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Believe it or not, the 2026 World Cup is only one year from today.
The World Cup takes place every four years, but there are slight differences between the 2026 edition and the previous 2022 edition. Instead of a traditional summer schedule, the action in Qatar took place in November and December due to the extreme heat of several months of summer.
In 2022, one of the football legends finally won the famous World Cup trophy. Lionel Messi and Argentina defeated France in a penalty shootout, proving Lapuga as the best they’ve ever had.
A lot has changed since then in the soccer landscape. New global stars have emerged, certain countries have fallen dramatically or are behind, and of course more teams will be participating in 2026.
Here is an annual preview of the sport’s biggest tournaments, including opportunities for US men’s national teams, from the team to the view:
Below are five things you need to know about Lionel “Leo” Messi, one of the greatest footballers of all time, playing for the Argentine national team and MLS club Intermiami.
What happened at the 2022 Qatar World Cup?
To briefly sum up the 2022 tournament, Messi and Argentina defeated France in the final. Both Morocco and Croatia saw Cinderella reach the semi-finals, but they ended up falling. Mexico, Germany, Belgium and Uruguay have surprisingly failed to advance to the knockout round, with Spain and the USMNT being eliminated in 16 rounds.
In the stacked quarterfinals, the Netherlands, Brazil, England and Portugal were all short, with the former being through penalties and the latter being two things: regulation.
When will the 2026 World Cup be?
The 2026 World Cup will be held from Thursday, June 11th to Sunday, July 19th.
Where is the 2026 World Cup?
The tournament will be co-hosted for the first time by three different countries: the US, Canada and Mexico.
What are the host cities for the 2026 World Cup?
These are the cities of three countries that host World Cup matches.
USA: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle
Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey
Canada: Toronto, Vancouver
Who are the rights to the 2026 World Cup media?
In the US, Fox has the rights to the World Cup Games in English, and Telemundo, a division of NBCuniversal, owns the rights to Spain.
How many teams will you have at the 2026 World Cup?
For the first time, the Men’s World Cup has increased to 48 countries, rather than the previous 32.
Teams and players to watch at the 2026 World Cup
Of course, new players may appear while the current player can disappear by the start of the tournament. But if the action begins today, these are five teams and players.
Spain
Ruling Euro champion Laloja has shown his potential advantage in international football. Ballon d’or or candidates Ramin Yamal and Nico Williams have two explosive young wingers highlighting the stacked midfield divisions of Rodri, Pedri, Gavi, Daniormo, Mikel Merino, Fabien Lewis and Martins Vimendi. The Unai Simon is between the sticks, with Pau Cubarsi, Robin Le Normand and Pedro Porro helping to revitalize the defense. Star Strikers are weaknesses, but Spain specializes in fake 9s.
The talented teenage forward from Spain has created euro history as the youngest scorer.
France
Les Bleus, the 2018 and 2022 finalist winner, will once again become a serious nominee in a treasure trove of talent. Superstar forward Killian Mbappe entered his prime, and top Ballon d’Or candidate Osmane Dembele finally began to strike his potential. The desires of the young winger were also in illuminated in the Champions League final. In the midfield are Real Madrid stars Aurelienchuameni and Eduardo Camabinga, with Mike Maynyam being the goalkeeper. William Saliba, Ibrahima Conate, Jules Kaunde and Theo Hernandez are among the world-class advocates.
England
After years of failing to overcome the finish line, the three lions brought in German manager Thomas Tuschel. England have elite forwards for Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka, with Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Cole Palmer potentially becoming a midfield trio. Jordan Pickford is a veteran goalkeeper, while Harry Maguire, Mark Guech, Reese James and Trent Alexander Arnold could be defensively important. Miles Lewis Skelly also rose to stardom at Arsenal at just 18, scoring his first goal from his Chuchell era, making it possible that the national team would become the left back they’ve long needed.
Portugal
There are concerns about how manager Roberto Martinez uses his players, but Portugal’s depth is getting better and better. With Cristiano Ronaldo still a 40-year-old starting striker, he is surrounded by the quality of talent worthy of his prime year. Alongside Ronaldo in the attack are Rafael Leo, Pedro Neto, Francisco Consens and Diego Jota. The midfield is especially stacked with two young stars, Joan Neves and Vitanya, with Bruno Fernandez and Bernardo Silva also being extremely important players. Diogo Costa is easily GK1, with defenses like Ruben Dias, Nuno Mendes, Goncalo Inacio and Antonio Silva.
Argentina
Finally, Messi is heading for the possibility of repeating the World Cup title. Lionel Scaroni’s side has learned to win without Messi in recent years, but he has tilted the margin courtesy of Argentina. Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez and Giuliano Simeone are the attackers to watch in the middle, including Rodrigo de Paul, Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Alistair. Emi Martinez will likely remain the first goalkeeper, but Christian Romero, Nahiel Morina, Gonzalo Montiel and Nico Tagliafico are expected to return. He is talented at La Al Al Al Al of the Pitch and could make serious progress in a year.
Former MLS player Bradley Light Phillips says the US has no intention of winning the World Cup, but he explains how MLS builds momentum for the 2026 tournament and wins on the global stage.
What are the USMNT chances at the 2026 World Cup?
Can USMNT win the World Cup in its home soil? The team hired Mauricio Pochettino as manager and as a celebrity in the world of football, but the lack of quality continues. Christian Purisic remains the best player in the country, and left-back Antony Robinson has also seen his stock rise. However, while Folarin Balogun didn’t take the streaker spot into the storm as originally expected, Tyler Adams is continuously injured, and Matt Turner’s fall leads to a goalkeeper hole, leaving a general depth that leaves more hope.
The US has just overcome the 2022 group stage alongside England, with Iran and Wales involved. However, the stars and stripes lost 3-1 to the Netherlands in 16 rounds, exposed due to lack of finishing and defensive insight. Gregg Berhalter was manager at the time, leading to a controversial rehiring before being fired again, but there is little evidence to suggest that the 2026 48-team tournament would deepen the US.
Mauricio Pochettino is an Argentine soccer manager who took over the head job of the US men’s national soccer team, which Greg Berhalter has left open. There are five things he may not know about Pockettino as he prepares to wear red, white and blue.
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