Ay, caramba! Mexico hosts a World Cup for the third time in history, on this occasion with ‘hosting buddies’ Canada & the USA. And in their own backyard, El Tricolor are favourites to top Group A which features South Korea, South Africa and (South?) Czechia.
Mexico’s huge leg-up is playing two of their group games at the mighty Azteca; there will be more than 80,000 in attendance, not to mention the added pressure of performing at 2,200 metres above sea level. Playing at altitude is no joke, and with a wild home crowd behind them they will ease into the knockout phase of competition.
South Korea represents their biggest threat to top spot, in fact the two sides met late last year in a friendly that ended 2-2. Former Tottenham excitement machine Son Heung-Min will be central to all they will achieve. Now plying his trade in the MLS with LAFC, his decade-long stint with Spurs in the Premier League speaks to his sheer quality.
South Africa comes into their first World Cup in 16 years, which of course is when they themselves hosted in 2010. And whether it’s by accident or design, who knows, but the first match of 2026 is a repeat of what happened 16 years ago – Mexico vs South Africa! On that occasion it was a 1-1 draw. Expectations aren’t high for the Africans, having been bundled out of AFCON in the Round of 16. They’ll battle it out for bottom spot with Czechia, who wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for tournament expansion (32 teams becoming 48). Long gone are the days of Tomas Rosicky, Petr Cech and Jan Koller – this is a team that needed a UEFA Playoff win against Denmark to book their ticket. It’s Czechia’s first appearance in 20 years, so don’t expect it to be a memorable one.
Best Bets
Mexico RD of 16 Elimination @ $3.25
Mexico 1st, South Korea 2nd Group A Forecast @ $4.33
It is highly unlikely that this quartet will produce a World Cup winner, but they will be very competitive against each other… and results? Extremely unpredictable – so proceed with caution! Switzerland are the only one of the four ranked inside the Men’s Top 20 and should finish on top of the pile. They’ve made it to the Round of 16 in four of the last five World Cups they’ve appeared at. Former Arsenal, and current Sunderland midfielder, Granit Xhaka is the cheese block on which the Swiss build upon.
Interestingly, a number of past and present Switzerland players have heritage tied to Bosnia & Herzegovina, which shapes as the match of the group. B&H are a real surprise package, having astonishingly accounted for former World Champions Italy in a UEFA Playoff to qualify. Edin Dzeko is the familiar face in blue and gold, and at 40 years of age is still leading the line and banging in the goals. They didn’t make it out of the group in their only prior appearance 12 years ago, but this time around… they just might.
Qatar won’t. You might remember they hosted the whole shebang in 2022 and lost all three group stage matches, conceding seven and scoring just one solitary goal. Don’t expect things to change much here.
Co-hosts Canada will almost certainly qualify for the Round of 32, given the even nature of this group; remember that the eight best-performed third place getters go through to the knockout phase. Their schedule is helpful too, in that their fate may already be sealed by the time they face the tough prospect of Switzerland in their final group stage match; a point against Bosnia & Herzegovina, take all three versus Qatar, and the Swiss become something of a free hit.
Best Bets
Switzerland 7 Points @ $3.50
Qatar 0 Points @ $2.75
Ever seen a ‘bad’ Brazil team? According to some experts, the 2026 edition is exactly that. My assumption is that comparatively with teams from other eras, this is where the assessment comes from, but this is still a team with Vini Jr, Gabriel, Marquinhos, Allison… plus Brazil is a five-time World Cup winner! Winning is in their DNA. In truth, as they sit back and look at their Group C opponents, Scotland and Haiti won’t concern Brazil at all, but the Moroccans definitely will. Cast your mind back to four years ago, the World Cup in Qatar where Morocco finished 4th – and yes, you can say that was a surprise result at the time, but they have maintained that level through this World Cup cycle, so much so that they sit only TWO ranking places behind Brazil inside the Top 10 of the world. There is almost no doubt that the top qualifier of Group C will come from one of these two nations.
