Hazey's Rankings

24) Algeria

23) Austria

So many close battles I foresee because this is like the 4th or 5th time I've had two nations ranked next to each other and they're in the same group. I really don't know how that match will go. On paper, you'd lean Austria which is why I have it ranked this way, but I think Algeria has slightly more attack. Austria is kind of coming out of a mini 'golden era' for them, for a country that hasn't been to a World Cup since 1998. Alot of the key players, Alaba, Sabitzer, and Arnautović are getting up there in age. The more I look at this group, the more I see Argentina just walking it, but these two are certainly capable in the right situation.

Edited May 19May 19 by DJHazey

23. Sweden

Group F

UEFA (12/16)

World Ranking: 38

Best Result: Final (1958)

Fixtures:

Tunisia (15th June, 3AM)

Netherlands (20th June, 6PM)

Japan (26th June, 12AM)

It’s impressive to qualify for a World Cup without winning any of the standard qualifying matches but that’s exactly what Sweden have done. They had two draws with Slovenia and four defeats to Switzerland and Kosovo in their diabolical group stage where manager Jon Dahl Tomasson was accused of being a Danish agent sent to destroy Swedish football before his eventually sacking with two-games to spare. But his National League group victory the year before provided Sweden an extra opportunity in the play-offs which they certainly took full advantage of. A 3-1 victory against Ukraine and a 3-2 win over Poland saw them book their spot in the most unlikely of circumstances after beating two tough sides. One concern going into this tournament is the form of their key players. If this was played last summer, I think a lot of people would have had them as the top dark horses as Isak had just bagged 23 Premier League goals and earned a place in the PFA Team of the year, Gyökeres had banged in 39 league goals in Portugal, Elanga had fired Forest into Europe and Kulusevski and Bergvall had just won the Europa League. This season Isak has been injured for most of the season, Gyökeres has had a solid but not goal-heavy introduction into the Prem, Elanga has been a disaster at Newcastle, Bergvall has been part of a struggling Spurs side and Kulusevski is missing the tournament through injury. Can these key players re-find their form?

The Manager: Graham Potter

Potter did play in the Premier League for Southampton in his playing career but didn’t really make a name for himself until he joined fourth-tier Swedish side Östersunds. With them he won three promotions, the Swedish Cup and took them on their maiden Europe League campaign, reaching the knock-outs before an eventual defeat to AC Milan. This earned him a lot of interest at home and he eventually joined Swansea in the Championship before completely turning around the fortunes of Brighton. He introduced the flexible, attacking style they’ve kept to today. This led to a big-money move to Chelsea which only lasted seven months before spending the same length of time at West Ham. These last two roles have soured the opinions of him in the UK but he remains a national hero in Sweden. Especially after getting them this World Cup spot.

Key Player: Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal)

It feels crazy not to pick their £125 million striker Isak, especially after the quality he shown at Newcastle but he simply hasn’t been able to play enough football at Liverpool and there has to be serious doubts about how fit he really is. With him out injured, Gyökeres really stepped up in the play-offs bagging a hat-trick against Ukraine and the late winner against Poland. His season at Arsenal hasn’t been as free-scoring as I think many were expecting but he still has all the attributes you need to be a top international striker and I think his country will be relying on him massively next month. His 14-goal debut season in the Premier League is nothing to be sniffed at. It’s just that his Gerd Müller Trophy from last year still lives in the memory.

Why they're actually going to win it: I don’t think anyone even expected them to be here after that dreadful qualifying campaign. If Potter can improve them that quickly to wint he Play-Offs, imagine what he can do with another 3-months in the role.

If ever there was a team completely DOA on paper, it's them.

I also think UEFA needs to take a look at playoffs going forward, not only to avoid Nations League teams that do dismal in the main qualifying, but if you're going to do that you need to make the home field teams decided by their World Cup qualifying standing, not random draw. That match should have been in Warsaw, not Solna.

