England fans of a certain vintage will have spent the past few major international men’s tournaments humming lines from a Baddiel and Skinner classic of yesteryear – but since the lyrics first emerged the winless run has doubled. Can Thomas Tuchel really end 60 years of hurt?
It would be ironic indeed were it to ultimately need a German to bring glory to England’s men once more, but there’s no question there’s the talent in this group to go the distance. First though, they have to get past Croatia.
Wing questions and sub impact
Several of Tuchel’s England line-up is probably locked in place, but there are definitely question marks over who starts in the wide areas. Bukayo Saka’s fitness and the different qualities that the two left wing options provide means Tuchel might have to chop and change, in-game as well as game-to-game, on the flanks. But either way the remit will be largely the same: provide service to Harry Kane and make runs beyond him yourself, to stretch the defence and offer an alternative through ball option.
However, that same dilemma over starters means Tuchel has real weapons off the bench to turn to, players who are either speedy outlets or shot merchants who will look to make things happen out of nothing. Add in perhaps Morgan Rogers as a No. 10 alternative and two in-form strikers in Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins – eight and 12 goals respectively since the start of April – and England really do have alternatives and the potential to ruffle feathers late in games, if the World Cup Of Draws threatens to show up in Dallas.
Predicted England starting XI
Experience counts and a double centenarian
Luka Modrić is now 40 and will still be in the lineup – for his 199th international cap, unbelievably. One more makes him a double centenarian but Croatia have three others past 100 as well, in Mateo Kovačić, Ivan Perišić and Andrej Kramarić. All are expected to play and that know-how will have to play a big part in Croatia’s progression, as they haven’t brought through too many other match-winners over the past tournament cycle or two.
Recent form
Croatia have won seven of their 10 since the start of 2025, though of those wins only Colombia could reasonably be called a tough opponent. England have won eight of their ten in the same timeframe, but drew with Uruguay and lost to Japan in March.
Team news
England lost Tino Livramento from the squad on the eve of the tournament so full-backs are Reece James and Nico O’Reilly, with Djed Spence the only like-for-like alternative for both flanks. Otherwise, both have a full list.
Key player
If you’ve not yet watched Luka Vušković, getting the nod to start at centre-back here should give you an indication of how impressive he was last season. Top 99% for defensive work, top 99% for headers, but even top 78% for chances and 100% for goals compared to his positional peers i nthe Bundesliga.
Prediction
England to make a bit more of a bold start than some others have in the US and Harry Kane’s roving role to be rewarded with a goal: England 2-1 Croatia.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Argentina remain wedded to Lionel Messi, but has he got another tournament in him?
Argentina arrive in Kansas City for the opening match of their World Cup defence against Algeria in the midst of ongoing Messi fever, and the big question they’ll face this summer is whether this is a tournament too far for arguably the greatest player of the modern age.
Lionel Messi has continued to tear things up in MLS since 2022, but the question of whether this will be enough to steer them through a successive World Cup remains moot, and he turns 39 years of age in just over a week. In potentially punishingly hot conditions, there are few guarantees that he’ll be able to recreate the heroics of 2022.
And Algeria certainly aren’t a team to be taken lightly in their opening fixture. They won eight of their ten CAF qualification matches, qualifying by seven points, and have had impressive results in their 2026 friendlies, beating Guatemala 7-0 and Bolivia 4-0, drawing with Uruguay, and beating the Netherlands. In terms of this opening fixture, Argentina’s biggest enemy might just turn out to be any degree of complacency they may carry into this fixture.
Argentina have a warning from history to heed about how to start their defence of a World Cup title
The 2022 title was Argentina’s third World Cup win, and both of their previous wins were followed by warnings for this summer. Having won the tournament for the first time in 1978, they started their defence four years later by surprisingly losing 1-0 to Belgium in Barcelona.
After winning it again in 1986, they lost the opening match of the 1990 tournament to Cameroon by the same scoreline. But this doesn’t have to be a completely terrible omen for them. They lost their first match in Qatar 2022 to Saudi Arabia, and qualification from the group stages was on a knife-edge, but they went on to win that tournament, and in 2018 they were thumped by Croatia in their opening match but still got through the group stage, despite only taking one point from their first two group matches, and were only narrowly beaten by the eventual winners France in the second round.
