Final Rankings at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Quiz

The Spain men's national football team, "La Furia Roja" (The Red Fury), have been an indomitable force in European and world football in the 21st century. They had a historic run in 2010, winning their first World Cup title, bookended by UEFA European Championship wins in 2008 and 2012. Coming into 2026, they were again the title holders of the UEFA European Championship, winning the 2024 tournament. They are famed for their tiki-taka playstyle, characterised by holding possession, one touch short passes, patience, and playing incisive balls through the opponent's defensive line when gaps appear.

Spain's European qualifying group included Türkiye, Georgia, and Bulgaria. Aside from a 2-2 draw against Türkiye, they held all their opponents to nil, winning all their other games to qualify automatically for the World Cup. Spain opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 0-0 draw with World Cup debutants Cabo Verde. The Cabo Verde goalkeeper Vozinha put in a man of the match performance with seven saves, managing to hold out the advances of Spain for the full 90 minutes. After that somewhat disappointing start, Spain opened the scoring early and put four past Saudi Arabia to win with a comfortable 4-0 scoreline. They closed out top of the group with a tight 1-0 win against a desperate Uruguay, who faced elimination after the loss.

In the round of 32, Spain had it all their way against Austria. Two goals for Mikel Oyarzabal either side of a headed Pedro Porro goal gave Spain a comfortable 3-0 win in a result that never looked in doubt. They faced their Iberian rivals Portugal in the round of 16. What promised to be a scintillating match-up fizzled into an uninspiring stalemate for most of the game. Spain were brutally effective in shutting down most of Portugal's play, and capitalised in the 91st minute with a goal to Mikel Merino to snatch the win 1-0.

In the quarterfinals, Spain took on Belgium, who were trying to keep alive the burning embers of their golden generation. Spain took the lead in the 30th minute after Dani Olmo's shot was saved by Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, but only as far as Fabián Ruiz who bundled it home. Belgium equalised in the 41st minute through a headed goal to Charles De Ketelaere. Both teams had their moments, but couldn't seem to find the target. Courtois was forced off due to injury in the 71st minute, which proved to be pivotal. Replacement Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens spilled Pau Cubarsí's speculative long-range effort in what should have been a routine save, and Mikel Merino pounced on the follow-through to put Spain 2-1 ahead in the 88th minute. Belgium were not able to find a late equaliser, as another promising tournament run came to an early end for them.

And so Spain progressed into the semifinals, with the red hot France as their next opponent. Spain had been flying under the radar a little, with solid wins, but none of the irresistible attacking flair that France had displayed. But some pundits opined that Spain had the best chance of stopping France. As it turned out, Spain was indeed the kryptonite to neutralise France's attack. Spain held the ball with ease, passing the ball around, then pressed effectively when France took possession. Mikel Oyarzabal tucked home a tidy penalty for Spain in the 22nd minute after France defender Lucas Digne clumsily kicked Lamine Yamal on the edge of the box. The situation became even more dire for France as Pedro Porro fired home to give Spain a 2-0 lead in the 58th minute. Spain were unlucky to be denied another goal just two minutes later, as Yamal scored a lovely goal, only to be denied by a slim offside call. The French defence had been exposed, and their attack remained impotent as they failed to make any meaningful chances, with the match ending 2-0, sending France to the third place playoff match, and Spain to the World Cup final.

Spain faced off against Argentina in the World Cup final. Lamine Yamal had a golden opportunity in the 5th minute as he got behind the Argentina defensive line, but fired imprecisely into a defender, with Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez making a fine save off the deflection. One minute later, Messi was put through on goal, and Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón came a long way out to clear the ball just in time. In the 15th minute, Argentina's Alexis Mac Allister was lucky not to be sent off for a rash studs-up challenge on Dani Olmo - I'm sure the referee had received prior instruction not to "interfere" with the match so early if it could be avoided. Things opened up for Oyarzabal on the edge of the box in the 39th minute, but he fired lamely straight into Martínez's welcoming arms. Spain's Marc Cucurella flashed a shot just wide in the 43rd minute. In the next minute, Lisandro Martínez was substituted off with injury, having picked up the first yellow card of the game three minutes earlier. In all, the first half presented few clear-cut opportunities, but it was certainly engaging to watch.

