What to expect at the 2026 World Cup?

The biggest sporting event on the planet in 2026 is, of course, the World Cup (taking place from June 11th to July 19th). The question is: Suppose the 2026 World Cup were to take place right now, who would win? A related question: What would be different this year compared to previous tournaments?

Spain is superior.

Can defending champions Argentina retain their title at this year's World Cup? Let me state upfront that for those unfamiliar with the 1958 and 1962 World Cups, a team successfully defending their title is something they've never witnessed before. After Argentina, the rest of the football world outside of Europe has only one truly significant team: Brazil. This team is never ruled out when listing World Cup title contenders. However, the Brazilian team has weakened and faced numerous problems recently, to the point where they are relying on a foreign coach for the first time (Carlo Ancelotti, from Italy).

FIFA president (left) reveals all tickets for the 2026 World Cup have been sold out.

PHOTO: REUTERS

European football now has only a few dominant teams. Surprisingly, even with the World Cup expanded to 48 teams, it's still uncertain whether the famous Italian team will qualify (they'll have to play in the play-offs). England, France, and Germany are all significant teams, each with their own strengths. But overall, if the World Cup were awarded by a voting system, Spain would be the winner at this point. The EURO 2024 champion is currently the most comprehensive contender, from their playing style to their squad and experience.

On the one hand, top-level football has become so evenly matched that the Japanese national team has repeatedly beaten Germany, Brazil, and Spain in recent years. But on the other hand, whenever the World Cup is in full swing, the ultimate glory can only belong to a few truly strong teams. Specifically, this year only Spain, England, France, Germany, Argentina, and Brazil are truly significant contenders.

There will still be pleasant surprises.

In purely statistical terms, this is the first time the World Cup has had three host nations, and also the first time it has expanded to 48 participating teams. Naturally, this is the largest World Cup in history, in many respects, and it follows the smallest World Cup (in terms of host country size). Qatar's area is only 11,581 ^km² , which is why at the 2022 World Cup people could attend four matches in a single day. Now, it's the opposite: a team might have to travel thousands of kilometers between two matches, as the 2026 World Cup will be held across the North American continent. Spectators and teams will have to prepare much more meticulously and elaborately for this World Cup with 104 matches.

Looking ahead, the 2026 World Cup will feature at least four newcomers: Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan. Many more new faces may also emerge after the play-off matches at the end of March. It would be a serious mistake for established teams to underestimate these new opponents in this era. The biggest difference between the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and previous tournaments is the significant improvement in the professional level of many smaller teams, driven by a global trend: leveraging the players' backgrounds to select them for the national team.

There's only one major series of friendly matches for national teams to assess their squads before the World Cup: the "FIFA Days" at the end of March. After that, each team will play one or two practice matches close to the finals, right in the host countries, to get used to the pitches and climate before the competition. The World Cup title will likely go to one of the few "big teams" mentioned. But there will probably be plenty of small surprises.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cho-doi-gi-tai-world-cup-2026-185260223201112116.htm