SCOTLAND V BRAZIL – WORLD CUP

With Scotland playing Brazil in Miami on 24th June , a look back at the four previous World Cup matches between the countries.

1974 SCOTLAND 0 BRAZIL 0 18th June 1974 – Frankfurt – West Germany

Brazil had opened the 1974 World Cup with a 0-0 draw against Yugoslavia while Scotland had beaten the African debutants Zaire 2-0.

Scotland had an excellent team and up against a Brazil side without Pele who had starred in their 1970 winning team.

A good save by David Harvey from a long range shot denied Brazil a first half lead. Davie Hay tried his luck from long range which was saved by the Brazil goalkeeper Leao. The biggest moment of the game came in the 66th minute after a long range effort by Peter Lorimer was tipped over the bar by the goalkeeper resulting in a Scotland corner. The ball was flighted to the bcak post where Joe Jordan headed down with Leao in the Brazilian goal letting the ball slip from his grasp the loose ball bounced off the shin of Scotland captain Billy Bremner and trickled wide of the post.

Scotland – Harvey , Jardine, McGrain, Buchan, Holton, Bremner, Lormier, Hay, Dalglish, Jordan, Morgan.

Brazil – Leao, Pereira, Marinho Perez, Marinhno Chagas, Nelinho, Piazza, Paulo Cesar, Jairzinho , Leivinha, Rivelino, Mirandinha. subs – Leivnha

1982 SCOTLAND 1 BRAZIL 4 18th June 1982 – Sevilla – Spain

Brazil having come from behind had beaten USSR 2-1 in their opening game , while Scotland having surrendered a 3-0 lead against World Cup new boys New Zealand to 3-2 had eventually claimed a 5-2 victory.

Scotland opened well and sensationally took the lead when David Narey pounced on a knock down from John Wark and hammered a shot into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area. Brazil equalised before half time when Zico curled a trade mark free kick into the top corner. The teams went into the break level at 1-1.

Brazil gained the upper hand early in the second half when Oscar headed home powerfully from a near post corner. Scotland tried to rally but the game was over when Eder chipped goalkeeper Alan Rough from the corner of the penalty area after 65 mins.

Scotland pressed for a second goal which would have left them needing only a draw to qualify v USSR, however a long range shot into the bottom corner with 3mins remaining by Falcao ended the scoring at 4-1.

Scotland – Rough, Narey, F Gray, Hansen, Miller, Strachan, Hartford, Souness, Archibald, Wark, Robertson – subs Dalglish, McLeish

Brazil – Waldir Perez, Junior, Leandro, Luizinho, Oscar, Falcao, Socrates, Toninho Cerezo, Serginho, Zico , Eder subs – Paulo Isdoro

1990 SCOTLAND 0 BRAZIL 1 20th June 1990 – Turin – Italy

I had travelled to Italy and saw all three of Scotland’s group games, so was in Genoa for the games with Costa Rica and Sweden before Turin for the Brazil game on our way home to Scotland, by bus.

Brazil had opened with a 2-1 win over Sweden before beating Costa Rica 1-0. Scotland had opened with a shock 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica before recovering to beat Sweden 2-1. A draw looked likely to be enough to see Scotland reach the knockout stages.

The weather was awful in Turin with torrential rain driving into the newly constructed spectacular Stade Delle Alpi. The cavernous bowl has since been demolished as the running track took the crowd far away from the pitch.

The game was tight and the major first half incident saw a Branco free kick hit Murdo MacLeod in the face, who suffered concussion as a result and had to be replaced by Gary Gillespie.

Scotland’s best chance being second half Roy Aitken header being cleared near the goal line. There were less than ten minutes remaining Alemao’s long range effort was parried by Jim Leighton. Careca beat Gary Gillespie to the rebound and knocked it goalward , where Muller tapped into the empty net to open the scoring for Brazil.

Scotland created only final chance, a cross from the right by Stewart McKimmie was flicked on by Robert Fleck. It found it’s way to Stuart McCall who headed back across the face of goal where it broke off Fleck into the path of Mo Johnston , who looked to have scored from six yards until Brazil keeper Taffarel produced a magnificent save to deny Scotland an equaliser.

Scotland – Leighton, McKimmie, Malpas, McPherson, McLeish, Aitken, McStay, McCall, Johnston, McCoist, MacLeod subs Gillespie , Fleck

Brazil – Taffarel , Mauro Galvao, Ricardo Rocha, Ricardo Gomes, Jorginho, Dunga, Alemao, Branco , Valdo, Careca , Romario subs- Muller

1998 SCOTLAND 1 BRAZIL 2 10th June 1998 – Paris – France

The opening games of France 98 World Cup in the Stade De France , newly built for France 98. The game was preceded by the tournament’s opening ceremony and the Scotland squad arriving wearing kilts.

I was fortunate to attend this game being allocated a ticket by the SFA due to being at the Estonia v Scotland qualifier in Monaco.

Brazil opened the scoring , very much like their third goal in 1982 an inswinging corner from the left was powerfully headed home by Cesar Sampaio after only 4 mins.

Scotland to their credit fought hard and eventually were awarded a penalty when Kevin Gallagher was impeded as he tried to get on to a Gordon Durie flick on. John Collins netted from the penalty spot to level the half time score at 1-1 as had happened in 1982.

A long ball by Brazil’s Dunga found their right back Cafu running into the right side of the Scotland box and just evaded the back tracking Gordon Durie and as Cafu stretched out a leg to poke the ball towards goal , Scotland goalkeeper Jim Leighton could only knock the ball away from goal and it bounced off the face of the retreating Tommy Boyd and go into the net for an own goal despite Colin Hendry’s attempts to clear the ball off the line.

Brazil triumphed 2-1 and would return to the Stade De France for the while where they lost 3-0 while Scotland would go on to draw 1-1 with Norway and lose 3-0 to Morocco and depart the World Cup Finals for the nest 28 years.