In the second half of the final, a tussle threatened to break out in the 52nd minute after a soft foul on Spain, but it fizzled out after the referee quickly intervened with a yellow card to Leandro Paredes for pushing a Spanish player. As the second half wore on, Spain had the better of the play, creating a few opportunities, but resolute Argentina defence kept them out. In the 83rd minute, Argentina's Enzo Fernández earned a yellow card for his theatrical dissent against the referee after an otherwise inconsequential foul. This proved pivotal as he was sent off 10 minutes later with a second yellow card for a late challenge on Cubarsí, who, it must be said, certainly made the most of the light contact with a diving flip that would put Olympic gymnasts to shame. Argentina continued to hold out in the last few minutes of added time, sending the game to extra time.

The first period of extra time presented numerous opportunities for Spain, but Argentina continued to hold out. It looked like they might just push the final all the way to penalties without a single attempt on goal. But in the first minute of the second period of extra time, Ferran Torres buried the ball into the net after Nico Williams headed the ball back to him, sending Spain into raptures. The ten remaining men of Argentina threw everything they had left at Spain, and finally got a couple of off-target shots away, but all for naught. As the final whistle blew, Spain had won a match that, in all fairness, they had dominated for over 120 minutes.

Throughout the tournament, Spain perhaps never looked as dominant as some of the other teams. Yet they quietly marched on as the tournament progressed, and they controlled every match they played, conceding only a single goal in the entire tournament, and winning with relative comfort until there was no one left to challenge them at the summit of the world game. Pau Cubarsí won the FIFA Young Player Award, Unai Simón won the Golden Glove with seven clean sheets in eight matches, and Captain Rodri took home the Golden Ball as the best player in the tournament. They are thoroughly deserving champions.

Argentina, "la Albiceleste" (the White and Sky Blue), came into 2026 as the reigning world champions after their triumph over France in the 2022 World Cup final (adding to their victories in 1978 and 1986). They were not necessarily favourites to go the distance again, but were certainly considered real contenders. Argentina stood out during qualifying in the notoriously difficult South American confederation CONMEBOL. They recorded twelve wins, two draws, and four losses to top the standings with a nine point gap from second place, securing automatic qualification with plenty of room to spare. Lionel Messi was top goalscorer across all teams, with eight goals.

At the 2026 World Cup, Argentina took on Algeria in their first group match. Messi was denied a 5th minute opener by the offside flag, with Algeria's Farès Chaïbi similarly denied in the 8th minute. Messi wasn't to be denied again in the 17th minute when he took the ball three-quarters up the pitch, dribbled to the 18 yard box and cracked it into the top right corner. Not satisfied with that, he tapped home from close range in the 60th minute after the Algeria keeper loosely parried a shot from Alexis Mac Allister. He rounded out his hat-trick in the 76th minute with a quintessential Messi goal - side footed from the left boot into the bottom left corner from outside the 18 yard box. Messi continued his glorious form with another two goals against Austria in their second game to secure a 2-0 win. Having already secured first place in the group, they then dispatched Jordan 3-1, with Giovani Lo Celso, Lautaro Martínez and Messi scoring the goals.

In the round of 32, Argentina faced World Cup debutants Cape Verde, who had qualified for the knockout phase undefeated with three draws in their group. It was anything but smooth sailing for Argentina, the clear favourites. Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute, but Cape Verde equalised through Deroy Duarte in the 59th minute. Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha made several saves to force the game into extra time. Argentina struck first in the 92nd minute through Lisandro Martínez, but Lopes Carbal brought it back to 2-2 for Cabo Verde in the 103rd minute with one of the goals of the tournament. It took an own goal off Cabo Verde's Diney in the 111th minute to save Argentina from a penalty shootout.

After that narrow escape, Egypt was next up in the Round of 16. Egypt went ahead in the 15th minute from a Yasser Ibrahim header. Messi had a chance to equalise in the 21st minute with a penalty kick, but it was saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. In the 60th minute, Egypt controversially had a sensational length-of-the-field counterattacking goal ruled out due to a foul in the lead-up play. It didn't seem to matter much after Mostafa Ziko scored seven minutes later to make it 2-0. Argentina was on the ropes again, but a wild late attacking flurry by Argentina saw them score three goals in thirteen minutes to snatch an unlikely 3-2 victory without even needing extra time.