Hazey's Rankings

24) Algeria

23) Austria

22) Ivory Coast

While I think this ranking might be a tad too high for the Elephants. I think they can have some defensive lapses, but their athleticism and their ability on the counterattack can match anyone else's in the tournament. I'm kind of getting vibes going into this, like they're this year's Ghana/Morocco, maybe. Meaning they'll take the place of what those African teams did in previous World Cups because they are kind of coming under radar compared to other CAF teams.

22. Turkey

Group D

UEFA (11/16)

World Ranking: 22

Best Result: Third-Place (2002)

Fixtures:

Australia (14th June, 5AM)

Paraguay (20th June, 4AM)

USA (26th June, 3AM)

It feels crazy that this is only Turkey’s third ever appearance at the World Cup and their first since finishing third in 2002. They were very unfortunate to be placed with Spain in their qualifying group but still impressed in their matches and a heavy defeat against Spain early on was the only thing separating the sides. In the play-offs, they looked more nervy but successive 1-0 victories against Romania and Kosovo were enough to see them here. This feels like a really exciting time for Turkey though. They had a strong showing at the recent Euros and have plenty of young, exciting talent coming of age. They are one of those sides that everyone seems to hype up before they end up disappointing but maybe this time, they can live up to the expectations.

The Manager: Vincenzo Montella

A prolific goalscorer in his native Italy, Montella played for Empoli, Genoa and Sampdoria but it was his 10-year spell at Roma where he had the best times of his career, winning a Seria A title and eventually being welcomed in their Hall of Fame. He did also have a 10-game stint in England on loan at Fulham at the tail end of his playing career. As an international, he made 20 appearances for Italy and was in their 2002 World Cup squad. His first spell as a manager was as caretaker at Roma but he’s since had two spells at Fiorentina, Sampdoria, AC Milan and Sevilla. But it’s with Turkey were he’s really found a home. First by booking Adana Demirspor their first ever European qualification and since having great success with the national side. Turkey always have the flair but Montella has worked hard at making them more solid and being able to grind out results.

Key Player: Arda Güler (Real Madrid)

Still only 21 but already a Champions League winner, Güler is one of the most exciting young players in the World. A winger with a deadly left foot, his low centre-of-gravity makes him very tough to tackle and he has a great ability to make the right pass. He was a teenager in EURO 2024 but still was key to the Turkey side that reached the Quarter-Finals winning Man of the Match in his tournament debut after scoring a memorable worldie.

Why they're actually going to win it: Every time they qualify for a tournament, they are everyone’s dark horse but the finally look like they might have enough to actually follow-through with the hype this time.

As an American, I wholeheartedly think Turkey wins our group.

Also, I think Turkey will be one of the more entertaining teams in the tournament. They usually go for it offensively and as we saw in their first Spain match, it back fired.

Hazey's Rankings

24) Algeria

23) Austria

22) Ivory Coast

21) United States

Yup, that's right. Outside the Top 20 for my home team. Injuries and lineup questions galore, plus our form has been...inconsistent at best the past couple years. We don't really have a big 'home field' advantage because of how far down the list soccer is for importance in this country. It's either "soccer is boring" or racists who think it's a sport for non-Americans have conditioned us not to have as big a following as most other countries in the tournament. It's exhausting. At best the crowds will be split with the other nation's fans. I don't have a ton of faith, I don't know what else to say.

Edited May 21May 21 by DJHazey

21. Uruguay

Group H

CONMEBOL (5/6)

World Ranking: 17

Best Result: Winners (1930, 1950)

Fixtures:

Saudi Arabia (15th June, 11PM)

Cape Verde (21st June, 11PM)

Spain (27th June, 1AM)

Uruguay won their first two appearances at the World Cup and, while they have never quite reached those heights again, they are constantly in that second-tier of sides who always have the potential to reach the later stages. However, they go into this tournament with more questions surrounding them than ever. Their qualifying campaign was completely up-and-down. They had early wins against Brazil and Argentina and looked to be cruising at the mid-way point, but then things started to fall apart. Their form dipped massively and as Suárez retired in September 2024, he publicly slammed the manager describing him as causing a toxic environment which was backed by other key players. Public opinion seemed to turn on the manager too with many feeling like he’s not getting the best out of the side. In November, Bielsa hosted a 105-minute post-match press conference after a 5-1 defeat to the USA where defended his role. Two draws in March against England and Algeria in March haven’t really changed their fortunes but they certainly have the talent to turn things around.

