The moment you’ve all been waiting for: the MNUFC writer’s joint World Cup predictions article. Yes, Rachel and I (I’m Kyle. Or Coach Kyle, to you) are teaming up — sort of — to bring you all of the commentary you need in order to watch the World Cup Group Stage as an informed viewer. 

First thing you need to know: We’ve got 48 teams divided into 12 groups of four. This is 16 teams and four whole groups larger than last World Cup, making this the biggest World Cup to date — on a technicality. Why have they done this? Well, who am I to say? Perhaps it was simply so that more nations could enjoy the thrill of playing on the world’s largest stage. Then again, maybe there was another motive. I don’t know, I just watch and predict, guys. 

We’ve decided to limit our divination to just the Group Stage, picking the two teams we think are most likely to advance from each one and then picking the eight teams we think will grab one of the eight available third-place spots. I hate doing the full prediction before the knockout bracket is set, because the difference between a team finishing first, second, or third in their group changes that final bracket so much. Don’t worry, though, we’ll be back for that. In the meantime, strap in, folks; this one’s going to take a while. 

Rachel’s Disclaimer: Every year, I build my entire March Madness bracket based on uneducated vibes. Then I win the family bracket challenge anyway.

This article isn’t quite on that level, but I have to be up front here — I’m nowhere near the intrepid international soccer watcher that our own Coach Kyle is. That being said, I want to beat him, so these selections are a combination of preliminary research, YouTube rabbit holes, and me being a sucker for a good underdog story. Let’s get into it.

Group A

• Mexico

• South Africa

• South Korea

• Czechia

Kyle: Mexico, South Korea

This isn’t the strongest El Tri squad we’ve seen at a World Cup, but I’m fairly certain they could get through on vibes alone if needed. Wunderkind Gilberto Mora could be poised for a legendary breakout performance, and a young group of emerging talents could take this chance to firmly pass the torch for a Mexico team in desperate need of new stars. For South Korea, it’s all about Heung-Min Son, who may be entering his last dance on the world’s biggest stage. They’ve got as much — if not more — quality on their roster than any other team in this group, and should cruise to a first or second-place finish. 

Rachel: Mexico, South Korea

Wow, we agree! Nobody’s really debating that Mexico tops this group, but second place is a bit of a tossup. I could see arguments for any of the three remaining squads. But before anything else I am loyal to Son Heung-Min, and I’d love to see Korea get out of the group stage. I mean, I would love to see them win the entire tournament, but for now this is me manifesting that they at least pull one over on Czechia and have a shot in the Round of 32.

Group B

• Canada

• Bosnia & Herzegovina

• Qatar

• Switzerland

Kyle: Switzerland, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Group B is frustrating me. Canada has steadily improved in recent years, and Qatar have a few very talented individuals (hello, Akram Afif, whose name spells FIFA backwards). BUT, I don’t feel good about them in tournaments of this caliber. Bosnia & Herzegovina have a fighting spirit that I can’t shake, led by the ageless Edin Džeko. Switzerland is the best team on paper here, so I have to pick them, but honestly? I don’t trust any of these teams completely. Keep an eye out for potential chaos here. 

Rachel: Switzerland, Canada

We’re agreed on Switzerland, but I have more faith in our northern neighbors than Kyle does. O, Canada. This is one of the squads I’m at least marginally more familiar with, with a number of players pulled from MLS, but even without that recognition it’s pretty clear they’re a stronger squad than they were in their last World Cup appearance. I mean, they’ve got Tani Oluwaseyi. And it’s always Tani Time. Qatar is fairly underwhelming, and while Bosnia is fun, I don’t think they beat Canada at home. 

Group C

• Brazil 

• Morocco

• Haiti

• Scotland

Kyle: Morocco, Brazil

I wanted to be contrarian and shocking by saying Brazil wouldn’t get out of the group, but they look good right now. Morocco have been riding a wave of progress since their run to the semis at the 2022 World Cup, and I have a feeling they’ll be dark horses to make another deep run this time around. That isn’t to discount Haiti or Scotland, both of whom I think will surprise people with their performances for a variety of reasons, but the heavyweights just carry too much weight in Group C. 

Rachel: Brazil, Morocco

Brazil is Brazil. No comment. Morocco, though, I really like. I probably just have a soft spot for them because I was in London when they made history by going to the semi-finals in December 2022, and seeing the absolute outpouring of support and Moroccan pride flooding Piccadilly Circus was kind of surreal. That being said, I don’t think they even qualify as an underdog anymore. They beat Spain. They beat Portugal. They can handle Group C.

