Iraq feel like a bit of an unknown to me as I don't think I've ever really paid attention to them playing football before! They do have a nightmere of a group but hopefully they can squeeze a point or two out of it. Also surprised to see Uzbekistan so far down the list, one of those teams that could make the Round of 32 for me.

44. Cape Verde

Group H

CAF (10/10)

World Ranking: 69

Best Result: N/A

Fixtures:

Spain (15th June, 5PM)

Uruguay (21st June, 11PM)

Saudi Arabia (27th June, 1AM)

Just like with Curaçao, Cape Verde are a team that rely heavily on their diaspora to make up the numbers of their side. This will be their first appearance at the World Cup after they shocked everyone by topping their group with Africa’s most frequent-qualifiers Cameroon. Their 3-0 win versus Eswatini caused absolute scenes across the ten islands that make up the country and there is a real sense of hopefulness for the team going into this tournament, despite missing out on the recent AFCON. Their ‘international’ side composes of players born in Portugal, Netherlands, France, USA and Republic of Ireland.

The Manager: Bubista

Born in Cape Verde, Bubista played his whole career in the country and made 21-caps for the national side. He is already a hero there for leading them to two AFCONS (and getting out of the group stages on each occasion) and, more importantly, securing their first participation on the world stage. Under him, Cape Verde are a possession-side and I think they will struggle to do this against a higher standard of opposition in Spain and Uruguay.

Key Player: Dailon Livramento (Casa Pia)

Born in the Netherlands, Livramento is a pacy forward with Serie A experience and, at the tender age of 24, has already written himself into Cape Verdean folklore with some important goals (including in the historic 1-0 win versus Cameroon) to book their spot at the World Cup. He first made his debut for the country in 2024 and had a slow start, not scoring in his opening 10 matches. But since then, he’s been prolific with 7 goals in his next 10 games. Currently on loan at Casa Pia in Portugal from Hellas Verona, he has the potential to be one of those players that makes a name for themselves this summer. 

Why they're actually going to win it: Not many other teams show as much togetherness as this Cape Verde side so you know they’re always going to give 100% for each other.

They also still have the old veteran wingers, 36 year old Ryan Mendes (Iğdır - TUR) and 35 year old Garry Rodrigues (Apollon Limassol - CYP) who I remember being young up-and-comers when Cape Verde first starting making waves all the way back at 2013 ACON, when they made their first ever tournament and were quarterfinalist. It's gotta be nice to see the seeds that were planted back then are coming to fruition in 2026. Those two players in particular have to be living a dream they didn't think would be a reality.

I don't have Cape Verde that much higher than this to be fair, but I do think a win against Saudi Arabia isn't out of the question, in fact:

Hazey's Rankings

48) Curacao

47) Qatar

46) New Zealand

45) Haiti

44) Saudi Arabia

43) Cape Verde (might as well reveal this too)

Edited Tuesday at 17:284 days by DJHazey

43. Bosnia & Herzegovina

Group B

UEFA (16/16)

World Ranking: 65

Best Result: Group Stage (2014)

Fixtures:

Canada (12th June, 8PM)

Switzerland (18th June, 8PM)

Qatar (24th June, 8PM)

Booking their spot at their second World Cup in the most dramatic fashion, Bosnia & Herzegovina have become heroes to many for hilariously making it three in a row that Italy have missed. Their previous experience was in 2014 where a victory against Iran was not enough to see them out the group thanks to odd-goal defeats by Argentina and Nigeria. However, this is no longer the Bosnia & Herzegovina team of yore that reached #13 in the World Rankings in 2013. This is a side that has never made the European Championships, finishing with 8-less points than Luxembourg (including home and away defeats) in their last campaign. There’s no longer Miralem Pjanić or Asmir Begović and while Edin Džeko is still a key figure, he’s now in his 40s and is not operating at the same level. It’s impressive that they’re here after being underdogs against Wales and Italy but there rode their luck with penalties and struggled to break-down a 10-man Italy side.

The Manager: Sergej Barbarez

After a successful career as a striker in Germany, playing for many of the big sides (Dortmund, Leverkusen, Hamburg) and the Bosnia national side, this is the 54-year-old’s first managerial job and he’s settled into it extremely quickly with a strong qualifying campaign that only saw them lose one match. He caused some controversy before the Wales play-off match by claiming that the Welsh Steve Cooper hadn’t been picking Benjamin Tahirović for Brøndby to try and help give Wales the advantage.

Key Player: Kerim Alajbegović (Red Bull Salzberg)

Džeko is the obvious pick as he’s still the man Bosnia rely on the score the goals but I’m going to go with their young teenage winger Alajbegović. He netted penalties in both of the ties verses Wales and Italy and the composure he shown was years above his age. He’s already agreed to move back to Bayer Leverkusen, where he spent most of his youth career following a buy-back clause, in the summer after impressing in his debut season in Austria but Inter are reported to be interested in securing his services long-term.

Why they're actually going to win it: They’ve already defied the odds in the play-offs to get here and proved that they know how to take some penalties if it comes to that.

