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Tuesday marked 30 days to go until the start of the FIFA World Cup , with the opening game set for Mexico City between co-host Mexico and South Africa on June 11. In addition to laying out the second edition of our Power Rankings , where our global reporters and experts voted for the top 15 contenders set to take part in this summer's competition, we're drilling deeper on the major nations and the three host nations. Not only are we taking a projection of their starting XIs based on form and fitness, but we are predicting their squads, formation and dissecting their strengths and weaknesses. The last two months have seen some big injuries and big names ruled out , which will present opportunities for new stars to step up. - Meet World Cup debutants: Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, Uzbekistan - World Cup kit ranking: Which teams will look best in 2026? - Aggravations prompt fans to ask: Is the World Cup worth the expense?
How are they looking with less than 30 days to go? Let this be a 10,000-foot view of how they're shaping up. JUMP TO: Argentina | Australia | Belgium | Brazil | Canada | England | France | Germany | Japan | Mexico | Morocco | Netherlands | Portugal | Senegal | Spain | South Korea | U.S. Projected bench: (Goalkeepers) Juan Musso, Geronimo Rulli; (Defenders) Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Otamendi, Facundo Medina, Gonzalo Montiel; (Midfielders) Valentin Barco, Leandro Paredes, Exequiel Palacios, Nico Gonzalez, Thiago Almada, Nico Paz; (Forwards) Lautaro Martinez, Jose Lopez
Squad snapshot: Argentina enter the 2026 World Cup as defending champions, a status that presents both a challenge and a massive responsibility. However, Lionel Scaloni's side possesses two primary virtues: mental fortitude and an innate ability to compete. They have a clear identity, and are a consolidated team rather than just a collection of individual talents -- this is something of a rarity in international football. The squad will once again feature Messi, whose presence provides an extra incentive to retain the trophy -- something no team have achieved in over 60 years. By appearing in his sixth World Cup, the legendary No. 10 will break the record. Argentina's weaknesses involve a lack of depth in certain positions and the recurring physical issues of their defenders. The team also lack strong alternatives at full back, while in attack they rely heavily on two world-class strikers: Álvarez and Martínez.
For this tournament, Scaloni will have to make crucial decisions to ensure the necessary generational transition. Following Ángel Di María's departure, but with Messi still as the focal point, there will be room for several stars to shine alongside emerging talents such as Barco and Paz. -- Damian Didonato, ESPN Argentina Projected bench: (Goalkeepers) Paul Izzo, Patrick Beach; (Defenders) Kye Rowles, Kai Trewin, Jason Geria, Aziz Behich, Miloš Degenek; (Midfielders) Paul Okon-Engstler, Patrick Yazbek, Ajdin Hrustić; (Forwards) Nestory Irankunda, Mathew Leckie, Nishan Velupillay, Deni Juric, Craig Goodwin Squad snapshot: Australia have long been established as one of the most defensively formidable sides in Asia, and this has been even more pronounced since the arrival of Tony Popovic as coach midway through qualifying. With the return to fitness of towering center back Souttar -- one of the stars of the 2022 World Cup despite only just returning from an ACL injury -- the Socceroos can be a nightmare for any side when they dig in and look to play on the counter.
Sources: ESPN
