Placed in a tough Group I, France, Senegal and Norway will have to bring their A-game to the FIFA World Cup. Belgium (G), Spain and Uruguay (H) have a relatively easier start to the campaign.
Group G (Belgium, Iran, Egypt and New Zealand)
Belgium’s golden generation finished third in 2018. In 2026, that gold has lost its sheen.
The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku and Axel Witsel are still around, but the famed backline comprising Toby Alderweireld, Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen and Jan Vertonghen no longer exists.
Coach Rudi Garcia will thus be pinning his hopes on his attack, which also has the speedy Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku.
There are, however, doubts over Lukaku’s preparedness, with Belgium’s all-time top-scorer (90 goals) playing just an hour of football all season for Napoli.
But the strength of the group is such that Belgium is the favourite. Iran, at No. 21, and Egypt, at No. 29, are both not up to scratch.
Iran has featured in each of the last three World Cups, but has exited in the group stage. Currently, the country is in the middle of a military stand-off with the United States, something that seriously threatened its participation.
And because of safety concerns, Iran will be based in Mexico, and travel long distances to Los Angeles and Seattle to play. Supreme tenacity will be the need of the hour.
Egypt, at least on paper, seems slightly better because it has Mohamed Salah. The world stage is one place where he is yet to excel, having played just two games in Egypt’s group-stage exit in the 2018 showpiece.
The 33-year-old will also be eager to reiterate his footballing worth after a not-so-pleasant exit from Liverpool.
Surprisingly, Egypt, a seven-time Africa Cup of Nations champion, has never won a match at the World Cup. Will the largely turgid football it plays, with the only goal-scoring route through Salah, help break the duck?
There is a chance that this approach may work against New Zealand, the lowest-ranked side at the tournament (No. 85). For that, Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood, scorer of 45 goals for the Kiwis, should be shut down.
Interestingly, the New Zealand football team is called ‘All Whites’, contrary to the unofficial national colour black. White is about peace. But sport is war minus the shooting.
Best finish: Belgium: Third place (2018); Iran: Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022); Egypt: Group stage (1934, 1990, 2018); New Zealand: Group stage (1982, 2010).
Yamal will be Spain’s bow and arrow.
| Photo Credit:
AP
Group H (Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde)
Ever since Spain won its maiden World Cup in 2010, it hasn’t gone past the round of 16. In 2026, it cannot afford a similar fate.
Ranked second in the world, Spain arrives in North America with a first-rate side, despite not having a single player from Real Madrid.
The 2024 European champion’s trump card will be Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, already the metronome for both club and country.
And in Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal, the 18-year-old winger will be supplemented well. Yamal and Williams sustained hamstring injuries recently but are expected to be fit.
In midfield, there is an embarrassment of riches, with Pedri, Gavi, Martin Zubimendi, Rodri and Fabian Ruiz all in the roster.
Three world-class goalkeepers in Unai Simon, David Raya and Joan Garcia, and the calming presence of Barcelona defender Eric Garcia make the Luis de la Fuente-coached team well-rounded.
Competing with Spain for the top spot — however improbable it looks — will be Uruguay, the two-time Cup winner.
But the Marcelo Bielsa-marshalled outfit, despite being powered by Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde, no longer has that cutting edge quality, especially without strikers Luis Suarez (omitted) and Edinson Cavani (retired).
For success, it needs to summon the spirits that helped beat Brazil and Argentina in 2023, and finish third at the 2024 Copa America.
Saudi Arabia, the third-best side in the group, famously beat Argentina 2-1 at Qatar 2022. But it no longer has the coach who masterminded that heist — Herve Renard.
Georgios Donis from Greece was appointed only two months ago, and he has his task cut out if his wards are to match the round-of-16 effort from 1994 (also in the United States).
Cape Verde, an archipelago off Africa’s west coast with a population as low as six lakh, is the fourth member.
It’s the third-smallest nation ever at a World Cup, and a majority of the squad is foreign-born as a result of significant outward migration before the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
Best finish: Spain: Champion (2010); Uruguay: Champion (1930, 1950); Saudi Arabia: Round of 16 (1994); Cape Verde: Debut.
Mbappe will be keen to regain France’s World Cup crown.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
Group I (France, Senegal, Norway and Iraq)
If Brazil and Argentina are football’s eternal favourites, France is its new-found royalty. In the last seven editions, the European nation has won the World Cup twice, finished runner-up twice and made another quarterfinal.
The central figure here is coach Didier Deschamps, who won the World Cup in 1998 as a player and has been France’s manager since July 2012. The North American sojourn will be his swansong, and he will be eager to part on a high.
Kylian Mbappe is his main man, with Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise forming the support cast. That players such as Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola — both from Paris Saint Germain — are likely to start from the bench says a lot about Les Blues’ strength.
But in the 14 years Deschamps has been in charge, France has been criticised for playing with its handbrake on. If the side can marry its defensive solidity — only four goals conceded in the qualifying — with its fearsome attack, opponents will have a torrid time.
Senegal would want to remind France that it has not always played out that way. The African nation upset the then defending champion in 2002 en route a quarterfinal finish. And in 2026, it remains strong, powered by former Liverpool star Sadio Mane.
Interestingly, Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations in January only to be stripped of the title after some of its players left the field during the final protesting a penalty awarded to Morocco. The case awaits adjudication at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. An authoritative on-field effort will not hurt.
Norway is the underdog in this group despite having Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard. The Nordic country is returning to the World stage for the first time since 1998. Can it leave an indelible mark?
For Iraq, qualification itself should count as success. The war-torn nation was the last to punch its ticket, beating Bolivia in an away Inter-Confederation Playoff in March after travelling 12 hours by road and 17 hours by air. Whatever it does in North America will be a bonus.
Best finish: France: Champion (1998, 2018); Senegal: Quarterfinal (2002); Norway: Round of 16 (1998); Iraq: Group stage (1986).
* The 1934 World Cup was a 16-team knockout tournament.
