can seat 69,000.
  • Lumen Field in Seattle can seat 69,000 and was opened in 1998.
  • Boston’s Gilette Stadium is a 65,000-seat stadium that’s actually in Foxboro and was opened in 2002.
  • Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium was opened in 1987 and can seat 65,000.

Anyways enough of this stadium talk. Let’s now focus on the teams of World Cup Group D:

-United States of America (16): Where to start. The United States is not the joke in football they used to be. They now field a talented team that knows how to play well in international tournaments. They still have a lot of well-known struggles. The last time they got as far as a World Cup quarterfinal was back in 2002. Their last three appearances have found them out in the Round Of 16. The Stars And Stripes have shown recent prowess. They finished runner-up at the most recent CONCACAF Gold Cup and they’ve won three of the four CONCACAF Nations Leagues.

When they were the sole host in 1994, they only went as far as the Round of 16. To prepare themselves for a good showing as hosts, the US Team’s coaching staff is completely of foreign coaches and their head coach is Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino. The players come mostly from either MLS or European teams. Stars in the team include goalkeeper Matt Turner from the New England Revolution, defender Tim Ream from Charlotte FC, midfielder Weston McKenzie form Juventus and striker Christian Pulisic from AC Milan. Their play in the last 12 months has been a mixed bag. They’ve had wins against Australia, Japan and Senegal. They’ve had draws to Costa Rica and Ecuador. Their biggest losses came to Switzerland, Belgium and Portugal. I’m sure that the United States will rise to the occasion and give a performance the host nation can be proud of.

-Paraguay (40): Paraguay is not normally known for their athletes but La Albirroja have been known to perform well. They’ve won two Copa Americas, won an Olympics silver in 2004, and they’ve competed in eight previous World Cups with their best finish being the quarterfinals in 2010. They have struggled to qualify since. As for the Copa Americas, the last four have been either out in the quarterfinals or the group stage.

The coaching staff is mostly Argentinian and the head coach is Argentina’s Gustavo Alfaro. Star players include goalkeeper Gatito Fernandez from Paraguay’s Cerro Porteno, defender Gustavo Gomez from Brazil’s Palmeiras, midfielder Miguel Almiron from Atlanta United and striker Oscar Romero from Argentina’s Huracan. In the past 12 months, they’ve achieved wins against Uruguay, Mexico and Greece, they’ve drawn against Japan and Ecuador, and they’ve lost to Brazil, the US and Mexico. This World Cup looks to be the perfect stage for Paraguay to stage their comeback to the football world.

-Australia (27): It’s looks as though since their World Cup return in 2006, The Socceroos have made it a mainstay to be part of the World Cup. That comes from the help of switching from Oceania’s OFC to Asia’s AFC. They’re on some years, off other years. At the last World Cup, they made the Round Of 16 for the second time ever. Australia hopes to make up for the disappointment of their quarterfinals finish at the 2023 Asian Cup.

Australia has an all-Australian coaching staff with head coach Tony Popovic being a former national team player who was part of Australia’s breakthrough at the 2006 World Cup. Top players include goalkeeper Mathew Ryan from Spain’s Levante, defender Milos Degenek from Cyprus’ APOEL, midfielder Ajdin Hrustic from the Netherlands’ Heracles Almelo and striker Martin Boyle from Scotland’s Hibernian. In the past 12 months, they’ve achieved notable win against Cameroon, Canada and Japan, and they’ve endured losses to the United States and Colombia. Chances are the Socceroos could just surprise the world again with their play.

-Turkey (22): Turkey have always been known to have a talented team but the biggest challenge for Ay-Yildizlilar is World Cup qualifying. They have been successful for qualifying for six Euros since 1996 but this will only be their third World Cup. Their last World Cup in 2002 helped them establish themselves with a third-place finish. Here, they will be coming just after a quarterfinals finish at the Euro.

