GROUP J vs. Algeria (June 16, Kansas City) vs. Austria (June 22, Dallas) vs. Jordan (June 27, Dallas)
GROUP G vs. Egypt (June 15, Seattle) vs. Iran (June 21, Los Angeles) vs. New Zealand (June 26, Vancouver)
GROUP C vs. Morocco (June 13, New York/New Jersey) vs. Haiti (June 19, Philadelphia) vs. Scotland (June 24, Miami)
GROUP B vs. UEFA A (June 12, Toronto) vs. Qatar (June 18, Vancouver) vs. Switzerland (June 24, Vancouver)
GROUP L vs. Croatia (June 17, Dallas) vs. Ghana (June 23, Boston) vs. Panama (June 27, New York/New Jersey)
GROUP I vs. Senegal (June 16, New York/New Jersey) vs. FIFA 2 (June 22, Philadelphia) vs. Norway (June 26, Boston)
GROUP E vs. Curacao (June 14, Houston) vs. Ivory Coast (June 20, Toronto) vs. Ecuador (June 25, New York/New Jersey)
GROUP A vs. South Africa (June 11, Mexico City) vs. South Korea (June 18, Guadalajara) vs. UEFA D (June 24, Mexico City)
GROUP C vs. Brazil (June 13, New York/New Jersey) vs. Scotland (June 19, Boston) vs. Haiti (June 24, Atlanta)
GROUP F vs. Japan (June 14, Dallas) vs. UEFA B (June 20, Houston) vs. Tunisia (June 25, Kansas City)
GROUP K vs. FIFA 1 (June 17, Houston) vs. Uzbekistan (June 23, Houston) vs. Colombia (June 27, Miami)
GROUP I vs. France (June 16, New York/New Jersey) vs. Norway (June 22, New York/New Jersey) vs. FIFA 2 (June 26, Toronto)
GROUP H vs. Cape Verde (June 15, Atlanta) vs. Saudi Arabia (June 21, Atlanta) vs. Uruguay (June 26, Guadalajara)
GROUP D vs. Paraguay (June 12, Los Angeles) vs. Australia (June 19, Seattle) vs. UEFA C (June 25, Los Angeles)
Are Spain favourites for the World Cup 100 days out? (2:30)Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens break down ESPN’s World Cup Power Rankings and share their picks for who will finish top at the tournament. (2:30)
Tuesday marked 100 days to go until the start of the FIFA World Cup, with the opening game set for Mexico City between co-host Mexico and South Africa on June 11. In addition to laying out the first edition of our Power Rankings, where our global reporters and experts voted for the top 15 contenders set to take part in this summer’s competition, we’re drilling deeper on the major nations and the three host nations.
Not only are we taking a first projection of their starting XIs based on form and fitness, but we are predicting their squads, formation and dissecting their strengths and weaknesses. After all, it’s clear through this analysis that each of those countries expected to challenge for top honors this summer has a weakness somewhere on the pitch, so let this be a 10,000-foot view of how they’re shaping up.
– World Cup 2026: Who are the faves with 100 days to go? – Will Iran play at the World Cup? What we know, don’t know so far – State of the USMNT with 100 days until World Cup
Plenty will change over the coming weeks as players suffer injuries or new names emerge, but ESPN’s writers have you covered with a first look (of many) and what you need to know.
JUMP TO: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Senegal, Spain, USA
Squad snapshot: Argentina enter the 2026 World Cup as defending champions and, of course, their big challenge is to remain at the top of world football. The fact that this will be the 38-year-old Lionel Messi’s last appearance is an extra incentive to win the World Cup again, something no team has achieved in more than 60 years (Brazil, 1958 and 1962).
Argentina’s strength lies in their solid foundation, having won the World Cup four years ago in Qatar 2022 and the past two Copa América tournaments. The weak point? Beyond that established starting XI, the rest of the squad presents more unknowns than certainties. This is especially true on defense, where options at full back are scarce, and in attack, with several promising forwards who are not yet guaranteed starting spots.
For this World Cup, coach Lionel Scaloni will have to make important decisions to ensure the generational change needed. With Ángel Di María gone, but Messi still the star, there will be room for new players to emerge, such as Valentín Barco, Franco Mastantuono and Nico Paz. — Damian Didonato, ESPN Argentina
This is also Garcia’s first tournament as an international head coach — he’s perhaps best-known for winning Ligue 1 with Lille in 2010-11 — and he could struggle with the pressure and expectation. But there should be less pressure this time, as that seems to have disappeared once Eden Hazard retired after the last World Cup. This Belgium team are not among the favorites or even the underdogs, which could be a good thing for the team. A gentler group stage should help too. — Julien Laurens
The big question is still around what role, if any, Neymar could play. Playing for Santos, the 34-year-old winger is trying to regain his best physical condition to be part of the squad, but since 2022 he hasn’t really been fit enough for this kind of intensity or challenge. Ancelotti will give him a chance until the final call-up, but Brazil seem capable of moving forward without him, even if Rodrygo will miss out injured, with top players such as Raphinha, Vinicius Jr. and Estevão.
