Maybe you’re here for Iceland, the smallest nation ever to make it to the World Cup. Maybe you’re here for Panama, who qualified at the expense of the U.S. Or maybe you’re here for Brazil, because Brazil is just always here. No matter who you are rooting for, you are guaranteed to see all 32 teams stick around for at least half the tournament, because everyone plays at least three games. (Sign up to receive our weekly sports newsletter.) Now, if the group stage seems to lack many knock-down, drag-out fights between heavyweights, that’s by design. Under FIFA’s new seeding system for the tournament, most of the big boys were kept apart in the draw. That means the knockout rounds should be wild. With few obvious stumbling blocks for the favorites in Russia—namely Spain, Germany, France, and Brazil—all of the heavy-hitters should make it to at least the third week of the tournament. And then, anything can happen. France could meet Argentina or Brazil could face Germany as early as the round of 16, should one of them fail to win its respective group. Of course, this tournament is also notable for the teams that won’t be there, including Italy, the Netherlands, and the U.S. But few will be sparing any thoughts for them in Russia. Here’s a look at the 32 teams that did make the cut. Group A Uruguay's Luis Suárez celebrates after scoring a goal. Photo: federico anfitti/EPA/Shutterstock Russia (FIFA ranking 70) Russia is the worst-ranked team in the tournament, sitting at No. 70 in the FIFA world rankings. Its squad is among the oldest with an average age of nearly 29 and only two of its players are based outside the distinctly mediocre Russian league. Luckily for the hosts, they landed in the weakest group at the World Cup—but even that could prove less hospitable than January in Siberia. Saudi Arabia (67) Saudi Arabia’s biggest distinction at this World Cup? Not being the lowest-ranked team. That distinction belongs to Russia, the side it will play against in the tournament’s less-than-glittering opener—- No. 67 in the world vs. No. 70. Still, the Saudis haven’t won any of their past nine World Cup games. The man hoping to end that streak is the Argentine-born manager Juan Antonio Pizzi, who took over last fall after failing to lead Chile to World Cup. Egypt (45) There is more to Egypt than Mohamed Salah, the 26-year-old forward who scored 43 goals for Liverpool this season. At least that’s what Egyptian fans have been telling themselves ever since he dislocated his shoulder in the Champions League final. Salah hopes to recover in time to play, though it’s going to be close. The supporting cast around him is defensively solid, but it needs its fleet-footed striker to be truly dangerous on the break. Uruguay (14) Uruguay seems to have a knack for courting controversy at World Cups—specifically through star striker Luis Suárez. In 2010, he made one of the most important saves of the tournament by blocking a goal-bound shot with his hand (despite not being a goalkeeper). And in 2014, he drew a months-long ban for biting an Italian defender (though he maintains he simply fell on him teeth-first). Still, Suarez remains what makes Uruguay tick. Under the guidance of longtime manager Oscar “El Maestro” Tabarez, Suarez and Uruguay should cruise into the knockout rounds. Group B Spain’s Sergio Ramos, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique. Photo: javier etxezarreta/EPA/Shutterstock Portugal (4) Portugal wasn’t a popular winner when it conquered the Euros two years ago. It played unimaginative, stultifying soccer and didn’t win a single game in regulation until the semifinal stage. But somehow, it worked. Two years later, the team is no more exciting. But Cristiano Ronaldo is still kicking around. At 33, he is coming off a third straight Champions League title with Real Madrid and looking to cap his World Cup career with the one title that has eluded him. Spain (10) Spain still relies on stalwarts like Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique from their dominant run from 2008 to 2012, but has also mixed in a collection of players who have blossomed since then, such as Manchester City’s David Silva. Question marks remain over who can hold down a spot as the team’s permanent striker, but with so much attacking talent in the lineup, it may not matter. Morocco (41) Morocco might be the most international team in Russia, consisting primarily of sons of the Moroccan diaspora. Of the 23 men in the squad, eight hail from France, compared to just six born within Morocco’s borders. There are another five players from the Netherlands, two from Spain, one from Belgium and one from Canada—and that’s without taking into account Morocco’s French manager, Hervé Renard. Lumped in a group with Spain and Portugal, Morocco will take all the help it can get, no matter where it’s