The World Cup is fast approaching, and it seems like there are so many teams we know more about than others. So let’s break down the hosts, regular returners and newcomers as the countdown begins to June.
The Hosts:
Mexico are no stranger to the World Cup, having hosted twice, and this will be their third time hosting the tournament alongside the USA, which has hosted before and first-time hosts Canada. This World Cup is promised to be bigger than ever, with 12 cities from the three different countries starting in Mexico City and the final in New York/New Jersey, with a Super Bowl-style show at halftime with input by Coldplay front man Chris Martin.
The Mexican National Team is renowned for its flair and play-style, also known for having beautiful designs representing their culture on their shirts.
The USA and Canada have a bit of catching up to do, especially with fan culture and with recent events in the states. Reports suggest there will be fewer fans coming to the World Cup with there now being boycotts suspected from a few of the big teams.
Mexico starts us off with the first game against South Africa, a repeat of the opening game of the 2010 World Cup opener.
Regular Returners:
Many European countries, such as Spain, England, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, qualified alongside the current champions, Argentina, and five-time winners Brazil. It was seemingly inevitable that they would qualify as they are within the top 10 teams in the world (as of January 2026). Other major teams in Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, South Korea, Japan and Australia, will take their place too- just to name a few.
Returning teams boast the best players and tacticians across the world, leaving the onus on the “smaller” sides to research and challenge them head on if they were to hope to cause an upset.
Returning teams are often waved on to pass the group with little to no worries about their opponents, but could these newcomers possibly create some upsets and prove that they, as seen throughout history, are not infalliable?
Newcomers:
Some inspiring stories have come out during the qualifiers. Uzbekistan who are led by their former manager Timur Kapadze, qualified back in June 2025 after a 3-0 win against previous hosts Qatar, to secure their first qualification ever. Now, the Uzbeks are being managed by Italian Legend Fabio Cannavaro who will hope to take them as far as they can go.
The small island of Curacao also qualified after a dream run. On the final game day, they needed and secured a draw against Jamaica, leading to their first qualification in their history. They go into the competition led by former Netherlands manager Dick Advocaat.
Haiti qualified as well, but for them it was bittersweet due to political issues within the country that meant they could not celebrate with their people and had to play in Curacao. Despite that, they have qualified for their second World Cup, last playing in the 1950s.
Cape Verde also qualified after three wins in their group and stellar performances for such a small group of islands with over 600,000 people.
In Europe, Norway got their long-awaited qualification after dispatching every team they faced. Their largest win came against Moldova, winning 11-1; five coming from Erling Haaland. Austria also qualified after some incredible performances, after only losing once to Romania.
Scotland also returned on the final day, beating Denmark 4-2 at Hampden with particularly special efforts from McTominay and Mclean. The game was talked about amongst Scots for such a while after that you could see what it meant for them.
No matter what happens during the World Cup, it will a time of unity for countries and their people as they on footballs biggest stage. The political climate in the US is cause for concern, and FIFA needs to do something about it, however the 11th of June will mark a significant date for all as the world’s competition kicks off.
