A difficult choice for the championship contenders.

With the tournament expanding to 48 teams, the 2026 World Cup presents a real challenge for coaches in terms of personnel selection.

The test to select the starting lineup.

In the England national team, manager Thomas Tuchel faces two options for the key attacking midfield position behind Harry Kane: Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers. The Real Madrid star remains the biggest icon of the younger generation of English football. However, scoring only 8 goals for "Los Blancos" in the 2025-2026 season, along with questions about his fitness and tactical suitability, means Bellingham no longer holds an absolute advantage.

Conversely, Rogers has emerged as a more consistent option. Playing for Europa League champions Aston Villa, the 2002-born player has scored 14 goals and provided 12 assists. To date, neither midfielder has truly dominated. Therefore, the friendly match against Costa Rica on the morning of June 11th (Vietnam time) will be a crucial test to determine who will be a starter in the England attack.

Kai Havertz is a major hope in the German national team's attack. Photo: ARSENAL FC

In Spain, the debate is once again revolving around the goalkeeping position. Unai Simon is almost certainly the number one choice, even though David Raya is in superb form and has won three consecutive "Golden Glove" awards in the Premier League.

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Experience with the national team is the biggest limitation for the Arsenal goalkeeper. Since the 2-1 victory against Denmark in the UEFA Nations League in November 2024, Raya has only started one match. Meanwhile, De la Fuente favors Simon's stability and succession over Raya's exceptional form.

We haven't found a true center forward yet.

Brazil faces an even more complicated problem as they have yet to find a true center forward. Matheus Cunha of Manchester United currently wears the number 9 shirt for Brazil at the 2026 World Cup. However, the 27-year-old striker has only scored one goal in 23 appearances for the "Samba dancers".

In Argentina, coach Lionel Scaloni will need to reconcile the two high-quality strikers, Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez. Alvarez offers versatility and wide range of movement, while Martinez has had a more consistent goal-scoring record over the past two years at both Inter Milan and "La Albiceleste".

France, the top title contender, boasts a star-studded attack featuring Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, and Desire Doue. However, the focus is now on the tactical role of Rayan Cherki, a midfielder who had an incredibly impressive first season in the Premier League. Coach Didier Deschamps will prioritize the solidity of Aurélien Tchouaméni and Adrien Rabiot in midfield. This means Cherki may only play a strategic reserve role despite high expectations from "Les Bleus" fans.

The lack of a sharp striker has hampered the development of "Die Mannschaft" in recent years. This time, "the tank" has Kai Havertz, who has scored 9 goals under coach Julian Nagelsmann. Deniz Undav has been explosive for Stuttgart but lacks experience in big matches. Nick Woltemade contributed 4 goals for Germany in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Europe but is declining at Newcastle and mainly plays in midfield.

The teams considered contenders for the 2026 World Cup all have depth in certain positions. However, deciding which players should start and who should come on from the bench is a difficult problem for their strategists.

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Source: https://nld.com.vn/lua-chon-kho-cua-cac-ung-vien-vo-dich-196260610202300085.htm