The current team has a coaching staff that’s a mix of Turks and Italians and Italian Vincenzo Montella is the head coach. Most of the players play for teams in Turkey’s Super Lig and other European teams. Top players include goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, defender Merih Demiral who plays for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli, midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu who plays for Inter Milan and Kerem Akturkoglu who plays for Fenerbahce. In the past twelve months, they’ve achieved notable wins against the United States, North Macedonia and Georgia. They’ve only had a single draw against Spain. They also had a loss to Spain months earlier and a loss to Mexico. 2026 marks a return for Turkey to show the world what they’re made of!

My Qualifier Predictions: This is is. Predicting the Top 2 and the possible wildcard. For the Top 2, I predict Turkey to top with the United States second and my third-place prediction, Australia, to qualify.

And there you have it! That is my look at Group D of the World Cup. With the US having 11 of the 16 host stadiums, hopefully this should be a smooth ride, despite Trump’s politics and all that’s happening.

WORK CITED:
“2026 FIFA World Cup.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2026. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup>

2026 FIFA World Cup – Group C Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

With the World Cup now expanded to contest 48 teams for the Cup, it will be very hard for one single nation to host. Even long before Qatar hosted in 2022, I thought having a nation as small as Qatar to host was a bad idea. They did host to the best of their abilities and did a good job of it, but I still feel a nation that small is too small to host a World Cup of 32 teams.

For 2030, Spain, Portugal and Morocco will share the hosting duties but there will be a special tribute to the 100th anniversary of the World Cup with Montevideo, Uruguay, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Asuncion, Paraguay staging a single match each for the Centennial celebration. For 2034, it has been stated Saudi Arabia alone will host that World Cup. Can a World Cup of 48 nations be staged in a single nation? That World Cup will be the first test.

In the meantime, here are the participating teams of Group C:

-Brazil (6): It’s easy to see why the Selecao Canarinho are one of the most beloved teams in the world. Five World Cups, nine Copa Americas and legendary players like Leonidas, Pele, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. The problem is the last 20 years have not been kind to Brazil. Since their World Cup win in 2002, the best World Cup finish has been fourth when they hosted in 2014. They had three Copa America wins this century but the last Copa America had them out in the quarterfinals. It’s been a common thing with Brazil in the 21st Century: big expectations, a talent-packed team, falling short too soon. Heck, since their embarrassment at the 2014 World Cup, they have gone through five different head coaches!

Although most of the coaching staff are Brazilian, the current head coach of Brazil’s national team is an Italian: Carlo Ancelotti, who has experience in coaching eleven major league teams. Standout players include goalkeeper Alisson who plays for Liverpool, defender and captain Marqinhos who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, midfielder Casemiro who plays for Manchester United, and defenders Neymar and rising talent Vinicius Junior. Their play in the past twelve months have been a set of mixed results. They’ve achieved key wins against Chile, Senegal and Croatia, draws to Ecuador and Tunisia, and notable losses to France and Japan. The 2026 World Cup is another chance for Brazil to achieve their sixth World Cup and they have what it takes to deliver at the occasion.

-Morocco (7): One thing we learned from the last World Cup is do not underestimate the Atlas Lions. They shocked by beating Belgium 2-0 while qualifying from the Group Stage and defeated highly-favored rivals like Spain and Portugal to qualify for the semifinals. They became the first African team to achieve this feat. They also added to their fears the first African team to qualify for the knockout round back in 1986 and the first African team when continental allocations were introduced in 1970.

The team comes strong after winning the last three African Nations Championships and also winning the last African Cup of Nations thanks to a controversy caused by Senegal’s poor sportsmanship in the final. They also have a new head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, who is the former coach of the national under-23 team. With many of the players under 25, they will be familiar with his coaching style. Top players include goalkeeper Yassine Bounou who was one of the stars of World Cup 2022, defender and captain Achraf Hakimi who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, midfielder Sofyan Ambarat who plays for Spain’s Betis, and striker Ayoub el-Kaabi who plays for Greece’s Olympiacos. Morocco is fortunate they haven’t had a loss in the last twelve months. Their only draws have been against Oman, Mali, Nigeria and Ecuador. This World Cup offers another chance for Morocco to prove its ability to perform well under the world’s spotlight.

