Ten Mil Sports

It’s that time that only comes around every four years…. World Cup time. What’s new this year? Well, a few things. First up, a return to the traditional summer schedule after the 2022 rendition in Qatar. This is the first time the world cup will be hosted by three nations, and the tournament has been expanded to include 48 teams versus the previous 32. What does that mean? Well, there will be a 38% increase in the total number of matches played, from 64 to 104. So, if you like footy, it’s Christmas in July (and June). For the knockout stages there will be a new round of 32 containing the top two teams in each group and the eight
best third-placed teams. Provided for your reading pleasure below are some key storylines to look out for, top contender teams and potential dark horse candidates, breakout players to watch, and my predictions for group stage results, knockout rounds, champions and runners up, and individual awards.

Storylines and What to Watch For:

This is likely the final World Cup for two of the game’s biggest stars – Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo. Messi captains Argentina as they look to defend their 2022 win, and Ronaldo leads one of the strongest Portugal squads in recent memory as he looks to win the World Cup for the first time.

Coming off a stellar season at Bayern Munich, Harry Kane leads a strong England team as they look to try and win their first World Cup in 60 years. England has felt as though it has been on the cusp of a major tournament win in the past few years but has been unable to get over the line. After replacing manager Gareth Southgate with Thomas Tuchel, will football finally be coming home? If Harry Kane wins the golden boot and leads England to victory, look for him to be a strong contender to win the Ballon d’Or later this year as FIFA’s best player of the year.

France remains a tournament favorite, coming off a runner up performance in 2022 and a semi-final exit from Euro 2024. France is loaded with stars and firepower with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmanne Dembele leading their attack. In theory it should be France’s tournament to lose, but will they have the right mentality?

The other tournament favorites, Spain, are the Euro 2024 champions – having defeated France in the semifinal and England in the final. Lamine Yamal gets the headlines, but Spain’s midfield is a difference maker and is spoiled for choice. Defensive midfielder Rodri is a former Ballon d’Or winner with Manchester City and is likely to be paired with Barcelona’s Pedri and Gavi. And if manager Luis de la Fuente doesn’t like what he sees from that trio? He has Champions League winner Fabian Ruiz and Premier League winners Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino as options off the bench.

Argentina returns much of its World Cup winning squad from 4 years ago, albeit four years older. Leo Messi turns 39 years old in two weeks; can he still carry the weight of a nation on his back? He might need his fellow attackers Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez to pick up the slack. For me the key player on Argentina is midfielder, Alexis Mac Allister. Mac Allister
was a key player for the 2022 championship run and is one of Argentina’s best all around players. But he is coming off a rather poor season with Liverpool where he often looked overmatched physically in midfield.

Other contenders:

The Netherlands boast an impressive array of world class players in their defense and midfield, headlined by captain Virgil Van Dijk and Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong. In contrast to prior Netherlands teams which were all attack and minimal defense, this team is the opposite. Will Cody Gakpo be able to step up and be a talisman in attack for the Dutch? Look for Sunderland striker, Brian Brobbey, to have a solid tournament.

The ever-present question for Portugal these days is, does Christiano Ronaldo start? I don’t envy Roberto Martinez for having to make that decision. Regardless, this is one of the strongest Portugal teams in years. Bruno Fernandes is coming off a record setting season at Manchester United and will likely play in midfield with Vitinha and Joao Neves – two key members of PSG’s back-to-back Champions League winning midfield. Other star players include Rafa Leao, Nuno Mendes, Bernardo Silva, and Ruben Dias. Portugal may have extra motivation to do well this tournament in order to honor their teammate, Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car crash in July 2025.

Dark Horses:

Everyone loves a good dark horse contender at the World Cup. This year I have a few different picks, all of which I have 15th or lower in my power rankings. Norway cruised through its qualifying group with 8 wins, 0 draws, and 0 losses while scoring 37 goals and conceding only 5. Norway is led by Premier League stars Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard and will rely on Haaland to provide the goals. Look for 21-year-old winger Antonio Nusa to potentially have a breakout tournament. A challenge for Norway will be that they were drawn in Group I, probably the closest thing to a “group of death” at this tournament, along with France, Senegal, and Iraq. But they should have a good shot of advancing in either 2nd or 3rd place, especially if they run up the score against Iraq.

Ecuador reminds me of a South American version of the Netherlands this year. Excellent midfield and defense with a bit of an underwhelming attack. Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo is one of the best in the world at his position, and Piero Hincapie and Willian Pacho will help anchor the defense.

Scotland’s chances took a bit of a hit when they lost midfielder Billy Gilmour to injury at the end of May, but I still back the Scots. Captained by former Liverpool legend, Andy Robertson, the Scots qualified in dramatic fashion over Denmark in Glasgow back in November (go watch the highlights if you haven’t, don’t skip the Scottish National Anthem).
Scotland will need their Italian export, Scott McTominay to chip in as a goal scoring threat if they want to advance in the tournament.

Breakout Players to Watch:
Along with a good dark horse pick, I think everyone likes to try and predict who the next breakout player at the World Cup will be. James Rodriguez bursting onto the scene in 2014 with Colombia is a perfect example. Here are four players I’m keeping my eye on:

Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast): the 19-year-old Ivorian winger who currently plays for RB Leipzig made 33 appearances in the Bundesliga scoring 12 goals and providing 9 assists. Diomande has been linked with 100M+ transfers to Liverpool and PSG this summer.

Nico Paz (Argentina): This 21-year-old Argentine midfielder came up through the Real Madrid academy before transferring to the newly promoted Como in 2024 to play for Cesc Fabregas. He has become a key player for the Italian side, scoring 12 goals and providing 7 assists as Como finished 4th in the Serie A in 2025/26.

Nico O’Reilly (England): The 21-year-old O’Reilly blossomed into a key player for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City this past season, providing 8 goal contributions from left back. The 6’4” O’Reilly is physical and hard to push off the ball, as well as technically gifted. He looks set to start at left back for England.

Rayan Cherki (France): Cherki was excellent for Manchester City last season. At 22 years old and already having transferred from Lyon last summer for 40M, it’s a little harder to call Cherki a potential breakout star. But he has only made 7 appearances for France over his career – a testament to the depth and quality of the French squad. The main issue for
Cherki in 2026? Competition for playing time with Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola, and Desire Doue.

Individual Awards:
Golden Ball (Best Player of the Tournament): Kylian Mbappe (France)
Golden Boot (Top Scorer of the Tournament): Harry Kane (England)
Golden Gloves (Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament): Alisson Becker (Brazil)
FIFA Young Player Award (Best player under 21): Nico Paz

Final Picks:
Champions: France
Runners Up: Portugal
Third Place: Spain

WORLD CUP POWER RANKINGS

1. France	13. Uruguay	25. Sweden	37. Saudi Arabia
2. Spain	14. Croatia	26. Egypt	38. South Africa
3. England	15. Norway	27. Canada	39. Qatar
4. Argentina	16. USA	28. Austria	40. Bosnia & Herzegovina
5. Portugal	17. Ecuador	29. Algeria	41. New Zealand
6. Germany	18. Switzerland	30. Paraguay	42. Uzbekistan
7. Brazil	19. Mexico	31. Ghana	43. DR Congo
8. Netherlands	20. Ivory Coast	32. Australia	44. Jordan
9. Colombia	21. South Korea	33. Panama	45. Cape Verde
10. Morocco	22. Japan	34. Iran	46. Curacao
11. Senegal	23. Turkiye	35. Tunisia	47. Haiti
12. Belgium	24. Scotland	36. Czechia	48. Iraq