The quarterfinal match against Switzerland was a little less dramatic, but only marginally. Mac Allister scored for Argentina in the 10th minute, with Dan Ndoye equalising for Switzerland in the 67th minute. Shortly after, Breel Embolo was sent off for a second yellow card after his simulation was picked up by VAR. Argentina struggled to take advantage of the extra man, with the game going all the way to the 112th minute in extra time before Julián Alvarez put Argentina ahead again and Lautaro Martínez scored to seal a 3-1 win. It was the first game in which Messi failed to score at this World Cup, after an incredible streak of nine straight World Cup games scoring at least one goal.

In the semifinals, Argentina came up against England. There is a long history between the two teams, perhaps best epitomised by Diego Maradona's "hand of God" goal that knocked England out of the 1986 World Cup. A cagey first half saw no goals, but England had fair reason to feel aggrieved by a lack of disciplinary action against some more-than-robust challenges from Argentina. In the 55th minute, Anthony Gordon put a tidy finish on a pinpoint cross from Morgan Rogers to give England a 1-0 lead. From there, England sat back and defended for their lives. Chance after chance narrowly missed for Argentina, and it seemed inevitable that a goal would come. Mac Allister hit the left post with a headed attempt on goal. In the 85th minute the pressure finally told, with Messi laying off a pass to Enzo Fernández on the edge of the 18 yard box, who buried it into the left corner to equalise for Argentina. They kept coming, with Mac Allister striking the right post with another thundering strike, before Lautaro Martínez headed home a precision cross from none other than Messi to go 2-1 up. Argentina held on for another famous late comeback and advanced to the World Cup final for the second consecutive time.

The last obstacle would be 2010 World Cup champions Spain. Argentina did not do enough to get over the line and lost 0-1 aet. In fact, they failed to fire off a single shot until the 117th minute. After the final whistle, Leandro Paredes earned a straight red card for violently kicking and punching multiple celebrating Spain players, amongst other post-match tussles. This further disgraced an Argentina side that had lost the respect of many with its on-field antics. Messi ended the tournament with eight goals and four assists, missing out on the Golden Boot by two goals.

The England men's national team, "the Three Lions", was the first European team to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup, as winners of a group containing Albania, Serbia, Latvia and Andorra. They put on an imposing display, winning all eight group matches, scoring 22 goals and conceding zero. They came into the tournament with high hopes of "bringing football home", 60 years since their only World Cup win, in 1966.

England was drawn into group L at the 2026 World Cup, alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama. In their first game against Croatia, they took the lead three times before eventually winning 4-2, exacting some revenge for their semifinal defeat to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup. Next came an underwhelming 0-0 draw with Ghana, before they dispatched Panama 2-0 in the final game to top the group.

Facing the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the round of 32, they went behind in the 7th minute to a lovely finish from Brian Cipenga, and were fortunate not to concede a second on the stroke of half-time when Yoane Wissa hit the post. A more spirited English team started to mount the pressure in the second half until Harry Kane knocked in two late goals to snatch victory for England. There was a real sense that England had got away with an unconvincing performance against a weaker opponent, but onwards they marched.

Next up in the round of 16 was Mexico, who were playing in front of a home crowd in the high altitude Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Any fears that the high altitude might suppress the intensity of the match were allayed as both teams turned the physicality up to eleven. Late in the first half, England's Jude Bellingham opened the scoring with two goals within 98 seconds, before Julián Quiñones pulled one back for Mexico four minutes later. Disaster struck for England in the 54th minute when Jarell Quansah was sent off for a rash sliding challenge on Jesús Gallardo. Yet England were still able to pull ahead to a 3-1 lead with Harry Kane slotting in a penalty in the 60th minute, before Mexico pulled it back to 3-2 with another penalty in the 69th minute. England began to sit deep, parrying the increasingly desperate Mexican advances, until the final whistle came to their rescue at the end of a pulsating encounter.

England's quarterfinal opponent was Norway. Andreas Schjelderup scored for Norway in the 36th minute with an unconventional angled strike over England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. England pulled it back to 1-1 just before half-time, with Bellingham providing the finishing strike. Norway had a goal ruled out in the second half after VAR picked up a foul off the ball by Erling Haaland. This proved to be pivotal, with Bellingham scoring a second goal early in extra time to give England a 2-1 lead. Norway never looked likely to score again, with Haaland having a very quiet game, and the game finished 2-1. Bellingham's brace brought his total to six goals for the tournament, tied with teammate Harry Kane, and just two goals off the pace for the Golden Ball. It was a match that felt like it could have gone either way, and England were rather relieved to get through.