For the Scottish, it’s a warm welcome back after 28 years in the cold – France ‘98 is when we last saw the Scots on the grandest stage of them all. In eight previous appearances Scotland has never progressed beyond pool play, and cruelly been done in by goal difference on three occasions. If they are to finally progress to the next round, they’ll do it as one of the best-performed third place getters overall.
Despite spanking the All Whites in a pre-tournament friendly, Haiti will bring up the rear. They see Scotland’s 28-year exile and say: “hold my beer, fellas”, ending a 52-year absence from the World Cup in 2026. And they did it the hard way too; thanks to political unrest and turmoil at home, they qualified for the World Cup playing away games only; their ‘home’ base was 800kms away in Curacao. If the World Number 83 is to progress from this group, everything will hinge on Haiti getting something from its opening encounter with Scotland.
And REMEMBER: the last time USA hosted the World Cup, Brazil were crowned champions. Will lightning strike twice?
Best Bets
Brazil 1st, Morocco 2nd Group C Forecast @ $2.10
Haiti 1 Point @ $3.00
Everything in Australia is out to kill you, so it’s fitting that they find themselves in a ‘Group of Death’ kind of scenario. Not only do they have to contend with co-hosts USA, but also Turkiye and Paraguay; we are looking at 4 teams that can all make strong arguments to progress to the Round of 32.
Let’s start with the Americans. Home ground advantage will count for something, with stadium crowds overwhelmingly in their favour. In Mauricio Pochettino they have a quality, proven manager, who will likely get the best out of a squad featuring Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), and Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie. Interestingly, at USA’s last home World Cup in 1994 – when it was a 24 team competition – USA made it out of their group as one of the best third place getters, losing to Brazil 1-0 in the Round of 16. With expansion of teams from 32 to 48 in the last World Cup cycle, placing 3rd and qualifying has become a reality once again in 2026.
This is Turkiye’s third World Cup appearance having not featured since 2002 where they miraculously placed 3rd. If they are to get anywhere close to repeating that astonishing achievement, then Real Madrid’s 21-year-old midfielder Arda Guler will have played a starring role, supported by Kenan Yildiz of Juventus. Only one problem for Turkiye, and it’s potentially a biggie: they don’t have a proven striker. It didn’t seem to phase them much in qualifying, given that they only lost once… but it was SOME loss. A 6-0 defeat to powerhouse Spain.
Paraguay could be absolutely anything. They defeated South American heavyweights Brazil and Argentina in qualifying, but in nine away games produced just one solitary victory. If you want a man to follow, look no further than former Newcastle United player Miguel Almiron. You might remember he was the target of a Jack Grealish drunken slur during a Manchester City victory parade… well, only one of the two has made the 2026 World Cup, and it ain’t Jack!
As for the Socceroos, this is a team full of A-League graduates which speaks volumes to the quality of our local professional league in this part of the world. Nestory Irankunda cut his teeth in the Aussie competition with Adelaide United and, now with Watford in the UK could provide the necessary X-factor in the attacking end. My prediction is that Paraguay misses out altogether, USA and Turkiye battle it out for top spot, and the Australians will rely on the 3rd place ballot.
Best Bets
USA & Turkey to qualify @ $2.63
USA HT/FT vs Paraguay @ $3.00
Jamal Musiala, Antonio Rudiger, Florian Wirtz, Kai Havertz, Joshua Kimmich… need I say more? Germany is not only topping Group E, but going deep in the knockout phase. Oddly, that’s something they haven’t done in the last two editions of the World Cup, failing to get out of their group in Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022). That will certainly provide additional motivation and ammunition for the 4-time World Champions. The squad contains 7 players from Bayern Munich, who easily claimed the Bundesliga title.
When Germany qualifies top, Ecuador will be nestled in behind them in 2nd place. If you need reminding, Willian Pacho just secured back-to-back Champions League titles with PSG, at teammate Piero Hincapie’s expense; Arsenal undone on penalties in European football’s night of nights, but the Gunners victorious in the Premier League. Moises Caicedo is Chelsea’s 100 million pound man, and Pervis Estupinan of AC Milan is a wonderful left wing-back… this is a squad with some seriously good talent from the top leagues around the world.