Algeria didn’t make their World Cup debut until 1982, but when they did so, they did in style, with a 2-1 win against West Germany. After outrage caused by the match between West Germany and Austria which became known as The Disgrace of Gijon – in which Germany won 1-0, a result which sent both teams through at Algeria’s expense, which was played at walking pace and which resulted in the rules being changed so that final group games were played simultaneously – it took until 2014 for them to get through the group stages. This is the first time they’ve qualified since then.
These two teams have only met once before, in a friendly match played in Barcelona in 2007 which Argentina won 4-3, with two of Argentina’s goals that day scored by a certain Mr L Messi.
Argentina’s squad is packed with established stars, but Algeria also have a lot of experience
All attention will be focused on their captain, but Argentina have plenty of talent elsewhere. Julián Alvarez was recently subject to a €150 million transfer bid from Real Madrid that their city rivals Atlético turned down, although his form was patchy over the last couple of months of the domestic season, while another Atleti player, left-sided midfielder and winger Thiago Almada, could be a breakout star in this tournament for them.
Algeria don’t have the same broad spread of elite-level talent as Argentina, but they have more than one world class player. Captain Riyad Mahrez is now 35 and playing his club football in Saudi Arabia, but he’s made 116 appearances for his country and his form this year has been good, while Rayan Aït-Nouri has impressed for Manchester City, Ramy Bensebaini has been a solid presence for Borussia Dortmund, and vice-captain Aïssa Mandi of Lille has 119 caps and was part of their 2014 team.
Algeria have faced a goalkeeping crisis, going into this tournament
There had been question marks over whether Messi would be available for this fixture, though these seem to have been answered by him coming off the bench and scoring in their final warm-up match against Iceland.
But this hasn’t been their only injury concern. Goalkeeper Emi Martínez fractured a finger shortly before Aston Villa’s Europa League final win against Freiburg last month, though he’s understood to have now fully recovered, while left-back Nicolas Tagliafico and midfielder Nico González are also considered doubtful.
One major injury worry for Algeria involves Ramy Bensebaini, who missed a couple of their pre-tournament friendlies and is being reported to be out for this match. Mohamed Tougai of Esperance de Tunis may step in to replace him, alongside Aïssa Mandi in a flat back four.
The biggest issue Algeria have faced, though, has been behind that back four. They’ve had a goalkeeping crisis, after injuries left Melvin Mastil and Luca Zidane doubtful and Anthony Mandrea ruled out altogether. Oussama Benbot had to be called out of international retirement for a place in the squad, and may start this match. Algeria’s three goalkeepers for the tournament have just 12 international appearances between them.
Predicted Argentina starting XI
Argentina proved four years ago that success in a World Cup isn’t always determined by your opening match
For such a major footballing nation, Argentina have a surprisingly patchy record in opening World Cup finals fixtures, and Algeria are a talented team who have a lot to prove, having failed to qualify for the previous two tournaments. Lionel Messi might be the greatest player in the world, but much of their capability in this tournament may come down to whether he can still mix it at an elite level.
But Messi is clearly not the only talent at their disposal, and Argentina’s success may come down to whether players who’ve played support roles in the past can step out of his enormous shadow and make a name for themselves. Head coach Lionel Scaloni got them through it in Qatar four years ago, but no-one has successfully defended a World Cup since Brazil in 1962, so this is going to be a tough assignment for them.
With Austria and Jordan still to face in their group matches and eight of the twelve third-placed sides all set to progress to the second round, defeat in this fixture will not mark the end of the road for either team in this competition.
But I’m calling it. I’m going for the surprise result. Argentina lost their opening fixture to Saudi Arabia in 2022 and to Croatia in 2018, and this, coupled with Algeria’s need to prove a point after having failed to qualify for the previous two tournaments, hints at the possibility of one of the surprises of this group stage turning up in this match.
I’m going to stick my neck on the line and go for a 2-1 Algeria win, although as Argentina proved in Qatar, even a losing start like this will not mean the end of their involvement this summer.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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In what is regarded as this World Cup’s group of death, back-to-back World Cup finalists France will face a stern test from Senegal in the first round of fixtures.
