Eight years after it was awarded to the United States, Canada and Mexico, the World Cup is now one month away.
Here at The Athletic, we are getting excited and our team of reporters are preparing to head to all corners of the three countries to cover the tournament from every angle.
We asked some of them — Lukas Weese, Asli Pelit, Matt Slater, Melanie Anzidei and Max Mathews, plus USMNT reporter Paul Tenorio, England reporter Jack Pitt-Brooke and Canada reporter Joshua Kloke — to tell us how they are feeling about all things World Cup as the clock ticks down towards the first match on June 11.
With one month to go to the World Cup, I feel…
Weese: An overwhelming sense of curiosity. What is it going to look like? How will it impact the host cities and nations? This is the first time in my lifetime that there will be a North American men’s World Cup. There is a lot of uncertainty leading up to the tournament but it will be similar to an Olympic Games — once the matches begin, the soccer (hopefully) will be the focus.
Pelit: Is the World Cup really happening? If I did not work in the industry, I genuinely would not know the United States is about to host the biggest sporting event in history. This is my third time covering a World Cup and the second time I’ve lived in a host country during the tournament build-up. I still remember how Brazil prepared in 2014: beaches, plazas and streets of Rio de Janeiro were draped in World Cup colors. The energy was unavoidable. Every other conversation we had was about Copa do Mundo. The tournament felt alive long before the opening match.
Here in New York City, by contrast, there is barely a pulse. Aside from the countdown clock installed inside The Shops of Columbus Circle (random!), I have yet to see meaningful signs that the World Cup is a month away. No visible takeover of the city. No real atmosphere. For a city that is about to host the World Cup final, it feels strangely quiet.
Slater: Europoor. If I wasn’t already aware that America’s numerous tech bros, massive national debt and high tolerance for poor public services added up to a large lead in the all-important GDP-per-capita race, the World Cup’s ticket prices have rammed that message home. We, in the Old World, are paupers. As global citizen Gianni Infantino has noted, Americans are so rich they will pay $300 (£408) to watch students in crash helmets play a version of rugby. We have been left behind, probably on holiday.
Mathews: Today I feel worried, excited, trepidatious, joyful, engaged… so overall, mixed. I (nostalgically, no doubt) remember historic World Cup tournaments as bringing the world together. For myriad reasons, including visas, politics, ticket and transport pricing, it feels like this one will not. But it is still a World Cup, and a World Cup is about the players and managers who will light up the global stage. Once things get going, hopefully the football will enrapture everyone.
Anzidei: Like it’s finally here. I’m based in East Rutherford, so I am up close and personal to the preparations around MetLife Stadium. I’ve described it to friends like this — it feels like my neighborhood is preparing to host a really, really big party and we’re at the stage where we’re making sure our home is perfect for when guests arrive. I recently was at, ahem, “New York New Jersey” stadium for the grass installation. Bars around me allude to the summer of soccer. It’s the default conversation with strangers at the bar. I say finally, because we’ve been waiting nearly a decade for this moment.
MetLife Stadium will host the World Cup final (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
The thing that most excites me is…
Weese: Seeing what Toronto will look like during the World Cup. In World Cups past, I know that several bars and establishments had outdoor and indoor viewing experiences. The subway would be packed with fans from all over the world supporting their countries.
Now that there are actual World Cup games in Toronto, I’m eager to see what the fan fest will look like and how spectators will celebrate.
Slater: Everyone getting reacquainted, hopefully consigning all this U.S. vs Europe rhetoric to the bin. We used to get on so well! If we put our phones down for a bit, actually have a chat, enjoy the weather and watch some amazing sport together, I am sure we can get on well once more. World Cups are absolutely brilliant at reminding us all how much we have in common.
Mathews: How the tournament could make the U.S., and children across the planet, fall in love with the beautiful game. It is a sports-mad country with a growing fan culture and soccer could be about to explode. Of course, it won’t reduce fandom for basketball, (American) football, baseball — but soccer could be a part of that Mount Rushmore. Seeing how moments potentially inspire a new generation of stars around the world is a tantalising prospect.