In the semifinals, England came up against Argentina. England collapsed, losing 1-2 in the dying minutes after holding the lead for most of the second half. Though they played well to get ahead, England held just 12% of possession in over 30 minutes of football after their opening goal, and their pessimistic defensive strategy was widely panned by devastated fans and English pundits.

After facing immense disappointment for yet another World Cup, England had to dust themselves off with just a three day turnaround to the third-place playoff against France. It's a usually a match that neither losing-semi-finalist really wants to play, but this one proved to be quite the spectacle. England went up with a goal to Declan Rice in the third minute; he'd intercepted a stray pass and delightfully placed the ball into the bottom right corner from distance. Ezri Konsa then nodded in a second, before Bukayo Saka scored two more to make it 4-0 to England at half time. France had some decent opportunities but were unable to make an impact on the scoreboard until the second half, when Kylian Mbappé scored two goals on either side of a Bradley Barcola goal to make it 4-3. Game on. France's Michael Olise missed a golden opportunity to bring the teams level, before Saka completed his hat-trick for England to make it 5-3. France's Ousmane Dembélé brought it back to 5-4 in the 96th minute, but it was too late to come back now. Jude Bellingham tucked away one last goal with the last kick of the game, which ended 6-4 for England. Bellingham fell short of the Golden Boot with seven goals for the tournament in the end, while Kane sat out the final match entirely to end on six goals for the tournament.

The France men's national football team, "Les Bleus" (The Blues), were a two-time World Cup winner (1998 and 2018), and two-time UEFA European Championship winner (1984 and 2000). They came agonisingly close to defending their 2018 title when they drew the 2022 World Cup final 3-3 against Argentina before losing on penalties.

France had a smooth path in UEFA qualification in a group with Ukraine, Iceland, and Azerbaijan. They only dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Iceland, winning all their other matches to top the group and secure automatic qualification. At the 2026 World Cup, France opened their campaign with a 3-1 win against Senegal, with star French striker Kylian Mbappé scoring a brace either side of a goal to Bradley Barcola. They backed it up with a 3-0 win over Iraq, with a second brace for Mbappé, and Ousmane Dembélé also getting on the scoresheet. As we saw already, France dispatched Norway 4-1 in the final game to top the group. Dembélé scored a hat-trick, and Désiré Doué also scored. In all, France scored ten goals in the group stage, and put the competition on notice. They looked like the pick of the teams, with Mbappé, Dembélé, Olise, and Doué all looking extremely dangerous up front.

In the round of 32, France faced Sweden. A 20th minute breakaway goal to Mbappé was ruled out by the offside flag, before he hit the post in the 32nd minute. Olise then missed out on what surely would've been goal of the tournament when his spectacular bicycle kick hit the post. Chance after chance went begging for France until Mbappé made a run into the box and curled it home in the 45th minute. The attack seemed unstoppable. Further goals to Barcola and Mbappé secured a convincing 3-0 win.

In the round of 16, France took on a plucky defensive Paraguay side. In extreme heat of 38°C (100°F), the game was very cagey, with neither side finding much flow. Paraguay left something in every challenge, committing numerous fouls and perhaps getting away with many more, somehow avoiding receiving a single yellow card. Mbappé scored the only goal with a 70th minute penalty, and France held on for a gritty win. After being roughed up and manhandled all game, and likely verbally abused too, Mbappé smugly celebrated the win, ignoring the handshake offer of Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill. Gill petulantly responded to the slight by lobbing the ball gently into Mbappé's back, who didn't even flinch as he continued to celebrate. Ordinarily I wouldn't find a sore winner to be very sympathetic, but in this case, having faced such disrespect from his opponents, I don't begrudge him one bit.

Next up, in the quarterfinals, was Morocco, who France had beaten 2-0 in the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup. It was billed as the pick of the quarterfinal match-ups, but it fizzled into a one-sided affair. After an early penalty miss from Mbappé, he and Dembélé padded out their goal tallies a 60th and 66th minute goal respectively, with the match ending 2-0 yet again. Morocco didn't manage a shot on target until the 84th minute. Next came Spain in the semifinals. At this point in the tournament, France were red hot favourites with their irresistible attacking play. Spain effectively strangled France out of the match, winning 2-0 and eliminating France from contention. There was to be no third consecutive World Cup final for France.

