Less than a month remains before the 2026 World Cup starts in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The tournament has already created headlines before a ball has been kicked, and the anticipation will only increase as we get closer to the first match between Mexico and South Africa on June 11.
Here are some of the biggest storylines ahead of the World Cup.
Who will win the 2026 World Cup?
France narrowly missed out on winning their second consecutive World Cup in 2022 when they lost on penalties to Argentina.
The two teams are widely regarded as favourites to go all the way in North America this year.
Brazil, the record five-time World Cup winners, are stacked with quality players. They have never gone more than 24 years between titles.
England have impressed in recent major tournaments, and they will believe they can win the World Cup under manager Thomas Tuchel.
Portugal, Netherlands and Belgium are also capable of making deep runs at the tournament.
Biggest stars at the 2026 World Cup
Lionel Messi hasn’t confirmed his participation in the summer’s tournament, but he is expected to represent Argentina if he remains fit.
Cristiano Ronaldo will look to lead Portugal to their first-ever World Cup title. The experienced forward has won everything there is to win except for that trophy.
Erling Braut Haaland and Lamine Yamal will also be aiming to etch their names in history this summer.
Haaland has scored 55 goals in just 49 appearances for Norway, while Yamal helped Spain win the 2024 European Championship.
Four debutants
Cape Verde made history last October by becoming the smallest nation by population (approximately 525,000) to qualify for the World Cup.
Their record was smashed the following month by the Caribbean island of Curacao, which has a population of just over 150,000 and a land area of 171 square miles.
Jordan and Uzbekistan will also make their first appearance at the competition.
Iran’s participation in the World Cup
Iran’s participation has been a major storyline in the build-up to the summer’s World Cup.
They secured their place in the finals by winning Group A of the third round of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying.
However, president Donald Trump recently said that Iran’s players should not come to the World Cup due to safety reasons.
Despite the geopolitical tensions, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed they will compete at the tournament.