from. Iran (37) Carlos Queiroz, the Portuguese manager of the Iran national team, hasn’t always had the easiest time handling one of the world’s most reclusive nations. In 2015, he briefly quit after falling out with the national soccer federation, only to be reinstated. But sticking around has proved worthwhile. By leaning on players of Iranian heritage from around the world, he has improbably turned the country into a World Cup regular, guiding it to a second straight edition of the tournament. Group C France’s forward Antoine Griezmann celebrates with teammates. Photo: franck fife/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images France (7) France is, as ever, the World Cup’s moody artist. Capable of winning the whole thing or flaming out in a cloud of Gauloise smoke, Les Bleus have their most talented squad since they lifted the trophy in 1998, anchored by the likes of Atlético Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann and Manchester United’s Paul Pogba. Ironically, the weakest part of the team might be its defensive-minded manager, the 1998 World Cup-winning midfielder Didier Deschamps. He was at the helm for France’s run to the final of the 2016 European Championship, an overtime loss to Portugal. Australia (36) During their run of four consecutive World Cup appearances, the Socceroos played pretty much the same way. They were physically strong, defensively solid, but with little ambition on the offensive end. Former manager Ange Postecoglou instilled a more attacking style of play. It won Australia admirers, but didn’t win enough games. So Postecoglou was replaced by Bert van Marwijk, a man whose claim to fame is turning the freewheeling Dutch into a pragmatic, defense-first team. Peru (11) Long a head-scratcher in international soccer, Peru boasted a large population, a decent pedigree and arguably the sharpest jerseys in the game—white with a single diagonal red stripe—but hadn’t reached the World Cup since 1982. That finally changed when Peru saw off New Zealand in a home-and-home playoff last November, becoming the final country to qualify for Russia. A doping suspension for star striker Paolo Guerrero was recently put on hold freeing him to play in the tournament. Denmark (12) Danish hopes at this World Cup revolve around the performances of its playmaking midfielder Christian Eriksen. One of the stars of the last Premier League season for Tottenham Hotspur, he has the talent to lift an entire team—provided Denmark’s defense stays as solid as it was during qualifying. The Danes’ group is wide open, too, and their sights could be on the round of 16 in their first World Cup appearance since 2010. Group D Iceland has made some serious noise in world soccer in recent years. Photo: hannibal hanschke/Reuters Argentina (5) You may have heard that Argentina is led by a diminutive forward named Lionel Messi. That alone is enough to make it a World Cup contender. Throw in top-class attacking talent like strikers Sergio Agüero and Gonzalo Higuain, a strong World Cup pedigree that includes two triumphs and an appearance in the final last time out, and it seems like Argentina should have one hand on the trophy. Yet a history of spectacular chokes—and an aging back line means that even Messi may struggle to drag this team beyond the quarterfinals. Iceland (22)<doc-sep>Moscow - Who's in, who's out and possible scenarios at the World Cup: GROUP A Russia and Uruguay have clinched berths in the round of 16 and play each other Monday to determine who wins the group. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have been eliminated. GROUP B Morocco has been eliminated, leaving Portugal and Spain (four points each) and Iran (three) to compete for two spots. Spain plays Morocco on Monday, when Portugal meets Iran. GROUP C France has advanced and leads with six points. Denmark is second with four after a 1-1 draw against Australia, which has one point. Peru has been eliminated. Denmark plays France on Tuesday, when Australia takes on Peru. GROUP D Croatia has secured a trip to the second round and tops the group with six points. Nigeria (three points) will advance with a win over Argentina (one point) on Tuesday, when Iceland plays Croatia. But Iceland (one point) or the last-place Argentines could survive with a win and a Nigeria loss or tie, depending on goal difference. GROUP E Brazil and Switzerland have four points apiece, Serbia has three, and any of them could grab one of the group's two spots in the knockout stage. Serbia meets Brazil on Wednesday, likely needing a win. Switzerland plays Costa Rica at the same time. Costa Rica has been eliminated. GROUP F Mexico leads with six points but isn't safe yet. If defending champion Germany defeats South Korea on Wednesday and Sweden simultaneously tops Mexico, three teams would finish with six points, sending it to tiebreakers that start with the best goal differential. If Mexico and South Korea win, Mexico would win the group and the other three teams would be tied. GROUP G Belgium and England moved to the second round emphatically - Belgium with a 5-2 drubbing of Tunisia and England with a 6-1 thrashing of Panama. They play each other on Thursday to determine who wins the group. Tunisia and Panama have been eliminated. GROUP H Japan and Senegal lead the group with four points apiece after their 2-2 draw on Sunday. Colombia beat Poland 3-0 to keep it in the running for a spot in the knockout round. Poland was eliminated.<doc-sep>Jonathan White + FOLLOW Jonathan White joined the Post in 2017 after a decade reporting on sport from China. He originally moved to Beijing to coach football in 2007 and later spent two years in Shanghai.<doc-sep>
Fifa’s decision to award the united bid from the USA, Canada and Mexico the right to host the 2026 World Cup will bring us a 48-team tournament like no World Cup before. But how will it work? How does having three host nations work? Twenty-three cities across the three countries are bidding to be selected as one of the 16 eventual host cities. Mexico and Canada are expected to host 10 matches each, using three stadiums, with the US hosting the remaining 60 games in 10 stadiums. Mexico and Canada would each host seven group matches, two matches in the round of 32, and one match in the round of 16. Every game from the quarter-final stage onwards would be in the US, with the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey expected to stage the final itself. The bid document suggests that the opening day of the tournament could consist of three matches – one taking place in each country, and featuring the relevant host nation. One strength of the joint bid is that every city wanting to take part has stadiums that are already built and operating, with an average capacity greater than 68,000, and with guaranteed continued use after the tournament. Morocco’s defeated bid, by comparison, involved the risky proposition of building nine new stadiums. The 48-team tournament format The 48 teams will be divided into 16 groups of three. The top two teams in each group will progress to a new knock-out phase of 32. It means that 16 teams will go home after playing just two matches, and critics have argued that a format featuring groups comprised of three teams is likely to be very unbalanced. There is also, some say, a significant disadvantage to being the team that does not feature in the opening group game. Sixteen countries will start their campaigns against a team who have already played. If that team won their opening game they will know they only need a point to progress. If they lost it, they know they need a win to stand any chance of avoiding elimination. Both suggest a very different approach to a game where both teams start on zero points. Supporters of expansion say the strength of the format is that while it adds 16 extra teams, it adds only 16 extra matches, and barely impacts the number of days it takes to play the tournament. The two teams who reach the final will have still played six matches to get there, as they currently do. In effect, 32 teams are still guaranteed to have at least three matches in the competition, which is what happens in the current 32 team format. World Cup Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email New qualification system including a Word Cup play-off tournament The expansion to 48 teams has been a key plank of Gianni Infantino’s policy at Fifa. It expands the number of places at the finals available to teams of every confederation, including guaranteeing that a team from Oceania will always make the cut. The new allocation of spaces is: AFC (Asia) – eight places (up from 4.5) Caf (Africa) – nine places (up from 5) Concacaf (North and Central America) – six places, of which three go to hosts (up from 3.5) Conmebol (South America) – six places (up from 4.5) OFC (Oceania) – one place (up from 0.5) Uefa (Europe) – 16 places (up from 13) In addition there will be two final spots available from a new World Cup play-off mini-tournament. The proposal is that a nation from every confederation, except Uefa, will play-off in a knockout tournament that doubles up as a test event for the host nation. The five teams will be joined by an additional country from the host nations’ confederation – Concacaf. Two seeded teams will each meet the winners of a match between two unseeded teams to determine the final places. It is currently unclear where this leaves the Confederations Cup tournament – normally held the summer before a World Cup as the test event for the host nation. The 2021 Confederations Cup is yet to have been assigned a host, as it is not practical to play it in Qatar’s climate in the summer of 2021.