France still had the third place playoff against England in four days' time; France lost 4-6 in a ten goal thriller. Mbappé managed to score two goals in the match, which secured him the Golden Boot for the tournament with ten goals and four assists in just eight matches. He also became the first man to score 22 goals in World Cup games.

Prior to the 2026 World Cup, the Norway men's national football team, the "Herrelandslaget", had a rather modest history. They had only appeared in three previous World Cups in 1938, 1994, and 1998, and qualified for just a single UEFA European Championship in 2000. Yet, since 2020, the team had been on the rise, led by the imposing 1.95m (6 ft 5 in) striker Erling Braut Haaland.

Norway was drawn against Italy, Israel, Estonia, and Moldova in their European World Cup qualifying group. They won all eight matches against the four teams, scoring a resounding 37 goals, for an average of over four goals per game. This secured their first World Cup berth in 28 years, and only their fourth ever appearance (1938, 1994, 1998 and 2026).

In their first match at the 2026 World Cup, Norway dispatched Iraq with a relatively smooth 4-1 win, with Haaland scoring a brace. In their second match, they faced a plucky Senegal, with Haaland scoring a second brace, and Norway surviving a late goal and relentless Senegal attack to win 3-2, securing their passage to the knockout stages. Norway rested their stars, including Haaland, for their final match against France, going down 4-1 and finishing their group in second place.

In the round of 32, Norway faced off against Côte d'Ivoire. In a flowing and compelling game, Antonio Nusa opened the scoring for Norway in the 39th minute with an absolute peach curled into the top right corner. Amad Diallo equalised for Côte d'Ivoire with a sensational solo run into the box, beating multiple defenders before belting the ball in. It took the goal-scoring instincts of Haaland to snatch the victory for Norway in the 86th minute, with an uncharacteristically mis-controlled touch on the edge of the six yard box trickling just past the out of position Côte d'Ivoire goalkeeper.

The round of 16 saw Norway up against the five-time World Cup champions Brazil. Norway got off to a hot start with a goal in the third minute, but it was scrubbed out by the offside flag. Brazil then got a penalty, but it was saved by Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland. From there, Brazil perhaps had the better chances, but neither team could break the deadlock until ... who else but Haaland? A headed goal in the 79th minute, followed by a powerful drive into the bottom right corner from the edge of the 18 yard box in the 90th minute, gave Haaland a brace. A late penalty goal to Neymar Jr was not enough to save Brazil in the dying minutes. A famous victory for Norway, which remains the only team in the world that Brazil had played but never defeated.

Next up, England in the quarterfinals. England won 2-1 aet and Norway's best ever run at the World Cup had come to an end. Norway and their fans brought a lot of spectacle and joy to the World Cup. The Viking rune inspired font for the numbers and names on their jerseys were a unique touch. The enthusiasm and good spirits the team and fans showed was infectious. And we will long remember the iconic rowing chant and celebration, orchestrated by drumming fans during the match, and by the Norway players on the pitch following each victory.

Nicknamed "Seleção das Quinas" (Team of the Quincunxes), the Portugal men's national football team had a solid history in international football. Highlights included third place at the 1966 World Cup, third place at the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017, and champions of the 2016 UEFA European Championship. Yet a maiden World Cup win had long eluded them, and so too for the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo.

Portugal secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup by topping a group containing the relatively weaker opposition of Republic of Ireland, Hungary and Armenia. It was not the most convincing of performances by Portugal, losing to Ireland and drawing against Hungary, but they did enough to get the job done.

Portugal faced Democratic Republic of the Congo in their first match at the 2026 World Cup. A 6th minute goal to Portugal's João Neves was cancelled out by a late first half Yoane Wissa goal for Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the game ending 1-1. Portugal picked up the pace in their next match against World Cup debutants Uzbekistan, slotting in five unanswered goals, including a brace for Ronaldo. In a dour final group match, Portugal drew 0-0 with Colombia. Though they failed to make a big impression again, it was enough to see them through in second place.