The Manager: Marcelo Bielsa

As I’ve already said, he’s facing a lot of pressure in Uruguay currently by Bielsa remains, without a doubt, one of the most influential and respected managers in world football. He retired from his playing career at 25 to focus on management. He had spells in Argentina, Mexico and Spain before being awarded the Argentina national team job in 1998. He led them to a disappointing World Cup in 2002 but won Olympic gold in 2004. He then took over at Chile and saw them reach the Quarter-Finals of World Cup 2010 but resigned after Segovia became the FA’s president. At Athletic Bilbao, he leaded the side to the UEFA Cup semi-final after knocking-out Manchester United with a performance that shocked Sir Alex Ferguson and seemed to instantly make him a cult-favourite in the UK. This was only enhanced when he joined Leeds United in 2018 and helped them gain promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 16-years. His high-tempo, hard-working, all-out-attack style has become iconic and has helped his sides punch well above their weight.

Key Player: Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)

The vice-captain of Real Madrid, Valverde has faced some stick recently, especially after the details of his fight with teammate Tchouaméni were made public. Despite this he has been a key midfielder in a very successful Madrid side for years now and his performances against Man City recently show just how special he can be. A very versatile player, he has played full-back many a time for Madrid and has the ability to fit in wherever Uruguay need this summer.

Why they're actually going to win it: When everyone buys into his methods, Bielsa makes Kalvin Phillips and Jack Harrison look like world-beaters. If he can get the players on side for 8 weeks, they are more than capable of doing something special.

Uruguay outside the top 20 10 year-old me decided that they were my favourite country ahead of the 2010 World Cup having never heard of them before - a good year to pick to support them! But they haven't quite lived up to that since, especially with not making it out of the groups last time round.

I think they could be very much a dark horse!

On 13/05/2026 at 19:21, DJHazey said:

That's for sure, but I don't think any of the hosts nations this time have been sublime going in. I was also going to add that the Davies injury puts more concerns on Canada. Before that, I would have had Canada as tops, but in reality I think Mexico's home field advantage is more impactful so I would have them as the CONCACAF nation with the most expectations. USA...the less said about what they've been putting up for results the last year or two, the better (the dismantling of Uruguay in a friendly aside).

Have USA not got a decent squad of players though? Mexico seem a bit lacking in experience Jimenez aside.

Because we don't have a thread for it yet, I'll post it here but, my god, I thought England had a legit chance this year but this squad Tuchel's announcing tomorrow is horrendous.

Dan Burn, Jordan Henderson, Noni Madueke, Jarell Quansah, John Stones and Ivan Toney should be nowhere near the side.

Harry Maguire, Morgan Gibbs-White, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luke Shaw, Adam Wharton are all more deserving and Cole Palmer mightn't be deserving but it a lot better than Madueke at least.

Maguire has taken it personally!

1 hour ago, Dobbo said:

I think they could be very much a dark horse!

Love Uruguay, in the game they get eliminated from you can guarantee there will be a row!

Hazey's Rankings

24) Algeria

23) Austria

22) Ivory Coast

21) United States

20) Uruguay

19) Ecuador

18) Turkey

17) Mexico

I will be away for the long weekend, so I'm gonna go ahead and post a few.