Scotland – Leighton, Dailly, Boyd, Calderwood, Hendry, Burley , Collins, Lambert, Durie, Gallagher, Jackson. subs B.McKinlay, T.McKinlay

Brazil – Taffarel, Cafu, Roberto Carlos , Aldair, Junior Biano, Cesar Sampaio, Giovanni, Dunga, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Bebeto. subs – Leonardo , Denilson.

WORLD CUP 2026- GROUPS

GROUP STAGES PREDICTIONS

A – 1 Mexico 2 Czechia 3 South Korea 4 South Africa

Key Game – Mexico v South Korea – Mexico will want to win the group to ensure home advantage in last 32.

Group Summary

Mexico as hosts should win the group , South Korea may struggle

B – 1 Switzerland 2 Bosnia 3 Canada 4 Qatar

Key Game – Canada v Bosnia – Canada will want to win their first World Cup Finals match as soon as possible and could decide qualification for last 32.

Group Summary

Swiss the quality team and Canada as hosts have advantage but have injuries

C – 1 Brazil 2 Morocco 3 Scotland 4 Haiti

Key Game – Scotland v Haiti – Both teams know they have to win their opening game to have any chance of progressing to knockout stages

Group Summary

Scotland on form hopefully beat Haiti and Morocco now have expectation

D – 1 Turkey 2 USA 3 Paraquay 4 Australia

Key Game – USA v Australia – USA must win to or they open the door for Australia to overtake them.

Group Summary

Turkey the class team and USA have attacking threat

E – 1 Germany 2 Ecuador 3 Ivory Coast 4 Curacao

Key Game – Ecuador v Ivory Coast – Two evenly matched teams , this should decide second place

Group Summary

Ivory Coast could be a dark horse in this group although Ecuador tight defence

F – 1 Japan 2 Sweden 3 Holland 4 Tunisia

Key Game – Japan v Holland – Holland have a tricky opening game against a well drilled Japan team

Group Summary

Holland off form and older slower players despite their quality, while Japan have injuries but teamwork could be their key to success, Sweden formidable attack but defensively weak.

G – 1 Belgium 2 Iran 3 Egypt 4 New Zealand

Key Game – Iran v Egypt – Iran will be motivated by external matters and this game should decide second place and a last 32 game v USA.

Group Summary

Belgium the quality team should win the group comfortably

H- 1 Spain 2 Uruguay 3 Saudi Arabia 4 Cape Verde

Key Game – Saudi Arabia v Cape Verde – this could decide third place and a possible route into last 32.

Group Summary

Spain best team , Uruguay struggle to score and Cape Verde may shock

I – 1 France 2 Norway 3 Senegal 4 Iraq

Key Game – France v Senegal – Senegal will be hoping to repeat their 2002 victory over France

Group Summary

France too good, Haaland may get Norway 2nd

J – 1 Argentina 2 Austria 3 Algeria 4 Jordan

Key Game – Austria v Algeria – should decide second place

Group Summary

Argentina quality , but Austria will run them close

K – 1 Portugal 2 Colombia 3 DR Congo 4 Uzbekistan

Key Game – Colombia v Uzbekistan – the debutants looking to upset the South Americans who can struggle on the big stage

Group Summary

Portugal struggle in early games but should be fine against weaker opposition.

L – 1 England 2 Croatia 3 Ghana 4 Panama

Key Game – England v Croatia – both teams will be looking to win the opening game and go on to top the group

Group Summary

England too strong and Modric will do enough to get Croatia second place

Ranking of Third Places

1 South Korea 4pts GD +1

2 Scotland 4 pts GD +1

3 Paraquay 4pts GD +1

4 Ivory Coast 4 pts GD +1

5 Holland 4pts GD 0

6 Algeria 4pts GD 0

7 Canada 4pts GD 0

8 Senegal 3pts GD -1

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;

9 Ghana 3pts GD -2

10 Egypt 2pts GD -3

11 DR Congo 1pt GD -3

12 Saudi Arabia 1pt GD -4

LAST 32 PREDICTED MATCH UPS

Czechia v Bosnia

Brazil v Sweden

Germany v Paraquay

Japan v Morocco

Ecuador v Norway

France v Holland

Mexico v Scotland

England v Senegal

Belgium v South Korea

Turkey v Canada

Spain v Austria

Colombia v Croatia

Switzerland v Algeria

USA v Iran

Argentina v Uruguay

Portugal v Ivory Coast

WORLD CUP 2026 – GROUP L

Group L features England alongside Croatia , with Ghana and Panama.

ENGLAND –

England qualified as winners of the European Qualifying Group K

In March 2026 friendlies they drew 1-1 with Uruguay before losing 1-0 to Japan on home soil at Wembley.

England are managed by Thomas Tuchel

In goal they have Everton’s Jordan Pickford

The defence includes John Stones, Marc Guéhi and Nico O’Reilly of Manchester City.

Reece James of Chelsea and Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa are also expected to feature.

In Midfield Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid is partnered by Declan Rice of Arsenal. Elliott Anderson of Nottingham Forest, and Brentford’s former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson are also likely to feature.

In attack Harry Kane of Bayern Munich leads the line with Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka. Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon is a threat on he opposite flank to Saka, with Marcus Rashford and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins options for the England manager.

CROATIA –

Croatia qualified as winners of the European Qualifying Group L

In March 2026 friendlies they lost 2-1 to Croatia and 3-1 to France.

Croatia are managed by Zlatko Dalić

Croatia goalkeeper is Dominik Livaković

In defence they have Manchester City’s Joško Gvardiol alongside Bayern Munich’s Josip Stanišić and Luka Vušković. Ajax defender Josip Šutalo is also likely to feature with Crystal Palace’s Borna Sosa.

In midfield Croatia have captain Luka Modric at the age of 40 approaching 200 caps.

Also in midfield Croatia have Mateo Kovačić of Manchester City , Nikola Vlašić formerly of West Ham. Mario Pašalić of Atalanta and Luka Sučić from Real Sociedad may also be included.

