Group-by-Group Preview for the Forthcoming Tournament

Pool A

This first game at the historic Azteca Stadium will mirror the opener from 2010, when South Africa drew 1-1 with Mexico. The Mexican team's knockout phase history at the global showpiece features just one victory, secured against Bulgaria when they last were hosts in 1986. The coach, Javier Aguirre, played as an attacker in that squad and will be targeting a third-ever quarter-final appearance as hosts. The South African side, coached by experienced Belgian manager Hugo Broos, qualified for their initial finals since they hosted, ending above Nigeria and Benin despite having a victory over Lesotho given against them for fielding an suspended player.

This will mark South Korea's 11th successive World Cup qualification. Legend Hong Myung-bo played in four of those, and finished in third place in the Best Player award when South Korea reached the semi-final in 2002. He is now their coach and led them without a loss through a far from easy qualifying group. The fourth side in Group A will be the winner of a European playoff involving the Czech Republic, Denmark, North Macedonia, or the Republic of Ireland.

Pool B

Canada have qualified for the World Cup twice and, although Qatar 2022 brought their first finals goal, it did not deliver their first finals point. Jesse Marsch is the manager of probably the best squad in their nation's history, with stars like Jonathan David at Juventus and Alphonso Davies at Bayern Munich. The extent to which kind the group looks depends mostly on whether the Italian national team make it through the European play-off (the remaining 3 contenders are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, and Wales).

After failing to qualify in 1998 and 2002, the Swiss have got through the initial phase in four of the last five World Cups and were last-eight participants at the last two European Championships. Murat Yakin’s side qualified unbeaten from arguably the most straightforward of the UEFA qualifying groups and, with experienced campaigners like Ricardo Rodriguez and Granit Xhaka, have individuals hoping to play at their fourth World Cups. The Qatari team, having finished in fourth in their third-round qualification group, were given a major boost by being selected as a host for the final round and clinched progress with a 2-1 victory over the UAE. Julen Lopetegui’s squad is selected entirely from the Qatari league.

Pool C

Scotland return to the finals in 28 years bears a lot like their last outing, when they lost to Brazil and the Atlas Lions; Haiti occupy the spot of Norway. Their aim will be to make it to the elimination stage for the very first time after eight previous group-stage eliminations. Haiti’s sole prior finals, in 1974, was remembered less for their three defeats than for the ordeal that happened to midfielder Ernst Jean-Joseph who, after testing positive in a drugs test, was beaten by Haitian army officers before being sent back. They will have limited traveling support due to a travel ban involving the USA.

Carlo Ancelotti became Brazil’s third manager in a qualification process that featured a run of three consecutive defeats, but there is minimal risk in South American qualifying these days. He has overseen a clear upturn in form. Semi-finalists in Qatar in 2022, Morocco appear the best of the north African sides, capable both of dominating opponents and playing on the counter, qualifying with a 100% record.

Group D

Early last year, the USA seemed in a dismal state, losing to Panama and Canada in the Concacaf Nations League and to Turkey and Switzerland in friendly matches. But over the past year, Mauricio Pochettino has seemingly begun to get his ideas across and in November the USA beat Paraguay before routing Uruguay 5-1 in exhibition games. They will start against Paraguay, who are competing in their 6th finals. They have secured one game at each of the previous five, a record that has resulted to both group phase exits and a last-eight appearance. Their trademark defensive mindset has not altered: they scored only 14 goals in their 18 games in South American qualification.

This is not the most free-flowing Australian side and their squad is without clear superstars, but despite an iffy start to the third round of Asian qualification, Tony Popovic’s side qualified by beating Japan at home and Saudi Arabia away under intense pressure in their final two matches. The pool's fourth team will emerge from the victor of Europe’s playoff C (Kosovo, Romania, Slovakia, or Turkey).

Pool E

After successive group phase exits, Die Mannschaft are no longer the bogeymen of old. The shift to a more progressive style has introduced a vulnerability and the group initially looked like presenting a huge challenge to Julian Nagelsmann’s side. The Ecuadorian team were the revelations of qualifying, ending up in second place behind Argentina in South America. Although they netted only 14 goals in 18 games, a backline including Willian Pacho of Paris Saint-Germain and Piero Hincapié of Arsenal, protected by Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo, conceded a paltry five.

Côte d’Ivoire live in a state of permanent pessimism, where nothing is ever as successful as the glorious generation of 15-20 years ago. But since taking charge during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, head coach Emerse Faé has proved inspirational. After an implausible continental success on home soil, Côte d’Ivoire were ruthless in qualification, netting 25 goals and conceding reply.

The tiniest country ever to qualify, Curaçao, were the final team drawn, however, making the group look a lot far less intimidating than it might have appeared.

Group F

Ronald Koeman’s Dutch side perhaps lack the star quality of past Dutch eras, but they secured qualification unbeaten and Memphis Depay, who bagged eight goals in qualifying, always looks a more effective performer with his national side than at domestic level. They open against the Japanese team, who will play in their eighth consecutive finals, and were by far the most impressive of the Asian nations in qualification, suffering one of their 16 games across the two groups, with a combined goal difference of 54-3.

The Tunisian side made sure of a third consecutive finals berth by dominating a straightforward qualifying section, picking up 28 points of a available 30. Sami Trabelsi’s team are perhaps not as defensive as certain previous Tunisian teams; they had a staggering 14 separate scorers in qualification. If Graham Potter’s Sweden make it through the UEFA playoff (against Ukraine in the semi, then either Poland or Albania in the final), that will set up a rematch of the group game in Dortmund in 1974 when Johan Cruyff first performed the famous Cruyff Turn.

Group G

Belgium and the Pharaohs are emerging from the legacy of golden generations. Rudi Garcia’s Belgium were inconsistent in qualification, scoring the net eight times but conceding five in two wins over Wales, scoring freely at times, but also laboring to a 1-1 draw away to Kazakhstan.

Egypt are the most successful side in African history, but having failed to qualify during their peak period 15-20 years ago, they have never quite fulfilled their potential on the global stage. Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush give them cutting edge, but it was a defensive unit that conceded only twice in 10 games that ensured they qualified unbeaten.

A reserved place for Oceania essentially meant a spot at the finals for New Zealand, who sailed through qualification, winning five games out of five, netting 29 goals, nine of them by Chris Wood, but they are the lowest-ranked side to have secured their place in North America next summer. Iran, who were defeated only once in a tricky third-round qualifying group, are on a travel ban, possibly