#20 is where I'll put Uruguay. It's funny because the U.S. just beat Uruguay recently in a friendly, 5-1, so having the South Americans ranked just ahead is interesting in retrospect. I'm completely on the fence about Uruguay. If I simply take their name out of it and look at the form and results on paper, I don't expect much more than 2nd place and a quick exit in the knockout rounds, but something is pulling at me to consider them for a longer run. Many predictions have them facing Argentina early in the Round of 32 and losing, but I get the feeling Uruguay would be game for an monumental upset for some reason.

#19 is the brick wall known as Ecuador. They only conceded 5 goals in 18 matches of South American qualifying. I can't tell you how hard that is to accomplish. But they only scored 14 goals, so where will the goals come from is the question. Needless to say they'll give everyone in their group trouble with their defense, including Germany. The experts always say defense wins championships, but you have to have attacking talent too, so I don't see a very deep run.

#18 is Turkey, who like I said will go for it no matter who the competition is. Sometimes it backfires, like losing 6-0 to Spain in qualifying, but then with a more controlled approach on the return to Spain later, 2-2. Their fans are delirious about this squad and think they are one of the best in the world right now. Hyperbole is the spice of life, but I wouldn't be surprised if we get a quarterfinal run out of them, as I have them winning Group D. This is their best team since the 2002 3rd place finish.

#17 is my highest-ranking host team, simply because they will have the best home field advantage. Their best World Cup finishes were quarterfinals at their two home tournaments (1970 and 1986) which only adds to what I just said. 2022 broke up a string of 7-straight Round of 16 crashouts, including the famous 2002 loss to the USA 2-0, which is why Americans still chant "Doc a Cero" whenever we beat them 2-0 in qualifying matches at home, which happens alot. Any match at Estadio Azteca will be tough to navigate for anyone. I've seen alot of predictions have England play Mexico in the Round of 16 and I don't know, on paper I'd pick England because of talent but crazier things have happened in that stadium when 100,000 crazed Mexican fans are against you...in that heat. (The winners of Group A and L face each other in that round in Mexico City, so you might want to lose to Croatia or hope Mexico has a bad group stage lol)

Edited May 22May 22 by DJHazey

20. Ecuador

Group E

CONMEBOL (4/6)

World Ranking: 23

Best Result: Last 16 (2006)

Fixtures:

Ivory Coast (15th June, 12AM)

Curaçao (21st June, 1AM)

Germany (25th June, 9PM)

They didn’t qualify until 2002 but Ecuador only missed two tournaments since then and go into this tournament on the back of a very impressive qualifying campaign where they finished 2nd in South America, despite being deducted 3-points for using false documentation to play Byron Castillo in the previous campaign. Over their 18-games, they only conceded 5-goals and had 2-losses which shows the strength of this side. Ecuador are incredibly difficult to beat. They have two brilliant centre-backs in Arsenal’s Piero Hincapié and PSG’s Willian Pacho and Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo sits just ahead of them, sweeping up any danger. Even though they’ve only reached the knock-outs once, they have always won at least once in every World Cup and impressed in 2022 where they beat Qatar in the opening game of the tournament and then drew with Netherlands. But the big question mark about this side is whether they will have enough in attack to cause the better teams problems. Nine of their eighteen matches (exactly half) ended 0-0 in qualifying which involved a run of four-straight games. 36-year-old Enner Valencia has scored goals at previous World Cups but should he really still be leading the line in 2026?

The Manager: Sebastián Beccacece

A young Argentinean coach, Beccacece never played professionally and joined the youth set-up at Newell’s Old Boys while still a teenager. Most of his career has been as an assistant, starting with Jorge Sampaoli where he followed him to Coronel Bolognesi, Sporting Cristal, O’Higgins, Emelec and Universidad de Chile, where he won two league titles and two cups and eventually became first-team manager. He has been assistant manager at two World Cup’s previously, with Chile in 2014 and Argentina in 2018. At Chile, he was part of their first ever Copa América title winning team in 2015. As the main man, his record is much patchier and he has a relegation with Elche on his CV. But you cannot argue with the results he’s gained with Ecuador.

