The Field · Summer 2026
Forty-eight
nations.
One ball, six confederations, twelve groups, one bracket. Every nation that survived qualifying — the storied, the upstart, the still-finding-its-feet. Read every story, then watch them write a new one.
By confederation
// who sent how many · slots distributed by qualification roundThree to watch
A defending champion, a dark horse, and a giant on a cold streak. Every story has a starting line.
ARG
Argentina arrives with a target on its back and a 38-year-old cheat code.
Group J, and a generation that already lifted the trophy once is back for an encore.
Dark horseMAR
Morocco's 2022 semifinal wasn't a fluke. It was a forecast.
Group C with Brazil, Haiti and Scotland — bracket gravity or a producer's idea of a teaser trailer.
Watch the droughtGER
Germany hasn't won a knockout match since 2016. Group E is not a soft landing.
Curaçao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador — three sides who'd love to be the punchline of someone else's myth.
- CONCACAF
MEX
Mexico1Pot3Matches - CAF
RSA
South Africa2Pot3Matches - AFC
KOR
South Korea3Pot3Matches - UEFA
CZE
Czech Republic4Pot3Matches - CONCACAF
CAN
Canada1Pot3Matches - UEFA
BIH
Bosnia & Herzegovina2Pot3Matches - AFC
QAT
Qatar3Pot3Matches - UEFA
SUI
Switzerland4Pot3Matches - CONMEBOL
BRA
Brazil1Pot3Matches - CAF
MAR
Morocco2Pot3Matches - CONCACAF
HAI
Haiti3Pot3Matches - UEFA
SCO
Scotland4Pot3Matches - CONCACAF
USA
USA1Pot3Matches - CONMEBOL
PAR
Paraguay2Pot3Matches - AFC
AUS
Australia3Pot3Matches - UEFA
TUR
Türkiye4Pot3Matches - UEFA
GER
Germany1Pot3Matches - CONCACAF
CUW
Curaçao2Pot3Matches - CAF
CIV
Ivory Coast3Pot3Matches - CONMEBOL
ECU
Ecuador4Pot3Matches - UEFA
NED
Netherlands1Pot3Matches - AFC
JPN
Japan2Pot3Matches - UEFA
SWE
Sweden3Pot3Matches - CAF
TUN
Tunisia4Pot3Matches - UEFA
BEL
Belgium1Pot3Matches - CAF
EGY
Egypt2Pot3Matches - AFC
IRN
Iran3Pot3Matches - OFC
NZL
New Zealand4Pot3Matches - UEFA
ESP
Spain1Pot3Matches - CAF
CPV
Cape Verde Islands2Pot3Matches - AFC
KSA
Saudi Arabia3Pot3Matches - CONMEBOL
URU
Uruguay4Pot3Matches - UEFA
FRA
France1Pot3Matches - CAF
SEN
Senegal2Pot3Matches - AFC
IRQ
Iraq3Pot3Matches - UEFA
NOR
Norway4Pot3Matches - CONMEBOL
ARG
Argentina1Pot3Matches - CAF
ALG
Algeria2Pot3Matches - UEFA
AUT
Austria3Pot3Matches - AFC
JOR
Jordan4Pot3Matches - UEFA
POR
Portugal1Pot3Matches - CAF
COD
Congo DR2Pot3Matches - AFC
UZB
Uzbekistan3Pot3Matches - CONMEBOL
COL
Colombia4Pot3Matches - UEFA
ENG
England1Pot3Matches - UEFA
CRO
Croatia2Pot3Matches - CAF
GHA
Ghana3Pot3Matches - CONCACAF
PAN
Panama4Pot3Matches
One bracket. One-hundred-four matches.
One trophy to argue about for four years.
Every nation here has at least three matches. Thirty-two go home before the round of 16. The other sixteen start writing history — or another chapter of the myth.