8 main intrigues of the World Championship

2026-06-25 22:46 © PA

How will the 48 team format fare?

The 48 team format, which will be tried for the first time at the World Cup, is undoubtedly one of the intrigues of this tournament. In social media, especially as the championship approaches, many people are asking why 48 teams and if it was necessary, as perhaps only because of this format teams like Jordan, Haiti, and Curaçao, which seem weak at first glance, will participate in this championship. This decision was made by the FIFA organization, and now we need to see and make decisions throughout the tournament. Eight out of twelve teams that finish third in their groups will qualify for the knockout stage. It does not sound ideal and intriguing, as the value of group stage matches decreases, but first, we must confirm this and then decide.

2. Who will win the tournament's Golden Boot?

This is a traditional question raised before each championship. Typically, among the favorites to become the tournament's top scorer has been Romelu Lukaku, but this time the injury-plagued Belgian is somewhat sidelined in this discussion, and he does not have a guaranteed spot in the starting lineup for Belgium. Instead of Lukaku, Erling Haaland can be included among the favorites, who will participate in a major championship for the first time with Norway. Also among the main favorites are Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane. We should not forget legends Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, or the younger generation players like Vinicius and Lamine Yamal.

3. Will Argentina meet Portugal in the tournament quarterfinals?

According to the current tournament layout, a meeting between Portugal and Argentina, including Ronaldo against Messi, may await in the championship quarterfinals. These teams just need to take first place in their groups and defeat their opponents in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, and then a showdown awaits.

4. What will be the legends' journey in the last World Cup?

And here again comes Ronaldo and Messi, who will be among a group of legends playing their last World Cup. Alongside these names, we can confidently mention Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Manuel Neuer, Guillermo Ochoa, Edin Džeko, Luka Modrić, perhaps Virgil van Dijk and Memphis Depay.

5. How will external factors, common for tournament hosts, affect the championship?

The main hosts of the 2026 World Cup are still the United States, where the crucial tournament battles will take place. The country has good infrastructure, lots of money, but there are also other unpleasant factors, such as recurring shootings in the streets and unpredictable weather conditions. With the latter, players and organizers had to contend during last year's World Cup rehearsal—the Club World Cup, where several matches were postponed for a few hours or at least several minutes. Shootings are one of the sad parts of the US, but this can still be somewhat controlled. One can only hope for the best.

6. Is there a real threat to Miroslav Klose's goal record?

The legendary German national team striker Miroslav Klose has been the all-time leading goal scorer in World Cup history since 2014, with 16 goals over 4 tournaments. However, it seems that this record has an expiration date, and perhaps the deadline may arrive as soon as this June. Closest among active players to this record is Lionel Messi with 13 goals, and right behind him is Kylian Mbappe with 12 goals in 2 tournaments. The increased number of matches may also contribute to a serious record improvement. Harry Kane, Neymar, and Ronaldo each have 8 goals in their accounts.

7. Which national team will create the most beautiful Cinderella story?

In 2010, Paraguay and Ghana, in 2014, Costa Rica, in 2018, Croatia, in 2022, Morocco—those beautiful Cinderella stories always emerge in World Cups, so it is interesting to see which team will rise from those least expected. Perhaps Curaçao with at least one victory could be a topic of discussion for the next 4 years, or perhaps the eternal "dark horse" Turkey will emerge from the semifinals, or maybe everything will go according to plan, and we will have nothing to remember? Well, it just doesn't happen like that, so we will see how everything unfolds.

8. Who will win the championship?

The main question of the tournament. According to the bookmakers, the favorites to become world champions are France and Spain.