Didier Deschamps is set to leave his post as France’s head coach when his contract expires after the World Cup, drawing the curtain on a 14-year tenure. Of course, his most notable achievement was the 2018 World Cup victory, which enabled him to join Mário Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer as the only people to win the World Cup as both player and manager.
While his tactics have been criticised for being too conservative at times, he can point to his consistently successful tournament record to prove their effectiveness. The 57-year-old former midfielder certainly won’t be short of attacking options this time around, as his squad features truckloads of attacking firepower in the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki.
Maintaining the right balance in the XI will be key for France, so they will hope to see Deschamps find a successful formula once again.
Predicted France starting XI
Senegal set to stick to a tried and tested setup
Senegal, on the other hand, won’t need any experimentation to prepare their approach for the tournament. The Lions of Teranga were crowned African champions in Morocco back in January, though their title was subsequently stripped by CAF due to them leaving the field in protest of a refereeing decision at the end of normal time. Their federation has lodged an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but regardless of how that goes, they will largely continue to field the same side in North America.
Pape Thiaw has only made a handful of changes to the squad, bringing in a couple of youngsters like Assane Diao and Bara Sapoko Ndiaye. He could field an unchanged XI if he so desired, and isn’t expected to make many changes to what was a winning formula on the pitch. Solidity in midfield will be particularly important for their chances in this match.
Team news
All players in both squads are expected to be available for selection in this match. William Saliba has reportedly been contending with a back issue over the last few weeks that has led to his training being differently managed, but he started the last friendly before the World Cup and should remain good to go.
Key Players
Mbappé’s 12 World Cup goals have him four off Miroslav Klose’s record, so the Pichichi-holder will be keen to close the gap further. Olise could well supply him after a sensational season for Bayern Munich, but perhaps the most important player for France could be Aurélien Tchouaméni, who will have a big job to do in holding down the midfield.
Senegal will need Pathé Ciss to impose his physicality in midfield. Malick Diouf will have to put in a big defensive shift at left back, though he can pose a threat going forward too. Nicolas Jackson can cause problems with his movement up top, but he will be in for a very tough challenge against the French centre-backs.
Prediction
France should have enough attacking quality to see out a 2-0 win.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Brighton player Yasin Ayari scored twice as Sweden got their World Cup campaign off to the flying start with the 5-1 demolition of Tunisia. And thanks to the adidas Trionda’s pateted Connected Ball Technology, we now know that Ayari’s two piledrivers are the two fastest goals scored, in terms of ball speed, at the tournament.
A statement from adidas confirms that: “According to the data metrics provided by Connected Ball Technology housed within the adidas Trionda, the official match ball of the FIFA World Cup 2026, the two goals scored by Sweden’s Ayari against Tunisia were traveling at a maximum speed of 120 and 118 KM/H, making them the two fastest goals of the tournament so far.”
The shot map data for Ayari’s goals vs. Tunisia
In the same game, we also saw the ball technolgy used by the VAR to assist the referee in determining that Alexander Isak got a touch on the late Sweden freekick, which resulted in Mattias Svanberg’s record breaking goal legitimately being called onside, after review.
Svadberg had entered the game just 18 seconds earlier, notching the second fastest goal ever scored by a substitute in the near 100-year history of the World Cup with his first touch of the ball.
The Trionda, introduced for this tournament, carries the latest adidas Connected Ball Technology in the form of a new side mounted chip system.
The inertial measurement unit motion sensor chip now sits inside a specially created layer in one of the four panels and sends precise ball data directly to the VAR system in real time.
The officials can now identify each individual touch of the ball, reducing the amount of time spent making vital in-game decisions around offsides and other specific incidents such as possible handballs.
(All images courtesy of imago and Adidas)
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The group E favourites meet the underdogs in Houston, Texas
Die Mannschaft kick off the hunt for the record-equalling fifth World Cup star on Germany‘s shirt in excellent spirit, as Julian Nagelsmann‘s star-studded squad recorded a couple of friendly victories against Finland and hosts, USA, prior to the tournament in North America, maintaining an unbeaten run that dates back to September last year.
That said, the 2014 World Cup champions have failed to progress from the group phase in each of the previous two finals, and even though the ultimate aim is to lift the illustrious trophy next month, their first goal, with significant pressure building back home, will be to reach the knockout stages.