Group D

• USA

• Paraguay

• Australia

• Türkiye

Kyle: USA, Türkiye

I don’t know if I can be trusted here. I want the Red, White and Blue to go ALL THE WAY, and I can rationalize their whole path to the trophy with just a few mental gymnastics. I’ve got to pick them here, and I have to give Türkiye the credit they’re due. Their wunderkind duo of Arda Güler and Kenan Yildiz could be the most exciting pair of attacking talents in the entire tournament, making them my favorites to win the group. Paraguay and Australia will almost certainly steal a result or two, though, making this one of the summer’s most sneakily-intriguing groups. 

Rachel: Türkiye, Paraguay

Long, long ago, Turkey decided they didn’t want to be associated with the feral bird that roams the streets and incites terror (which is valid). Thus, they decided to go by their Turkish name in the global soccer standings, inciting a small movement that includes Côte D’Ivoire and Cabo Verde. But they sort of have the right to do whatever they want, because they’re pretty good, and I’m fairly certain they’ll win the group. I’d love to see Poch’s guys pull through at least to the Round of 32, but I’m also jaded and think Paraguay or Australia will probably come from behind to knock the USMNT out of that second-place spot.

Group E

• Germany

• Curaçao

• Ivory Coast

• Ecuador

Kyle: Ecuador, Ivory Coast

Is it a hot take to say Germany won’t advance? Maybe, maybe not. They haven’t been near as dominant ever since winning the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and though the likes of Kai Havertz and Florian Wirtz are seriously talented creative options. Curaçao is the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup, and while I love the story, I don’t think they’ll have the juice to get past an extremely strong, emerging Ecuador team and an Ivory Coast side that’s just a few years removed from an AFCON win in 2023. 

Rachel: Germany, Ecuador

I would so deeply love to vote for one of the little guys here, especially Curaçao. They’re the best storyline in this tournament right now — the smallest country to ever participate in the World Cup, crushing the opposition with 78-year-old Dick Advocaat at the helm? The inspirational sports movie writes itself. But the numbers just aren’t cutting it. I’m going Germany and Ecuador for Group E, but I also really, sincerely hope I’m wrong.

Group F

• Netherlands

• Japan

• Sweden

• Tunisia

Kyle: Japan, Netherlands

This one was pretty easy for me. The Netherlands are World Cup royalty, and should handle this group stage with ease. Japan is consistently one of the toughest teams to beat at the World Cup, and could very well top this group with three wins out of three. Sweden stumbled into this tournament via some questionable qualifying loopholes, and Tunisia simply don’t have the firepower to challenge the likes of Japan and the Netherlands. 

Rachel: Netherlands, Japan

Ah, the Netherlands, home of Total Football. Not that I’m basing this prediction off Ted Lasso, but also, I kind of am. On a less trivial note, any team that’s in the single digits in the FIFA world rankings feels like a shoo-in, and the Netherlands fits that bill. As far as Japan, I watched a soccer anime and now I’m convinced. They have a few Premier League guys in their squad, and I know more about them than Sweden or Tunisia, so it’s good enough for me.

Group G

• Belgium

• Egypt

• Iran

• New Zealand

Kyle: Belgium, Iran

My heart wants to back Michael Boxall and New Zealand here, but my brain is fighting back too much to ignore. Belgium’s golden generation may be slowly phasing out, but the arrival of Jeremy Doku as a world-class talent and the swan song of Kevin De Bruyne gives me enough faith to say they’ll run away with Group G. Egypt may have Mohamed Salah, but after a rough year at Liverpool, it feels like he won’t have enough in the tank to carry them very far this year. Iran are a solid, consistent team, and I can’t look past them to round out this group’s top two. 

Rachel: Belgium, Egypt

Belgium’s not what they used to be, but they still have enough talent to take their group. And as much as we’d all love to see Boxy go all the way, I’m just not confident that the All-Whites have what it takes to top Egypt here. I know Salah has fallen off lately, but Egypt still has Omar Marmoush and Mohamed El Shenawy.

Group H

• Spain

• Cape Verde

• Saudi Arabia

• Uruguay

Kyle: Spain, Uruguay

Spain has long been one of my favorite teams to watch in the entire world, and Uruguay have the biggest chip on their shoulder I’ve ever seen. Cape Verde are probably going to have to just hang their hats on qualifying for their first World Cup appearance, and Saudi Arabia simply aren’t consistently threatening enough to usurp the soccer royalty in their group. 

