Now we dey inside am: di 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup hold im first full match day on Saturday. Di opener of di four-game slate see 2022 host Qatar face an ambitious Switzerland team for Northern California. Di drama then shift to New Jersey for wetin be arguably di best group stage game for dis tournament when Brazil face Morocco for a matchup between two top-10 teams for di FIFA World Rankings. Scotland then kick off im campaign against Haiti before di action conclude for Vancouver, where Australia and Türkiye meet for wetin promise to be an intense and hard-fought game.
Switzerland arrive for dis World Cup wit di realistic goal of making a long run into di knockout stages. Switzerland perform brilliantly for World Cup qualifying, winning UEFA’s Group B without losing a game. For a group wey get Kosovo, Slovenia and Sweden, di Swiss score 14 goals and concede just two while winning four games and drawing twice. Dat run don see Switzerland climb to 19th for di FIFA World Rankings. Head coach Murat Yakin be di architect of di team’s success, and e get Switzerland playing consistently well for major tournaments. E take over for 2021 and lead di team to qualification for di 2022 World Cup after finishing above Italy to win im group. For di World Cup, di Swiss advance to di Round of 16 before losing to Portugal. For Euro 2024, Yakin’s team beat Italy for di Round of 16 before losing to England for a shootout for di quarterfinals.
Unlike Switzerland, Qatar enter dis tournament without much positivity. For 2022, Qatar get di worst campaign of any host nation for di history of di World Cup, having lost all three of im games and scoring just one goal. Qatar last win for October 14 for a 2-1 victory over di United Arab Emirates for im final World Cup qualifier. Di team follow dat wit a terrible run for di 2025 FIFA Arab Cup, wey e host and lose all three of im games to Palestine, Syria, and Tunisia. Qatar dey coached by Julen Lopetegui, wey bin dey for Spain’s roster for di 1994 World Cup for di United States. Di Spaniard dem hire for May 2025 and help di team seal qualification to di World Cup, but e get im work cut out for am dis summer.
Brazil vs Morocco na one of di concerns over di expansion of di World Cup to 48 teams: dat di group stage go become diluted and lack matchups between star teams. Dat prove not to be di case for Group C. Both Brazil and Morocco get di realistic goal of making a long run for dis World Cup, and di FIFA World Rankings reflect dat, wit Brazil sitting sixth and Morocco at seventh. As a five-time World Cup champion, Brazil neva be as dominant for recent major tournaments. E exit di 2022 World Cup for di quarterfinals after a shootout loss to Croatia. Den, for di 2024 Copa América, Brazil finish second for im group and lose im first knockout game to Uruguay. Brazil also finish fifth for World Cup qualifying for South America. Brazil attempt to reignite di team by hiring legendary Italian head coach Carlo Ancelotti, wey don lead many of di biggest clubs for di world, including Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain. E neva coach any national team before, though.
Four years ago, Morocco send shock waves for di World Cup where di “Atlas Lions” make a run to di quarterfinals wey include wins over Belgium, Canada, Spain and Portugal. Since den, Morocco neva let up. Di team qualify for di World Cup wit a dominant run through qualifiers wey see am win all eight of im games while scoring 22 goals and conceding just two. Following qualifying, Morocco win di 2025 African Cup of Nations for di second time for im history. Dat tournament get a controversial ending where Morocco dem award di title when e be ruled Senegal forfeit di final after initially walking off di field after a disputed VAR decision. Regardless, Morocco be a feared opponent. Much of di team’s success don dey due to di growth of recruiting players of Moroccan descent wey dem born and raise for Europe. Out of di 26 players for Morocco’s World Cup squad, 19 players dem born outside di country. Among dose foreign-born players be top players like Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz and PSG defender Achraf Hakimi, both of whom dem born for Spain. Lille’s teenage midfield sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi dem born for France.
Saturday, Scotland go play im first World Cup game since 1998 when e face Haiti, wey go be making im second overall appearance for di tournament and first since 1974. Scotland go be making im ninth appearance for di World Cup, and di team neva advance out of di group stages before. Ranked 42 for di latest FIFA World Rankings, dis game against Haiti be critical to di team’s chances of advancement. Wit Brazil and Morocco as di oda teams for Group C, Scotland go be a heavy underdog for di next two games. But a win for Saturday fit be enough for Scotland to finally play im first ever World Cup knockout round as eight of di 12 third-place teams advance. Led by head coach Steve Clarke since 2019, Scotland be one of di European surprises for World Cup qualifying after winning UEFA’s Group C over Denmark, Greece and Belarus. For di final game for Glasgow’s Hampden Park, Scotland need a result over Denmark and come away wit a 4-2 win to end im 28-year World Cup absence.
Haiti enter di tournament as di second-lowest team for di FIFA World Rankings at 83, where e dey ahead of only New Zealand at 85. Like Scotland, any realistic hope of advancing depend on winning dis game for Saturday. Coached by Sébastien Migné of France, Haiti bin able to qualify for dis World Cup through a CONCACAF tournament wey dey miss im three strongest teams for Mexico, di United States and Canada, wey qualify automatically as co-hosts. Haiti’s story bin inspiring, as di team dem force to play all of im home games for Curaçao due to unrest for di team’s home country. Ultimately, di Haitians dem able to secure qualification by winning Group C over traditional regional powers Costa Rica and Honduras. For di final matchday, Haiti defeat Nicaragua, 2-0, to finish atop di group.
For 2002, Türkiye seem as if e be a team on di rise after e finish third for di World Cup for Korea/Japan. Surprisingly, after im 3-2 win over South Korea for dat third-place game, Türkiye no go return to di tournament for 24 years. For Saturday night for Vancouver, Türkiye finally return to di tournament when e take on Australia. Türkiye qualify for di 2026 World Cup after finishing second for UEFA’s Group E behind Spain but ahead of Bulgaria and Georgia. Dis send Türkiye to di playoffs, where e get past Romania for di semifinals and Kosovo for di final. Coached by Italian Vincenzo Montella since 2023, Türkiye enter dis tournament ranked 22 for di FIFA World Rankings and playing terrific soccer, having seven wins and a draw for im last eight games, including di World Cup qualifying playoffs and im two recent friendly wins over North Macedonia and Venezuela.
Australia enter dis game ranked 27 for di FIFA World Rankings and go dey play for im sixth straight World Cup dating back to 2006. Di 2022 tournament for Qatar be a positive experience for di team, as e lose to France but defeat Tunisia and Denmark to finish second for im group. For di round of 16, e put up a respectable effort for a 2-1 loss to eventual champions Argentina. Di Socceroos neva get a smooth ride for qualification. A home loss to Bahrain and a draw wit Indonesia result in head coach Graham Arnold dem sack. Tony Popovic dem den hire, and di team respond very well wit an unbeaten run di rest of di way. Highlights include a 1-0 win over Japan. Australia clinch im ticket for June wit a 2-1 comeback away win over Saudi Arabia.