The Côte d’Ivoire squad is highlighted by former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe and Manchester United’s Amad Diallo, but without a Didier Drogba-type player up top their first appearance in 12 years might begin and end in pool play. As for Curacao in their first world cup? Their reward is a seriously difficult assignment against a stacked Germany in game one, an entertaining Ecuador in game two, and most likely nothing to play for but pride against Côte d’Ivoire in their final match.
Best Bets
Germany Over 5.5 vs Curacao @ $3.00
Germany 1st, Ecuador 2nd Group E Forecast @ $2.63
SPOILER ALERT: Netherlands are winning this year’s World Cup!
That’s according to Joachim Klement, the German mathematician and economist who famously predicted the winners of the last THREE World Cups. He has the Dutch defeating Portugal in the showpiece event, so be sure to take that with a truckload of salt given that France, Spain and Argentina expect to be at the pointy end of the tournament.
Outside of 2018 when they failed to qualify, the Netherlands have shown reasonable consistency in recent years: beaten finalists in 2010, third in 2014, quarterfinalists in Qatar four years ago. With a Liverpool spine of Virgil van Dyk, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo, the Dutch will be confident in topping Group F, despite having a number of first-choice players missing the tournament through injury, or at the very least battling to be fully fit by the time the tournament begins.
Japan will head to the knockout stage directly in second spot if their qualifying form is anything to go by; topping their AFC group and suffering only one defeat along the way. They are always well organised, work hard for each other and difficult to break down as a collective, but injuries to Takumi Minamino and Kaoru Mitoma will count against them. Luckily on the right wing they have the ‘Japanese Messi’ Takefusa Kubo – look out for his outstanding technical ability if you haven’t seen him in action before!
As for the other two, expect a crazy old fight for bottom spot. Sweden were utterly abysmal in qualifying, and if that were to continue here then they are miles off escaping the pool. However, if they magically remember how to play the beautiful game, and recognize that in Anthony Elanga, Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak they have a potent Premier League frontline, Sweden actually has every chance of progressing to knockout football. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for an African team to get in behind this World Cup, please avoid Tunisia; they only made the Round of 16 in the Africa Cup of Nations, and lack the serious star power required to make an impact. They’ll be flying home winless in three.
Best Bets
Netherlands 1st, Japan 2nd Group F Forecast @ $3.75
Draw – Sweden v Tunisia @ $3.30
The All Whites are going to top Group G!
That’s what you want me to say, but I… I just can’t. There is no doubting the sheer quality of players at Darren Bazeley’s disposal – arguably the best kiwi squad ever assembled – with Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood leading the line, Marko Stamenic, Libby Cacace and Tyler Bindon bringing EFL Championship quality to the Starting XI, and an amazing shotstopper in goal whoever is selected out of Max Crocombe and Alex Paulsen, but if they are to qualify for the knockout stage they’ll go through as one of the eight-best third place getters. Not only have goals been hard to come by outside of OFC, but they just leaked four against Haiti in a pre-tournament friendly. The clash with Iran will be key to everything they can achieve. Win that, and take a point from either Egypt or Belgium, and the All Whites are making history. We can dream!
Belgium will go through to the Round of 32 as top qualifiers. Just when you think Belgium’s golden generation is over, it finds a way of extending itself. A squad featuring Kevin de Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Youri Tielemans, Romelu Lukaku and Jeremy Doku instils plenty of fear, and Doku’s outrageous ability on the ball will be a difficult prospect for many defenders. From a kiwi perspective it’s something of a blessing that the All Whites face the Red Devils last in pool play; if Belgium defeats Egypt and Iran first, then a weakened side may take to the field against NZ with qualification assured.
As for Egypt, two names: Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush. Mo leaves Liverpool in third place on the all-time goalscorers list, terrorising left backs for fun in the Premier League for close to a decade. Manchester City’s Marmoush is fast, and lethal in his own right. But a criticism of these two is that they haven’t worked effectively together – perhaps they will be inspired by Salah’s last hoorah? I can’t imagine he’ll play in 2030, so this represents his last chance to secure Egypt’s first win at a World Cup, and after that, anything’s possible.
