World Cup qualifiers are almost finished, with a few more spots left that will be decided in March 2026; the stage is almost set for another World Cup. There have been many upsets and surprises that have analysts starting conversations about what the 2026 competition could hold.
Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan have all qualified for the competition for the first time in their history. Gavin Mercer, a Freshman at Skyline who is interested in soccer, says, “It’s always nice to see new teams qualify for the World Cup and find an underdog to root for.”
Other teams have recently ended World Cup qualification droughts, like Scotland, who ended a 28-year drought, and Haiti, who haven’t qualified in 51 years.
One of the biggest headlines for the qualifying stage has been Ireland. Not only did they end their 24-year World Cup qualifying drought, but they did it in a dramatic fashion. Troy Parrot scored a hat trick in which he scored a thrilling 96th minute game winner.
Remy Kinghorn, a Freshman at Skyline, says, “It was a very exciting moment, and you could tell how much it meant to the fans.”
In the 2022 World Cup, there was only one first-time competitor, and that was Qatar, who received automatic qualification for hosting the tournament. But in 2026, there are four first time competitors, which should make it an even more interesting contest.
Kinghorn says, “I think it is going to be really interesting to see the new countries play but also see them compete with other top teams in the world.”
Some top countries didn’t qualify this year. Notable teams like Sweden, Poland, Nigeria, and Cameroon aren’t competing in the tournament.
Salvatore Wharton, a Freshman at Skyline, says, “I honestly don’t mind some of these top teams didn’t make it. I think this World Cup is going to be a fun one with a bunch of new squads that we’ve never seen play on this kind of a stage before.”
Besides the surprising upsets of underdog victories, fans and analysts are debating who they think is going to win it all.
Some of the strong favorites are France, Spain, and Argentina.
France always has a strong squad led by Kylian Mbappe. Spain has a young generation of players led by the 18 year old Lamine Yamal. Argentina is coming off of a 2022 World Cup with yet another strong squad.
Kinghorn says, “I think Spain is my favorite; they just won the Euros in 2024, and Lamine Yamal isn’t slowing down.”
Wharton says, “I got France winning it all. Mbappe is known for his World Cup performances, and they’ve made it to the Final the last two times.”
Spain and France seem to be the two most popular choices to win it all.
Nonetheless, the coming tournament is going to be a great showcase of the world’s best. Mercer says, “The upcoming World Cup is very anticipated with a bunch of underdog stories mixed in with the classic powerhouse countries. Either way, these teams are the best in the world with the best players in the world, on the biggest stage, all fighting for the biggest title in the sport.”
