There are many huge sporting events in the world, but none are bigger than the World Cup globally, and the beautiful game began in Mexico on Thursday.
It’s a groundbreaking event for soccer, with the United States, Canada and Mexico all hosting World Cup games. The 2026 World Cup has been supersized from 32 teams in the past to 48 this year, meaning there could be even more upsets than usual as World Cup games take place on American soil for the first time in 32 years.
There are aging legends like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luka Modrić and Edin Dzeko who are trying to show they can still perform at the highest level on the world stage. Young stars like Lamine Yamal, Endrick, Gilberto Mora, João Neves, Désiré Doué and more are trying to show all the hype and potential can lead to production. Then there are stars like Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Vinícius Júnior and Vitinha who are in the primes of their careers, looking to add to their legacy.
Argentina is the defending champion, but France and Spain are considered the favorites in the betting markets and among the experts. The United States is expected by many to advance out of the group stages, but can it win a knockout game for the first time in 24 years? It’s not a guarantee the Americans make it out of the group stage.
The World Cup started on Thursday with Mexico beating South Africa, 2-0, and South Korea beat Czechia, 2-1. Here’s what to watch for over the next month, as eyes around the world will be watching the action in North America:
Sixteen venues will host World Cup games over the next month. In the United States, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Miami will host games on the East Coast. In the middle of the country, Kansas City, Dallas and Houston will host games. Then on the West Coast, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles will also host games.
In Canada, Toronto and Vancouver will host games. In Mexico, Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara will host games.
The largest stadium will be AT&T Stadium in Dallas, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, which seats 94,000. The stadium will host group stage games all the way to a semifinal game on July 14. The second largest stadium is Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with a capacity of 83,000. It will host group stage games until the Round of 16.
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is the third-largest stadium and arguably the most important. It will host the tournament final with a capacity of 82,500 fans.
Each of the 48 teams have been split into 12 groups of four teams. Each team in a group will play the other teams once, with all teams playing a minimum of three games in the tournament. Like previous World Cups with 32 teams, the top two teams in each group will advance.
This year, with the tournament expansion, the eight best third-place teams in each group will advance, creating a 32-team, single-elimination knockout phase. The only exception will be when the semifinals losers play in the third-place match.
A lot of countries’ fans hope and pray that their squad can make a magical run through the tournament, but there’s usually only a handful of teams that can actually win the World Cup. This year, there are about a half dozen teams with chances at hosting the FIFA World Cup Trophy, but Spain and France are the favorites.
Spain won the World Cup in 2010 with a phenomenal generation of talent, but haven’t advanced past the Round of 16 in the three World Cups since then as that 2010 squad got old. But pundits and Spanish fans expect that to change this year with another golden generation.
Luis de la Fuente leads the Spanish squad as head coach. Since he took over in 2022, Spain has won the 2023 UEFA Nations League tournament and the 2024 UEFA Euro tournament. de la Fuente has an excellent relationship with his players, many of whom he coached in the Spanish youth system.
Spain is loaded with offensive talent, and the name that everyone is watching is Lamine Yamal. The 18-year-old has been a soccer prodigy since he was scouted by FC Barcelona at 6 years old. He made his debut with FC Barcelona when he was 15, and he became the youngest player at 17 to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or, the award for the world’s best soccer player.
Yamal is known for his creativity and skill on the wing, along with fellow Spanish star Nico Williams, who’s known for his speed and skill. Rodri is in the midfield as the Spanish captain. The 2024 Ballon d’Or is considered one of the best midfielders in the world. Fabian Ruiz is another stellar midfielder along with Pedri.
Spain is loaded on offense, but the big question is with the health of Yamal and Williams, both of whom are dealing with hamstring issues and could miss the first two games.
On FanDuel Sportsbook, Spain is the betting favorite to win the World Cup at +450, meaning a $10 bet wins $45.
France has been a stellar squad in the World Cup, winning the tournament twice in the last 30 years, and it has been on great form recently in the World Cup, winning in 2018 and finishing runner-up to Argentina in 2022.
