As of June 11, all eyes will be on the stadiums of Canada, the United States and Mexico, where the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held with the participation of 48 countries, in a football break in a world full of conflicts, wars and crises. France 24 presents to you an artistic clip about the teams nominated to win the title and others under pressure, in addition to teams that aspire to present an honorable face.

Published on: 04/05/2026 - 16:12 Last updated: 06/05/2026 - 17:03

We are only weeks away from the start of the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in 16 stadiums spread across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

This is the first edition to be held with 48 teams, which paved the way for the return of countries that had been absent from the World Cup for several decades and also provided the opportunity for new teams to participate for the first time.

It is certain that not all countries participating in the competition will compete for the title, which has historically been limited to the continents of Europe and Latin America. France 24 classified the teams according to their goals and ambitions in this major football event.

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Teams seeking to win the cup

As usual, strong teams in Europe and South America enter the competition with the aim of achieving the title. At the top of the teams nominated to win is the French team, led by “The Fox” Didier Deschamps, who hopes to conclude his 14-year career with the “Roosters” by winning a second world title.

Indeed, the French national team has an arsenal of distinguished players, and it is not just a matter of 11 main players, but rather a complete list that can compete for the title. Deschamps tried to take the pressure off his team, and said that France is not the first candidate to win the title, noting that it is among eight teams competing for the world title.

The team most likely to compete with France for the title is the European champion Spain, which, under the management of its coach De La Fuentes, presents beautiful performances led by the young Lamine Yamal. As for Argentina, the title holder, its level appeared to be unstable in the last matches, and it is relying on the experience of its captain, Lionel Messi, who is competing in the World Cup for the last time in his career.

The ability of Brazil, whose training is supervised by veteran Italian Carlo Ancelotti, Portugal with forty-year-old star Cristiano Ronaldo, and England with German coach Thomas Tuchel, to return with the cup from American soil cannot be overlooked.

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Teams under pressure

In addition to the candidates for the title, there are teams under pressure to achieve good results, led by the organizing countries, the United States, Mexico and Canada. Morocco can be classified in this category of teams, due to its historic achievement in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fawzi Lakjaa, stated that the “Atlas Lions” will not wait for the 2030 tournament to try to win the title, but rather will strive to achieve the dream on American soil.

We also find in the same category the teams of Norway, Colombia and Ecuador, which have distinguished players and whose fans are waiting for them to reach advanced stages in the competition.

Teams capable of reaching advanced stages

Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, Switzerland, Turkey, and Uruguay. These teams are not on the list of candidates to win the title, but their presence in the semi-finals or even the final would not be surprising. Perhaps the most prominent of them is the Japanese national team, which defeated Spain and Germany in the Qatar World Cup 2022. It also won against world-class teams in its preparatory matches, and on the list of its victims we find Brazil, England and Germany, which the “Samurai” hit with a harsh four-point strike on their soil.

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Teams whose capabilities cannot be underestimated

The third row in this tournament also includes good teams in comparison to their recent performance, especially the Austrian team led by former Manchester United coach Ralph Ragnick, which includes distinguished players such as Dortmund's Sabitzer, Bayern Munich's Laimer, and Real Madrid's Alaba.

The teams of Paraguay, Senegal, South Korea and Egypt, led by world-class players such as Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, will also not enter the competition only to participate.

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Ambitious teams

There are teams that have ambitions to present football that will lead them to achieve achievements in the World Cup, including neighboring Tunisia and Algeria, which combine experience and youth despite their different circumstances. The “Desert Warriors” are in a stage of stability with Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic, and the “Eagles of Carthage” has entered a different stage with Sabri Lamouchi, who has pumped new blood into their nest.

Australia, Bosnia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Ivory Coast, and Scotland also have distinguished players, in addition to Iran, although their participation is still up and down due to the American-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic.

The teams face a difficult task

The teams of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, New Zealand, South Africa and Panama will face a difficult task in the football event, as they fall into strong groups. Two Arab teams, Saudi Arabia, which sacked its coach Hervé Renard, and Qatar, along with Spanish coach Lopetegui, are facing a very complicated mission at the World Cup in light of the disappointing performance of the two teams recently.

Teams enjoy participating

The teams of Jordan, Curacao, Cape Verde, Haiti and Uzbekistan participate for the first time in the World Cup finals, while Iraq returns to the World Cup after being absent for four decades. It is certain that these teams will listen with their fans by participating and will not be required to produce the result as much as they rely on presenting an honorable face.

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