In attack Croatia have former Leicester City striker Andrej Kramarić along with the experienced Ivan Perišić, Ante Budimir and Mislav Oršić

GHANA –

Ghana qualified as winners of African Qualifying Group I with some ease.

Ghana failed to qualify for 2025 African Cup of Nations , finishing bottom of Group F as Angola and Sudan qualified.

In March 2026 friendlies Ghana lost 5-1 to Austria and 2-1 to Germany.

Ghana sacked manager Otto Addo 72 days before the World Cup and replaced him Carlos Queiroz formerly of Manchester Utd, Real Madrid and Portugal on 13th April 2026.

In goal they have Benjamin Asare.

The defence includes Gideon Mensah, Alexander Djiku and former Brighton player Tariq Lamptey. They also have Gedeon Kalula whose brother Pierre is a French international.

The midfield has former Arsenal player Thomas Partey alongside Mohammed Kudus of Tottenham.

The attack is led by Antoine Semenyo of Manchester City. Leicester City’s duo Jordan Ayew and Abdul Fatawu also feature.

A threat on the wing is Inaki Willimas of Athletic Bilbao, while his brother and club team mate will be playing for Spain.

PANAMA –

Panama progressed from Round Two of the Concacaf Group D with Nicaragua before winning Group A in Round Three to qualify automatically.

In March 2026 Panama played two friendlies against South Africa drawing 1-1 before winning 2-1.

Panama are managed by Danish former Leeds Utd manager Thomas Christiansen.

Panama have two experienced goalkeepers Orlando Mosquera and his back up Luis Mejía.

The defence they have Eric Davis, Roderick Miller, Andrés Andrade and Norwich City’s José Córdoba

In midfield captain Aníbal Godoy partners Yoel Bárcenas and Adalberto Carrasquilla

The attack has Ismael Díaz, Cecilio Waterman and José Fajardo

Group L Fixtures

17/6/26 9pm England v Croatia

18/6/26 0.00am Ghana v Panama

23/6/26 9pm England v Ghana

24/6/26 0.00am Croatia v Panama

28/6/26 0.30am England v Panama

28/6/26 0.30am Croatia v Ghana

PREDICTIONS

I would expect England and Croatia to qualify easily taking six points from their games with Ghana and Panama , so may both settle for a draw in their opening game with each other.

I would expect England to top the group on goal difference from Croatia.

Ghana should prove too strong for Panama and claim third place

1st Place prediction – England 7pts

2nd Place prediction – Croatia 7pts

3rd Place prediction – Ghana 3pts GD -4

WORLD CUP 2026 – GROUP K

Group K features the UEFA National League holders Portugal alongside Columbia , Intercontinental Playoff winners DR Congo and first time qualifiers Uzbekistan.

PORTUGAL –

Portugal qualified as winners of the European Qualifying Group F despite a surprise defeat on Matchday 9 to Republic of Ireland in Dublin where Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off.

In March 2026 friendlies they drew 0-0 with Mexico before beating USA 2-0, as the two hosts played the European giants on home soil.

Portugal are managed by former, Belgium, Everton, Wigan FA Cup winner and Swansea manager Roberto Martinez.

In goal they have Diogo Costa of Porto.

The defence includes Manchester City’s Rúben Dias, Gonçalo Inácio from Sporting Lisbon , and João Cancelo of Barcelona formerly of Manchester City. Manchester Utd’s Diogo Dalot and and Manchester City’s Matheus Nunes are other options.

In Midfield Manchester Utd captain Bruno Fernandes, plays alongside João Neves and Vitinha of PSG. Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and Sporting Lisbon’s Francisco Trincão give good depth to the squad.

In attack Cristiano Ronaldo has controversially been cleared by FIFA to play despite his red card in Dublin and he will likely play some part alongside João Félix, now both playing their club football in Saudi Arabia. Portugal will also have Francisco Conceição of Juventus, Rafael Leão of AC Milan and Chelsea’s Pedro Neto.

This will be Portugal’s first World Cup since the sad passing of Diego Jota, and will be an emotional time for the whole squad.

COLOMBIA –

Colombia qualified in third place in the South American qualifying group behind Argentina and Ecuador , and like Brazil , Paraguay and Uruguay finished on 28 points.

In March 2026 friendlies they lost 2-1 to Croatia and 3-1 to France.

Colombia are managed by Argentinian Néstor Lorenzo

Colombia goalkeeper is Camilo Vargas, with back up from the experienced David Ospina formerly of Arsenal.

In defence they have Crystal Palace’s Daniel Muñoz with former Everton player now at Cagliari , Yerry Mina alongside former Tottenham defender Davinson Sánchez now at Galatasaray. Jhon Lucumí of Bolonga is another defensive option.

In midfield Colombia have captain James Rodríguez who became a global star for his performances at World Cup 2014 where he was the top scorer.

Also in midfield Colombia have Jefferson Lerma of Crystal Palace.

In attack their star man is Bayern Munich former Liverpool star Luis Díaz 

DR CONGO –

DR Congo after finishing runners up to Senegal in African qualifying group B entered a four team playoff , beating Cameroon 1-0 in the semi final and Nigeria 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 to qualify for the Intercontinental playoff where they beat Jamacia 1-0 after extra time in March 2026.

In 2025 African Cup of Nations, DR Congo finished in second place in Group D on goal difference from Senegal, before losing 1-0 to Algeria in last 16.

DR Congo are managed by Sébastien Desabre

In goal they have Lionel Mpasi of Le Harve

The defence includes captain Chancel Mbemba of Lillie alongside Hibs Rocky Bushiri and West Ham’s former Manchester Utd defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Bunrley’s Axel Tuanzebe scored the extra time winning goal in the playoff against Jamacia

The midfield has Samuel Moutoussamy with Watford’s Edo Kayembe and Meschak Elia

The attack is led by Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa and Cédric Bakambu of Real Betis and may feature Celtic’s Michel-Ange Balikwisha

UZBEKISTAN –

Uzbekistan progressed from Group E in the Second Round of Asian qualifying as runners up to Iran in Group E on goal difference , and in the Third Round they were again runners up to Iran in Group A as both qualified automatically, ahead of UAE and Qatar.

