Mexico, Canada and the USA Welcome Most of the World: Let the Games Begin!

The first World Cup to be hosted by three countries is kicking off today! Mexico will be meeting South Africa at the Azteca in the reverse fixture of the opening match from the 2010 World Cup. This time the hosts are expected to do slightly better. This tournament has been overshadowed in the United States by a myriad of issues. Exceptionally high ticket prices have turned off both the domestic and international market. The cost of travel has jumped in part due to one of the hosts, the United States, being at war with one of the qualifiers, Iran. Two cities, Boston and New York, have decided that people going to World Cup games should pay many times the cost of normal public transportation to attend matches up to and including the final.

If those issues aren’t enough, the specter of empty seats looms large. Reports indicate at least 10,000 tickets remain available for the USA’s first match against Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium. Various ticket sellers such as SeatGeek, Stub Hub, Ticketmaster, and FIFA’s own Last Minute Sales and Resell/Exchange sites have hundreds of tickets available for every game. Scalpers may have finally found a limit to FIFA’s dynamic pricing model. 

Iran, still engaged in hostilities with the United States, moved their training site from Arizona to Tijuana and requested their group matches be moved, too. FIFA denied the request to move games, so they will play twice in Los Angeles, where there is a massive expatriate Iranian population, and once in Seattle. The Seattle game will be against Egypt and ironically falls on the day of Seattle’s Pride celebration.

FIFA will go into this World Cup one referee short, too. Somali referee Omar Artan had his visa request rejected by the US State Department in line with the Trump administration’s immigration guidelines that prevent people from certain countries from traveling to the US. Artan is an experienced FIFA referee who has officiated games at the African Cup of Nations. This will go down as another embarrassment in what has been a nightmarish buildup to the World Cup. Artan isn’t the only one feeling the sting of rejection, though. Members of the Iranian delegation, not players, have also been denied entry into the USA, no doubt due to their association with the current regime. The Democratic Republic of Congo will not have any supporters coming from their homeland, either. The Ebola outbreak has ruled out any supporters traveling from the DRC to the United States. Fortunately, the entire team plays in Europe and have not been to Africa for far longer than the required 21 day quarantine period. 

All these difficulties and more have not put the tournament in the best light. FIFA and the local organizers have to hope that once the games kick off people will be more focused on what happens on the field. It remains to be seen if FIFA’s ticketing plan works to the point where people can actually get into the stadiums, especially in the USA, in time to see the games. Managing access and egress to the stadiums will be the next challenge to overcome.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN: The View from the Stands 

It’s time to have a look at the contenders, pretenders, and one or two teams that could do some real damage in this World Cup. With the biggest field ever, this portends a wide open tournament. The big powers have been mostly separated for the group phase. How they navigate their first three matches will set up the knockout brackets going forward. 

While biased supporters will be watching their own teams, a wider look at the field shows that one of the top teams will certainly be out after the round of 32. That’s because Group K and Group L have four teams that will be paired off after the group phase. Group K is led by Portugal and Colombia. They will play in the Miami Stadium to close out the group in the most sought after ticket of the group phase. They are matched up with Group L featuring England and Croatia. The two teams have been contenders for the past two World Cups and European Championships. They meet in the first real blockbuster next Wednesday in Dallas. Why is that important? In the round of 32, the two second place teams meet in Toronto. Any of those four could be the one going home early. Or, could Ghana spring a surprise? Maybe England melts in the American heat like they did in Brazil 2014.

Argentina, the defending champions, kept much the same team from four years ago. Lionel Messi is four years older and runs a lot less than four years ago. Nicolas Otamendi still anchors the back line. Dibu Martinez will be in goal. Lionel Scaloni remains in charge. This time, though, more will be expected of Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez. It can’t be Messi doing all the attacking. The champions were gifted an easy group with Austria, Jordan, and Algeria. They should stroll through it. If they think it’s too easy, Scaloni can remind them of their loss to Saudi Arabia in the group stage in Qatar.