It’s difficult to know what to expect of Iran taking into consideration the ongoing conflict with the USA. But if we leave war and politics out of it for now, Iran qualified top of its AFC group and leading into the tournament have had some good performances in friendlies against Costa Rica and Gambia. Their first World Cup match is against the All Whites, a fixture that means everything for both teams. Expect the loser of that encounter to finish last in Group G.
Best Bets
NZ to beat Iran @ $4.25
Belgium 1st, Egypt 2nd Group G Forecast @ $3.00
Put Spain down for a spot in the Round of 32. Heck, put them down for a spot in the World Cup final! They conquered Europe two years ago, and 16 members of that squad have followed on to the global tournament. Rodri, Pedri, Lamine Yamal! They are a very realistic chance of going all the way.
But first? Pool play. Uruguay should claim second spot behind Spain under the watchful gaze of coaching mastermind/madman Marcelo Bielsa. One thing we can guarantee is that nobody will be bitten now that Luis Suarez has retired from international football. In all seriousness though, without the pillars of Suarez and Edinson Cavani, Uruguay look a vastly different attacking threat. Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde is the key to success, and consistency; the Uruguayans were Jekyll & Hyde in qualifying.
Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the great upsets of Qatar 2022 when they defeated eventual World Champions Argentina 2-1 at the group stage. Can they pull off something similar here? My bet is no, they won’t. What will happen is more of the same tactically; playing out of possession a lot, attempting to frustrate their opposition and play on the counter with limited opportunities. They may have a modicum of success against Uruguay, but not Spain.
As for Cape Verde, this is their first World Cup and nothing is expected of them. Imagine a country with a population of around half a million qualifying for a World Cup?! Who knows, maybe the Blue Sharks can take a bite out of Saudi Arabia, but that would be it.
Best Bets
Spain to WIN WORLD CUP @ $5.50
Over 5.5 goals – Spain & Cape Verde @ $4.60
If France is going to win this World Cup, they will do it the hard way. Group I is looking rather ‘deathy’, if you ask me.
In predicting the future, it might be easiest to start with Iraq, actually! They were last to qualify, and could be first out the door too. Manager Graham Arnold (yes, the former Socceroos boss) has said of his own side that “if you went through every individual player and every team, and the transfer price of all the players, we would probably be the lowest-ranked at the World Cup”. So expectations are low for the Lions of Mesopotamia, and they will not progress.
Okay, now let’s go ahead and put France at the top of this pile. With a World Cup win in 2018, beaten finalists in 2022, a rockstar squad complete with jet-heeled Kylian Mbappe and Ballon D’Or winner Ousmane Dembele… the more I type, the more convinced I am that they’re going back to a World Cup final.
Senegal and Norway won’t make it easy in the opening exchanges though. The Norwegian charge is led by Manchester City’s monster Erling Haaland, who eats defenders and goals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and in behind him is the gorgeous left foot of Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard. His crossing accuracy in particular will be of huge benefit, given the sheer size of Haaland up top. It’s an obvious route to goal.
Senegal would be/could be/should be reigning AFCON Champions, but for a grand final protest against the officiating which saw them stripped of the title. Protest aside, this is a wonderful team with plenty of flair and experience. The big name among them all is Sadio Mane; Senegal’s all-time leading goalscorer has a point to prove after missing the last world cup through injury. At 34 years of age, he still has the same nose for goal he always has, and behind him is a team full of Premier League quality players. My pick is for Senegal to qualify directly for the Round of 32 in 2nd spot, with Norway in the 3rd place lottery.
Best Bets
France to MAKE FINAL @ $3.50
France 1st, Senegal 2nd Group I Forecast @ $4.00
Argentina’s defence of the World Cup gets underway in nice, easy fashion in Group J (compared to what France will be dealing with in Group I, anyway). It’s our last chance to see Lionel Messi on the greatest stage of them all, but it’s not just about him; his teammates represent a clear and present danger too. Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, and Alejandro Garnacho will ensure that Argentina is in capable hands well beyond 2026. The only real challenge here is to avoid the embarrassment of another ‘Saudi Arabia’ moment, where against all odds they lost their opening match at Qatar 2022.
