World Cup 2026 Preview (Groups D,E,F) (Opinion)

Group D

1. Turkiye. Turkiye (formerly known as Turkey) went on a nice run in the Euro 2024 and ended up in the quarterfinals. Watch for Arda Guler (Real Madrid) to make plays all over the pitch for this squad.

2. USA. Everyone who reads this post will be asking, "Why are you putting America second?" The question is warranted, but here are the answers. First, current US head coach Mauricio Pochettino is already looking for an escape plan after this World Cup is over. Second, the US did not win a friendly against any European teams this year. Turkiye is in Europe. Although the team has good players like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, the team looks like they do not have quite enough to get over the hump even at home.

3. Paraguay. Paraguay will be led up front by Miguel Almiron and Julio Enciso. The problem for Paraguay is their defense.

4. Australia. Australia was able to surprise teams in the last World Cup by making it to the Round of 16, but the team has not progressed much over the past four years.

Group E

1. Germany. The German team is loaded up front with Joshua Kimmich, Florian Wirtz, Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala, and Leroy Sane. They will need this offensive power to outscore teams because the defense can be shaky at inopportune times.

2. Ivory Coast. The Ivorians have proved that they will be a force to be reckoned with at this World Cup after defeating France in a friendly last week. Their only weakness is at goal as well. Ivory Coast has the potential to finish first in this group with the attack being led by Amad Diallo and Yan Diomande.

3. Ecuador. Ecuador has a strong back four in defense led by William Pacho and Pedro Hincapie along with Moises Caicedo in the midfield. Their goalkeeping is also shaky.

4. Curacao. Congratulations to Curacao for being in their first-ever World Cup. The strength of the team is at midfield with brothers Juninho and Leandro Bacuna. They will have to work together to slow the games down a bit in order to pull off a possible upset.

Group F

1. Netherlands. The Netherlands always boasts a strong squad at World Cups in the past. At the last World Cup, the Dutch almost knocked out the eventual winner Argentina in the quarterfinals. Even with Jurrien Timber and Xavi Simons out of this World Cup due to injury, the team is still loaded at every position. Also, a German mathematician that has predicted correctly the past three World Cups has selected for the Netherlands to win this World Cup. Players to watch for are defenders Virgil Van Dijk and Denzel Dumfries, midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Ryan Gravenberch, and attackers Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo.

2. Sweden. The Swedish are led by the scoring duo of Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak. The defense has improved, but it is still shaky from time to time.

3. Japan. The strength for the Japanese team is on their attack with midfielders Wataru Endo, Daichi Kamada, and Takefusa Kubo along with forwards Daizen Maeda and Ayase Ueda. The issue with Japan is that midfielder Kaoru Mitoma, their best player, will be out of this World Cup due to injury. The defense will be shaky due to Japan looking to attack every time that they have the ball. They will be too vulnerable to counterattacks.

4. Tunisia. Tunisia's strength is in the midfield with Ellyes Skhiri and Hannibal Mejbri. The issue with Tunisia is that they look to win tight games like 1-0 or 2-1 in a group with all three of their opponents always seeking to go forward all of the time. Tunisia's defense will not be able to hold up.