Top Storylines to Watch at the FIFA World Cup

For the first time in over three decades, the FIFA World Cup has landed on U.S. soil. Over the next six weeks, Earth’s most important sporting tournament will unfold across our (and Canada’s and Mexico’s) shores as 48 nations compete for the chance to lift a 14-inch gold trophy and achieve the closest thing our species has to immortality.

It’s been a rocky buildup to what’s been hyped as the biggest and grandest World Cup of all time, headlined by exorbitant ticket prices, uncertainty surrounding Iran’s participation, fear of ICE presence at stadiums, and FIFA’s general administrative clumsiness. But when the teams take the pitch and the ball gets rolling June 11, those details will likely fall out of the spotlight, replaced by 9,360 spellbinding minutes of World Cup action.

As the tournament readies for kickoff, these are the biggest storylines we’ll be watching for:

Will USMNT Avoid Disappointment?

Every U.S. team at any World Cup carries the burden of both accelerating the growth of the sport in the 50 states as well as demonstrating and defending the growth that has already taken place. That goes double for a World Cup on home soil.

Coming out of the 2022 World Cup – in which the U.S. had one of the youngest teams in the tournament and qualified for the Round of 16 – there was a sense that something special could be in the works for 2026 on home turf. But the last four years have been largely “meh” for the Stars and Stripes, and even with accomplished coach Mauricio Pochettino at the helm, those dreams of a run to the semifinal round feel like delusions at this point.

Rather than striving for unprecedented success, the benchmark for this U.S. team should be to avoid the kind of international embarrassment that, between our neighbors to the south and our former colonizers across the pond, we’d never hear the end of. The U.S. obviously must make it out of a manageable group that also includes Paraguay, Australia, and Türkiye, and really should win at least one knockout match in this new, expanded bracket that begins at the Round of 32, rather than Round of 16.

A 3-2 win over a strong Senegal squad in a tune-up match over the weekend bodes well for those prospects.

Can Portugal Do It for Ronaldo?

Qatar 2022 will be remembered forever as the crowning moment for Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to its third World Cup victory as the MVP of the tournament. If you’re into the ponderous “GOAT debate,” you know that that World Cup stands as the biggest separator between Messi and his great rival, Portugal’s polarizing Cristiano Ronaldo.

In what will almost certainly be the final World Cup for both legends, could this be Ronaldo’s summer? At 41 (though you’d never know from the sight of him), CR7 is far past his prime, but he’s also never had a better team around him. Portugal boasts arguably the best midfield in the tournament featuring the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, and João Neves, and is strong elsewhere as well. 

Which Nation Will Own the Stands?

A World Cup isn’t just about what happens on the pitch. It’s also about the magic of traveling fans and pride in one’s nation. Given the multicultural makeup of North America, plenty of nations are expected to bring the noise this summer.

Losing the likes of Ireland, Italy, and Poland in qualifying hurts, as those teams would undoubtedly have tremendous support in the States. But we still have the legendary Orange Army of the Netherlands to look forward to, along with anticipated huge crowds for Colombia, Argentina, Scotland, and, of course, England.

Not to mention, every four years we fall in love with a small but mighty nation and its loyal fans. Perhaps Curaçao or Cape Verde will earn that distinction this time around.

While MLS is on break, The Verde Report has its eye on World Cup action. Austin FC next plays Wednesday, July 22.

For more Austin FC news and analysis, visit The Austin Chronicle’s Austin FC hub. Sign up for The Verde Report newsletter to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox, and follow The Verde Report columnist Eric Goodman on X: @goodman.

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