The home of Arnold Schwarzenegger looms as the nation most likely to push Argentina for top spot. Austria will press aggressively out of possession, they don’t like to play sideways or backwards, and they love a rapid counter-attack. A potential problem with their pressing comes in the form of striker Marko Arnautovic; at 37, he’s arguably not as spry and nimble as he once was. And if you’ve got one weak link in the chain, the whole darn thing comes apart.
Algeria meanwhile are more compact defensively, looking to sit deep and frustrate opponents in that manner. They do have a top-notch outlet to take advantage of transitional moments however, with Riyad Mahrez in the mix. But at 35, it’s looking increasingly likely that he’ll be used sparingly, with numerous sections of the media suggesting he’ll be a ‘super sub’ only.
And at their first-ever World Cup, Jordan will simply be hoping to get some good results in the full-time jersey swap. They’ll finish bottom of Group J.
Best Bets
Argentina to MAKE SEMIS @ $3.00
Argentina 9 Points @ $2.75
Cristiano appears at a SIXTH World Cup for Portugal. The best-looking, old man in world football has still got it! And while millions of fans will be fixated on CR7, he’s not the main reason the Selecao will top Group K and go on a lengthy knockout phase run. Their strength lies in midfield with Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha – the latter enjoying European Champions League success with PSG, while Fernandes broke the Premier League assist record for a single season with a resurgent Manchester United during the 25/26 campaign.
If Portugal goes top, they’ll have Colombia breathing down their neck. And like Portugal, they have a veteran too in the form of James Rodriguez, who holds the key to progressing out of the group. But watch out for Bayern Munich’s Luis Diaz causing problems for defenders in wide areas at every opportunity – Colombia is a side with plenty of technical ability and creative flair, pace down the flanks, and can easily cause teams headaches out of pool play.
Congo and Uzbekistan will find it hard to compete with the other two nations. Italian World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro is probably the best thing about the Uzbeks; he became manager of the side when qualification was confirmed. Perhaps that’s a little unkind, given they do have Premier League quality in their defensive end in the form of Abdukodir Khusanov. Congo can rely on Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa providing pace in attacking areas. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is another one of a number of European-based players within the Congo squad, hoping for better results after his West Ham were relegated from the EPL
Best Bets
Portugal Eliminated Quarters @ $5.50
Portugal 1st, Colombia 2nd Group K Forecast @ $2.20
Is it coming home? After all those decades of heartache and pain, can England finally lift the World Cup for just the second time in history?!
Not if Croatia has anything to say about it. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: the half-Croatian guy going into bat for Hrvatska. Okay, okay… but if England don’t finish top of Group L, they’ll forgo the privilege of being one of the 4 seeded teams in this competition, meaning they’d have to face off against France, Spain or Argentina BEFORE the semi-final stage, making the road to victory so much harder. So there’s a method to my madness! I haven’t been blinded by the beauty of my 1998 Croatian World Cup shirt which I still wear to this very day.
Let’s be real: for all the grief they cop, England’s team is world class. Harry Kane has utterly destroyed nets all over the Bundesliga this season. There’s a grace and royalty to everything Jude Bellingham does. Bukayo Saka is a livewire. I can go on like this. But the fact of the matter is, Croatia has been a thorn in their side at the World Cup before. They reached the final in 2018 after defeating England in the semifinals. And they STILL have the icon Luka Modric. You know what they say, life begins at 40. And at 40 years of age you can bet your sweet buttocks that he’ll be out to deny England again, alongside Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic and friends.
HOWEVER… England will top the Group.
Ghana should get through to the knockout rounds as well in 3rd place, because any team with Antoine Semenyo in it is one to be feared. Unfortunately Mohammed Kudus wasn’t able to recover from a thigh injury in time to be selected for the squad, and he’s a huge miss.
And Panama? It’s just a really good rock song.
Best Bets
Harry Kane GOLDEN BOOT (Top Tournament Goalscorer) @ $8.00
Draw – England v Croatia @ $3.60