play2:49How far can USMNT go in the World Cup?Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens debate how far the USMNT can go in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
play1:07Keller: No one will want to face Norway at the World CupKasey Keller warns the top teams against underestimating Norway after they booked their place at the 2026 World Cup.
play0:45Jearl Margaritha: Dick Advocaat had a huge influence on the Curaçao squadCuraçao forward Jearl Margaritha believes Dick Advocaat will be missed by the team after he resigned as head coach due to personal issues.
play1:41Udoh: South Africa won’t win AFCON for many yearsColin Udoh explains why he doesn’t see South Africa becoming serious AFCON contenders anytime soon.
play1:47Will Iran participate at the FIFA World Cup?ESPN’s Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss if Iran will participate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after recent troubles with the United States.
Which host nation will go the furthest in the World Cup? (2:54)The ‘FC TV’ crew debate which host nation will go the furthest in the 2026 FIFA World Cup? (2:54)
How far can USMNT go in the World Cup?Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens debate how far the USMNT can go in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Keller: No one will want to face Norway at the World CupKasey Keller warns the top teams against underestimating Norway after they booked their place at the 2026 World Cup.
Kasey Keller warns the top teams against underestimating Norway after they booked their place at the 2026 World Cup.
Jearl Margaritha: Dick Advocaat had a huge influence on the Curaçao squadCuraçao forward Jearl Margaritha believes Dick Advocaat will be missed by the team after he resigned as head coach due to personal issues.
Curaçao forward Jearl Margaritha believes Dick Advocaat will be missed by the team after he resigned as head coach due to personal issues.
Udoh: South Africa won’t win AFCON for many yearsColin Udoh explains why he doesn’t see South Africa becoming serious AFCON contenders anytime soon.
Will Iran participate at the FIFA World Cup?ESPN’s Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss if Iran will participate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after recent troubles with the United States.
ESPN’s Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss if Iran will participate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after recent troubles with the United States.
Tor-Kristian KarlsenApr 1, 2026, 05:00 AM ETMultiple Authors
The 2026 World Cup lineup is complete. We now know all 48 teams that will be involved in next summer’s tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
And of course 42 of the 48 teams were already decided and covered in this piece on Dec. 3, 2025. But here they are again.
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens debate how far the USMNT can go in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Keller: No one will want to face Norway at the World Cup
Jearl Margaritha: Dick Advocaat had a huge influence on the Curaçao squad
Colin Udoh explains why he doesn’t see South Africa becoming serious AFCON contenders anytime soon.
SOUTH AFRICA (4-2-3-1/4-3-3): “Sundowns DNA.” South Africa lean heavily on a core of players from Mamelodi Sundowns — the country’s perennial champions — which gives them a rare cohesion at international level. Hugo Broos has built a nearly organized, well-drilled side which allowed just 5.8 shots per 90 minutes in qualifying, one of the stingiest records across Africa.
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA (4-4-2): “Physicality first.” Sergej Barbarez, who was appointed in 2024 without a day of prior coaching experience, has built a side that is a direct reflection of how he himself appeared on the pitch: physical, passionate and relentlessly aggressive. So much so that Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso specifically flagged Bosnia’s 15.16 fouls per 90 minutes from the qualifying campaign — the highest of any European side — as his primary concern ahead of Tuesday’s playoff. Barbarez typically leads with two tall center forwards, Edin Dzeko and Ermedin Demirovic, and if either runs out of steam, on comes Haris Tabakovic. Width and deliveries into the box are the team’s main creative source, with crosses the primary route to goal rather than any sophisticated combination play. This is a team that thrive on emotion, set pieces and sustained physical pressure.
SWEDEN (3-4-3): “The Potter and Gyökeres effect.” Sweden arrived at the playoffs in the most humiliating fashion imaginable — bottom of UEFA Group B without a single win across six qualifying matches — saved only by their Nations League ranking, which handed them a lifeline they had done little to deserve. Coach Graham Potter, appointed in October after Jon Dahl Tomasson was dismissed mid-campaign, had barely three games to reshape a demoralized squad before the knockout rounds began. His solution was a disciplined 3-4-3, set up to give the wing backs freedom while funneling everything through one striker: Viktor Gyökeres. What followed bordered on the extraordinary. The Arsenal striker almost single-handedly dragged Sweden to the World Cup, scoring four goals across two playoff matches with a hat trick against Ukraine, then the decisive late punch against Poland with two minutes remaining. The challenge for Potter is whether he can construct something structurally coherent enough to sustain a tournament, particularly when Alexander Isak returns to fitness and the question of how to pair two world-class but stylistically similar strikers raises its head.
