I would like to thank all those who took the time to read my blogs where I review the groups of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. At first I didn’t think I would be able to review all twelve in time but I did it!
It doesn’t matter whether you read all of them or just one of them. Thank you for reading.
On this page, I have the links to my blogs as well as the competing teams of each group listed. Links are with the group names. Bolded are the nations I predict to qualify for the knockout stage:
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea and Czechia
Group B: Canada, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Qatar and Switzerland
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 Argentinean 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, Nicaragua and Greece, they’ve drawn against Japan and Ecuador, and they’ve lost to Brazil, Morocco, 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, a draw against Switzerland, and they’ve endured losses to the United States, Mexico 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, Venezuela 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.
Group D is one of three groups in World Cup 2022 that has all four teams that were present in the previous World Cup. Twenty-four nations that competed at the World Cup 2018 are making a return appearance here in Qatar. Surprisingly, three of the teams in Group D were part of Group C in Russia 2018! In Group D, we have the defending champion from 2018, one who made it to the Round of 16, and two group stagers!
Some may guess that the two advancers from Group D will end up being the two European teams, especially since they’re both in FIFA’s Top 10 right now, but don’t be so fast to dismiss. Here’s my rundown of Group D:
-France (4): At the last World Cup, France did it! They won their second World Cup just 20 years after their first. And with a coach that was a player for the 1998 team! However France hasn’t been completely on top since. Back at Euro 2020, they only made it to the Round of 16. Also as I’ve pointed out before, being defending World Cup champion has put them in a spot of bad luck that has happened to defending champions this century.
Didier Deschamps has been their coach since 2012. Although the World Cup team has not been declared yet, half of the team that played in the 2018 World Cup have played for the national team in recent matches. The team plays in various leagues throughout Europe with most playing for France’s Ligue 1. They’ve recently acquired wins against Austria, South Africa and the Ivory Coast. They’ve had notable draws against Croatia and Austria, and they’ve endured notable losses to Denmark and Croatia in Nations Cup play. 2022 gives an opportunity for France to prove that the bad luck of being defending champion may just all be a myth.
-Australia (38): It seems like the magic of the Socceroos we witnessed back in 2006 was a memory. They’ve been able to qualify for every World Cup since after switching from the OFC to the AFC, but it appears to have worked against them. They may have qualified for each World Cup since, but they’ve ended in the group stage each time with their last win being in 2010. Even after switching to the AFC, they’ve won the Asian Cup in 2015, but lost in the quarterfinals in 2019.
Since the 2018 World Cup, they’ve adopted a predominantly Australian coaching staff with Graham Arnold leading. The team consists of six A-League players and the rest playing mainly for European clubs; most in Scotland. Their recent wins have all been against Asian teams. They’ve had draws against China and Peru, as well as a win and a loss to Saudi Arabia and Japan. They come with low expectations in Qatar, but football is a domain where even the least-favored can excel if the seize the moment.
-Denmark (10):De Rød-Hvide have often seen as a team who have their greatest moment waiting for them. However their greatest World Cup moment still seems to be a bit of a wait. They’ve made the semifinals of four Euros and won in 1992. However they’ve only qualified for five previous World Cups and their best finish is the quarterfinals in 1998.
The team has a predominantly Danish coaching staff with Kasper Hjulmand as head coach. Despite the cardiac arrest during their first Euro 2020, Christian Eriksen is still playing pro-football as part of Manchester United and he’s on the Danish team. The most capped player is Simon Kjaer who plays for AC Milan. In recent play, they’ve had wins against Austria, France and Serbia, but they’ve had recent losses to the Netherlands and Croatia. The Danish team could just arrive in Qatar as their best team yet. They’ll just have this coming month’s time to prove it.
-Tunisia (30): Tunisia is one of many African teams waiting for their big moment at the World Cup. They’ve played in five previous World Cups and always gone home after the group stage. Recently the team accomplished making it to the final of the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, hosted in Qatar. They also won the Kirin Cup this year.
The team’s coaching staff is completely Tunisian with Jalel Kadri becoming head coach this year. The team’s players play for a mix of clubs in Europe and Arabic nations. In recent play, they’ve had notable wins against Chile and Japan, draws against Mali and Botswana, and notable losses to Brazil and Algeria. Whatever you do, don’t rule out Tunisia for 2022. Plus they could have an advantage since they are familiar with playing in desert climate.
My Prediction: It’s always the case. After a group review, predictions for the qualifiers are expected. I am going to join more of the common predictions and say France and Denmark. However I think Tunisia is the team that can most pull a surprise.
And there you go! That’s my prediction for World Cup Group D. Hard to believe I’m half-done! Hard to believe the World Cup starts in ten days! Better start doing my pub-planning fast!