Brazil warmed up for the World Cup by thumping Panama and edging a game Egypt team. However, they lost right back Wesley to a leg injury and still don’t know when or if Neymar Jr will be available. The five-time champions have won twice in North America, 1970 and 1994. They do well here and will have massive support if the 64,000 plus fans who went to Cleveland for the Egypt friendly are any indication. They also have the genius of Carlo Ancelotti on the touchline. The Italian has won everything at the club level and was part of Italy’s staff in the 1994 World Cup. He has the ability to manage the large egos on the Selecao. Already, he has made a tactical change, switching from a two-man to a three-man midfield during World Cup preparations. He can still unleash the likes of Vinicius Jr, Raphinha, Mateus Cunha, Igor Tiago, and Endrick in various combination of attack. They have to be good in attack, because they aren’t especially strong in defense. Marquinhos and Gabriel played against each other in the UEFA Champions League final, but must be fatigued after a long season. Marquinhos made an uncharacteristic error to gift Egypt a goal and received a long, cold stare from Ancelotti. The fullbacks won’t make anyone forget the likes of Roberto Carlos or Carlos Alberto. They will face Morocco, a semifinalist in 2022, to start before facing Haiti and Scotland.

France have been to the last two finals led by Kylian Mbappe. Les Bleus could probably field two teams such is their supply of talent. Long time coach Didier Deschamps will be stepping down after the World Cup and several players have already stated they want to give him a proper sendoff. Mbappe is far from the only world class player in the team. Deschamps has major decisions to make in attack and that’s after losing Hugo Ekitike to an Achilles injury. The likely setup will have Balon D’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and Bayern Munich star Michael Olise up front with Mbappe. If that doesn’t strike fear into most defenses, Deschamps can turn to Rayan Cherki, Marcus Thuram (son of 1998 World Cup winner Lilian), Desire Doue, and Bradley Barcola. Perhaps the French will have some issues in defense, but their group looks a lot like the team that lost by the thinnest of margins to Argentina in Qatar and wants another shot. This is a team that can rightly believe they can win the Jules Rimet trophy on July 19.

If France come in with confidence and belief, then Spain looks like the team ready to knock them off. Both teams will be expected to win their groups, which would keep them apart until the final. Spain has an easier draw to start. They face newcomers Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay. France meets Senegal, who famously beat them in 2002, Iraq, and Norway, a team nobody wanted to draw. Spain lacks only a pure center forward. They will probably insert attacking players like Ferran Torres and Mikel Oyarzabal in the position but give them freedom to find the game. Finding the game won’t be an issue for Spain’s teenage star Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona youngster is rehabbing an injury and could miss one or two group matches. Once he is ready, expectations will be high. He is Messi’s successor at Barcelona and has lit up La Liga for the past two seasons. He will now introduce himself to the world at the highest level. The rest of the squad is loaded with top players at top clubs. There are eight from Barcelona alone. However, for the first time ever, there are no Real Madrid players in the squad. Given the talent Luis de la Fuente has included, they won’t be missed. Like France, they are deep, talented, and hungry. France versus Spain would be a worthy final.

France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, and England will all start the World Cup feeling that they are contenders. They feel like that every four years. So, who could cause a problem for them? Only a fool would take Germany lightly. Led by Julian Nagelsmann, they have a solid squad with an injection of some lively young players that will give any team a problem. Unfortunately, their teenage sensation Lennart Karl picked up an injury during the team’s final preparations and will miss the World Cup. They still have Arsenal’s Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich from Bayern Munich among their top players. They play rugged defense and have three top notch goalkeepers. 

Norway has their best generation of players all together all at once. Prior to the World Cup, the team got together for a photo shoot in full Viking attire. Nobody looked more intimidating than striker Erling Haaland. He doesn’t touch the ball much, but when he does he has a knack for putting it in the back of the net. He’s big and powerful and will keep defenses under pressure. With Martin Odegaard pulling the strings in midfield and a supporting cast of players from around the Premier League and other top leagues, Norway is a team most wanted to avoid during the group stage. They raced through qualifying, crushing Italian dreams and forcing them into the playoffs where they fell apart again. Norway will be with France, Senegal, and Iraq during the group phase.

Morocco showed they were no slouches in Qatar, becoming the first African country to make the semifinals. Could they repeat the feat? Their path is difficult, facing Brazil to start. Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou will keep them in games. They also have the best attacking full back in football in Achraf Hakimi. Real Madrid didn’t put any players on Spain’s team, but Brahim Diaz will be a key player for Morocco. He has the ability to unlock defenses and create the chances Morocco will need to advance. 