-Haiti (81): Haiti may be the poorest nation in the Americas but they have shown their football prowess at times. Les Grenadiers did win the 1973 CONCACAF Gold Cup and did play at the World Cup of 1974. They have had struggles since such as their last Caribbean Cup win being in 2007 and finishing last in the Group Stage of the most recent CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Their coaching staff is mostly Haitian but their head coach is a Frenchman: Sebastien Migne. The team has a lot of players under the age of 25. Star players include goalkeeper Johny Placide who plays for France’s Bastia, defender Ricardo Ade, midfielder Leverton Pierre and striker Duckens Nazon who plays for Iran’s Esteghlal. Recent play includes wins against Costa Rica and Nicaragua, draws to Iceland and Trinidad, and losses to the United States, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. This World Cup can be an opportunity for Haiti to take their football to a new level.

-Scotland (43): Scotland have been to the World Cup eight times before. The Tartan Army hold an unfortunate World Cup record. They have the most World Cup participations without ever making it past the first round! They also have that bad luck at the Euro tournament. It happens each time The team is loaded with talent but it fails to live up to expectations!

The current head coach is Scotsman Steve Clark who has coached since 2020 and it the longest-serving head coach ever for the Scottish national team. Most of the team plays for either England’s Premier League or Scotland’s Premiership. Star players include goalkeeper Craig Gordon, defender and captain Andy Robertson from Liverpool, midfielder John McGinn from Aston Villa, and striker Lyndon Dykes. For their play in the last twelve months, they’ve achieved wins against Belarus and Curacao, a win and a draw against Denmark, a win and a loss to Greece and losses to Japan and the Ivory Coast. This World Cup is another chance for Scotland to take their football to another level.

My Qualifier Predictions: I have no problem here predicting the two main qualifiers: Brazil and Morocco. The difficult part is the wildcard prediction. Just remember there will be four third-place teams that won’t qualify. Game stats will decide it all. Nevertheless, I feel Scotland will qualify.

And that’s my look at World Cup groups for now. My look at Group C is complete and I have nine more to go. In my blogs, I won’t just focus on the teams. There’s lots to talk about when the topic is the World Cup!

2026 FIFA World Cup – Group B Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

Never in my lifetime did I think Canada would host a men’s World Cup. We hosted an impressive Women’s World Cup but I figured we really needed to improve our national team big time if we wanted to host a men’s World Cup.

This paragraph is my personal opinion. I am happy that Canada is one of the three host nations but I’m unhappy that only two Canadian cities will stage matches. Toronto and Vancouver are good picks but we could have also added in Edmonton and Montreal. Those two cities have the two biggest stadiums in Canada. Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium and Montreal’s Olympic Stadium can seat just over 56,000. Why weren’t they included?

I’m also unhappy Mexico is only having three cities stage matches. Mexico hosted two previous World Cups and they have good enough venues. The three staging matches are Mexico City’s 87,500-seat Azteca Stadium which was part of Mexico’s two previous World Cups and even hosted matches during the 1968 Summer Olympics. Second is Monterrey’s Estadio BBVA. It’s a modern 53,500-seat stadium that opened to the public in 2015. Third is Guadalajara’s Estadio Akron. This stadium opened in 2010, seats almost 50,000 and was the host venue for the 2011 Pan Amercian Games.

Those wondering about the two Canadian stadiums, Vancouver’s BC Place was opened in 1983 and can seat 54,000. Toronto’s BMO Field was opened in 2007 and can seat 45,000.

Anyways, that’s enough for stadium talk until I focus on the U.S. Now it’s time to focus on the teams of World Cup’s Group B:

-Canada (30): To most of the world, Canada is seen as a joke in football. Sure, our women are very good at delivering in major tournaments, but our men are very lackluster. The Canucks have only qualified for two previous World Cups and have lost all their matches. Back in 1986, they didn’t score a single goal. In 2022, they finally scored but still lost all their matches. Much to Canada’s relief, they only finished second-last with hosts Qatar behind them. More on them later. The Canadian men have delivered some noteworthy feats in the past. Fourth at the 2024 Copa America and winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1985 and 2000. Most recently, they beat the United States for third-place at the CONCACAF Nations League.