Group C may prove to be one of the groups that’s hardest to predict. Some may appear to be clear favorites or likely to be eliminated at the end, but don’t be so quick to judge. Don’t forget nobody expected Costa Rica to top Group D at the last World Cup. So without further ado, here’s my review of Group C:
-France (7)- Les Bleus has had a reputation of being an all-or-nothing team. France is never short on talent. The 2014 World Cup saw a lot of young French talent on the rise like Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezman. This World Cup’s team promises a big mix of the old and the new. The team is still coached by legend Didier Deschamps and are poised to perform very well, especially after the strength of making it to the finals of Euro 2016. France’s play since Euro 2016 has been consistent with wins against England and the Netherlands, but they have also lost to Sweden 2-1 and Columbia 3-2. 2018 is an opportunity for France to win their second World Cup. It’s a matter of them all being there and delivering.
-Australia (40)- When Australia made it to the Round of 16 at the 2066 World Cup, people were expecting more to come from the Socceroos. However they haven’t done as well as originally hoped. In fact they’re coming back from three straight losses in 2014. Not everything is down for Australia. They did win the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. Their play is still struggling to show. The only win against a team outside of Asia was against Honduras in a World Cup playoff.
Australia is coached by Bert van Marwijk who coached the Netherlands to the World Cup final. The team consists mostly of players from the Premier League and Australia’s A-League. 38 year-old Tim Cahill leads the team in what will be his fourth World Cup. The team has a good mix of young and old. Australia can provide another surprise again.
-Peru (11)- Ten of this year’s teams at this year’s World Cup had to wait longer than four years to return to the World Cup stage. Peru has had the longest wait of all: 36 years to be exact. Things have changed ever since they’ve been coached by Argentine Ricardo Gareca who was part of Argentina’s World Cup-winning team. The team consists of players whom play mostly for teams in North and South America. The players are a good mix of youth and experience with defenseman Alberto Rodriguez leading. Peru may have the most experience playing against South American teams, but they’ve had three wins this year against European teams like Croatia, Iceland and Scotland. Peru could be the surprise of the Cup.
-Denmark (12)- The last time the Danish Dynamite made it to the World Cup was back in 2010. There they didn’t advance past the group stage. Since then, they’re recently acquired Norwegian coach Åge Hareide. The team was able to qualify for the 2016 Olympics and finished in the quarterfinals. They’ve done very well having not lost a game since 2016. They’ve had some notable wins against teams like Ireland and Poland and even drew against Germany last year. Denmark’s current lineup consists of players mostly from the Premier League and Spain’s La Liga. Denmark looks poised to be one of the teams from Group C to advance. Russia will be their big test.
Now my prediction for the two that will advance. It’s a toughie but I believe it will be France and Peru that will advance.
STADIUM SPOTLIGHT
Two more stadiums. Both in focus are at least five years old. Both were also built to host major events before this World Cup.
-KAZAN : Kazan Arena
Year Opened: 2013
World Cup Capacity: 45,379
World Cup Groups Hosting: B, C, F, H
Additional World Cup Matches Contested: Round of 16 & a quarterfinal
Kazan Arena was first build to host the 2013 World University Games. Kazan Arena has also hosted the 2015 World Aquatics Championships. The stadium has the largest outside screen in Europe and the largest LED installed on a football stadium in the World.
After the World Cup, Kazan Arena will be the home venue of team FC Rubin Kazan, replacing the 25,000-seat Central Stadium.
-SOCHI : Fisht Olympic Stadium
Year Opened: 2013
World Cup Capacity: 41,220
World Cup Groups Hosting: B, C, F, G
Additional World Cup Matches Contested: Round of 16 (A1 vs. B2) & A quarterfinal
If you remember the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, you will remember this stadium very well. This is where the opening and closing ceremonies took place. You may also remember the hefty price tag of the Sochi Olympics. This stadium cost $779 million to build!
Names after Mount Fisht, the stadium was originally built to be an enclosed stadium, but has stayed an open-air stadium since 2016 in order to conform with FIFA rules. The stadium complex now serves as a training centre and match venue for the Russia national football team.
And there you have it. The four teams of Group C and two more stadiums. Less than two weeks to go!
-Peru (11)- Ten of this year’s teams at this year’s World Cup had to wait longer than four years to return to the World Cup stage. Peru has had the longest wait of all: 36 years to be exact. Things have changed ever since they’ve been coached by Argentine Ricardo Gareca who was part of Argentina’s World Cup-winning team. The team consists of players whom play mostly for teams in North and South America. The players are a good mix of youth and experience with defenseman Alberto Rodriguez leading. Peru may have the most experience playing against South American teams, but they’ve had three wins this year against European teams like Croatia, Iceland and Scotland. Peru could be the surprise of the Cup.
Jon The Blogcentric 