Curaçao are the lowest-ranked (82) debutants at the 2026 World Cup, and the Blue Wave endured a tumultuous period ahead of the tournament with new coach, Fred Rutten, resigning from the national team on 11 May and Dick Advocaat returning to the helm just month after overseeing their qualifying campaign. At 78, the Dutchman will become the oldest coach in World Cup history.
The islanders have only suffered three defeats this calendar year, but finished their preparations with a dominant win (4-0) against Aruba, to raise the confidence levels before the most significant moment in Curaçao’s footballing history on Sunday.
Key players
Manuel Neuer‘s return to the national team was welcomed with both excitement and scepticism in Germany, as although Bayern München’s captain is still a high-quality goalkeeper, the 40-year-old’s fitness is questionable. The 124-cap international also ranks (6.78) behind both Oliver Baumann (6.81) and Alexander Nübel (7.33) in terms of his average FotMob match rating in the Bundesliga this season, and the pressure is on the experienced goalkeeper to silence the critics and justify Julian Nagelsmann’s faith in him.
Tahith Chong is one of the high-profile names in Curaçao’s squad alongside Riechedly Bazoer and the captain, Leandro Bacuna. The tricky winger confirmed his good form by scoring a goal in the friendly against Scotland at Hampden Park. The 26-year-old switched allegiance from the Netherlands to Curaçao just last year, but the Manchester United academy product already has three goals in six appearances for the Blue Wave, and his versatility to play off both wings is a valuable asset to Dick Advocaat’s squad.
Team news
Manuel Neuer missed the preparation matches for Germany through a calf injury, but the goalkeeper returned to first-team training and is expected to start, while everyone else is available with Assan Ouédraogo being the latest player called up to the squad after Lennart Karl suffered an injury.
Dick Advocaat boasts a full squad to pick from, and more importantly, Jürgen Locadia is back after serving a one-match suspension for his red card against Scotland with the Miami FC striker expected to lead the offensive line.
Prediction
Germany are undoubtably the favourites in Group E as well as one of the main contenders to go all the way at this World Cup, and Julian Nagelsmann’s squad should have no problems in securing a win against Curaçao, who’s fairytale journey to the tournament was inspiring. I expect a clear victory for Die Mannschaft.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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The World Cup’s most iconic national team has never gone more than five iterations without lifting the golden trophy, but Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil side are not front-runners this time around and face a tough opener against Morocco.
Spain, France and England are all shorter odds to triumph than Brazil, and plenty of people have reigning champions Argentina – and Portugal – ahead of them too. That lack of top-tier favouritism is unusual for the Seleção, but underlined by finishing fifth in Conmebol qualifying – one point off second, but also ten off top spot.
Ancelotti juggles, Neymar the circus
It can be argued that the manager’s biggest task is getting buy-in from the stars on hand – Raphinha and Vinícius Júnior, primarily – to perform for the team as well as showing individual class. Carlo Ancelotti is a master at managing egos and guiding underperformers, but even so this squad is below the quality levels of previous years.
There’s one more factor which will heavily influence Brazil’s success or failure: Neymar. Unfit heading into the tournament, he’s likely to be eased in over the groups before finding his role in the side…or not. And either outcome has knock-on effects for the squad dynamic, the media treatment, the fans’ belief and Brazil’s actual quality in the final third. Ancelotti believes he can offer something – but it needs to be far more than a star name if Brazil are to end their 24-year wait for a World Cup.
Atlas Lions’ big challenge
Morocco have already proved they are not a flash-in-the-pan – they’ve lost precisely one game of any kind since the end of the delayed 2023 Afcon. The caveat there is that it would have been two, had CAF not overturned last year’s chaotic Afcon final from a Senegal win to a Morocco one – but even so, their recent international record reads fourth place at a World Cup, Round of 16 at one Afcon and reached the final at the next. That’s impressive, consistent progression in a way that previous African nations have not managed to sustain after impacting on the global stage. Morocco set a record at the last World Cup by reaching the semis – it’s a different kind of pressure to repeat the trick. One unknown remains: Mohamed Ouahbi took over as boss in March, having won the U20 World Cup last year.
Morocco are enjoying an all-time high in the FIFA rankings
Recent form
Brazil saw off Panama with ease at the end of May and beat Egypt in their final warm-up, while Morocco beat Madagascar and drew with Norway.