In March 2026 Uzbekistan hosted a Fifa series where they beat Gabon 3-1 before drawing 0-0 with Venezuela but won 5-4 on penalties.

Uzbekistan are managed by former Italian World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro

In goal they have Utkir Yusupov

The defence is led by young Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov alongside the experienced Farrukh Sayfiev and Khojiakbar Alijonov.

In midfield they have Odiljon Hamrobekov and Otabek Shukurov

Uzbekistan attack has captain Eldor Shomurodov of İstanbul Başakşehir and Igor Sergeev.

Group K Fixtures

17/6/26 6pm Portugal v DR Congo

18/6/26 3am Colombia v Uzbekistan

23/6/26 6pm Portugal v Uzbekistan

24/6/26 3am Colombia v DR Congo

28/6/26 0.30am Portugal v Colombia

28/6/26 0.30am DR Congo v Uzbekistan

PREDICTIONS

I would expect Portugal to win all three games.

Colombia will be too strong and beat DR Congo and Uzbekistan.

DR Congo and Uzbekistan will play out a draw that will eliminate both.

1st Place prediction – Portugal 9pts

2nd Place prediction – Colombia 6pts

3rd Place prediction – DR Congo 1pt GD -5

WORLD CUP 2026 – GROUP J

Group J features the World Cup holders Argentina alongside Algeria , Austria and first time qualifiers Jordan.

ARGENTINA –

Argentina qualified as winners of the South American Qualifying Group and were clearly the best team in their confederation.

In March 2026 friendlies at home they beat Mauritania 2-1 and Zambia 5-0.

Argentina are still managed by their 2022 World Cup Winning coach Lionel Scaloni

In goal they have the hero of their penalty shoot-out victory over France in the 2022 World Cup Final , Emiliano Martínez of Aston Villa.

The defence includes Benfica’s former Manchester City player Nicolás Otamendi alongside Tottenham’s Cristian Romero and Nicolás Tagliafico from Lyon.

In Midfield Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister is partnered by Enzo Fernández of Chelsea who became a huge star at the last World Cup.

In attack Argentina for the final time at a major tournament will be the superstar Lionel Messi alongside Inter Milan talisman Lautaro Martínez and Julián Alvarez the former Manchester City striker now at Atlético Madrid, and Nico Paz from Como.

ALGERIA –

Algeria qualified in impressive style winning African qualifying Group G with 24pts from 10 games , 10pts head of second placed Uganda.

In African Cup of Nations they won all three group games to top Group E and after beating DR Kongo 1-0 , they lost in the Quarter Finals 2-0 to Nigeria.

In March 2026 friendlies they beat Guatemala 7-0 before a 0-0 draw with Uruguay in Turin.

Algeria manager is highly experienced Bosnian coach Vladimir Petković

Algeria goalkeeper is Luca Zidane son of former French captain Zinedine Zidane with back up from Anthony Mandrea of Caen.

In defence they have Manchester City’s Rayan Aït-Nouri alongside Lillie’s Aïssa Mandi and Ramy Bensebaini of Borussia Dortmund.

The midfield features Ramiz Zerrouki of Twente with Ismaël Bennacer of Dinamo Zagreb and Hicham Boudaoui of Nice, as well as Ibrahim Maza of Bayer Leverkusen.

In attack they have captain Riyad Mahrez who won the Premiership with Leicester City and Manchester City.

They also have Mohamed Amoura from Wolfsburg and Marseille’s Amine Gouiri.

AUSTRIA –

Austria qualified winning European Group H , 2 points ahead of Bosnia who they drew with 1-1 at home on the final matchday.

In March 2026 friendlies they beat Ghana 5-1 and South Korea 1-0 both at home in Vienna.

Austria are managed by former Manchester Utd Head Coach Ralf Rangnick

In goal they have Alexander Schlager

The defence includes Real Madrid’s David Alaba, Stefan Posch of Mainz and Tottenham’s Kevin Danso

In midfield Austria have Borussia Dortmund’s Marcel Sabitzer with Christoph Baumgartner of Leipzig , Konrad Laimer of Bayern Munich and Braga’s Florian Grillitsch.

In attack they have the formidable and experienced Marko Arnautović alongside the tall former Wolves striker Saša Kalajdžić.

JORDAN –

Jordan won the Asian Qualifying Second Round Group G on goal difference from Saudi Arabia as they both progressed to Round Three.

Jordan qualified automatically as Runners Up to South Korea in Round Three Group B finishing 1 point ahead of Iraq.

In March 2026 friendlies they drew 2-2 with both Costa Rica and Nigeria.

Jordan are managed by former Morocco player Jamal Sellami

In goal they have Yazeed Abulaila

In defence they have the experienced Yazan Al-Arab and Abdallah Nasib alongside Ihsan Haddad.

The midfield includes Noor Al-Rawabdeh and Nizar Al-Rashdan

In attack captain Musa Al-Taamari plays for Rennes with Baha’ Faisal who plays in Qatar. They are without two of their main strikers through injury Ali Olwan and Yazan al-Naima.

Group J Fixtures

17/6/26 2am Argentina v Algeria

17/6/26 5am Austria v Jordan

22/6/26 6pm Argentina v Austria

23/6/26 4am Algeria v Jordan

28/6/26 3am Argentina v Jordan

28/6/26 3am Austria v Algeria

PREDICTIONS

I would expect Argentina to win all three games , with Austria and Algeria beating Jordan to set up a final day decider between then for second place and likely knowing a draw will take them both through.

Austria would seem likely to claim second place with a better goal difference than Algeria.

