Who Will Win The FIFA World Cup 2026?
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What are the key details about the FIFA World Cup 2026?
And so it's finally here. It's the start of the World Cup 2026. We have Mexico and South Africa this evening in the opening game. We're joined by Miguel Delaney, Chief Football Writer of The Independent and Dion Fanning, co-host of the Free State podcast. Okay, Dion, I'm going to start with you and I'm going to show my age a little bit in that I grew up with the tournaments of 74 and 78, 16 teams. Then it went to 24 teams back in 1982. I think it was 2002 it went to 32.
How has the number of teams in the World Cup changed over the years?
Now it's going to 48 teams, which means that with 16 extra teams, 40 extra games, 104 games, even for those of us who've always loved World Cups, is that too much?
In theory, yes. But in practice, probably not. Because if you, once you start looking at it, you start, and I guess this is part of the enthusiasm of a World Cup, when you spend this week looking at matches and looking at groups. You start thinking, hold on a second, there's a lot more at stake here than meets the eye. Even with so many teams getting through, you can start seeing groups which actually could be quite close, where there's quite a parity between the teams.
What impact does the increase in matches have on player performance?
And obviously it's too many and the tournament is unwieldy. But the argument against that, if I kind of sort of channel my inner emotions, Child or Gianni Infantino, is that people have always complained about this. When it moved to 24 teams, the first people who were complaining about this was UEFA. And they were complaining, talking about obscene. And then it turned out they were going to get four more places.
I think there were probably more UEFA teams back when there were 24 now than there are with 48.
How might the weather and travel affect gameplay strategies?
The increase hasn't, it's changed completely. If you look at the increase now, you know, it's Africa and other places that have benefited and UEFA haven't got the same bounce out of it.
And as Dave Hannigan pointed out last week, that's why we're going to have the beauty of Congo versus Uzbekistan. You'll be staying up to watch that, will you? What time is that on? Does it matter what time it's on? I don't know. Miguel, what do you think?
Which teams are expected to perform well in the tournament?
Are there too many games in this? Particularly when you actually think, on a more serious note as well, the demands this is going to put on the players. Heat and altitude, travel, an awful lot of perhaps even exhausted players coming into the end of club seasons who are going to have to add an enormous amount of minutes unless they're managed very carefully by their coaches.
Yeah, I mean, look, that is a connected issue. uh like the size of the world cup is basically of a piece with how everything in football is getting bigger because no one wants to see ground and ultimately the expansion has been done for political reasons but as dion's kind of touched on there there are two sides to this like there is genuinely a romance to it and romance to kind of just three debutants of this world cup um you know, Uzbekistan, Curaçao, they're going to enjoy kind of genuine national moments here.
What factors could lead to surprising outcomes in the World Cup?
Jordan's the other one, sorry. Then you've got, because of the expansion, Haiti, given the strife, Iraq as well, also get to enjoy these sort of moments, this sort of release. And that shouldn't be diminished, even if it can sit alongside concerns about it. But even on that, like, I mean, okay, we kind of might dismiss some of the games, not particularly attractive. But like I have to say, like today's match, Mexico, South Africa. I mean, if that was on a random international break during the season, like a lot of listeners, I wouldn't care.
How do political issues influence the World Cup experience?
And now today, like, so I'm in New York at the moment. I'm going to England's base tomorrow. And now I'm kind of feeling like I'd love to be at the Azteca, Mexico in the Azteca opening game. Like, that sounds great.
You'll get there from Mexico against England, I think, is it, in the round of 32 or 16?
Yeah. Should it happen, of course.
What are the predictions for the favorites and dark horses in the tournament?
But even that, suddenly, as Dion touched on, suddenly all the storylines become alive. Like, Mexico, this is maybe the biggest underperforming country in the World Cup, given the size, given they've not got past the quarterfinals.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What are the key details about the FIFA World Cup 2026?
0:00–0:43
2
How has the number of teams in the World Cup changed over the years?
0:43–1:28
3
What impact does the increase in matches have on player performance?
1:28–2:00
4
How might the weather and travel affect gameplay strategies?
2:00–2:25
5
Which teams are expected to perform well in the tournament?
2:25–3:16
6
What factors could lead to surprising outcomes in the World Cup?
3:16–3:48
7
How do political issues influence the World Cup experience?
3:48–4:06
8
What are the predictions for the favorites and dark horses in the tournament?
4:06–28:39
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