They've been put into a "Group of Life" so I have them ranked a little higher than this considering they have a decent chance of advancing, but certainly I agree they come in as the lowest European side.

They can beat any of the other teams in their group, including Switzerland who have a history of being a bit overrated once you get in the big tournaments.

Edited Wednesday at 15:523 days by DJHazey

Wouldn't be surprised if they top that group tbf

In terms of Cape Verde, I was looking at how close the world rankings were between them and Saudi Arabia (at least what they were when the draw took place), that looks like it'll be one of the most evenly-matched games of the group stage.

I definitely had Bosnia down as making it through their group, although to be fair I was probably giving them a lot of weight just because they were a European team!

42. New Zealand

Group G

OFC (1/1)

World Ranking: 85

Best Result: Group Stage (1982, 2010)

Fixtures:

Iran (16th June, 2AM)

Egypt (22nd June, 2AM)

Belgium (27th June, 4AM)

The biggest benefactors of the extended World Cup, Oceania’s guaranteed spot meant that instead of having to worry about an intercontinental play-off against a South American or African side, the most difficult task New Zealand had to worry about was a tie against New Caledonia. Australia’s move to join AFC in 2006 has been a gift and a curse. They are now, by far, the strongest team in the region but they’ve lost their only chance to test themselves against a good side competitively outside of these tournaments. They’re only games against top sides in recent years have been friendlies and it’s hard to build a proper side that way. Playing in the OFC confederation has made them underrated (especially in World Rankings) but it’s also what holds them back. They went unbeaten, with three draws, in their last appearance in 2010.

The Manager: Darren Bazeley

An Englishman, Bazeley spent 10-years at Watford, making 283 appearances before shorter spells at Wolves and Walsall and ending his playing career with 4-years in New Zealand. As a coach, he’s managed the national team at under 17, 20 and 23-level, including taking the u23 side to the most recent Olympics. At club level, he’s had times at Colardo Rapids and Newcastle Jets. He’s got the side playing good football but the big task will be finding ways to hurt higher-standard defence units.

Key Player: Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest)

It’s an easy choice and it would have been an even easier one if this tournament was played last year. An injury-hit season means that there are questions regarding how ready Wood will be for this tournament but he was back on the scoresheet on Friday and will look to end the season strong and lead Forest to Premier League safety. His 20-league goal season last year was the strongest of his career and he’s always turned up for his national side. He is their top goalscorer with 45 goals in 88 games. One more appearance will see him as have the most caps of any New Zealand player. At 33 with some nasty recent injuries, this is probably his last chance to bag a World Cup goal.

Why they're actually going to win it: Unbeaten at their last World Cup, if they do that again, they’ll probably win it this time. Especially with 3 teams qualifying from most groups.

I think they can definitely qualify from that group, up the all whites!

There's a chance, for sure. We just don't know how they will match up against countries outside of Oceania in a major tournament. On paper, I see three losses, but that would also mean Egypt gets their first ever World Cup win and Iran shows up with something assembling their capabilities. Even with Belgium not being in their Golden Hour anymore, they'll have no issue with them.

Hazey's Rankings

48) Curacao

47) Qatar

46) New Zealand

45) Haiti

44) Saudi Arabia

43) Cape Verde

42) Iraq

This is where I will put Iraq. Yes I know Saudi Arabia won the playoff qualifying group with Iraq in it, but as we all know those were played in Saudi Arabia and it was 0-0 draw. The Saudis had more trouble with Indonesia than Iraq did. They're basically even though, I will give Iraq the slight edge based on their overall results the past few years, which have been often puzzling for Saudi Arabia.

Edited Thursday at 19:422 days by DJHazey

I think you've pretty much said everything I was going to say on New Zealand Lewis! They're probably the biggest wildcard of the tournament as they only ever play competitively against teams that are significantly lower-ranked than them, and if they repeat their 2010 performance then they're fairly likely end up in the Round of 32.

41. Jordan

Group J

AFC (7/9)

World Ranking: 63

Best Result: n/a

Fixtures:

Austria (17th June, 5AM)

Algeria (23rd June, 4AM)

Argentina (28th June, 3AM)

Jordan booked their first ever World Cup in style, finishing second behind South Korea in their group to qualify at the earliest possible stage. They’ve only came close one before, reaching the Intercontinental Play-Off in 2014 before a comfortably 5-0 default to Uruguay on aggregate. However, they are a side on the up, reaching their first ever Asian Cup final in 2024 (after beating South Korea in the semi-finals) before a 3-1 defeat by hosts and holders Qatar. They are slowly creeping their way up the World Rankings, constantly being a good 30-places above where they were during the Last World Cup qualifying period.

The Manager: Jamal Sellami

A Moroccan international, Selllami was part of the 1998 World Cup squad but only managed 3-minutes on the pitch. At club level, he represented Beşiktaş as well as a number of teams in his home country. He succeeded another Moroccan, Hussein Ammouta, halfway through this qualification campaign and matched the previous manager by also reaching a final, this time the Arab Cup. Despite the loss to his native Morocco, this run earned him official Jordanian citizenship. He favours counter-attacking tactics which could suit them having matches against sides that will want to dominate possession..