DR CONGO (4-1-4-1 / 4-3-3): “Talent in abundance, sharpness needed.” Despite edging past Jamaica in the playoffs with a single goal, Congo ran into a familiar pattern. Sébastien Desabre’s side are fluid and balanced — often lined up with high wingers and two defined central strikers — but they struggle with chance conversion. Their attacking flair is respectable, though, with Yoane Wissa, Cédric Bakambu and Théo Bongonda bringing a nice blend of experience, European league goal-scoring proficiency and technical quality. But once they pull on their national team tops, their end product seems to dry up. At AFCON, the numbers told the story as their shot counts were consistently high, shots on target were not and against better-organized opposition their attacking output collapsed almost entirely. The one area where Desabre has sorted out is the defending. Anchored by the commanding Chancel Mbemba, and with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe providing Premier League solidity at full back, the Leopards conceded just one goal in their last four qualifying matches. If the attack ever clicks, there’s a hope of a fine showing at the World Cup.
IRAQ (4-2-3-1): “Survive, then score.” Iraq’s route to the World Cup — their first since Mexico 1986 — was settled less by what they did with the ball than by what they prevented without it. Under Australian Graham Arnold — who took over mid-campaign after Jesus Casas was sacked following a shock defeat to Palestine a year ago — the Lions of Mesopotamia became the archetypal low-block operators. Happy to let the opponents keep the ball, Iraq will deny them space, absorb pressure and punish them in the crucial moment. Against Bolivia in the playoff final, they held just 32% possession and generated only seven shots to their opponents’ 16 … yet they still won 2-1. That blueprint resounded well with how they qualified. In Group I that low block will be tested like never before, but this counterattacking side will take heart from perfecting their frugal football under Arnold.
CANADA (4-4-2): “The Maplepress revolution.” Ten games into the Jesse Marsch era and Canada already have a tactical trademark — albeit niche — named “Maplepressing.” In a tight, aggressive 4-4-2 (or 4-2-2-2), Canada defend on the front foot with a high line, minimal spacing between the units and a high pressing unit that stays narrow to shut down central passing options. The idea is arguably simpler than is sounds: to force opponents wide, trap them on the touchline and regain the ball early. Even with top talent like Jonathan David in attacking roles, Marsch has built the hosts on intensity, discipline and a clear pressing ID.
MEXICO (4-2-3-1/4-3-3): “The double No. 9 problem.” The hosts face 2026 with unresolved issues. While the general idea might be in place, the results aren’t. Since beating the U.S. in the 2025 Gold Cup final, they’ve failed to win a single game, even as Javier Aguirre doubled down on a possession-first, “defend with the ball” model. The most discussed dilemma to address, however, is how to pair strikers Raúl Jiménez and Santi Giménez without unbalancing the team structure — Aguirre has used both together in a 4-4-2 in the past, but that doesn’t appear to be his preferred system.
UNITED STATES (3-4-3/4-2-3-1): “Stick or twist?” Mauricio Pochettino’s biggest challenge — or advantage — is choosing between two credible formations. While the USMNT primarily operates in a 4-2-3-1 that becomes a 3-2-5 in possession, built around Christian Pulisic drifting inside as the main creator, a 3-4-3 remains a fully viable alternative when Pochettino wants more control in buildup or additional threat from the wingers. The trade-off fluctuates between extra flexibility vs. continuity. Recent results suggest the balancing act works — the USMNT is unbeaten in five against 2026-bound teams (plus-8 goal difference) — but the final tournament shape is still up for debate; stay with one scheme or embrace the flexibility?
AUSTRIA (4-2-3-1): “Europe’s relentless pressing machine.” Ralf Rangnick has shaped Austria into a full-throttle Red Bull national team, built on aggression, directness and suffocating pressure. No European side pressed with more intensity in World Cup qualifying as Austria registered the continent’s highest number of tackles (144), second highest recoveries (365), and lowest Passes Per Defensive Action (PPDA) of 7.14, edging even England and Germany. Rangnick favors front-foot pressure and immediate transitions; they don’t just defend high, they force turnovers and once the ball is won, it’s a matter of one or two passes before a chance is created. Few teams at this World Cup will bring more pure intensity.