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After a break of more than three decades, the FIFA World Cup returns to North America where it will be shared by the continent’s three countries, the U.S., Mexico and Canada. It will be the largest and most complex tournament in history, with 48 teams playing 104 games in 16 cities over 39 days.
But it hasn’t been without its controversies. High ticket prices and exorbitant transportation and parking fees have angered fans and drawn the attention of politicians and state attorneys general. Visa restrictions have blocked residents from four qualifying nations from entering the U.S. and fear of immigration agents has discouraged fans of other countries from coming.
For the U.S. and Mexico the goal is to get beyond the quarterfinals, the high-water mark for both countries in the modern era. Canada, meanwhile, will play in its third World Cup looking for its first win.
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Group A
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The tournament will kick off with Mexico facing South Africa in Mexico City on June 11, a rematch of the 2010 opener in Johannesburg, which was played on the same date 16 years earlier. That match ended in a draw, and South Africa went on to become the first host country to be eliminated in the group stage. With Mexico welcoming the World Cup for a record third time alongside South Africa and South Korea (2002), this is the only group with three former host countries.
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Group B
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On paper this is one of the weaker groups, with Switzerland being the only team that has advanced beyond the group stage. Canada, playing in the World Cup for the third time, and Qatar, making its second appearance, both are looking for their first positive results in the tournament, while Bosnia and Herzegovina has one World Cup win since becoming an independent country in 1992. That should make the battle for second place and an automatic berth in the knockout rounds an interesting one.
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Group C
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With No. 6 Brazil and eighth-ranked Morocco, this is the only group with two teams ranked among the world’s top 10 by FIFA. Brazil is also a five-time champion, although its last title came in 2002, while Morocco made a historic run to the semifinals in Qatar. But the quality falls off dramatically after that, with Scotland and Haiti both playing in a World Cup for the first time this century.
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Group D
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The FIFA world rankings suggest this is the most evenly matched of the 12 groups with three teams — the U.S. at 16, Turkey at 22 and Australia at 27 — all ranked within 11 places of one another. And Paraguay, at 40, is not far behind. Only the top two finishers are assured of advancing to the knockout stages, so a quality team will be left behind. Paraguay has a big advantage in terms of travel, playing all its games in California.
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Group E
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Another top-heavy group led by Germany, a four-time World Cup champion. After that, only Ecuador has advanced beyond the group stage — and it did that just once in four tries. Group play will open with a David-and-Goliath matchup between Germany and Curacao, playing its first World Cup game. But if Curacao can rebound with a positive result against Ecuador in its second game, it could advance to the knockout stages and begin writing the Cinderella story of the tournament.
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Group F
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The Netherlands and Japan are the class of this group. If both teams prove that on the field, Sweden and Tunisia would be left to battle for one of eight third-place tickets to the knockout round; those two teams meet on the first day of group play in Monterrey, Mexico. The Dutch are the only team that won’t cross the border in the first round, playing all three of their games in Texas and Missouri.
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Group G
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Belgium didn’t make it out of the group stage in Qatar after reaching the semifinals four years earlier. That shouldn’t be a problem this year since the Red Devils are the only team in their group ranked in the top 20 and that has advanced out of the round of 16. Travel could be a problem, though, since Belgium opens in Seattle, plays its second game in Inglewood, then travels back to the Pacific Northwest. The war in the Middle East cast Iran’s participation in doubt; if it plays here, Iran will face Egypt on the final day of group play, likely with a spot in the knockout round at stake.
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Group H
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This is the only group with two former champions in Spain, the 2010 winner when it beat the Netherlands for its first world title, and Uruguay, whose two titles came in 1930 and 1950. Spain has returned to its championship pedigree and is among the tournament favorites, while a rebuilding Uruguay, not so much. Still, the South Americans should have an easy path through to the knockout rounds with Cape Verde, one of four World Cup debutants, and Saudi Arabia left to battle for third place and a possible wild-card spot in the round of 32.
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Group I
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France comes to the tournament ranked No. 1 in the world and chasing a third straight trip to a World Cup final. Making it there would bring the tournament full circle for France, since it will start group play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., site of July’s championship game. Its first game against No. 14 Senegal — a longtime French colony — will be its toughest in group play. However Norway, with goal machine Erling Haaland making his World Cup debut, certainly will be worth watching.
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Group J
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Arabia’s victory over Argentina in the group stage. That didn’t derail Lionel Messi and Co., since they went on to win the World Cup. But they’ll have to guard against complacency in the first round again since they’ve been drawn into one of the the weaker groups alongside tournament debutant Jordan and two other countries, Algeria and Austria, that have combined for one World Cup victory since 1990.
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Group K
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Portugal, a quarterfinalist in Qatar, and No. 13 Colombia are the only teams in this group in the top 45 in the latest FIFA rankings, so their matchup on the final day of group play likely will decide who advances as the top team. Of the four teams, only Portugal will play all three group games in the U.S., traveling just 960 miles in the first round. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, will travel about 2½ times as far, playing in Mexico and the U.S., with games in three time zones.
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Group L
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England made it to the final four in Russia and the final eight in Qatar, but this likely will be the final go-around for a roster led by Harry Kane, Harry Maguire and Jordan Pickford. Their first game with No. 11 Croatia in suburban Dallas will go a long way toward determining who wins the group. England is the only team in the foursome that won’t play a first-round game in Canada, but after opening in the air-conditioned comfort of AT&T Stadium, it’ll play two afternoon games in the punishing heat and humidity of a New England summer.
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