In a World Cup, former England manager Steve McClaren once say, more or less you get a crisis every three days. There don be precious few sides wey escape any kind of turmoil during a chaotic opening few weeks for the 2026 tournament.
While the nations wey don already dey eliminated don suffer from managerial upheaval, internal fighting and plenty logistical nightmares, those wey dey prepare for knockouts don suffer through plenty struggles themselves.
As the World Cup dey gear up for im first ever round of 32, giving the greatest sporting spectacle on the planet a distinct Europa League flavor, there be a brief window of opportunity to take stock of wetin don happen before and the carnage wey go invariably lie ahead.
Wetin Cabo Verde don pull off na miraculous. As manager Bubista beam: We don show that nothing is impossible. Lionel Messi and Argentina no likely to be quite so wasteful.
Don’t you just love am when a plan come together? We tell ourselves that for the first match, we must do everything just to take a single point and then in the third match, to take all three points to qualify, DR Congo‘s Fiston Mayele reflect at the conclusion of a group stage wey play out just as e don plan.
Whether those schemes fit stick for the knockouts na another matter. After a humbling World Cup opener against Mexico, Hugo Broos recount a conversation wey e don have with a friend once qualification for the tournament don confirm. They suppose erect a statue of you, Broos dey excitedly tell. Make am out of wood, e snap back, that way e go burn more easily. South Africa‘s tournament don swing from histrionics to historic qualification. Wetin dey ahead na uncertain, but Broos right: E go all end in ashes.
Allegria fall behind for every group stage game. There no way back against Argentina, Jordan eventually wilt but Austria provide a sting for the tail at the end of a dizzying first round finale. A crisis of confidence for Vladimir Petković’s selected goalkeepers dey paint an ominous picture going forward.
A side wey score 14 goals for 18 World Cup qualifiers never go light the tournament on fire. Paraguay don do a surprisingly thorough job of snuffing out any spark during a battling and bruising progression to the knockouts.
Qualifying for the tournament na feat to savor but getting to the knockouts na remarkable achievement for a nation six years younger than its captain, Edin Džeko. The disruption of Austria’s World Cup buildup appear to don bleed into the competition. After losing star forward Christoph Baumgartner to injury, there be the real risk manager Ralf Rangnick go also depart as AC Milan circle with intent. The German coach pen a new contract to provide some clarity, but there don be scant cohesion for the pitch.
We work for the entertainment business, Ghana‘s Carlos Queiroz claim, not a drop of sarcasm for im voice, and our job na to make people happy. Given the war of attrition wey the Black Stars serve this summer, e dey beg the question of wetin the Portuguese manager consider entertainment? Canada go do well to avoid this becoming a summer of wetin could don be. How far the Canucks fit don go with all their players fit; wetin difference an opening day win over Bosnia & Herzegovina for don get; where dem fit end the competition if home advantage for don secure for the knockout stages?
Egypt never previously record a single World Cup win. Now the record African champion dey prepare for a maiden knockout game. That alone suppose be considered a success, although there still fit be more to come. There don be countless parallels draw between the current generation of Australian upstarts and the legendary vintage of 2006. The side wey Tony Popovic play in get narrowly knock out for the second round to the eventual champion. With all due respect to Egypt, this na glorious chance for Australia to go one better with Popovic now for the dugout.
If only Ecuador‘s frontline dey as engaging as its manager Sebastián Beccacece. We never feel like we dey for hell, nor we feel like we dey for heaven, the loquacious Argentine explain. Our feet dey on ground on earth. And on earth you feel. We fit beat major teams, Murat Yakin declare on the eve of the tournament. Well, Switzerland no fit beat Qatar. Whether a side without a single World Cup knockout win for its history fit beat anyone outside the group stage still remain to be seen.
Graham Potter na forgiving manager. The former Brighton, Chelsea and West Ham boss once give one of im players a book by the Dalai Lama for an effort to help am stop beating himself up about making mistakes. That forgiving mindset go don useful for Sweden during a bizarre group stage riddled with errors and moments of excellence. We dey for trouble, Zlatko Dalić fret back in December. Yet, im Croatia team seem to thrive for times of crisis. A side wey still play to the metronome set by Luka Modrić’s passing no click into gear throughout the group stage, but still somehow emerge with a pair of wins.