Head coach Dider Deschamps is considered one of the best managers in international soccer in his 12-year tenure. He has a loaded squad on offense, worth over $1 billion according to the website transfermarkt.com
Kylian Mbappé is one of the best players in the world, with extensive experience with the French national team. Expected to play as France’s center forward, Mbappé has scored 42 goals in 44 games in all competitions in 2025-2026. The Real Madrid striker has 12 goals in the past two World Cups, the most if any player. At 27-years-old, he’s in the prime of his career.
Ousmane Dembélé is also in the prime of his career at 29. Winner of the Ballon d’Or in 2025, Dembélé plays for Paris Saint-Germain in France, scoring a goal in the Champions League Final. He’s one of the best passers in the world and should create a deadly duo with Mbappé from the right side up front.
France does have some questions on defense, and it was shocked with a 2-1 loss against Ivory Coast in a friendly on June 4.
On FanDuel Sportsbook, France has the second-best odds to win at +500, meaning if you bet $10 on France to win, you would win $50.
The United States isn’t known as a country with a lot of stars on soccer’s world stage or as a country with a rich soccer tradition, but the host nation is trying to change that reputation this year.
There was a 40-year-gap from 1950-1990 when America didn’t make a single World Cup. Since then, the United States has qualified for eight of the last nine World Cups, with the only slip-up being a disastrous miss in 2018.
Since 1990, the United States has made it to the quarterfinals in 2002, the Round of 16 three times, including in 2022, and has not made it out of the group stage three times.
This year, the United States is still a long shot to win the World Cup, but knockout wins aren’t off the table.
The United States has arguably the most talented squad in its history, and it has a favorable draw in the group stage. America is in Group D and has the highest FIFA ranking at 16th in the world. Turkey, ranked 22nd, will be very tough and Australia, ranked 27th, won’t be an easy game. Paraguay, ranked 40th, should be a win.
America also has a coach who has experience managing at the highest levels of the sport in Mauricio Pochttino. He’s coached Tottenham and Chelsea in the English Premier League along with Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1.
Christian Pulisic is the face of the team and has the most expectations. He’s been the best player for the United States for multiple years now. He was an ultra-accomplished teenager, moving to Germany to play for Borussia Dortmund, becoming the youngest players to score multiple goals in the Bundesliga, Germany’s top league. Pulisic has played for Chelsea in England and AC Milan in Italy.
With all the fanfare that came with his rise to stardom, there have been questions about Pulisic recently when it comes to his injuries and goalless drought in Milan. Pulisic has historically played his best for the United States, and American fans will be watching him the most in the midfield.
There are plenty of other options in the midfield and on offense for the United States. Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams control things in the midfield. McKennie is a standout for Juventus, one of the top teams in Italy, as a versatile midfielder who can create offense and disrupt the other team. Adams is a defensive-minded midfielder who plays in England.
Florian Balogun could be the team’s top goal scorer. Playing for AS Monaco, he finished his season in Europe playing superbly, with 11 goals in his final 14 games. Sergiño Dest will be on the wing. Dest has a lot of experience playing in Europe, for the national team and isn’t afraid to take risks.
There are some question marks behind the midfield for the United States. Tim Ream is the captain for the squad at center back. But at 38, there are questions about whether he still has enough left in the tank to perform on the biggest stage. The team’s other center back, Chris Richards, suffered an ankle injury while playing in the English Premier League. He’s reportedly practiced with the team, but his effectiveness will be a question mark since he was rehabbing in the final two international friendlies.
The United States has had fantastic goalkeeper play over the past two decades. The position is a question mark this year, with Matt Turner and Matt Freese as the options in goal.
America is expected to advance out of the group stage. Any wins in the single-elimination part of the tournament would be a success. The United States is a long shot to win the World Cup, with the 16th-best odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Friday: USA vs. Paraguay at 7 p.m. MST at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
June 19: USA vs. Australia at 1 p.m. MST at Lumen Field in Seattle
June 25: USA vs. Turkey at 8 p.m. MST at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
Group stage: June 11-27
Round of 32: June 28-July 3
Round of 16: July 4-7
Quarterfinals: July 9-11
Semifinals: July 14-15
Third-place match: July 18
Final: July 19
All games in English will be on either FOX or FS1.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
