The World Cup trophy outside the White House before the 2026 tournament’s group-stage draw
“Finally, we have the full 2026 World Cup draw. The 48 teams competing in the United States, Canada and Mexico this June and July are set. The final six qualifiers have been confirmed following Tuesday’s play-off finals — congratulations to Turkey, the Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina (who knocked out Italy on penalties), Sweden, Iraq and DR Congo — and so we now have the opportunity to fill out the tournament bracket for the first time. Fair warning: this will stand little analytical scrutiny. Instead, it will be full of half-baked theories, tangents and no doubt lots of European bias. Wish me luck. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
NY Times/The Athletic: Ranking the 48 teams at the 2026 World Cup (Video)
Guardian power rankings: France lead the way with Senegal and Japan in top 10
BBC: The World Cup line-up is complete – here’s what you need to know (Video)
ESPN: 2026 World Cup squads ranked: All 48 national teams that can win this summer
YouTube: How Africa had to fight for its place at the World Cup