Pelit: What excites me most about the World Cup is what happens outside the stadiums as much as inside them. It is seeing little kids in soccer jerseys spill into parks after watching some of the greatest players perform in their own backyard, immediately trying to recreate the goals and moments they just witnessed. I hope that energy transcends the tournament itself and leaves a lasting impact on the way America sees the beautiful game.
Anzidei: The football. It’s a cliche, but there is something special about everyone gathering around a television to watch a World Cup — especially in the United States, where I’ve lived my whole life and where the sport is still gaining popularity. The level of play will be top-notch. Some of the players I’ve grown up watching will be retiring after this summer. There is something nostalgic already about this World Cup, like I miss it already and it hasn’t even started yet.
The thing that worries me most is…
Weese: How big metropolitan cities deal with transit. I’m looking at you, Toronto.
Torontonians love to complain about transit and traffic. Public transit has pledged more trains and other ways to get fans to and from the stadium.
But what they say and what actually happens might be different. And if there are delays, it might be a huge mess for spectators, who have spent a lot of money to watch soccer.
Slater: I am a bit worried that England will somehow let the side down by being boring, loutish or rubbish, but that’s just because I want everyone to like us — I don’t actually believe we will be boring, loutish or rubbish. OK, we might be boring. But the thing I really worry about is that this World Cup will be a bit “meh”, and what could/should have been an amazing party being remembered more for price-gouging, political grandstanding, cultural misunderstandings and sticky, stodgy, stop-start soccer.
Pelit: What worries me most is that the World Cup could be the most boring version of itself. The magic of the tournament has never been just the football. It is also the fans. The streets flooded with jerseys, flags hanging from apartment balconies, strangers singing in different languages at bars and train stations, entire cities temporarily transformed by people who traveled across the world for their team. But this tournament is becoming prohibitively expensive. Tickets, hotels and travel costs are pushing out the very supporters who create that atmosphere.
Mathews: How long have you got? The spectre of ICE-related deportations, political protests, storms delaying matches for hours like at the Club World Cup, half-empty stadiums because fans cannot afford tickets or are failed by the exorbitantly-priced transport. Most worrying among these is how fans of other countries are treated. They are integral to the tournament as a whole because of the passion, colour and noise they bring. One hopes they will be welcomed warmly. That may not be the case.
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Anzidei: If football is what excites me most — well, everything else is what worries me. The lingering feeling that national politics will destroy the beautiful game. The fear that visitors won’t be welcomed. The constant nag in the back of my head that this World Cup won’t be safe. The overblown ticket prices. This World Cup has become inaccessible for many in so many ways, and I hope this is not the new normal. I hope fans who helped build soccer into what it is today still feel like they belong in the sport this summer and beyond, despite all that noise.
The group I feel most confident predicting is…
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World Cup 2026 groups
Group A
Mexico
South Africa
South Korea
Czech Rep.
Group B
Canada
Bosnia and Herz.
Qatar
Switzerland
Group C
Brazil
Morocco
Haiti
Scotland
Group D
United States
Paraguay
Australia
Turkey
Group E
Germany
Curacao
Ivory Coast
Ecuador
Group F
Netherlands
Japan
Sweden
Tunisia
Group G
Belgium
Egypt
Iran
New Zealand
Group H
Spain
Cape Verde
Saudi Arabia
Uruguay
Group I
France
Senegal
Iraq
Norway
Group J
Argentina
Algeria
Austria
Jordan
Group K
Portugal
D.R. Congo
Uzbekistan
Colombia
Group L
England
Croatia
Ghana
Panama
See full schedule
Weese: Group H. Spain is one of the favourites of this tournament. I don’t see them having any trouble winning the group and looking like a team to beat after the group stage.
Lamine Yamal will show why he is one of the top young footballers in the world.
Lamine Yamal has developed into one of Spain’s key players (Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Slater: I’m tempted to say England’s (aka Group L), as I can guarantee I’ll be watching through my fingers, particularly if the opener against Croatia goes sideways. But that’s unnecessarily pessimistic. We’ll be fine. No, the easiest to predict is Group H. Spain and Uruguay should stroll past 61st-ranked Saudi Arabia and 69th-ranked Cape Verde.
