The Road to World Cup 2026: The biggest teams to watch and what to expect

The 2026 World Cup is one year away, and the countdown is on to see which teams will qualify for the largest-ever edition of the world’s most popular sporting event.

So far, only 13 of the 48 teams - including the co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States – are officially in. Argentina, winner of the 2022 World Cup, is also set. But even though the full field is still not complete – qualification will go through next March 2026 before the first game kicks off on June 11 – we’re expecting the world’s best sides to be vying for the trophy.

There will be plenty of twists and turns as teams fight for those coveted spots, but we've identified 12 sides to keep an eye on, including the three co-hosts. These teams are packed with some of the world's biggest stars and include some of the heavy favorites to win it all. Let's dive into why we hope (and expect) to see them next summer.

The road to '26: Argentina are still basking in the glow from their triumph in Qatar and almost every match this cycle has had the feel of a victory tour. Lionel Scaloni’s men added another Copa América title to their collection and cruised through South American qualifying, securing a World Cup berth with five rounds to spare.

The opportunity now beckons to become the first repeat World Cup winners since Brazil in 1962, while Scaloni can join Italy’s Vittorio Pozzo as the only managers to win two World Cups. Not much has changed since Qatar, save for Ángel Di María’s international retirement and the emergence of talented youngsters like Franco Mastantuono.

Lionel Messi still commands the spotlight, though Argentina proved they are much more than Messi by dismantling Brazil this past March without their injured star. With prolific strikers Julian