World Cup 2026: the definitive guide with all the groups, figures, formations and analysis of the 48 teams

He World Cup 2026 is getting closer and knowing the key information about the participating teams is the best way to start the football festival that will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada starting June 11.

The coaches, the figures, the promises, the references and the style of play of each of the selected ones who will go for glory.

Also, the road to the World Cup, its history and every detail of its preparation.

The profiles of the participants, group by group

He group A will have one of the hosts, Mexico, whose main objective is to at least match its campaigns from the other two editions in which it was local. Reaching the quarterfinals will be the goal of El Tri, who will have three dangerous rivals in the initial phase. They will play the opening match against South Africa, which returns to a World Cup with fewer focuses than other Africans but without pressure. On the other hand, South Korea, the Asian team with the most experience, has shown that it can compete against any rival and is far from being that weak team of the eighties and nineties. The third member of zone A will be a European, the winner of the playoff key between Denmark, North Macedonia, the Czech Republic and Ireland. Without a doubt, it is an even area in which neither can trust each other.

The zone B It is led by another of the locals, Canada, who will play in their third World Cup and will look for their first point. Fate placed him with three difficult rivals. Their debut will be in Toronto against a European opponent to be defined, which could be Italy (if they overcome their key against Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia). They will then face Qatar and close the first round against Switzerland. Without a doubt, they are three very complex rivals for a team with little experience that will try to rely on its fans. The two European teams start as big favorites in zone B.

Brazil will reach 24 years without world titles, the same number that passed between 1970 and 1994. It has been away from the defining stages for too long and with Carlo Ancelotti as coach it will look for the sixth star in the land where it won the fourth. He was lucky in the draw, because although in the group C It was Morocco’s turn, one of the best teams in recent years, it will also clash with Scotland, which it beat three times in the World Cup, and Haiti, one of the weakest in the tournament. For the Scots it is a golden opportunity to get past the first round for the first time in their history, while the Moroccan team has everything to get excited again.

The United States takes the field as hosts with the dream of surpassing what they did in 1994, when they were eliminated in the round of 16. He group D It allows him to get excited, although he cannot relax either because he will have three complex rivals. The first will be Paraguay, which returns to a World Cup after 16 years after a great campaign in the Qualifiers and with the strength as always. There is also Australia in the area, which became a regular participant in the World Cups and has just given Messi’s Argentina a scare. Group A will be completed by the winner of key C of the European play-offs, which will be played by Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo.

Germany is coming off two first round eliminations and is in the worst moment in its World Cup history. He has no margin for error: he needs to be a protagonist again in this World Cup. His toughest rival in the group E It will be Ecuador, which showed the ability to compete against Argentina and Brazil in the Qualifiers and has a squad with hierarchy, experience and youth. He is one of those who can surprise in the tournament. Ivory Coast will also seek to do that, which did not have a great Africa Cup but also has quality individuals. The fourth team in the area is Curacao, the smallest country to compete in a World Cup.

He group F It is presented as one of the most even in the contest. The favorite for first place is the Netherlands, although they will have important challenges in the first phase. The first will be Japan, one of the most consistent teams in recent times that will try to make the definitive leap in its evolution and become among the best on the planet. Tunisia, one of the good teams in North Africa, will not be an easy opponent. The winner of route B of the European repechage, which will be played by Ukraine, Sweden, Poland and Albania, will complete the zone.

Belgium no longer arrives with the lights of other times but wants to leave behind its poor campaign in Qatar 2022. The draw allows it to dream of advancing to the round of 16 and growing from there. Their first opponent will be Egypt, Mohamed Salah’s team that is returning to the World Cup and wants to get past the first round for the first time in its history. Iran pursues the same objective, already established among the best in Asia. The fourth team of the group G It will be New Zealand, which is an unknown but in 2010 it surprised the world by finishing undefeated.

In it group H the great candidate appears. Spain, the European champion, will enter the World Cup as favorites and can show it from their first match. Their presentation in the United States will be against Cape Verde, one of the debutants that did not play in the Africa Cup and will arrive with little competition. Then, they will collide with Saudi Arabia, Argentina’s executioner who dreams of a surprise similar to that of Lusail in 2022. La Roja will close the group stage against Uruguay, its most important adversary who, led by Marcelo Bielsa, has high ambitions.

The first match of group I He presents himself as one of the most outstanding in the group stage. France, eternal candidate for individuality and collective power, will face Senegal, one of the best teams in Africa that will seek to take a step forward in its evolution. In this area, one of the most attractive of the tournament, Norway also appears, with Erling Haaland as the flag but also a team with ambitions. The fourth member of the zone will be the winner of key B of the intercontinental playoff, which will be played by Bolivia, Suriname and Iraq.

The world champion adorns the group J. Argentina remains one of the best teams on the planet and travels to the United States with the intention of doing something that only Italy in 1938 and Brazil in 1962 achieved: win two titles in a row. The rivals in the area present a medium difficulty: they will debut against Algeria, a good African team that quickly said goodbye to the Continental Cup. Then they will face Austria, which returns to a World Cup after 28 years, and on the third date they will face Jordan, another of the debutants.

No one can say for sure, but this is presented as Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup. His last chance to get the maximum title. That is why Portugal will be one of the great protagonists. His highest rival in group K It will be Colombia, one of the South American teams that always aims high and has players to get excited about. Uzbekistan, a debutant, and the winner of key A of the intercontinental playoff (Jamaica, New Caledonia or DR Congo) complete the zone.

England has everything to aspire to the second world title in its history. Great players in the best moment of their careers, experience, a good coach and a collective performance on the rise. He is the seed of the group Lin which Croatia is the main rival, with its proverbial ability to compete in World Cups. Ghana and Panama complete the last zone of the World Cup.