In this issue
World Cups are the very best of football. Most fans remember their first as the moment that curiosity turned into infatuation. Players play for their country rather than for contracts, for the flag on the front of the shirt rather than the name on the back. It is a stage for the very greatest talents in the game as well as the bravest underdogs. It provides weeks of distraction from the real world. It gets the pulse racing like nothing else.
So why does this upcoming edition feel so different?
It would be wrong – and frankly a little insulting to you, the reader – to introduce this 2026 World Cup Special without addressing some of the very many doubts, worries and concerns lingering over the upcoming finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The expansion of the tournament from 32 teams to 48 means that, rather than a gathering of the world’s elite talent, it all feels a little crowded.
Many fans have been put off by the sheer cost of the tournament. It’s hard to get swept up in sporting romance when everywhere you look – from tickets to travel to hotels to parking – prices are extortionate. On its creation, the Premier League was dubbed the “Greed is Good League” by World Soccer’s Brian Glanville; this feels like the Greed is Good World Cup.
Then there are the politics. FIFA’s awarding of their inaugural Peace Prize to Donald Trump in December was already controversial – and that was before the US began bombing Iran, one of the countries that it is due to host at this summer’s finals.
It all adds to a sense that rather than distracting from world events, this World Cup is inextricably tied to them.
This is not the first World Cup to face criticisms before a ball has been kicked. The build-up to 2022 was beset by protests questioning the suitability of Qatar to host for a myriad of reasons, while the images of 2018, when FIFA president Gianni Infantino cozied up to Russia’s Vladimir Putin so readily, have aged like milk.
Ultimately, both tournaments went ahead and featured plenty of enjoyable moments on the pitch. But patience is running thin.
In short, there is plenty about this summer’s tournament to turn the stomach. But it is important to remember that neither the World Cup nor football belong to FIFA. It doesn’t belong to Infantino, Trump or Putin, or any cynic that seeks to use it for their own political ends. Football belongs to the fans – a cliché, yes, but because it is true.
The fact that you have picked up this World Cup guide shows that you haven’t yet given up on the beautiful game, and we hope that you can find something in this summer’s tournament to enjoy. Hopefully it will be remembered for the action on the pitch rather than the nonsense off it.
There will be World Cup debuts not only for countries like Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan, but also elite players like Erling Haaland, Michael Olise and, injury permitting, Lamine Yamal, not to mention UEFA Champions League-winning coaches in Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel. They will all be determined to make their mark.
In contrast, this surely will be the last time that we see the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric at a major international tournament – although given that we’ve said that more than once in the past, who’s to say they won’t prove us wrong again?
When the final concludes on July 19, a whole new collection of stories will have been told, a new cast of heroes and villains enshrined in footballing folklore.
In these 200 pages or so, we’ve included complete guides to all the teams to qualify for the World Cup, all written by an expert. That includes Iran, whose status at the finals is not entirely clear amid the war in the Middle East, but who are set to compete at the time of writing.
They, along with all of the other 47 teams, have four pages dedicated to them, which include a Q&A with the manager (with the exception of Saudi Arabia, whose late managerial change scuppered any chances of that), analysis of their tactics and predicted starting XIs, and a profile of their coach along with the 26 players that we predict will comprise their squad in North America. Inevitably, with fitness, form and fortune still to play a big role before the final squads are confirmed, those names won’t be 100% accurate, but they won’t be too far off. We’ve also included each nation’s match schedule for the summer (to local dates and times; for the UK kick-off times, refer to our wallplanner), though again, these were correct at the time of writing and subsequent warm-up friendlies will likely be arranged in the interim.
For now, this issue should give you everything you need to know about the 2026 World Cup, but there’ll be plenty more to come over the rest of the summer. Don’t miss it.
Jamie Evans, Managing Editor