Canada has worked hard to build a national team the host nation can be proud of. American Jesse Marsch is the head coach with a mix of other coaches from North America and Europe. The top players of the team are goalkeeper Maxine Crepeau who plays for Orlando City, defender and captain Alphonso Davies who plays for Bayern Munich, midfielder Jonathan Osorio who plays for Toronto FC, and striker Cyle Larin who plays for Southampton. For their play in the last 12 months, their most notable wins are Ukraine, Wales and Uzbekistan. They’ve had notable draws to Colombia and Ecuador and their only loss has been to Australia. Chances are Canada can rise to the occasion and deliver a great showing as a host nation!

-Bosnia-Hercegovina (64): If there’s one thing to learn from the qualifying matches, it’s that you should never underestimate Zmajevi or The Dragons. Their road to the World Cup led them to the longer path after they finished second to Austria in their qualifying group. They would have to face Wales and Italy in the playoff berths. In both cases, they drew 1-1 during the game and won on penalty kicks. Never underestimate the power of teams you dismiss as ‘minnows.’ Interesting they’ve never qualified for a Euro but this will be their second World Cup!

Leading the coaching for the team is Bosnia’s Sergej Barbarez. Only two members of Bosnia’s coaching staff are not from Bosnia. Top players for the team include defender Sead Kolasinac who plays for Italy Serie A team Atalanta, midfielder Amir Hadziametovic who plays for Hull City and legendary striker Edin Dzeko. Their play has been notable these past twelve months for resulting in a lot of draws. Their wins may have been to Malta, San Marino and Romania but they’ve achieved draws against more lauded teams like Austria, Wales and Italy. The latter two, they had the winning edge in penalty kicks. Chances are it’s here in United 2026 where Bosnia can surprise the world on a big scale!

-Qatar (55): It’s tempting to either feel sorry for The Maroons or laugh at them after the 2022 World Cup. Back in 2022, they achieved three ignominious firsts for a World Cup host nation: first-ever host nation to lose their opening match, first-ever host nation to lose all their Group Stage games, and first-ever host nation to finish dead last! But Qatar showed they can rebound from humiliation.  Back in 2023, they successfully defended their AFC Asian Cup on home soil. For World Cup qualifying, this marks the first time they’ve achieved qualification outside of hosting the last Cup with Almoez Ali being the second-biggest scorer of the qualifiers. No kidding they will be coming here with something to prove.

The current team’s head coach is Spain’s Julen Lopetegui and the majority of its coaching staff is Spanish. All but one of the players play in teams with Qatar’s Stars League. Top players include goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham, defender Boualem Khoukhi, midfielder Abdulaziz Hatem and strikers Hassan al-Haydos and Almoez Ali. The last twelve months have included wins against Iran and the UAE, draws against Bahrain, Oman and Syria, and loses against Ireland, Zimbabwe and Tunisia. North America can be the stage for Qatar to prove their redemption in the football world.

-Switzerland (19): Right now the A-Team or the Nati are hard to describe. Their common World Cup frustration of bombing out in the Round of 16 keeps on happening, like the three previous World Cups. The past two Euros showed some improvement as in those two, the Swiss team won their first knockout match and made it as far as the quarterfinals. It’s a case that the talent is there but it’s a matter of consistent delivering.

The Swiss coaching staff is completely Swiss and the Head Coach Murat Yakin is the same coach from World Cup 2022. Top players include goalkeeper Gregor Kobel who plays for Borussia, defender Ricardo Rodriguez who plays for Spain’s Betiz, legendary midfielder Granit Xhaka who plays for Sunderland and striker Breel Embolo who plays for France’s Rennes. Their play in the last 12 months have been mostly consistent. Their most notable wins include the United States, Mexico and Sweden. They’ve had draws to Slovenia and Norway and their only loss was to Germany back in March. Chances are here in World Cup 2026, Switzerland can deliver their best finish ever.

My Qualifier Predictions: This is a very different mix of teams. It’s easy for me to make my first pick: Switzerland. My second pick is tough but I will go with Bosnia. I predict Canada to be the wildcard qualifier.