1st Place prediction – Argentina 9pts

2nd Place prediction – Austria 4pts GD +2

3rd Place prediction – Algeria 4pts GD 0

WORLD CUP 2026 – GROUP I

Group I features many peoples favourites and the 2022 runners up France along with Senegal who won the African Cup of Nations on penalties against Morocco in January although the title has since been awarded to Morrocco.

The Group also features Norway and Intercontinental Playoff winners Iraq.

FRANCE –

France easily won European Qualifying Group D winning 5 of their 6 games to finish well ahead of Ukraine.

In March 2026 they beat Brazil in a friendly in USA 2-1 and a few days later with a completely different team beat Colombia even more convincingly 3-1.

France are managed by their World Cup winning captain from 1998 and manager from 2018, Didier Deschamps

France have AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan in goal.

The defence includes Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano, Arsenal’s Willima Saliba and Lucas Digne of Aston Villa adds more experience. Barcelona’s Jules Koundé is also in their squad along with brothers Lucas and Theo Hernandez.

The French midfield features Real Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouaméni and Adrien Rabiot of AC Milan. Manchester City winger Rayan Cherki and the experienced N’Golo Kante will also feature

The attack is led by captain Kylian Mbappé who scored a hat trick in the 2022 World Cup Final despite being on the losing team.

France can also rely on goals from Ousmane Dembélé of PSG , Marcus Thuram of Inter Milan with the emerging talent of PSG’s Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué (his brother Guela is an Ivory Coast international). Sadly Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike will miss the tournament through injury. France can also call upon Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise.

SENEGAL –

Senegal qualified as winners of African Qualifying Group B ahead of DR Congo, their 3-2 away to DR Congo proving crucial.

In March 2026 friendlies Senrgal beat Peru 2-0 and Gambia 3-1.

Senegal manager is Pape Thiaw

Senegal have former Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy

In defence they are led by captain Kalidou Koulibaly formerly of Napoli and Chelsea. They also have Krépin Diatta of Monaco and El Hadji Malick Diouf of West Ham.

The Senegal midfield includes Idrissa Gueye of Everton alongside Pape Sarr from Tottenham and Habib Diarra of Sunderland

In attack Senegal talisman is former Liverpool star Sadio Mané with Ismaïla Sarr of Crystal Palace. The star for Senegal could be Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea who is on loan at Bayern Munich.

NORWAY –

Norway qualified as winners of European Qualifying Group I with maximum points beating Italy 3-0 at home and 4-1 away.

In March 2026 friendlies they lost 2-1 to Holland and drew 0-0 with Switzerland.

Norway are managed by former Wolves manager Ståle Solbakken

In goal Norway have Ørjan Nyland of Sevilla

In defence Norway include Marcus Holmgren Pedersen of Torino alongside Brentford’s former Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer and Julian Ryerson of Borussia Dortmund,

In midfield Norway have Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard as captain alongside Sander Berge of Fulham and Rangers Thelo Aasgaard.

Norway’s real strength is their attack with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland who plays alongside Alexander Sørloth of Atlético Madrid and Crystal Palace’s former Wolves striker Jørgen Strand Larsen.

IRAQ –

Iraq qualified through the Second Round of qualifying winning Group F with Indonesia also going through.

In the Third Round they failed to qualify automatically finishing third behind automatic qualifiers South Kore and Jordan.

This meant Iraq went into Round Four where they finished in second place in Group B behind automatic qualifiers Saudi Arabia.

This put Iraq into a two legged playoff where they beat UAE 3-2 on aggregate to qualify for the Intercontinental playoff in March 2026 against Bolivia which they won 2-1 to finally qualify.

Iraq manager is former Australia manager Graham Arnold

Iraq goalkeeper is Ahmed Basil, with Fahad Talib as back up.

Iraq’s defence includes Rebin Sulaka, Merchas Doski of Viktoria Plzeň and Saad Natiq.

In midfield Iraq have Ibrahim Bayesh and Amir Al-Ammari

In attack they have Luton’s Ali Al-Hamadi and Aymen Hussein

Group I Fixtures

16/6/26 8pm France v Senegal

16/6/26 11pm Norway v Iraq

22/6/26 10pm France v Iraq

23/6/26 1am Norway v Senegal

26/6/26 8pm France v Norway

26/6/26 8pm Senegal v Iraq

PREDICTIONS

I would expect France to win all three games.

Norway v Senegal will be the decisive game and I can see Norway winning to clinch second place leaving Senegal to finish third and going for goals against Iraq in their final game.

1st Place prediction – France 9pts

2nd Place prediction – Norway 6pts

3rd Place prediction – Senegal 3pts GD -1

WORLD CUP 2026 – GROUP H

Group H features European Champions Spain , with South American heavyweights Uruguay. The group is completed by Saudi Arabia and first time qualifiers Cape Verde from Africa.

SPAIN –

Spain qualified as winners of European Group E ahead of Turkey, winning their first 5 games to ensure their final 2-2 draw with Turkey was irrelevant.

March 2026 friendlies saw Spain beat Serbia 3-0 before a disappointing 0-0 draw with Egypt which was overshadowed by unsavoury chanting from the crowd.

Spain manager is Luis de la Fuente

Spain’s goalkeeper is Unai Simón of Athletic Bilbao with back up from Arsenal’s David Raya

The Spanish defence includes Aymeric Laporte the former Manchester City star alongside Marcos Llorente and Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella

In midfield Spain have Pedri and Dani Olmo of Barcelona with Manchester City’s Rodri and Arsenal’s Martín Zubimendi.

In attack Spain have the young star of Euro 2024 Lamine Yamal of Barcelona alongside Mikel Oyarzabal with young Víctor Muñoz of Real Zaragoza recently scoring on his debut. Nico Williams (his brother Inaki will be in the Ghana squad) and Ferran Torres may also feature.

URUGUAY –

Uruguay qualified from South America group in fourth place and claimed an automatic spot. This was however only decided on goal difference with Colombia, Uruguay , Brazil and Paraguay all finishing on 28pts , one point behind runners up Ecuador.