Key Player: Musa Al-Taamari (Rennes)

The only Jordanian player to ever play in a top-5 league in Europe, Al-Taamari played for Montpellier before joining current club Rennes. A great dribbler, he is key to Jordan’s counter-attack approach with his great pace and close control. A left footer who plays on the right, he loves to cut inside and whip in dangerous crosses.

Why they're actually going to win it: They’ve already made two finals in recent years and fully embrace their underdog reputation. Their style suits their opposition in the group.

Jordan are another one I don't know much about! From an outsider's perspective it looks a bit like they sort-of stumbled into the tournament by finishing second in a group which only really had one World Cup contender in, and from that I was thinking that they were fairly likely to end up with zero points. But from what I'm hearing from yourself and others, maybe I'm wrong! There's potential for points aggainst Algeria and Austria anyway (and maybe even Argentina, we saw what happened with Saudi at the last world cup...)

40. Qatar

Group B

AFC (6/9)

World Ranking: 55

Best Result: Group Stage (2022)

Fixtures:

Switzerland (13th June, 8PM)

Canada (18th June, 11PM)

Bosnia & Herzegovina (24th June, 8PM)

The first group to lose two team is Group B where 2022’s hosts, Qatar, kick-off the top 40. They were, of course, very disappointing in their home tournament, losing all three games and only bagging one goal. Their form going into this tournament is more patchy than last time but not having the added pressure of being hosts should help them this time. I know most people are down on them but not many other teams in this tournament have the same pedigree in recent international tournaments with Qatar winning the last two editions of the Asia Cup, beating Japan 3-1 in UAE 2019 and Jordan by the same scoreline in their home-hosted tournament in 2023. That alone should really have them at least 10 places higher but their inconsistent qualifying form and lack of experience on the World stage seems them land here. They have, what is probably on paper, the best strike-force in Asia and will be desperate to make amends.

The Manager: Julen Lopetegui

He will be very familiar to UK fans due to his successful spell at Wolves and his less-so-successful spell sat West Ham, he has been in this role for just less than a year with Qatar hiring their third Spanish manager in two years quickly after his sacking from the Hammers. You may remember that Lopetegui was manager of Spain in 2016, successfully seeing them through an unbeaten qualifying for Russia 2018. Two days before that tournament kicked-off, it was announced that he would be taking the Real Madrid job after its conclusion and Spain decided to sack him with the team already in Russia. His Madrid spell was a disaster and only lasted a few months. Although, the next year he rebuilt his reputation by joining Sevilla and winning them their 9 millionth Europa League title. He’s talked about feeling like he’s ‘owed a World Cup’ and this is his chance. A goalkeeper during his playing career, he became one of the rare few who played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona. Although, he only made 6 league appearances between the two of them.

Key Player: Akram Afif (Al Sadd)

He disappointed four years ago but Afif has not stopped scoring since that tournament and looks ready to leave his mark this time. The first Qatari to player in La Liga after he signed for Villarreal in 2016 and went out on loan to Sporting Gijón, he never quite made it in Europe buts scored 44 goals in 48 league games in his 2-year loan spell back in Qatar and has managed a crazy 80 goals in 100 league games since signing back to Al Sadd permanently in 2020. He’s the only player not-named ‘Son Heung-min’ to win Asia’s Best Player award in the last 10 years, having won it in 2024 and, at 29-years old, is at the peak of his powers going into this tournament. His partner up front will be Almoez Ali who is the National Team’s top ever scorer with 60-goals There’s a reason why they’ve won back-to-back Asian Cups and its mainly duo this this duo.

Why they're actually going to win it: Not many other teams in this tournament have back-to-back major international cup wins in their locker and, if they can get their two strikers involved, they are lethal.

I think Jordan gives themselves a chance to surprise people because their counter attacks can be lethal. I would not be surprised if we see some kind of 4-2 or 4-3 match they are involved in. They could also fizzle out completely too. All of their group stage opponents are above their head admittedly so I think it will be more about if they can show something, even in losses.

As for Qatar, I understand they won two Asian finals, but in their current form they haven't been as competitive since. In World Cup qualifying they barely got that playoff spot and home-cooking from FIFA helped hand them a ticket. I would be the most shocked if they advanced from the group stage than basically any other team in the tournament.

Hazey's Rankings

48) Curacao

47) Qatar

46) New Zealand

45) Haiti

44) Saudi Arabia

43) Cape Verde

42) Iraq

41) Jordan

40) Ghana

39) Bosnia and Herzegovina

I agree with putting Jordan about here and I also have Bosnia showing up finally as the first European squad. However, my surprise is African darlings Ghana. They might be known for their recent World Cup accomplishments, but I don't think this time it will go as well. Even though they stormed back in their qualifying group after a horrifying start, if you look at their actual performances it never really showed as big of improvement as you would think. I think Mali bottled what could have been a great path to their first qualification. They still have some names that everyone knows, but are also transitioning to a newer generation. Who knows though, when it comes to African success at the World Cup the past 20 years, most will think of Ghana first (and now Morocco too),bso maybe they just know when to shine.

I reckon Ghana will be a huge banana skin match for England!