Rachel: Spain, Uruguay

I guess there’s no debate here. People keep using AI to predict the winner of the World Cup, and it largely seems to think Spain is where it’s at. I think using AI to predict the winner is stupid and so I want them to lose out of spite, but I also don’t see a world where they don’t win their group. Come on. It’s Spain.

Group I

• France

• Senegal

• Iraq

• Norway

Kyle: France, Norway

Let me be clear; I don’t want France to do well, but I can’t deny how talented they are. Their third-choice attacking lineup would probably start for almost every country on the planet, making them constant scoring threats no matter who lines up in the starting eleven. That said, their defense is weaker than it’s been for a while in my eyes, and against the likes of Norway, I imagine we’ll see a shootout of epic proportions. I don’t give Iraq much of a chance here, but Senegal are among Africa’s best teams and could very well take advantage of Norway and France’s defensive frailties. 

Rachel: France, Senegal

France is another projected favorite to win the whole thing, and it’s hard to argue with the skill of that star-studded squad. The only real question is whether so many dominant individual players can work together well enough to go to the next level, but that’s not going to come into play until the upper echelons of this tournament. They’re a shoo-in past the group stage.

Group J

• Argentina

• Algeria

• Austria

• Jordan

Kyle: Argentina, Algeria

France broke the champion’s curse in 2022, earning their way to a second-consecutive final appearance to avoid going from best to bust like Germany did from 2014 to 2018. I’ve debated whether or not Argentina really have the motivation necessary to rally for another deep run, but I’m a romantic, dang it. Messi gets a magical sendoff, and Algeria put up a few surprising performances to grab the second spot in Group J.

Rachel: Argentina, Austria

Messi or no Messi, Argentina’s dominance here is pretty uncontested. Three-time World Cup winners looking to defend the title, all that jazz. Austria and Algeria could be close. I could see them both advancing, but I’m picking Austria for second because I like David Alaba.

Group K

• Portugal

• DR Congo

• Uzbekistan

• Colombia

Kyle: Portugal, Colombia

I’m really tempted to get fancy here. I mean, Uzbekistan are coming into their first-ever World Cup with great vibes and a lot of hope, while DR Congo have put together a qualifying campaign that has seemingly united the entire country behind the team and their ever-standing superfan, Lumumba. My heart is with James Rodríguez’s Colombia side and DR Congo, but my head says Portugal’s quality will shine too bright for the African Cinderella story to come true. 

Rachel: Colombia, Portugal

My apologies to Dr. Congo, the only World Cup participant to have a PhD. It’s hard to compete with a pair of soccer-centric countries like Colombia and Portugal, but say hello to James for us on the way out, will you?

Group L

• England

• Croatia

• Ghana

• Panama

Kyle: England, Croatia

This group is interesting, but I’m resisting the urge to overthink it. Both Ghana and Panama play with a bit of fire, making them upset threats in any match. But, England have one of the most talented rosters in the world and Croatia have established a consistent style of play that’s incredibly tough to break down, making these two European powerhouses not only the favorites to advance from their group, but also serious contenders to win the whole thing. 

Rachel: England, Panama

I kind of want England to win the whole thing, to be honest. Do I think they actually will break their 60-odd year curse? No, because I do think it’s a real curse put on them by a very motivated coven of Etsy witches. But if anyone deserves to break this slump, it’s the quick-footed combo of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. In second place, I’m taking a leap of faith and saying that Panama (and our very own Carlos Harvey) will pull out all the stops and top Croatia, though I wouldn’t be shocked if Croatia lands in the top eight third-place squads to advance anyway.

Third-Place Qualifiers

Kyle: Canada, Scotland, Australia, Germany, Senegal, Austria, DR Congo, Ghana

Personally, I hate when third-place teams can advance from the group stage. I mean, it completely kills the competitive edge that you get with a smaller field, doesn’t it? If a third-place team goes on to win the whole thing, I’m not counting it, unless it’s the USA, of course. Then, you can consider me a proponent from the start. All of that said, these are the eight teams I’d back to either squeak by in third place or upset one of my initial predictions to make it to the Round of 32. 

Rachel: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Scotland, USA, Curaçao, Iran, Norway, DR Congo, Croatia

I know I wasn’t very patriotic earlier, but I do think the USMNT will advance through this third-place route. (It would be classic for them to give us hope by getting to the quarterfinals or something and then lose in really dramatic fashion.) As far as Curaçao goes: I’m manifesting, okay? I want the little guys to go all the way!

There you have it: The greatest prediction preview article for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group Stage you’ve ever seen on mnufc.com. It’s a masterpiece. It’s magnificent. Rachel has definitely made better picks than I have. LET’S GET THE PARTY STARTED!