Team news
Brazil saw Wesley go off against Egypt and he’s out the squad, while Neymar only returned to training this week. Morocco lost key winger Abde Ezzalzouli against Norway, a massive blow, while Nayef Aguerd also failed to recover from an injury – both will miss the finals entirely.
Key player
For Brazil’s attack to shine, the midfield pair must function in both directions. Over the past year Bruno Guimarães ranks 86% for touches, 91% for chances created and 48% by defensive actions among top European-based midfielders – he’ll have to excel to set a platform for those ahead, and do an awful lot of running for his central partner.
Prediction
With easier games ahead in Group C, it’s possible neither side will go all-out for three points – an entertaining draw is in store as a result: Brazil 2-2 Morocco.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Scotland return to the World Cup finals following a 28-year break kicks off with an opening fixture against one of the tournament’s rank outsiders, Haiti.
Will it be eighth time lucky for Scotland in North America this summer?
It’s been 28 years since Scotland last played in a World Cup finals, and they return to the competition seeking to end a record of having never got through the group stage in their last seven attempts.
Their previous tries have seen them come close a couple of times, and it’s been 36 years since they won a game once there, a 2-1 win against Sweden in 1990. They qualified without the need for play-offs, but they left it late, with two dramatic stoppage-time goals edging them above Denmark with a 4-2 win and through to these finals.
Haiti are among the rank outsiders in this summer’s World Cup. They’ve only qualified once before. But like Scotland, they avoided play-offs, finishing as runners-up to Curaçao in their First Round CONCACAF group and then impressively winning their Second Round group, which also contained Honduras and Costa Rica.
Haiti’s qualifying group
Scotland will need to avoid echoes of their own past to proceed through the group stage
The concern for Scotland supporters as they head for North America will be the sheer variety of ways they’ve contrived to fail in the group stage in the past. The big echo from the past may be 1978, when one point from their opening two matches against what should have been modest opposition in the form of Peru and Iran left them with an insurmountable challenge in their final game against the Netherlands. Needing a three-goal win, they won 3-2, but failed to proceed.
Four years earlier, both Haiti and Scotland were in West Germany. Scotland were again undone by goal difference in a group which ended up with three unbeaten teams. Haiti, meanwhile, looked as though they might be on for what would have been one of the biggest shocks in the entire history of the World Cup when they took the lead in the first minute of the second half of their game against Italy. But Italy came back to win 3-1, Haiti lost their other two games, 7-0 against Poland and 4-1 against Argentina, and they haven’t been back since.
2025/26 was a difficult season for Andy Robertson
The Scotland captain Andy Robertson has now left Liverpool for Tottenham Hotspur, and his final season at Anfield was a difficult one, with the team falling short on the pitch and the personal tragedy of having lost team-mate and friend Diogo Jota in a car crash last summer. But Robertson came through it with admirable dignity, and he deserves a few weeks in the sun. He departed his former club with praise from fans for his service ringing in his ears, and he’s worked hard for this opportunity.
Robertson’s final Premier League season with Liverpool
Midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde may have had a disappointing season with Wolves, but he’s transformed Haiti since making his debut for them last year, with a particularly strong performance in their 3-0 win in Nicaragua in October. He’s one of two English-based players in their squad, alongside the Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor, who scored their goal in their last pre-tournament friendly match, a 2-1 defeat against Peru.
The other key players to look out for are goalkeeper and captain Johnny Placide of Bastia, who’s made 81 appearances for his country, and striker Duckens Nazon, who is currently playing his club football in Iran with Esteghlal. He’s Haiti’s all-time record goalscorer, with 44 goals, although he hasn’t scored a goal for club or country yet in 2026.
With goal difference potentially crucial, Scotland may need to go on the attack in this fixture
Haiti’s French head coach Sébastien Migné has, with the team unable to play matches in their home country due to an apparently perpetual security crisis, done an incredible job by getting his team here in the first place. He plays a 4-4-2 with attacking full-backs for width, which drops back to a 4-2-3-1 in defensive situations. They can be left a little short defensively at times, but have strong attacking options.