And there is my look at World Cup Group B. Interesting three of the nations are either former or present host nations. More unique group mix-ups to come.

WORK CITED:
“2026 FIFA World Cup.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2026. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup>

2026 FIFA World Cup – Group A Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

It’s 2026. For football fans around the world, this is their favorite year of the quadrennial because that mean the contesting of the FIFA World Cup! This year is the first year in which 48 teams will compete! This should make for a lot of excitement.

This World Cup also marks the first ever World Cup consisting of three host nations. True, we had a case where two Asian nations — Japan and South Korea — shared hosting duties but this is the first in which three nations agree to host together. Billed as the ‘United’ hosting, the nations are the North American nations of Canada, Mexico and the United States.

For those wondering of the venues hosting this World Cup, I’ll give a brief mention. The opening match will take place at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on Friday, June 11th. The Final for the Cup will take place on Sunday, July 19th at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  Here’s a brief guide to the sixteen stadiums staging the matches:

  • MEXICO: Mexico City – EstadioAzteca
  • Guadalajara – Estadio Akron
  • Monterrey – Estadio BBVA
  • CANADA: Toronto – BMO Field
  • Vancouver – BC Place Stadium
  • U.S.A.: Dallas – AT & T Stadium
  • New York/New Jersey – MetLife Stadium
  • Atlanta – Mercedes Benz Stadium
  • Kansas City – GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
  • Houston – NRG Stadium
  • San Francisco Bay Area – Levi’s Stadium
  • Los Angeles – SoFi Stadium
  • Philadelphia – Lincoln Financial Field
  • Seattle – Lumen Field
  • Boston – Gilette Stadium
  • Miami – Hard Rock Stadium

The two nations hosting together have alerted of some possible complications. For those of you who paid attention to North American news in the past ten years, the political news has been a circus. The biggest news being the havoc Donald Trump provokes. In his first term, it was all about him building a wall against Mexico because of illegal immigration. Since returning to the presidency in January 2025, it’s been about threatening tariffs on Canada, claiming we shortchanged the nation. Even after he withdraws the tariffs, that hasn’t stopped him from talking smack about Canada. Further controversy erupted as it’s possible some nations like Iran are on Trump’s ‘no entry’ list. Is FIFA sure he deserved that Peace Prize?

Whatever the situation, the World Cup will go on and 48 teams will contest over a 39-day period to decide the best football nation in the world!

To start things off, here’s my look at Group A. The number in brackets is the team’s latest FIFA World Ranking:

–Mexico (14): Of all nations in North America, Mexico seems most rightful to host. This makes it the eighteenth World Cup Mexico will compete in and the third time they will host, having been the sole host of 1970 and 1986. Unfortunately Mexico has had some World Cup difficulties. They’re often the CONCACAF qualifiers but they are the team with the most World Cup defeats. Their best finishes are the quarterfinals but only when they’ve hosted. The 1986 is the only World Cup where they won a knockout match. At last year’s World Cup, it became the first since 1978 where they failed to qualify out of group play.

There is a ray of hope for El Tricolor. They won last year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. Their intercontinental play is still in question. The team has been coached by Javier Aguirre since 2024 and the team features stars like goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, defender Jesus Gallardo, midfielder Edson Alvarez and striker Raul Jimenez who plays in England for Fulham. They’ve recently had key wins against Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Ghana. They’ve also had some notable draws to Portugal, Belgium and South Korea and they’ve had notable losses to Colombia and Switzerland. The home stage is set for Mexico to prove they can be among the best.

FUN FACT: Here at United 2026, three players will make history as being the only players ever to play in six World Cups! One is Argentina’s Lionel Messi, the other is Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and the other is Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa!

-South Africa (60): No kidding Bafana Bafana are glad to be back at the World Cup for the first time since they hosted in 2010. When they were first reintroduced to FIFA in the late-90’s, there was a lot of hope for the team. Unfortunately things have not gone as well as they hoped. Three World Cup participations and out in the Group Stage. Even as host, they became the first host nation to fail to make it to the second round. Lately there have been signs of hope. South Africa finished third at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Also qualifying after being socked three game points for fielding an ineligible player during a qualifier game against Lesotho should tell the team is back.