Although the team are not ready yet, Ancelotti has brought back confidence and also put the spotlight on himself. The main figure of the most successful national team in the world is now sitting on the bench — and he speaks Italian. — Gustavo Zupak, ESPN Brasil
Credit should be given to Canada for significantly increasing the talent pool over the past few decades, but there’s still work to be done beyond the core group. — Cesar Hernandez
Squad snapshot: England need to find only a little improvement to have a strong chance of ending a 60-year wait for a major international trophy. The FA hopes that Thomas Tuchel can provide it as an elite coach with a tactical acumen that many view as an upgrade on his respected predecessor Gareth Southgate.
England’s center backs are not entirely convincing either, although Marc Guehi’s move to Manchester City only furthers the idea he is developing into a top-class player, and so left back looks to be the biggest issue. Tuchel will have to choose between promising youngsters such as Nico O’Reilly and Lewis Hall, experienced but inconsistent options such as Luke Shaw or promising players struggling for game time such as Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Squad snapshot: For his final tournament as France coach, Didier Deschamps has finally decided to take the handbrake off and play beyond his usual conservatism and defensive 4-3-3 formation. It worked incredibly well for him through his 14 years at the helm of Les Bleus (2018 World Cup win, 2022 World Cup final, Euro 2016 final, Euro 2024 semifinal) and now he has everything he’ll need to go out on a high note.
The depth of his team, especially in attacking positions, is incredible. Just take the front four, for example. Deschamps has six incredible talents to pick from: Ousmane Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise are guaranteed to start. Then, Rayan Cherki, Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué will fight for the last spot.
There is a good mix of experience and versatility in Deschamps’ likely midfield options, but the fullback positions are perhaps where this team is weakest. Jules Koundé at right back and Lucas Digne at left back are not having great seasons individually with Barcelona and Aston Villa. Though I expect them to start for France this summer, they could well be targeted by opponents. — Laurens
Squad snapshot: The above is my educated guess at predicting the future, but there are a ton of questions. Marc-Andre ter Stegen is the best of the bunch between the posts, but after another injury he needs to prove between now and the end of the season that he’s fit and productive. If he falls short, his slot could go to Jonas Urbig.
The strength in depth is impressive, although Lille forward Hamza Igamane underwent knee surgery after sustaining an ACL tear during the final and will sit out the rest of the season, while Azzedine Ounahi has not played since sustaining an injury midway through the tournament.
Ounahi had been identified as the team’s metronome by under-pressure coach Walid Regragui — he now looks likely to hold onto his post until the World Cup — and Morocco are a much less fluid proposition with the Girona playmaker ruled out by injury. He has yet to return to training, and it remains to be seen how many minutes he’ll be able to get under his belt before the World Cup.
Veteran midfielder Sofyan Amrabat and reserve goalkeeper Munir Mohamedi have both undergone surgery since the AFCON, but are expected to return in time, and No. 1 Yacine Bounou and Romain Saiss are currently back in action after their own injury concerns. — Ed Dove, ESPN Africa
Squad snapshot: The core of the squad is largely settled, but a handful of spots remain up for debate as head coach Ronald Koeman weighs his options. Starting in goal, Bart Verbruggen has been Koeman’s steady No. 1 in recent years, and Robin Roefs’ impressive form at Sunderland doesn’t look set to change that as the World Cup approaches.
Right wing is still up for grabs, with Simons, Jeremie Frimpong and Donyell Malen all in contention, though Malen’s form gives him the edge. Cody Gakpo looks set to start on the left, while all-time top scorer Memphis Depay is expected to lead the line. — Alain van Hilten, ESPN Netherlands
Squad snapshot: At 41 years old, this will be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last big tournament with his country and he will be both a strength and weakness. Winning a first World Cup for Portugal would be an incredible fairytale ending for one of the greatest in the sport. Many will want him to achieve that, and with the talent, depth, youth and experience in this squad, some of the world’s best players in their positions (Nuno Mendes, Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha to name just three) can make it happen.
But Ronaldo could also be a problem, as we saw in Portugal’s last two big competitions where the Al Nassr striker didn’t score a goal. Might they be better with him starting on the bench? Only time will tell, but if Ronaldo becomes a hindrance, will head coach Roberto Martinez drop him?