The Scotland manager Steve Clarke has an aging team, but the upside of this is that they have plenty of experience. Goal difference is always of exaggerated importance in the group stage of a World Cup, as Scotland have found to their cost before, and with their opponents’ biggest weakness being defensive and Scotland’s greatest strength being their midfield, Clarke is likely to go for a straight 4-4-2, with new Rangers striker Lawrence Shankland and Torino’s Ché Adams up front.
The Group C line up
Scotland need a positive result from this match, with tougher challenges to come
There is a definite opportunity for Scotland to build up a little confidence ahead of far trickier-looking games to come against Morocco and Brazil. Haiti have only ever qualified once before, and are among the outsiders to win the tournament.
A positive result and performance from Scotland looks pretty essential from a match they really should win, which is particularly important this time around, given that the top eight third-placed teams will also be getting through to the round of 32.
But the warnings from history are right there, staring them in the face. In 1974, 1978 and 1982, they were eliminated on goal difference after failing to run up as many goals against their group’s minnows as their opponents.
Brazil are among the favourites to win the entire competition and Morocco reached the semi-finals four years ago, so there’ll be far tougher tests to come than this, but a 3-0 win from this fixture would stand Scotland in a decent stead for the challenges ahead.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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It’s a huge occasion for Mauricio Pochettino‘s side as they look to get off to a strong start in front of expectant fans. They face a Paraguay side managed by Gustavo Alfaro, who will be playing with huge intensity and will be up for the event.
USA got the better of Paraguay when they met in a friendly back in November, but this is the first time they’ve met in the World Cup since 1930.
Recent H2H results and a World Cup flashback
Team news
There are unlikely to be too many injury concerns for either manager heading into this game, with it being the start of the tournament. You’d expect the likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Tyler Adams to feature from the start. Tim Ream could become the oldest player to appear for the US at a World Cup.
Crystal Palace centre back Chris Richards took the unusual step of declaring himself fit in the pre-match press conference!
Paraguay could be without Julio Enciso heading into this game, after he picked up an injury in a warm-up match against Nicaragua. It’s unconfirmed whether he will be fit enough to start this one after he was stretchered off.
USA testing themselves in recent months
Perhaps a purposeful schedule from the USA heading into the World Cup, Pochettino’s side have faced some tricky tests over the last few months. The USA have faced Uruguay, Belgium, Portugal, Senegal and Germany in friendlies. All strong sides competing at this tournament.
It’s a clever move from the USA to face strong European sides especially, as it’s rare that they get the opportunity to do so. Although results were certainly mixed, it was a real opportunity for them to test themselves.
Paraguay held their own in qualifying
Although Paraguay finished sixth from ten in their World Cup qualification group, they certainly held their own. They lost just four times, fewer than Brazil and the same number of losses as Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay.
Although they finished sixth, they were just one point off second, and it was their defensive solidity that helped get them over the line. They might not have the same attacking flair as some of their fellow South American sides, but they’ll bring a rigid, structured system which could do well at the tournament.
Pulisic’s time to shine
It was a strong first half of the season for Pulisic in Serie A, and he finished the campaign with 12 goals and four assists from just 18 starts (none of those goals came post-Christmas). The 27-year-old showed what he can do on the international stage against Senegal late last month, setting up a goal and scoring one himself in the first half, before being substituted.
Pulisic is undoubtedly the talisman for Pochettino’s side, and if they are to have any success at the tournament, they’ll need him to perform. The former Chelsea man could be the player to watch in this game, hoping to better his three goal contributions from the previous World Cup.
Prediction
In front of a home crowd, the USA should be able to get off to a strong start. We’re going for a 2-1 victory to Pochettino’s men.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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11 years on from hosting their first football World Cup, Canada are prepared to welcome the FIFA Men’s World Cup to their shores for the very first time. Their women’s team kicked the campaign off with a last-gasp win over China back in 2015, but fans will hope for a less tense affair on this occasion.
Although Canada lost each of their matches in their previous two outings at the tournament — in Mexico ‘86 and Qatar ‘22 — they have good reason to be optimistic about their chances of advancing past the group stage this time.
American head coach Jesse Marsch has fashioned the team into a well-drilled unit with his trademark high press, and he has some star power to call on in the attack. Canada are the second-highest-ranked team in their group and won’t face Switzerland until the last matchday, so they could well seal a knockout spot in two games.
