by Connor Whalen ‘28 on February 5, 2026
Sports - Professional
This year’s World Cup boasts thrill and excitement like no other in the tournament’s history has before: legends saying one last goodbye to the beautiful game, unprecedented young talent, and potential matchups lining up to be instant all-time classics. Here is my preview of the World Cup, hosted in North America and featuring games all across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, along with my predictions on which nations will find glory.
The groups are essentially set at this point with only a few remaining spots up for grabs as some preliminary international tournaments have yet to conclude. My predictions will factor in those matchups; some of the sides that have not yet qualified are among the best in the entire world. Each four-team group advances the top two teams to the knockout stage after each team plays each other once, with eight of the 12 No. 3 teams with the most points (three points for a win, one for a draw) also advancing. Beginning with Group A, I predict Mexico to come out on top; the Mexican team will essentially have home games for each game, given the proximity of their fans, and Mexican fans will rattle the opposing teams to no end. I predict Denmark to be the second-place qualifying team in that group, despite the fact that they have not yet clinched a tournament appearance, leaving behind South Korea and South Africa. In Group B, I anticipate Italy—another squad not yet officially in the tournament—Canada, and Switzerland all advancing to the knockout round, all three being simply too tough of a matchup for Qatar. In Group C, I predict Haiti to see a similar fate to Qatar, with Brazil, Morocco, and Scotland all having far too much talent to drop points against them. Group D is definitively one of the weakest of the bunch, as I predict the U.S. team to win the group, with second-place Turkey and third-place Paraguay both advancing over Australia. Group E play should see Germany dominate the field, but I predict both Ecuador and Ivory Coast—two underrated squads—to advance over Curacao. Top-heavy Group F should see European nations Sweden and the Netherlands dominate Japan and Tunisia, moving on to the group stage. Group G is, without a doubt, the weakest group in the tournament, and an aging Belgian team should glide to the knockout stage, with second-place Egypt and third-place Iran also sneaking in given the weakness of the group. Group H will, barring catastrophic results, see Spain and Uruguay advance, and I predict Cape Verde—first-time tournament participants—to advance over Saudi Arabia. Group I will no doubt see France at the top of the group, and I predict a massively underrated Senegal side to finish second, closely followed by third-place Norway. Group J should be a breeze for Argentina and Austria as they dominate Algeria and Jordan. Algeria, however, may sneak in as potentially the last team to make the knockout round. The last two groups—K and L—should see Portugal, Colombia, England, and Croatia advancing without much of a battle from weaker teams Jamaica, Uzbekistan, Ghana, and Panama. With the group play coming to an end, the tournament now turns to the knockout round.
As for the knockout round, I will simply reveal my “final four” and highlight key storylines of the tournament. I predict France and Spain to square off in what would undoubtedly be the matchup of the tournament, both teams with abundant world-class talent: Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé leading the French side against Spain’s young and upcoming team, headlined by Barcelona’s gem Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana. Argentina—led by Lionel Messi in his last hurrah with the national team—face England, another young and recharged squad with high expectations as The Three Lions hunt for their first world title since 1966. I predict Argentina will overtake them and leave the English fans distraught once again, taking on Spain in the final after a victory over Les Bleus. My prediction, as much as it seems too good to be true, is for Messi to take home his second World Cup, backed by a cast of young talent and experienced veterans, solidifying his status as the greatest player to ever grace the pitch.
With that said, my predictions have an astronomical room for error, with group play and the knockout stage having so much variability, so here are my selection of stories within the tournament to pay close attention to. The amount of legends playing their last World Cup is unbelievable. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo—heralded by most as the two greatest footballers ever—will be playing their last World Cup for sure with no chance of a comeback this time. Other all-time greats, including Brazil’s Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, Croatia’s Luka Modrić, Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne, Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, and the Netherlands’ Virgil Van Dijk (among others) all are likely never to be featured again in the tournament. Next, key matchups could be the headline for this World Cup. If Argentina and Portugal both win their groups—and they are both favored to do so—Messi and Ronaldo could face off in a knockout game, potentially resulting in the most highly-anticipated match in the history of the sport. From an American perspective, our national team is poised for a few winnable matches and could see a deep run; my predictions include an Ivory Coast matchup in the first knockout round. Young players such as Spain’s Yamal, Brazil’s Estêvão Willian, and France’s Désiré Douéall are set to make an instant impact and could be the keys to making deep runs for their respective nations. This World Cup, simply put, will certainly be one for the ages, and may be the best one of our lifetimes, and we are so lucky to host this one in our country. Don’t miss the opportunity—go see a game for yourself!