Pelit: Definitely Group J. Reigning champions Argentina should have no issues winning this group.
Anzidei: Germany will top Group E, with Ecuador, fueled by the Ecuadorian diaspora in the U.S., finishing as a close second. Ivory Coast will finish third, followed by World Cup debutants Curacao, the smallest nation to qualify for a World Cup. I’d love to be proven wrong about Curacao, though.
The group I feel least confident predicting is…
Weese: Group B. I have no idea how host Canada is going to fare.
Canada’s talented roster should put them in a position to win it — but this is the World Cup and matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland are hard to call.
I can’t wait to see how it shakes out.
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Slater: Group D for ‘Don’t know how the U.S. will handle the pressure, whether we should believe Turkey’s recent form, how good Australia are or what to make of Paraguay’. The hosts are the top-rated team at 16th in the FIFA rankings and Paraguay are lowest-rated at 40th. But Paraguay did well in South American qualifying, lost narrowly to the USMNT in a November friendly but then beat Mexico a few days later. Australia lack stars but only lost one game in qualifying, while Turkey got smashed by Spain in September but have not lost since.
Pelit: Group D. The pressure on the U.S. will be enormous, and the trajectory of their entire tournament could hinge on that opening match against Paraguay. A loss there and the noise surrounding the team could become deafening almost instantly. The issue is that there are no straightforward fixtures in this group. Turkey is technically gifted but emotionally volatile. Australia remains something of a Pandora’s box, difficult to predict. And Paraguay may not dominate possession, but their physicality and ability to disrupt rhythm could frustrate both the U.S. and Turkey and turn this group into a grind.
Mathews: Group K is a fascinating one. All the pressure will be on Portugal but with Cristiano Ronaldo likely to be a sideshow, I’m unconvinced they are among the favourites for the whole tournament.
Colombia are strong, mixing physicality with skill, while Uzbekistan, inspired by Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov, are no mugs.
DR Congo are a battling team as well and will not give up points for free.
Mexico’s group, A, features four very different teams from four continents and could easily finish in any configuration.
Even if he does not make Roberto Martinez’s line-up, all eyes will be on Cristiano Ronaldo (Lars Baron/Getty Images
Anzidei: Call it recency bias, but I can’t stop wondering what will happen with Group A following recent reports out of Mexico’s camp. The Mexican Football Federation warned Liga MX players that they would be left off the final World Cup roster if they failed to report to a World Cup camp that overlaps with important club fixtures this month. Conflicted players are suddenly in a tricky position, and this discomfort could linger, adding uncertainty to Mexico’s status as group favourites.
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I cover England and feel the team is…
Pitt-Brooke: In a good place. England have a reasonable chance of making it through to the last week of the World Cup. There are plenty of reasons to be positive. They have been a stable and good side for 10 years. They have a top coach in Thomas Tuchel. They qualified very well, winning all eight games and not conceding a single goal. Harry Kane and Declan Rice, the two most important players, are in brilliant form.
But we saw in March how poor the team can be when those two are taken out. None of the other attacking players have had good seasons. In defence, they are simply less good than they were under Gareth Southgate. And the heat will probably affect England more than their rivals. I think they will do well but not win it.
I cover USMNT and feel the team is…
Tenorio: As unpredictable as ever. When the USMNT is playing well, it can actually look entertaining and be decisive. See: the 5-1 win over Uruguay in November. Even the opening stages against both Belgium and Portugal in March had flashes of what can be a dynamic attacking posture. But those games served more as a stark warning. The U.S. didn’t cash in its chances. Belgium and Portugal waited for the game to settle, and as the U.S. got stretched, the two European teams found space and seized control of the game.
This U.S. team is more than capable of punching above its weight and beating teams en route to a quarterfinal run. It’s also capable of bombing out in the group stage. So, which USMNT will show up in June, and will stadiums packed with American fans make a difference? If there’s an X factor, that’s it. The Americans aren’t used to playing in front of big partisan crowds. That could swing momentum and push this USMNT toward fulfilling the hope and promise long built around this generation.