The team is coached by Belgian Hugo Broos. Most of the players play for South Africa’s Premiership league but there are some who play for European teams. They’ve showed their ability to win against some of Africa’s biggest teams but they’ve also had losses to Cameroon, Egypt and Lesotho. They also haven’t had much experience playing teams outside of Africa over this year’s time. Nevertheless, United 2026 is the ideal arena for South Africa to possibly pull a shocker and delight the nation in the process.

-South Korea (25): I’m sure South Korea must be annoyed with being referred to as ‘Korea Republic.’ It’s easy to label them Asia’s best football team, especially since they have been at every World Cup since 1986 and are the only Asian team to make it to the semifinals. Only thing is the last time they won an Asian Cup was in 1960. Also despite having more success at the World Cup than the other Asian teams, I’m sure they would like to move past the Round Of 16 which is where they finished last World Cup. At the last Asian Cup, they only made it to the semifinals.

Since 2024, South Korea has made a return to having coaches from the home nation. Current head coach is Hong Myung-bo who lead South Korea to their fourth place finish in 2002 as World Cup co-hosts. The coaching staff is a mix of Koreans and Portuguese. The team features great players like goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu, defender Kim Min-jae who plays for Bayern Munich, midfielder Lee Jae-sung who plays for Mainz and striker Son Heung-min who plays for Los Angeles FC and is South Korea’s most capped player ever. Recent play has given them some key wins against the United States, Bolivia and Ghana. They endured a 2-2 draw against Mexico in September, and had losses to Brazil, Austria and the Ivory Coast. This World Cup is another change for South Korea to prove themselves and what they’re able to achieve.

-Czechia (39): It’s tempting to feel for Czechia. Back when Czechoslovakia existed, the team qualified for eight World Cups and made the finals twice. After Czechoslovakia split up, the Narodak have qualified for every Euro and even finished in the Top 3 twice, but this is only their second World Cup! The only other World Cup appearance was back in 2006. Hard to believe a nation with that much football talent has only qualified for two World Cups.

The current team has an all-Czech coaching staff with 75 year-old Miroslav Koubek being the head coach. Top stars of the national team include defender Valdimir Coufal who plays for TSG Hoffenheim, midfielder Tomas Soucek who plays for West Ham United and striker Patrik Schick who plays for Bayer Leverkusen. Over the past twelve months, they’ve achieved many wins over major European teams, a draw to Saudi Arabia and losses to Croatia and the Faroe Islands. Chances are Czechia could achieve its best success in decades at this World Cup.

My Qualifier Predictions: Not only do I review the teams but I also predict which teams will qualify for the knockout rounds. For this tournament, it’s the Top 2 of each group and the eight best third-place teams that qualify. Very much like the World Cups from 1986 to 1994 where it was the four best third-place teams! I will go with Korea Republic and Mexico with Czechia being the wildcard qualifier.

Also since we’re on the topic of the knockout rounds, I have to bring up something unique about this year’s World Cup. It’s the first World Cup to have the Knockout Round start with a Round Of 32! That’s how it is with 48 teams! Going from starting with a Round of 16 to starting with a Round Of 32! Possibly the craziest thing is how this new format is expanding the World Cup from 64 games to 104! No wonder three nations are needed to host this format of tournament for the first time!

On the topic of the third-place ‘wildcard’ qualifiers, we’ve had three World Cups in the past with a 24-team tournament that lead to four wildcard qualifiers. Now it’s eight wildcard qualifiers! FIFA has a list of which group’s wildcard team will play who once the eight qualifiers are decides. When you see it on Wikipedia or at the FIFA website, you can see how it will only make sense to FIFA!

And there you have it! There’s my look at the teams from Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Hard to believe I have eleven more blogs to go! For past World Cup blogs, I would have seven after my first. Now it’s eleven!

WORK CITED:
“2026 FIFA World Cup.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2026. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup>