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All but two World Cup host nations have made the knockout stage, so the United States (40-1) or Mexico (66-1) could make a deep run like unheralded South Korea did as co-host in 2002.
If you’re looking for an Asian team to pull upsets this tournament, go with a Japan side that knocked off Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup and has a roster full of players from Europe’s top leagues.
Even with aging stars, Croatia has to be considered a Cinderella again, after finishing runner-up in 2018 and third in 2022. Switzerland and Türkiye are among the other solid European teams that have talent to make noise.
Morocco has to be on the sleeper list as well after making the semis four years ago, and fellow Africa Cup of Nations finalist Senegal also has the right mix of veterans and youth to do likewise.
What are expectations for the United States?
The U.S. men’s national team is currently 16th in FIFA’s rankings and has the 11th-best title odds at +4000. Both those numbers are optimistic about where the U.S. ranks in the global pecking order.
But playing at home in a group without a traditional power, the U.S. is still the Group D favorite, and a group-stage elimination would be an utter catastrophe. Realistic expectations have the U.S. finishing top two in the group and winning a favorable Round-of-32 matchup, then running into a top-10 caliber team in the Round of 16. Advancing in the knockout stage is far from a given for the U.S., which has done so only once in World Cup history (2002).
Who are the stars to watch?
With 48 teams and most prominent soccer nations present (apologies to Italy, Nigeria, Cameroon, Poland and others), this World Cup will feature a boatload of stars from the past, present and future.
Making their last stand
Two of the all-time greats are poised to be the first men to play in six World Cups. Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who turns 39 on June 24, won the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2022 tournament, tallying seven goals and three assists. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is already the only man to score at five World Cups, as the 41-year-old strives for the one major international trophy that has eluded him.
At age 40, Croatia’s Luka Modrić will be back for a fifth World Cup, assuming he recovers from cheekbone surgery in time. Modric won the Golden Ball at the 2018 tournament, where Croatia was runner-up to France, and he led the team to a third-place finish in 2022.
Tips of talented spears
The tournament favorites are filled with attackers who could all shine. France’s Kylian Mbappé already has 12 World Cup goals, tied for sixth-most all-time with Pelé, and Mbappé needs five more goals to break Miroslav Klose’s men’s World Cup record.
France also features reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, who has not scored in 11 previous World Cup games but has over 50 goals for PSG the last two seasons.
Lamine Yamal (18 years old) was runner-up to Dembélé for last year’s Ballon d’Or, after winning two trophies with Barcelona and the Euro 2024 title with Spain. He’ll be in a fitness race after suffering a hamstring injury in late April.
Harry Kane has over 50 goals for Bayern Munich this season alone, and he remains England’s best option up top. England’s career goals leader won the Golden Boot as the top scorer at the 2018 World Cup, and he’s two goals shy of tying Gary Lineker’s English record of 10 World Cup goals.
As usual, Brazil has plenty of attacking options, led by a pair of La Liga stalwarts. Vinícius Júnior has over 125 goals for Real Madrid, but he’s rarely replicated his club form on the international stage. Raphinha led Brazil with six goals in qualifying, but he has not played for Barcelona since injuring his hamstring during the March international break.
Can they carry their teams to the promised land?
Bruno Fernandes is hardly the only weapon on a loaded Portugal team, but he’s the engine that will make them go, much like he does for Manchester United.
The best pure striker in the world, Man City’s Erling Haaland has Norway at the World Cup for the first time since 1998. He scored nearly half of Norway’s 34 goals in qualifying, with 16 goals in eight games.
Mo Salah is leaving Liverpool after this season, and this may be the last World Cup for the 33-year-old. He’ll look to lead Egypt to a first-ever World Cup win in the nation’s fourth appearance.
Four years ago, right back Achraf Hakimi helped make Morocco the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals. He’s won a cabinet full of trophies with PSG, and he also led Morocco to the Africa Cup of Nations final in January.
Club stars ready to shine on the international stage
With Mbappé and Dembélé, France doesn’t need more attacking weapons, but they have plenty of others in the squad. Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise is among this year’s Ballon d’Or favorites after reaching 20 goals and 20 assists this season. Rayan Cherki has shined for Manchester City this season, piling up double digits in both goals and assists.
If you watched the U.S.-Belgium friendly in March, you saw Jeremy Doku wreak havoc down the left side. He’s done the same for Man City this season, and he leads a new generation of Belgian stars.
If Colombia does make a run, Luis Suárez may become as well-known as his teammate Luis Díaz. Suarez has topped 30 goals for Portuguese club Sporting this season, and he had four goals vs. Venezuela in a qualifier last September.
Americans to watch
Most of the U.S. stars are back from the 2022 World Cup, where the U.S. made the Round of 16 before losing 3-1 to Netherlands.
Christian Pulisic remains the face of the team, though he’s been slumping for club and country lately. Pulisic hasn’t scored in his last eight caps, the longest drought of his U.S. career, and he’s gone over four months without scoring for AC Milan (as of May 1), last notching a goal back on Dec. 28.
Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams are expected to man the U.S. midfield. McKennie has nine goals and six assists while playing all over the field for Juventus this season. As long as he’s healthy, Adams stars for Premier League club Bournemouth and puts out fires from his defensive midfield spot. Antonee Robinson may be the most irreplaceable U.S. player, as the Fulham left back has been linked with a move to Manchester United and Liverpool this summer.
Two faces who may be new to casual fans are Chris Richards, who starts regularly for Premier League club Crystal Palace and is the best U.S. center back option, and forward Folarin Balogun, who scored in eight straight Ligue 1 games for Monaco this season.