World Cup Roundtable: Players To Watch, Co-Host Pressure, Who May Disappoint?

It’s almost time to put the speculation and debate to rest. 

We’ve started to see the 48 teams arriving at their training bases across Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. ahead of the greatest show in sports. The squads and the superstars are in their final preparations before things kick off at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

Let’s answer some big questions before the curtain rises.

Matteo Bonetti: Can Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo pull off the ultimate swan song in North America Even in this expanded tournament with 48 teams, so much of the talking points when Argentina and Portugal play will revolve around these two generational superstars who are now in the twilight of their careers. Seeing how their managers balance sentimentality with the ruthless physical demands of modern tournament football will be pure theater.

Luis Miguel Echegaray: The expansion to 48 teams needs to have a Cinderella story in order to feel justified. So thats what I want to see at this World Cup: For a Haiti, a Curaçao, a Cape Verde or even a Scotland to shock us with a deep run thats so poetic, we cant help but feel inspired. The fact that there are eight third-placed teams that can advance to the knockout round creates an even bigger incentive for some of these teams to just push through.  

Brian Sciaretta: I am looking forward to watching how the American public embraces the sport compared with the 1994 World Cup — the last time USA hosted. In 1994, many Americans were getting their first exposure to soccer. It really started the growth into what we see now, where the sport is readily available on television and games are well attended. Now, the next steps of progress depend on another groundswell of public enthusiasm from a second World Cup on American soil. Will this tournament inspire more kids to play? Go to games? Understand the sport with sophistication?    

Bonetti: Türkiye. Under manager Vincenzo Montella, the team has quietly become a technically brilliant, high-energy side. With elite ball-players like Real Madrid’s Arda Güler and Inter Milan’s Hakan Çalhanoğlu pulling the strings, it has the perfect midfield balance and creative spark to slice through a defense. Watch out for Kenan Yildiz as well. The Juventus winger is direct and electrifying when taking on his man. Türkiye is the final group-stage opponent for the USA, and that game on June 25 in Los Angeles could decide who wins Group D. 

Sciaretta: I suppose it can be cheating to consider a co-host to be “under the radar,” but given Canada’s lack of World Cup success, I think it qualifies. There is no question that the 2022 World Cup was disappointing for Canada, but the team has responded to manager Jesse Marsch well. The 2024 Copa América run to the semifinal was a huge positive. Canada isn’t deep and likely won’t have star Alphonso Davies for at least the June 12 opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, but it has some good players who play hard. When you’re playing on home soil, that could be a recipe for success.

Echegaray: I have been talking about it for a while now, but I think Japan, even without winger Kaoru Mitoma, can go far. It is a deeply cohesive unit with tremendous tactical know-how, playing in a doable group. Colombia — which will feel the extreme support from its community in the U.S. — could also surprise people. The group-stage finale against Portugal in Miami on June 27 is going to be absolute cinema.

Bonetti: I’ll say England. The talent is obviously there to make it a top-5 favorite. However, the crushing weight of expectation and the phrase “It’s Coming Home