DJHazey

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 38) Scotland 37) Sweden 36) South Africa 35) Czechia 34) Paraguay I'm going to put Paraguay down here, which shows where I think they would finish in Group D (USA, Australia, Türkiye). Great job qualifying, but it was an expanded format, as we know. They can hold opponents down, expect their matches to be pretty snoozy, but they're going to struggle to score. Like, at all. They'll always play it very safe, while everyone else in the group will take chances.

Adidas is always my favorite brand (I haven't worn a non-Adidas pair of sneakers in over 20 years) and I love their classic emblem, minimalized away kits, especially for Spain and Mexico. Those are probably my favorite two.

My favorite kits: Mexico HOME+AWAY South Africa HOME Brazil HOME Morocco HOME Germany HOME Curacao AWAY Spain AWAY Uruguay HOME Norway HOME England HOME+AWAY

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 38) Scotland 37) Sweden 36) South Africa 35) Czechia This where I am placing Czechia who I think are in competition with (#36) South Africa for bottom tier of Group A, on paper. There is a world where I see South Korea finishing last, based solely on their recent form, but they usually tend to get up for big tournaments. Nothing about Czechia ever really excites me but then I forget any squad buoyed by Schick and Souček has a chance to make waves.

GROUP L ENGLAND HOME 4.02 AWAY 4.05 CROATIA HOME 2.62 AWAY 2.64 GHANA HOME 3.43 AWAY 3.65 PANAMA HOME 3.79 AWAY 4.11 If any of the countries release their kits, I will update the posts for those who haven't.

GROUP K PORTUGAL HOME 3.56 AWAY 3.37 CONGO DR UZBEKISTAN (NOT RELEASED) COLOMBIA HOME 4.14 AWAY 3.42

GROUP J ARGENTINA HOME 3.91 AWAY 4.17 ALGERIA HOME 4.06 AWAY 3.41 AUSTRIA HOME 3.75 AWAY 2.99 JORDAN (NOT RELEASED)

GROUP I FRANCE HOME 3.27 AWAY 4.10 SENEGAL HOME 3.45 AWAY 3.54 IRAQ NORWAY HOME 4.20 AWAY 3.15

GROUP H SPAIN HOME 4.07 AWAY 4.28 CAPE VERDE HOME 4.04 AWAY 2.88 SAUDI ARABIA HOME 3.34 AWAY 3.97 URUGUAY HOME 4.14 AWAY 4.12

GROUP G BELGIUM HOME 4.15 AWAY 2.78 EGYPT HOME 3.65 AWAY 3.24 IRAN (NOT RELEASED) NEW ZEALAND HOME 3.65 AWAY 3.65

GROUP F NETHERLANDS HOME 4.03 AWAY 3.93 JAPAN HOME 4.04 AWAY 4.19 SWEDEN HOME 3.73 AWAY 4.14 TUNISIA NOT CONFIRMED (THEIR ACON KITS)

GROUP E GERMANY HOME 4.28 AWAY 3.45 CURACAO HOME 4.09 AWAY 4.27 IVORY COAST HOME 3.66 AWAY 3.27 ECUADOR HOME 2.87 AWAY 3.56

GROUP D USA HOME 3.84 AWAY 3.75 PARAGUAY HOME 2.83 AWAY 3.24 AUSTRALIA HOME 3.58 AWAY 2.95 TURKIYE HOME 3.50 AWAY 3.29

GROUP C BRAZIL HOME 4.14 AWAY 2.75 MOROCCO HOME 3.65 AWAY 3.65 HAITI HOME 2.78 AWAY 2.38 SCOTLAND HOME 4.13 AWAY 3.69

GROUP B CANADA HOME 3.53 AWAY 4.11 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (NOT RELEASED) QATAR HOME 3.44 AWAY 2.49 SWITZERLAND HOME 3.41 AWAY 2.40

This is just a fun little thread to show the official 2026 World Cup home/away kits for the tournament, so you know what to expect when the teams take the field in June. These are sourced from footballkitarchive.com and I have included the average score (up to five stars) from the fans on that site. I will post them per group. GROUP A MEXICO HOME 3.98/5 AWAY 3.62/5 SOUTH AFRICA HOME 4.14 AWAY 4.28 SOUTH KOREA HOME 4.13 AWAY 4.04 CZECHIA HOME 3.65 AWAY 3.99

Yes, their fanbase (if they were able to actually get tickets - don't get me started, just know I missed out on three lottery rounds myself) are bound to make it a party atmosphere at their matches. They seem to be a squad that aren't going to be afraid of the competition in the slightest and Group A is the one most being dubbed the 'Group of Life' -- so they have as fair a shake as anyone. However, Mexico will be very tough for any of them to top, playing south of American border. 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 38) Scotland 37) Sweden 36) South Africa We match on this ranking! Next another European side.

Panama is a stronger side now than they were in 2018, when they got blasted by England. They will try to employ a possession-type strategy which is prone to be exploited by higher quality teams who can possess the ball more readily. I don't see them losing 6-1 again, but it will be a struggle because of the group they've been placed in. I think they have the best chance to beat Ghana on paper, but Ghana will be able to handle the humidity better than Croatia/England would. The tropical climate suits Panama just fine, so keep that in mind. 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 38) Scotland 37) Sweden Now, maybe controversial I have Sweden, the team with the unfortunate mark of getting 0 points against the likes of Switzerland, Kosovo, and Slovenia and finishing in last place. However, through the infinite wisdom of using UEFA Nations League standings to decide playoff spots, they woke up with a big help of Arsenal's Viktor Gyökeres to beat Ukraine and Poland there. He will be a big factor, along with Alexnader Isak (Liverpool) as to whether Sweden prove themselves as a legitimate contender. Don't overlook Tunisia as a free win either, I think Sweden can be beaten by anybody in their group. They could also beat any of them; a very interesting group indeed.

Final schedules for both West Ham and Tottenham: West Ham v. Arsenal at Newcastle v. Leeds Tottenham v. Leeds at Chelsea v. Everton Yeah, it doesn't look good if you're pulling for Tottenham to be relegated.

Saturday 9th May Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea (12:30) Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers Fulham 2-2 AFC Bournemouth Sunderland 0-2 Manchester United Manchester City 2-0 Brentford (17:30) Sunday 10th May Burnley 1-2 Aston Villa (14:00) Crystal Palace 2-1 Everton (14:00) Nottingham Forest 2-0 Newcastle United (14:00) West Ham United 1-1 Arsenal (16:30) Monday 11th May Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Leeds United (20:00) Wednesday 13th May Manchester City 3-0 Crystal Palace (20:00)

I have Scotland about here. Admittedly, I hope they will do well, not necessarily on merits, though they've earned some respect after winning their qualifying group and not relying on playoffs. As for Saudi Arabia, yeah we all remember the big upset over Argentina, but that seems like ages ago compared to where they are now. I would not be shocked if they have 0 points in this group, more likely 1 against Cape Verde. 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 38) Scotland There's going to be a little run of European teams now from me.

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.

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.

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.

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)