Uruguay are managed by former Leeds Head Coach Marcelo Bielsa

In March 2026 friendlies they drew 1-1 with England and 0-0 with Algeria.

In goal they have Sergio Rochet.

In defence they have captain José María Giménez of Atlético Madrid alongside Ronald Araújo of Barcelona and Manuel Ugarte from Manchester Utd.

In midfield they are led by Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde with Giorgian de Arrascaeta.

In attack Uruguay have former Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez with Brian Rodríguez.

SAUDI ARABIA –

Saudi Arabia came through the complex Asian qualifying , the Second Round saw Saudi Arabia qualify for Round Three with Jordan as top 2 in Group G.

The Third Round saw Saudi Arabia miss out on automatic qualification as Japan and Australia qualified from Group C. Saudi Arabia and Indonesia who finished 3rd and 4th in the 6 team group moved to Round Four.

In Round Four there were two groups of three teams with Saudi Arabia qualified as winners of Group B.

In March 2026 friendlies they lost 4-0 to Egypt and 2-1 to Serbia, leaving doubts over the future of coach Hervé Renard and he may not even be in charge for the World Cup.

Saudi Arabia manager Hervé Renard was sacked in April 2026 ahead of the World Cup and his replacement is Greek Georgios Donis.

In goal is Nawaf Al-Aqidi with back up from the experienced Mohammed Al-Owais

The defence includes Saud Abdulhamid of Lens and Abdulelah Al-Amri

The midfield has the experience of Salman Al-Faraj and Mohamed Kanno

In attack Salem Al-Dawsari has over 100 caps and is assisted by Saleh Al-Shehri, Abdullah Al-Hamdan and winger Firas Al-Buraikan.

CAPE VERDE –

Cape Verde were the surprise winners of African qualifying Group D ahead of Cameroon.

in 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Cape Verde failed to qualify finishing bottom of their group as Egypt and Botswana qualified.

In March friendlies Cape Verde lost 4-2 to Chile before drawing 1-1 with Finland.

Cape Verde manager is former player Pedro “Bubista” Brito

In goal they have Vozinha who plays in second division in Portugal

The defence includes Irish born Roberto Lopes (Pico) who plays for Shamrock Rovers alongside João Paulo Fernandes of FCSB

In midfield they have Deroy Duarte of Ludogorets and Kevin Pina of Krasnodar.

In attack they have captain Ryan Mendes of Iğdır in Turkey alongside Garry Rodrigues of Apollon Limassol and Willy Semedo of Omonia.

Dailon Livramento is currently on loan to Casa Pia in Portugal from Italian side Verona.

Group H Fixtures

15/6/26 5pm Spain v Cape Verde

15/6/26 11pm Uruguay v Saudi Arabia

21/6/26 5pm Spain v Saudi Arabia

21/6/26 11pm Uruguay v Cape Verde

27/6/26 1am Spain v Uruguay

27/6/26 1am Saudi Arabia v Cape Verde

PREDICTIONS

I can only see Spain and Uruguay winning their opening two games and playing each other for top spot.

Similarly I can see Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde playing the final game looking for a win to claim third spot but a draw will see both eliminated.

1st Place prediction – Spain 7pts

2nd Place prediction – Uruguay 7pts

3rd Place prediction – Saudi Arabia 1pt GD -3

WORLD CUP 2026 – GROUP G

Group G features Belgium alongside African qualifiers Egypt with war-torn Iran and minnows New Zealand.

BELGIUM –

Belgium qualified winning qualifying Group J holding off a strong finish from Wales. A 4-2 win Cardiff after a thrilling 4-3 comeback win at home to the Welsh being the decisive matches after drawing twice with North Macedonia.

A 5-2 friendly win over USA in March was added to with a 1-1 draw against Mexico.

Belgium are managed by Frenchman Rudi Garcia

In goal Belgium will have Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid, with Senne Lammens of Manchester Utd as back up.

The defence is led by the experienced Timothy Castagne of Fulham, Thomas Meunier from Lillie, alongside Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper. Brandon Mechele and Zeno Debast will likely start in central defence.

In midfield is Napoli’s former Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne alongside captain Youri Tielemans of Aston Villa and clubmate Amadou Onana. Rangers Nico Raskin is also likely to feature.

The attack is expected to be led by Romelu Lukaku if he is fit , but Belgium also have other attacking options in Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard and Charles De Ketelaere of Atalanta. Dodi Lukébakio of Benfica scored in the recent Manchester City’s winger Jérémy Doku adds in a more creative role, along with AC Milan’s Alexis Saelemaekers.

EGYPT –

Egypt qualified as winners of Group A in African qualifying winning 8 and drawing 2 of their 10 matches.

In the 2025 African Cup of Nations beat Zimbabwe and South Africa before drawing 0-0 with Angola to reach the knockout stages as group winners.

Wins over Benin after extra time and 3-2 over Ivory Coast took Egypt to the Semi Finals before losing 1-0 to Senegal.

March 2026 friendlies saw Egypt beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 and draw 0-0 with Spian.

Egypt are managed by Hossam Hassan

Mohamed El Shenawy is their experienced goalkeeper, although Mostafa Shobeir may start.

The defence includes Mohamed Hany, Ramy Rabia and Ahmed Abou El Fotouh

Egypt’s midfield includes Hamdy Fathy, Emam Ashour and former Arsenal man Mohamed Elneny.

In attack time is catching up on talisman Mo Salah and they may turn more to Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush and winger Trézéguet.

IRAN –

Iran qualified have progressed level with Uzbekistan in Second Round on 14pts from 6 games , they were drawn together again in the Third Round and both qualified automatically with Iran topping the group on 23pts from 10 games.

In March 2026 Iran lost a friendly 2-1 to Nigeria before beating Costa Rica 5-0 , both games played in Turkey

Iran manager is Amir Ghalenoei

Alireza Beiranvand is their normal goalkeeper.

In defence they have Ehsan Hajsafi, Shojae Khalilzadeh and Milad Mohammadi.