Their round of 32 match against Croatia proved to be anything but boring. Croatia took the lead in the 53rd minute with a low drive from Ivan Perisic. Portugal equalised from a VAR-reviewed penalty in the 68th minute, with Ronaldo slotting it home. Tied 1-1 at the 90th minute, there was to be a minimum of ten minutes of added time. Gonçalo Ramos gave Portugal a late lead in the 94th minute with a headed goal. Croatia thought they had snatched a miraculous equaliser in the 13th minute of added time when the ball was bundled home by Josko Gvardiol, but were denied by the slimmest of margins as VAR picked up a slight knick on the ball from Igor Matanovic before the ball dropped for Mario Pasalic in an offside position. Portugal survived this gripping end to the match and moved onwards. Portugal then faced Spain in the round of 16. Spain strangled Portugal out of the match, defeating them 1-0. This ended a Portugal campaign that never really got going.

There was to be no fairytale ending for Ronaldo, appearing in a record sixth World Cup, at the age of 41. He managed three goals in his five games, and became the first player to score in six different World Cups. Yet he faced mounting criticism as the tournament went on, taking the spotlight away from the talented Portugal midfield and demanding more ball than he was able to make effective use of. He was not able to have the impact that other talismans like Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappé had for their countries. He also appeared to ignore instruction from his manager, and often sat alone during hydration breaks, away from his teammates.

Nicknamed the "Samurai Blue", the Japan men's national football team had been a juggernaut of Asian football in the late 20th and early 21st century. They have won the Asian Cup in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011, as well as placing runners-up in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. Their domestic J League is considered one of the strongest club football leagues in Asia.

Qualification for the 2026 World Cup turned out to be a simple matter for Japan. They qualified through the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), where they received a bye for the first round of qualification. They topped Group B in the second round of qualification, defeating North Korea, Syria and Myanmar twice each, scoring 24 goals and conceding zero. In the third round, they were placed in Group C, where they faced off against Australia and Saudi Arabia for the third straight qualifying campaign, along with Indonesia, China and Bahrain. They secured qualification with three games to spare, easily topping the group. This marked their eighth straight successful World Cup qualification campaign since their first qualification in 1998. They were in fact the first country in the world to qualify, aside from the automatically qualified host nations of Mexico, Canada and the USA.

Japan had a solid group stage at the 2026 World Cup. They opened with a pulsating 2-2 draw against one of the tournament favourites in the Netherlands. They backed this up with a convincing 4-0 victory over Tunisia, before doing just enough to secure second place with a 1-1 draw against Sweden.

Despite their history and reputation, Japan has so often failed to fire at the World Cup. Prior to 2026, they had advanced to the knockout stages on four occasions, but had never managed to win a knockout match. This omen loomed large as they took on World Cup heavyweights Brazil in the round of 32. Japan took the lead in the 29th minute with a great solo goal by Kaishu Sano. Brazil equalised early in the second half before breaking Japanese hearts with a last minute winner in stoppage time, consigning them to a fifth straight knockout defeat.

In 2005, the Japanese Football Association developed a 45 year master plan to win the World Cup by 2050. The pillars of this strategy included investment in grassroots expansion and infrastructure, developing a standardised "Japan's Way" of playing instilled from junior through to youth and senior development, and pushing top talents into European leagues at early ages. We saw the fruits of this strategy emerging in Japan's run in qualification for and at the 2026 World Cup, even though it came to an earlier end than would have been hoped by Japan's fans.

Curaçao first needs a little introduction with respect to its place in the world. The name Curaçao is perhaps more familiar to some as a bitter orange-based liqueur, named after the island where it is distilled. The island country of Curaçao lies in the Caribbean just off the coast of Venezuela, in the ABC island group, which also includes Aruba and Bonaire. Curaçao consists of a main island with an area of 444 square km (117 square miles), and the 1.7 square km (0.66 square mile) uninhabited Klein Curaçao island. From 1954 to 2010, the ABC islands joined the Lesser Antilles islands of Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten to form the Netherlands Antilles, which was a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Upon the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010, Curaçao became its own constituent country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Curaçao is not entirely sovereign, relying on the Netherlands for defence, foreign policy and financial oversight. It has a population of just over 150,000, yet it is significant enough to warrant FIFA member status, inheriting the football history of the Netherlands Antilles. Aside from third place finishes in North America's biennial CONCACAF Championship in 1963 and 1969, the Netherlands Antilles and Curaçao have had little success in major tournaments. Given their small population, this is hardly surprising.

