Power Ranking The 12 Teams From The Americas At The 2026 World Cup

Twelve teams will be at the World Cup from North and South America. I have the reigning champions as the best.

Argentina will be one of the teams to beat at this World Cup, with Lionel Messi returning to defend the trophy he led his country to back in the winter of 2022. There are other teams from Central America and South America, though, that could also be a spoiler at this tournament.

Here's how I rank all 12 teams from the Americas ahead of Mexico's World Cup opener on Thursday against South Africa.

12.

Tahith Chong is the only player on Curaçao who was actually born in the country. (Visionhaus/Getty Images)

If there was a trophy for the team that will bring the best vibes to the World Cup this summer, it's Curaçao. You see the players' training entrances and dancing, their traveling school bus — it's absolutely epic. They'll make the most of the tournament on and off the pitch from an experience standpoint and hopefully from a playing perspective.

Most of the players are from the Netherlands, so there will be a solid base for this squad that ultimately lacks international experience. (I’m also hoping to vacation in Curaçao after the tournament.)

11.

Midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla will be the go-to guy for Panama. (Omar Vega/Getty Images)

Obviously, Panama got a tough group with England, Croatia and Ghana. This team will be leaning heavily on midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla and Aníbal Godoy, who plays for San Diego FC and has 159 international caps to his name. Panama will have to be solid defensively against three strong opponents with no lapses in concentration. Also, on a positive note, the warm climate won't affect them.

Panama has stumped teams in the past in CONCACAF, so I wouldn't count them out, but