The midfield has Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Saman Ghoddos and Ali Gholizadeh.

In attack they will have captain Mehdi Taremi and Mehdi Ghayedi.

NEW ZEALAND –

New Zealand qualified having won Group B winning all three games taking them to a semi final where they beat Fiji 7-0 before beating New Caledonia in the final 3-0.

In March 2026 New Zealand hosted a FIFA series where they lost 2-0 to Finland before beating Chile 4-1

New Zealand are managed by Englishman Darren Bazeley

They have Max Crocombe of Millwall in goal, with back up from Alex Paulsen.

The defence includes Finn Surman and Tyler Bindon of Sheffield Utd

The midfield includes Marko Stamenić of Swansea and Motherwell’s Elijah Just

In attack New Zealand will be hoping Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest is fit for the World Cup however they can also call on the experienced Kosta Barbarouses.

Group F Fixtures

15/6/26 8pm Belgium v Egpyt

16/6/26 2am Iran v New Zealand

21/6/26 8pm Belgium v Iran

22/6/26 2am Egypt v New Zealand

27/6/26 4am Belgium v New Zealand

27/6/26 4am Egypt v Iran

PREDICTIONS

I think Belgium will be too good and win all three games.

It will be interesting to see how Iran will fair as they will have huge motivation playing on American soil assuming they take part.

I can see Iran beating New Zealand and getting a draw with Egypt, with Egypt and New Zealand drawing

1st Place prediction – Belgium 9pts

2nd Place prediction – Iran 4pts

3rd Place prediction – Egypt 2pts GD -2

WORLD CUP 2026 – GROUP F

Group F could be a very interesting group featuring Holland as top seeds with Japan the first qualifiers , Tunisia from African and the European Playoff winners Sweden who have come from a dismal qualifying campaign to impressive playoffs victories.

HOLLAND –

Holland had a fairly comfortable qualification winning 6 of 8 games and drawing 1-1 twice with Group runner up Poland.

A 2-1 friendly win over Norway in March was added to with a 1-1 draw against Ecuador where the early dismissal of Denzel Dumfries no doubt impacting the game.

The Dutch are managed by legend Ronald Koeman

In goal Holland have Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen with back up from Mark Flekken of Bayer Leverkusen.

The defence is led by captain Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool alongside Manchetser City’s Nathan Aké and Denzel Dumfries of Inter Milan. Fellow Liverpool player Jeremie Frimpong plays in right wing back role , while Jurriën Timber is likely to feature of the left. The Dutch also have Manchester Utd’s Matthijs de Ligt and Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven.

In midfield Holland are well served by Juventus star Teun Koopmeiners, Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch and Tijjani Reijnders of Manchester City, PSV’s Jerdy Schouten will miss the tournament due to a recent injury. Frenkie de Jong of Barcelona who has had injury problems in the lead up to the World Cup. Tottenham’s Xavi Simons misses out due to injury.

The attack has come in for some criticism in recent years particularly Memphis Depay, he is assisted by Roma’s Donyell Malen and Cody Gakpo of Liverpool.

They have sometimes turned to the physical presence of former Manchester Utd player , now at Ajax Wout Weghorst.

JAPAN –

Japan impressed at World Cup 2022 with come from behind wins over Germany and Spain and were unfortunate to be knocked out on penalties by Croatia.

They qualified for World Cup 2026 winning all 6 games to top Group B in the Second Round before winning Group C ahead of Australia in the Third Round to secure their qualification with some ease.

Their March 2026 1-0 wins over Scotland and England suggest they are tight in defence and coming into the tournament with confidence.

Japan manager is Hajime Moriyasu

Zion Suzuki of Parma is their goalkeeper.

The defence includes Takehiro Tomiyasu of Ajax , Tsuyoshi Watanabe of Feyenoord and Hiroki Ito from Bayern Munich.

Japan’s midfield is expected to feature Liverpool’s Wataru Endo, Junya Itō from Genk, Leeds Utd’s Ao Tanaka and Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada.

Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma and Monaco’s Takumi Minamino both miss out through injury.

In attack Japan can call on the experience of Daizen Maeda from Celtic. Ayase Ueda of Feyenorrd will likely feature alongside Freiburg’s Yuito Suzuki.

TUNISIA –

Tunisia qualified with some ease from African Group H winning 9 and drawing 1 of their 10 games without conceding a goal to win the group and secure automatic qualification.

Tunisia competed in the African Cup of Nations taking 4pts from their 3 games in December 2025 finishing second in their group behind Nigeria. They were beaten on penalties in the last 16 after a 1-1 draw with Mali.

A new manager has taken over –  Sabri Lamouchi, so the team is currently in a period of change.

March 2026 friendlies saw them draw 0-0 with Canada and beat Haiti 1-0.

Aymen Dahmen is their normal goalkeeper.

In defence they have Ali Abdi, Montassar Talbi of Lorient and Servette’s Dylan Bronn.

The midfield has captain Ellyes Skhiri of Eintracht Frankfurt alongside Anis Ben Slimane of Norwich City and Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri.

Rani Khedira of Union Berlin has recently changed to Tunisia’s nationality and is brother of former German and Real Madrid star Sami Khedira

In attack they will have Firas Chaouat and Celtic’s Sebastian Tounekti. Louey Ben Farhat could add young energy to their attacking options.

SWEDEN –

Sweden had a terrible qualifying campaign under manager Jon Dahl Tomasson, and he was replaced by former Brighton and Chelsea manager Graham Potter for the playoffs. They had qualified for the playoffs by winning their Nations League group and took full advantage beating Ukraine 3-1 in Valencia then Poland 3-2 at home in the final.

They have Kristoffer Nordfeldt in goal.

The defence is led by captain and former Manchetser Utd’s Victor Lindelöf now at Aston Villa. He is partnered by former Celtic player Carl Starfelt now at Celta Vigo and Gustaf Lagerbielke of Braga.