But the 2026 World Cup qualification presented a golden opportunity for the small nation. With the expansion from 32 to 48 teams, CONCACAF gained an extra three qualifying slots (from 3 to 6), and an extra intercontinental playoff spot. With the heavyweights of Canada, USA, and Mexico qualifying automatically as host nations, this left three qualification slots and two playoff spots for the smaller teams in CONCACAF.

Curaçao received a bye in the first round of qualifying, before easily topping their group in the second round against Haiti, Saint Lucia, Aruba and Barbados. In the third round, they again went undefeated, with three wins and three draws against Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Bermuda. They secured a miraculous first World Cup berth in a tense 0-0 draw with Jamaica in the final game. They became the smallest ever nation to qualify for the World Cup by population and by geographical area.

With the expanded 48 team World Cup, many speculated that smaller nations such as Curaçao would struggle and face blow-out score lines, particularly against the European and South American powerhouses. These fears were justified to some degree, as Curaçao was hammered 7-1 by Germany in their opening 2026 World Cup match. Yet the scoreline doesn't tell the full story, with Livano Comenencia scoring a 21st minute equaliser for Curaçao to cancel out a 6th minute goal for Germany, and scores remaining tied until the 38th minute before the floodgates opened. In all, Curaçao was within 1 goal of Germany for over half the match.

Curaçao then managed to hold a strong Ecuador team to a 0-0 draw in their second game, earning their first World Cup point and keeping alive their hopes of advancing to the knockout phase. Alas, it wasn't to be, as they went down to Côte d'Ivoire 2-0 in a tight final game, knocking them out of the World Cup.

Nicknamed "gli Azzurri" (the Blues), the Italy men's national football team, won World Cup titles in 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006, and UEFA European Championships in 1968 and 2020.

Following their 2006 World Cup title, Italy failed to fire in the 2010 edition. They were knocked out in the group stage without winning a match, becoming only the third nation to miss the knockout stage as defending champions (Brazil in 1966 and France in 2002). They faced a similar fate in 2014, eliminated in the group stage with one win and two losses.

Yet even worse times were ahead for gli Azzurri, as they failed to secure qualification for the 2018 edition after finishing second behind Spain in their UEFA qualification group. Advancing to the playoffs instead, they lost to Sweden and were eliminated. They again missed out on qualification in a similar fashion for 2022, finishing second behind Switzerland, before losing their playoff against North Macedonia.

2026 gave renewed reason for optimism, with an increase in the number of qualification slots for UEFA teams (from 13 to 16) creating an easier path to the World Cup (expanded from 32 teams to 48 teams). Italy was drawn against Norway, Israel, Estonia, and Moldova. None of these teams had qualified for a World Cup in the 21st century. While the latter three proved to offer little resistance to Italy, Norway won both of their home and away ties against Italy, relegating Italy to a third successive playoff series. Despite opening with a 2-0 defeat of Northern Ireland in the playoff semifinal, they lost to Bosnia & Herzegovina on penalties in the playoff final, knocking them out of contention.

Thus, since becoming champions in 2006, Italy had bombed out in the group stage in 2010 and 2014, and failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2018, 2022, and 2026. Heads rolled -- the president of the Italian Football Federation, head of delegation, and head coach all resigned following their 2026 failure.

The Russia men's national football team, "Nashi parni" (Our Boys), inherited the historical record of the Soviet Union, which secured a fourth-place finish at the 1966 World Cup, and won the UEFA European Championship in 1960. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia has had less success, though they did finish third in the 2008 UEFA European Championship, and made a deep run into the quarter-finals as host nation of the 2018 World Cup before narrowly going down to eventual finalists Croatia on penalties.

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, numerous European teams refused to play against Russia. FIFA and UEFA initially responded by banning matches played in Russia, announcing that all further home matches for Russia would be played in a neutral venue without a crowd. This was seen as inadequate by the other European nations, and a day later the Russian team was completely banned from FIFA and UEFA competitions. Russia spent the next four years out in the woods, playing the occasional friendly against a handful of sympathetic (or at least neutral) countries in Asia, including the post-Soviet states of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, but also further afield against sides from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, and South America.

Russia was banned from the 2026 World Cup qualification process due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Questions were raised about the fairness of this decision, given the ongoing participation of other belligerent nations around the world who have faced no sanctions. Russia had discussions about moving to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), where they would perhaps face less political resistance from a larger number of neutral and Russia-aligned nations. This proposal faced resistance from countries such as Australia, Japan, and South Korea, which openly rejected the proposal.