Key Player: Moisés Caicedo (Chelsea)

There are not many defensive midfielders who sell for more than £100 million but Chelsea were convinced to spend that to bring Caicedo from Brighton in 2023, famously beating Liverpool in the process. He really struggled in that first season and the price-tag looked like it was weighing heavy but in the past two seasons, he has probably been their most consistent player and is starting to justify the huge outlay. With his country, he’s been exceptional too and is a key factor in why they hardly ever concede a goal.

Why they're actually going to win it: José Mourinho has certainly won a lot of trophies and Ecuador are the new masters of the park-the-bus mentality that brought him so much success.

19. Mexico

Group A

CONCACAF (2/6)

World Ranking: 15

Best Result: Quarter-Finals (1970, 1986)

Fixtures:

South Africa (11th June, 8PM)

South Korea (19th June, 2AM)

Czech Republic (25th June, 2AM)

There’s been times over the past-few years where it has looked like this tournament was going to be a disaster for Mexico. They were knocked out in the group stage in 2022, the first time they hadn’t been seen in the knock-outs since they were banned in 1990, and suffered the same fate in the 2024 Copa América before losing the 2025 Gold Cup to the USA. They felt like a team that were just drifting towards this tournament without showing any signs of life. However, in March they got morale boosting draws with Portugal and Belgium and people are starting to believe again. This will be a record-breaking third time hosting for Mexico and their other two times (1970, 1986) have both seen their best ever results, reaching the quarter-finals. Between 1994-2018, they were knocked out in the Last 16 for seven consecutive tournaments and with a tasty looking group, they look like they will probably reach that round again.

The Manager: Javier Aguirre

Aguirre was rehired last July for his third-spell as Mexico boss and will lead them into his third World Cup after their previous two managers, Diego Cocca and Jaime Lozano have failed to impress. Both of his previous campaigns ended in Last 16 defeats, against USA in 2002 and Argentina in 2010. At club level, he has mainly managed in Spain, leading Osasuna to the Champions League before stints at Atlético Madrid, Real Zaragoza, Espanyol, Leganés and Mallorca. In between them, he has tried two other international roles. He was sacked by Japan in 2015 after he had been indicated in a match-fixing scandal and Egypt let him go in 2019 after they were knocked out in the last 16 of the AFCON they were hosting. Aguirre also had a successful playing career in Mexico and USA, making 59 caps for Mexico and becoming their first ever player to be sent off at a World Cup in 1986.

Key Player: Raúl Jiménez (Fulham)

The bridesmaid for Mexico for three World Cups, at 35 it looks like Jiménez is finally going to be the main man up top this time around and doing it on home soil will be special. He will be incredibly familiar to Premier League fans due to his prolific spell at Wolves where he bagged 40 league goals becoming their top ever Prem goalscorer. There was a spell where he formed an electric partnership with Diogo Jota and Adama Traore that fired Wolves into Europe and made them everyone’s bogey side. But he had a horrific clash of heads with David Luiz in 2020 where he fractured his skull and was out for nearly a year. He has never able to find the same form again at Wolves but was rejuvenated after moving to Fulham and has now had three seasons as their main striker, holding off the pressure from Rodrigo Muniz.

Why they're actually going to win it: Their best results have come on home soil where they have one of the most passionate fanbases in the world. If World Cup fever takes over, they will be very hard to beat.

On 22/05/2026 at 09:29, Dobbo said:

Well I'm pretty happy with Tuchel's main omissions apart from Gibbs-White who I ordinarily wouldn't be sold on but he's hit form at the right time so definitely warrants inclusion on that front.

Palmer has been a joke all season and Foden hasn't done anything of note in an England shirt ever. I'm surprised he dropped Maguire who tbf has always performed better for country rather than club but all the CBs picked bar Quansah are better than him so...

Henderson though that guy has a spot for life it seems.

I def woulda picked Maguire for his tournament experience ahead of Burn. Two basically similar players.