Finishing second in the group would put them up against the Group F winner in the round of 32. On paper that could be another team with potential:  the Netherlands. The Dutch beat the USA in the round of 16 in Qatar. This time, they aren’t among the favorites but still possess a lot of talented players. They need Frankie de Jong to control games from midfield and find a consistent goal threat in the front line. Memphis Depay hasn’t been fit or effective since moving to Corinthians in Brazil, just one goal in six games in 2026. Brian Brobbey and Donyell Malen will compete for time at center forward. Virgil Van Dijk still anchors the back line, but he looked vulnerable in the Premier League and will need a partner who can cover more ground. The Dutch can compete with any team but have always had the reputation as the “nearly” men of World Cups.

The three host nations aren’t contenders or even dark horse candidates according to most experts. Canada, the weakest of the three, has lost two key players to injury already. Winger Marcelo Flores tore his ACL playing for Tigres in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final. Defender Moise Bombito also had to drop from the team after failing to recover from injury. Losing two starters is bad enough, but star defender Alphonso Davies remains injured. He’s with the team and on the roster, but it’s not clear when or if he will be able to play. That would be another major blow for team that simply doesn’t have the depth to go to the bottom end of the roster and find quality. They will face Bosnia-Herzegovina, Switzerland, and Qatar with expectations of a third place finish. It’s possible that they won’t get past the group phase. It would be a big blow, but their advancement will likely depend on how badly they can beat Qatar, if they can.

Mexico has hosted the World Cup twice and reached the quarterfinals both times. That would be a spectacular tournament for Javier Aguirre’s team. Even with teenager Gilberto Mora ready to step into the global spotlight, this is a mediocre side based on previous editions. They are reliant on aging striker Raul Jiminez, having left Inter Miami’s German Berterame off the team in favor of more domestic players. Two former US youth internationals have made the team. Brian Gutierrez and Obed Vargas are in the pool of midfielders. How Aguirre chooses to use them will be interesting. Mexico has a balanced group with South Africa, South Korea, and Czechia. South Korea will have their star Heung-Min Son leading the line. The LAFC forward remains a threat to score from anywhere. Czechia will be a typically physical team. They might struggle at altitude in Mexico but will be more effective when their games move to the USA.

After reaching the round of 16 in 2022, the United States has to believe that is the minimum in 2026. After sacking Gregg Berhalter in the wake of the Copa America debacle, the team has had some more rough moments in the buildup to Friday night’s game against Paraguay. Hiring Mauricio Pochettino didn’t go over well in some quarters of the domestic soccer community. He doesn’t live in the USA, preferring to keep his homes in London and Barcelona, and isn’t completely fluent in English. He is fluent in football though and there has been improvement in the team’s set up.

The USA didn’t get any favors from the draw. Paraguay, Australia, and Turkiye have all faced the USA within the last year. The Americans beat Australia and Paraguay and lost to Turkiye. Most experts believe the group will play out the same way in the World Cup. That would put the US against the second place team from Group G, potentially Iran, in Dallas. Winning the group would mean staying on the West Coast. 

The US team under Pochettino has been able to create plenty of offense. Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi bring different qualities to the center forward position but are coming off excellent scoring seasons in Europe. Christian Pulisic broke his scoreless drought against Senegal and will have to be a driving force. There are options in midfield and on the wings, the likes of which no previous US manager has had. However, unlike previous US managers Pochettino does not have a top level goalkeeper. Matt Freese didn’t command his area well enough against Germany and Matt Turner has yet to recapture the form that earned him the starting job in Qatar. The defense has been prone to errors. Miles Robinson found himself at the heart of both goals conceded to Germany last weekend.

Ahead of the opener against Paraguay, the biggest question mark for the USA remains Chris Richards’ fitness. The Crystal Palace center back hasn’t played in a month due to ankle ligament injury. He trained for the first time with the team on Monday. Given Robinson’s struggles against Germany and even in MLS for his club, supporters are right to hold their breath and hope Richards can be ready for Friday night.

The preliminaries are now done. After a multitude of pre-game ceremonies, the first game will finally kick off in the biggest World Cup ever. Forty-eight teams all start even. Each one will want to make an impact. Some are just hoping not to be run off the field. Others have legitimate reason to believe they can hoist the World Cup on July 19. Once the games start, let’s hope all the action remains on the field and the issues that piled up before will become distant memories.