Mauricio Pochettino will lead the USMNT at the World Cup (Kevin C Cox/Getty Images)
I cover Canada and feel the team is…
Kloke: Better than ever, but needs results to prove it.
Canada were an intriguing, up-and-coming team at the 2022 World Cup but lacked a genuine tactical identity and the cunning in must-win games. They have since drastically improved with a newfound high-tempo style adopted by Jesse Marsch, who developed as a coach in the Red Bull system.
That’s led to better cohesion and a jolt in the FIFA rankings: they rose to 26th less than a year ago.
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Canada are among the top half of World Cup teams in defending capabilities. They have allowed just three goals over their past eight matches, including a testy 0-0 friendly draw against Colombia that felt like a World Cup preview.
The trouble is just that: we’ve only seen previews of their potential. During big tournament games, this core sometimes has concerning results. They did not get a point at the last World Cup and bowed out of last summer’s Gold Cup in the quarterfinals. Nothing will change the perception of this team like scoring more (another worry), getting their first World Cup win and moving out of the group stage. Internally, those are Canada’s expectations. Meeting them will change the sport in the country.
The team I feel is looking really good is….
Weese: It feels like such a cop-out answer but I have to go with France. Les Bleus looked like a dominant force during the March international window.
A reminder… France beat Brazil (2-1) and Colombia (3-1). Kylian Mbappe got on the scoresheet against Brazil, before Desire Doue’s double helped see off Colombia.
Those names illustrate their attacking talent. It’s going to be tough to beat this French squad.
Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
Slater: France, and not just because Bank of America’s “thematic research” team sent me an email last week to say the 2018 champions and 2022 runners-up are their pick. France’s forwards are ridiculous, their midfield was brilliant even before Pep Guardiola got hold of Rayan Cherki and the defenders they leave on the bench will be better than nearly all other teams’ starters. Goalkeeping might be a weakness but that is very relative and most teams will not have the ball long enough to find out.
Pelit: Spain. They arrive in the U.S. riding their dominant Euro 2024 run. The squad is a perfect blend of experienced veterans and fearless young talent. They were mesmerizing to watch in Germany two years ago, and if they carry the same confidence into the World Cup, they could be the last team standing in MetLife on July 19.
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Mathews: Worryingly, as an England fan, it’s Germany. They have won seven matches in a row and have some wonderful young players in Jamal Musiala, Lennart Karl, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Tom Bischof.
Anzidei: Is it wrong, as someone of Argentine descent, to say France? Sure, it was a friendly, but they recently coasted past Colombia before a historic crowd in Landover, Maryland, with such ease and, essentially, their second-string team. The team will certainly be playing like they’re fighting to reach their third World Cup final in a row, which is motivation enough to make them the ones to avoid if possible. Their depth just elevates their threat level.
The team I feel isn’t looking very good is…
Weese: Belgium. Even though they beat the USMNT 5-2 during the March international window, Belgium had a disappointing 1-1 draw against Mexico.
It’s no secret that this might be the last chance for a fading ‘golden generation’. The Belgians will lean on 34-year-old Kevin De Bruyne, likely playing in his final World Cup.
This team needs to get younger, which won’t be the case at this World Cup. A concern for Belgian fans.
Slater: I am very much tempting fate here but I’m not that frightened of/excited by Argentina. Yes, I know Lionel Messi is an alien and only has to be himself for a couple of weeks when it really counts. I really like Julian Alvarez and I suspect Enzo Fernandez will be determined to showcase his talents. But the rest of them just look… old or out of form. Obviously, I am going to pretend this was a joke if they tango their way to the final, setting Messi up for the most magnificent of farewells.
Mathews: Sorry, Lukas, but I’m worried about Canada. Several Alphonso Davies and Moise Bombito have been struggling with injuries, and another key player, Jonathan David, has been disappointing in his debut season at Juventus. Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay are not the force of old, either. Ghana are in disarray after four straight defeats, have parachuted in a new head coach, Carlos Queiroz, and star man Mohammed Kudus is unlikely to be fully fit.
