Group C: BRAZIL’S QUEST FOR REDEMPTION
BRAZIL I RANK: 6 I BEST RESULT: CHAMPIONS (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
Brazil, the most successful nation in World Cup history, last won the title in 2002. Since then they have been eliminated in the quarterfinal stage at every tournament except in 2014, when as hosts they reached the final four, but suffered a humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany. The Brazilian football confederation recruited veteran coach Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid. Ancelotti has won five Champions League titles but at the World Cup his only coaching experience was as an assistant manager for Italy under Arrigo Sacchi during the 1994 tournament in the United States, when the Italians lost the final to Brazil.
MOROCCO I RANK: 7 I BEST RESULT: FOURTH PLACE (2022)
Morocco finished fourth at the last World Cup — the best result ever by an African team. They beat Spain in the round of 16 and Portugal in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual runners-up France in the last four. They are entering the World Cup fresh off a chaotic end to the Africa Cup of Nations, which they hosted in December and January. Morocco lost the final to Senegal but the result was overturned in March by the Confederation of African Football, which ruled that Senegal forfeited the final by leaving the field of play without the referee’s authorisation. Coach Walid Regragui quit after the final, and Morocco will have a new man in charge at the World Cup: Mohamed Ouahbi, who led Morocco’s under-20 team to the Youth World Cup title.
HAITI I RANK: 82 I BEST RESULT: GROUP STAGE (1974)
They are set to make their second World Cup appearance, and first since 1974, after winning their CONCACAF qualifying group. In 1974, Haiti were eliminated after three consecutive losses against Italy, Poland and Argentina. They are likely to struggle against their groupstage opponents this time around as well.Coached by Frenchman Sebastien Migne, Haiti currently sit in 83rd place in FIFA’s world rankings, ahead of only New Zealand among the 48 teams that have qualified for the World Cup
SCOTLAND I RANK: 43 I BEST RESULT: GROUP STAGE (1954, 1958, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998)
Scotland are playing in their first World Cup since 1998, thanks to a late win over Denmark in their final qualifier. They will be led by Scott McTominay, who scored one of the goals in the dramatic 4-2 win over Denmark that sealed Scotland’s return. Coach Steve Clarke has been in charge since 2019 and will be the first man to lead the nation at three major tournaments. TALES AZZONI/AP
Group D: EVERYTHING TO PLAY FOR
USAI RANK: 16 I BEST RESULT: THIRD PLACE (1930)
The Americans have their weakest goalkeeper group since the 1980s and only one central defender playing in a top European League, Chris Richards. However, they benefit from being seeded as a co-host of the tournament. Christian Pulisic, the top US player, must be relieved after scoring his first international goal since 2024 in a friendly against Senegal on Sunday. US haven’t reached the semifinals since the first World Cup in 1930 and the Americans haven’t advanced to the quarterfinals since the 2002 team sparked by 20-year-olds Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley.
TURKEY I RANK: 22 I BEST RESULT: THIRD PLACE (2002)
The Crescent Stars reached the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup and 2008 European Championship but missed five straight World Cups before qualifying this year by beating Kosovo in a playoff. This will be just the third World Cup appearance for the Turks, who reached the tournament for the first time in 1954. Captain Hakan Çalhanoglu has 22 international goals and Kerem Aktürkoglu has 15, including the winner against Kosovo. Coach Vincenzo Montella, a former Roma striker, took over from Stefan Kuntz in September 2023 and led the team to the quarterfinals of the 2024 European Championship
AUSTRALIA I RANK: 27 I BEST RESULT: ROUND OF 16 (2006, 2022)
After four straight group stage eliminations, the Socceroos beat Tunisia and Denmark at the 2022 tournament and then were knocked out by eventual champions Argentina, who won their round of 16 game 2-1. Goalkeeper Matthew Ryan, the team captain, is headed to his fourth World Cup. Former Australia defender Tony Popovic replaced Graham Arnold as coach in September 2024. Arnold, who had been in his second stint as Socceroos coach, was hired to coach Iraq in May 2025.
PARAGUAY I RANK: 40 I BEST RESULT: QF (2010)
La Albirroja earned the sixth and final automatic berth from South America with a 0-0 draw against Ecuador, returning to football’s top event for the first time since 2010. Paraguay will be appearing in their ninth World Cup.Miguel Almirón, 32, and Antonio Sanabria, 30, are the veterans who head the offense while 22-year-old Julio Enciso and Diego Gómez, 23, have provided an injection of youth. Gustavo Alfaro took over as coach from Daniel Garnero following an 0-3 performance at the 2024 Copa America.