Jesper Karlström of Udinese and Brighton’s Yasin Ayari play alongside Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall and Dejan Kulusevski with Newcastle winger Anthony Elanga.

In attack Sweden are well served by Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres who scored a hat trick against Ukraine and the winner against Poland alongside Celtic’s Benjamin Nygren.

Alexander Isak Sweden’s talismanic striker has recently returned to the Liverpool team following a long term injury.

Group F Fixtures

14/6/26 9pm Holland v Japan

15/6/26 0.00am Sweden v Tunisia

20/6/26 6pm Holland v Sweden

21/6/26 5am Tunisia v Japan

26/6/26 0.00am Holland v Tunisia

26/6/26 0.00am Japan v Sweden

PREDICTIONS

This is an intriguing group with the cohesion of the Japanese , the Swedish team which has good attacking options and a new manager , pitted against the African’s of Tunisia and Holland who have experience and perhaps a squad getting older and with injuries and loss of form might struggle.

I can see a surprise with Japan beating Holland in the opening game and Sweden beating Tunisia.

Sweden then will have more freedom and will take the game to the Dutch who will likely hang on and get a draw while Japan beat Tunisia.

Japan 7pts and Sweden 5pts will play out a draw to confirm their passage and leave Holland fighting Tunisia for third place which they will do , with a narrow but decisive 2 goal win.

1st Place prediction – Japan 7pts

2nd Place prediction – Sweden 5pts

3rd Place prediction – Holland 4pts GD +1

WORLD CUP 2026 – GROUP E

Group D sees European giants Germany joined by Ecuador from South America, Ivory Coast from Africa and first time qualifiers Curacao.

Germany –

Germany qualified in the end with a 6-0 home win over Slovakia after losing to them away earlier in the qualifiers and are now managed by Julian Nagglesmann.

Germany goalkeeper is Oliver Baumann. Manuel Neuer may come out of retirement.

The German defence includes Nico Schlotterbeck, Jonathan Tah and captained by the experienced Joshua Kimmich from Bayern Munich

In midfield Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz is joined in the wide positions by Serge Gnabry formerly of Arsenal and Leroy Sané formerly of Manchetser City,

The experienced Leon Goretzka of Bayern Munich also featured recently against Switzerland.

The link between midfield and attack is filled by Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala.

The German attack is led by Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade and former West Ham striker Niclas Füllkrug who is now at AC Milan. Kai Havertz of Arsenal and Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav are other options in attack.

Ecuador –

Ecuador qualified from the South American group in second place behind Argentina on 29pts , just ahead of Colombia, Uruguay , Brazil and Paraguay all finishing on 28pts. This was despite beginning with a 3pts deduction from the 2022 qualifying campaign for fielding a player using false paperwork regarding his nationality. Ecuador only lost two games in qualifying 1-0 in Argentina and 1-0 in Brazil.

Since qualifying Ecuador have played a number of friendlies beating New Zealand 2-0 and drawing with USA , Mexico , Canada, Morocco and Holland.

Ecuador are managed by Argentinian Sebastián Beccacece

In goal will be 39yo Hernán Galíndez with back up from Gonzalo Valle.

The defence is led by Pervis Estupiñán of AC Milan and Arsenal’s Piero Hincapié

Midfield includes their star player Moisés Caicedo of Chelsea alongside Alan Franco and possibly John Yeboah of Venezia.

The Ecuador attack is led by the experienced captain Enner Valencia, however at the age of 36 , and still Ecuador go to man for goals , they may struggle in this department.

Ivory Coast –

Ivory Coast qualified by winning African qualifying Group F winning 8 and drawing 2 of their 10 games.

They recently played two friendlies in England beating South Korea 4-0 and Scotland 1-0.

Ivory Coast manager is Emerse Faé

Yahia Fofana is their goalkeeper with back up Alban Lafont

The defence has Odilon Kossounou of Atalanta , Evan Ndicka of Roma and two players playing in Portugal , Ghislain Konan and Ousmane Diomande.

The midfield includes experienced captain formerly with AC Milan and Barcelona Franck Kessié alongside Nottingham Forest’s Ibrahim Sangaré.

Ivory Coast attack features former Arsenal striker Nicolas Pépé and Manchester Utd’s Amad Diallo with Evann Guessand of Crystal Palace.

Ivory Coast could include Guela Doue brother of France’s Desire Doue.

Curcao –

This is Curacao’s first appearance and were managed by former Rangers manager Dick Advocat , who resigned in February 2026 but returned in May 2026.

Curacao qualified by winning Round Two Group C ahead of Haiti before winning Round Three Group B ahead of Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago as well as Bermuda, winning 3 and drawing 3 of their 6 games.

In March 2026 they played in FIFA series in Australia losing to China 2-0 and Australia 5-1

In goal will be Eloy Room.

The defence is led by Juriën Gaari with Roshon van Eijma and Sherel Floranus who play in Holland.

Midfield includes Leandro Bacuna, captain formerly of Aston Villa

Kenji Gorré of Maccabi Haifa  is their main threat in attack alongside Brandley Kuwas of Volendam.

Group E Fixtures

14/6/26 6pm Germany v Curacao

15/6/26 0am Ivory Coast v Ecuador

20/6/26 9pm Germany v Ivory Coast

21/6/26 1am Ecuador v Curacao

25/6/26 9pm Germany v Ecuador

25/6/26 9pm Ivory Coast v Curacao

PREDICTIONS

I can see an emphatic win for Germany in their opening game, with a draw between Ivory Coast and Ecuador in a tight match

Germany will want to ensure qualification with a win over Ivory Coast , while Ecuador should be too strong for Curacao.

Germany may settle for a draw against Ecuador and top the group on 7pts, with Ecuador on 5 pts.

I can see Ivory Coast easily beating Curacao and ending in third place.

Curacao will lose all three games

1st Place prediction – Germany 7pts

2nd Place prediction – Ecuador 5pts

3rd Place prediction – Ivory Coast 4pts GD +2