Jonathan David’s form at Juventus has been patchy (Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images)
Pelit: USMNT. The talent is there, but playing at home may become more of a burden than an advantage. Expectations around this generation have lingered for years without paying dividends. They can beat top teams, as seen from their 5-1 demolition of Uruguay, yet losses to Switzerland and Belgium suggest inconsistency remains their biggest opponent.
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Anzidei: I’m not sure how to feel about Uruguay. Bielsa is a mad genius — but also “toxic”, as he recently put it. The team has obvious talent — though Federico Valverde’s head injury from a dressing-room incident at Real Madrid so close to the tournament is concerning. The defeat against the USMNT felt like a panic moment. Now we’re hearing Luis Suarez has ‘unretired’ for a chance to be called up? This locker room feels a little unstable. Their unpredictability has my eyebrows raised.
The player I feel could surprise everyone is…
Weese: I’m going with Bombito for Canada. Center-back remains an area of importance for them and when healthy, Bombito is Canada’s leader. After transferring to Ligue 1 side Nice, he made great strides in his development. A broken leg and ankle injuries have sidelined him and he has been recovering as the World Cup approaches.
If he can play, Bombito will show why he is an integral part of Canada’s World Cup roster. A big moment awaits the 26-year-old, who has only 19 caps.
Pelit: There is something uniquely dangerous about a player who looks like he is playing at his own tempo while everyone else is rushing. Arda Guler has that quality. The Turkish attacking midfielder, only 21, has a left foot that makes defenders freeze for half a second too long — at the World Cup level, that’s enough to change everything.
He is one of the most intriguing young players in Europe: who can forget his spectacular goal from beyond the halfway line for Real Madrid against Elche? His ability to drift between lines and deliver in front of the box gives Turkey a creative dimension that only a few other teams in the tournament possess.
Slater: Harry Kane. I mean it. He is underrated outside of England (and even in parts of England) and Munich. He appears to have improved at Bayern, although that is probably because of the cast he has around him. But if England can replicate Bayern’s ability to get him the ball within 20 metres of the goal, he is devastating. If England are to reach the last week of the tournament, Kane will have to be brilliant in a way nobody can ignore. Kane can. Can England?
Harry Kane is England’s all-time leading goalscorer (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Mathews: Why not Gilberto Mora, the 17-year-old wonderkid who could carry the hopes of the co-host nation Mexico on his slender shoulders? He is prodigiously talented and, if given the chance to shine on the biggest stage of all, has the minerals to step up.
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Anzidei: Can I say Luka Modric? He is 40 years old, but the Croatia legend is sure to leave everything on the pitch for his team one last time. I expect nothing short of perfection — even if he played his first World Cup before some of the players in this summer’s tournament were even born.
I’ll really be excited when…
Weese: Canada scores its first goal on home soil at a men’s World Cup. Whether it happens at BMO Field in Toronto or BC Place in Vancouver, it will be a huge moment for Canadian sports fans.
Slater: The plane starts to move away from the gate at Manchester Airport. That should be too late for The Athletic to change its mind or for my wife to say I cannot go. The excitement will only build from that point, oscillating between very and extremely excited for six weeks, dipping only slightly at night so I can sleep. World Cups are so good, even FIFA cannot mess them up.
Pelit: I walk through the gates of Levi’s Stadium, sorry, “San Francisco Stadium” for FIFA purposes, when I hear fans cheer, when I hear the whistle and start watching my first World Cup game in person since the final at the Maracana in 2014.
Mathews: The referee’s whistle blows in the opening match and you hear the roar of anticipation that only comes every four years.
Anzidei: That first match in East Rutherford on June 13. This is my hometown. My entire life, I’ve heard stories about the 1994 men’s World Cup and the 1999 Women’s World Cup. That match when the Republic of Ireland famously defeated Italy at Giants Stadium. When the 99ers’ bus got stuck in traffic on its way to a sold-out Giants Stadium. I can’t wait to be living the stories I’ll one day be telling, too.