Bosnia and Herzegovina out to cause more upsets
Bosnia and Herzegovina shocked the world by defeating Italy on penalties in their World Cup qualification playoff final to seal just their second appearance at the tournament. They won’t be here just to make up the numbers, though, because they have every chance of creating history in this group.
Sergej Barbarez’s side have come away with results against the likes of the Netherlands, Austria and Wales in the last couple of years. Their defence has proven staunch on its day in the 4-4-2 formation, while they too have some potential game-winners in attack.
The Dragons have a nice mix of youthful exuberance and veteran experience in the squad, with nine players aged 23 or younger alongside the likes of Edin Džeko and Sead Kolasinac, who were both in the lineup for their nation’s World Cup debut in 2014.
Team news
Canada have been dealt a couple of significant injury blows in the lead-up to the World Cup, leaving them without attacker Marcelo Flores for certain. Defender Moïse Bombito and captain Alphonso Davies are serious doubts, while midfielder Ismaël Koné reportedly missed a recent training session due to fever.
Bosnian strikers Džeko and Haris Tabaković trained separately, with the latter being the major doubt due to a reported metatarsal fracture he picked up at the end of the 2025/26 season.
Key Players
Jonathan David is the star man up front for Canada and could have to take up greater all-round responsibilities amid their availability crisis. He will look to Tajon Buchanan for some support, while the experienced Stephen Eustáquio will be a key figure in midfield.
Sassuolo defender Tarik Muharemović will need to put in a big shift at the back for the visitors. They will look to attacking starlets Esmir Bajraktarević and Kerim Alajbegović to light up the wings and test Canada’s back line.
Jonathan David’s Serie A season with Juventus
Prediction
A close contest should be expected, but Canada might have enough to come away with a 2-1 victory.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from the World Cup with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.
As always, our aim is to make following football easier, so here are some of the ways we will be trying to do that over the next few weeks – both in the app, and via our social channels.
First of all, the starting point: Make sure you navigate to the World Cup page in the app, hit ‘Follow’ and then tap the bell icon to control what match alerts you want set for the upcoming games.
From here, if you have an iPhone, we have also added the ability to turn on ‘Live Activities’ for all games. This will allow you to get live scores pinned directly to your lock screen, meeaning you don’t even have to open your phone to keep track of the action.
Android users can also now use live activities, subject to the right system updates being available for your device.
In the app, we will, of course, have all the live stats you would expect from us – including xG, heat maps, momentum, shot maps, ball possession, the FotMob match ratings, and countless other data points.
If you want to learn more about any of the nations who have qualified for the finals, you can click on their profile in the app to read an extensive preview that will give you all the info you’ll ever need to know – here, for example, is a look at debutants Curaçao.
You’ll also be able to follow and interact with our enhanced live text commentary. Our editors would love to hear your thoughts so send us an email to live@fotmob.com and you never know, you may even see yourself on FotMob.
Post-match, we’ll have fast, human-written match reports, and official highlights so even if you’ve missed the game, or you couldn’t stay awake for it – we’ve got you covered with everything you need, when you need it.
And our last tip, pre-tournament, is something that has been going viral across social media: Sync all the World Cup fixtures directly to your calendar.
To do this, please follow the steps as laid out in this handy guide – HERE.
And if you fancy showing off your ball knowledge, there is still time to enter our free Predictor challenge. Looks for the FotMob Predict page in the app, or click through this link to play.
Predict the scores, create a mini-league for the group chat or the office, and collect those bragging rights when the points start racking up.
Beyond the app, have a read of the first of our World Cup daily editions of The Assist, the free FotMob newsletter.
Early each day during the tournament, we’ll be bringing you all the latest information and talking points you may have missed from the games played overnight, and also take a look at all the unmissable action that is coming up. All in an easily digestable five minute read.
And last, but not least, our social teams will covering the tournament on the ground in North America for our followers on Instagram, TikTok, and X (formally Twitter).
Follow our channels for exclusive content from around the grounds and soak in that special World Cup atmosphere.
If it’s good enough for England international, Eberechi Eze, we think there’s something for you too.
📲🏴 Wise words from Arsenal and England star Eberechi Eze… particularly on the best app to follow football. pic.twitter.com/Lwka8NrTy5