Can one thrashing of New Zealand, the lowest ranked nation for the entire tournament, really wash away the sins of two blisteringly listless draws with Egypt and Iran? No, be the answer for anyone unfortunate enough to don suffer through those stalemates. To emerge from a group with France and Norway after giving both sides scares no be mean feat. Especially for a team wey its manager almost refuse to get on the plane to the States amid tensions with the federation.
Celebrate this historic qualification, like we suppose, Côte d'Ivoire boss Emerse Faé declare after setting up the nation’s inaugural World Cup knockout tie. Once we done celebrating, we want to go as far as possible for this competition. With the likes of Yan Diomande, Amad Diallo and the burgeoning talent of Christ Inao Oulaï, who know how far that fit be? For wetin other team a mercurial 41-year-old striker not only continue to start, but play the full 90 minutes, for a team wey also just so happen to include a European champion wey set to become the most expensive transfer for AC Milan’s history?
If I dream of touching the moon, of being up on the moon, maybe I fit get close to the moon, Mauricio Pochettino explain. If I only dream of getting close to am, I go stay on Earth. No side enjoy a better group stage campaign than Mexico. Yet, there be whistles from the home crowd for both those matches, wey dey underscore some underlying concerns for Javier Aguirre’s pragmatic outfit and the unrelenting demands of a Mexican crowd.
When Ståle Solbakken bother to field im full strength team, this Norway side fit mix am with anyone. As the divisive manager admit after benching Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard for the group stage finale with France: We be a good team when we play to our best. One of many weird teams for this tournament. If Germany find a way into the quarterfinals, wey go almost certainly require victory over France, e go be a major shock.
E say plenty about the quality of this Morocco side that e dey disappointed to finish second behind Brazil. Mohamed Ouahbi get even loftier ambitions. We get the best ingredients wey dey needed to become the best nation, the freshly appointed coach declare heading into the knockouts, and we believe we fit do am. E fit not alone for that optimistic stance. Many people underestimate Japan, Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman fret after narrowly escaping with a 1–1 draw from a group-stage encounter with this wonderful collection of cohesive, ego-less teammates, but for the 100,000th time, if you underestimate them, that be your problem. No underestimation here, Ron.
E tough to judge a Brazil side wey dey so conveniently gift-wrapped both of its group stage wins. The one time the opponent no prostrate itself for the five-time champion, Morocco emerge as the better side for a 1–1 draw. Backed by a fervent fanbase wey dey reflect the crackling style of play wey the likes of Luis Díaz, Daniel Muñoz and even the waning figure of James Rodríguez conjure, Colombia fit easily find its way to a quarterfinal before playing a genuine title challenger.
After a thrilling opening win against Croatia, Thomas Tuchel think to imself: People for the pubs go like this. E remain to be seen if Tuchel’s plan to build a roster for the knockout stages pay off. Spain‘s problem na easily diagnose but harder to cure. The penetrative approach from northern Spain don define by Lamine Yamal, yes, but also Athletic Club de Bilbao’s Nico Williams. The fleet-footed winger no fit enough to start a single group game, the last of which e call one of the worst days of my life after getting injured for a reckless lunge from Uruguay‘s Nicolás de la Cruz.
For a manager wey don force to fiercely defend im substitutions after almost every game this summer, Ronald Koeman no exactly don get a bad tournament thus far. Topping a desperately difficult group with Japan and Sweden fit look even more impressive for a few weeks’ time. Somehow Argentina look even better than when e win the competition four years ago, even if the vast majority of the players wey triumph for Qatar be back. We get a solid foundation, Lionel Scaloni rightly point out. We get many players, I’d say 60–70%, wey always be the same. And that help when you get together, all those doubts dissipate: getting to know each other, understanding how we play, wetin we want, help minimize any issues wey fit arise. As long as one of those players dey wear the No.
For all the talk of France’s frightening attack, a backline anchor by William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano be perhaps even more impressive. As Norway’s Erling Haaland shrug: Dem probably go win the whole tournament. E fit get a point.
