Twelve teams will be at the World Cup from North and South America. I have the reigning champions as the best.
Argentina will be one of the teams to beat at this World Cup, with Lionel Messi returning to defend the trophy he led his country to back in the winter of 2022. There are other teams from Central America and South America, though, that could also be a spoiler at this tournament.
Here’s how I rank all 12 teams from the Americas ahead of Mexico’s World Cup opener on Thursday against South Africa.
Tahith Chong is the only player on Curaçao who was actually born in the country. (Visionhaus/Getty Images)
If there was a trophy for the team that will bring the best vibes to the World Cup this summer, it’s Curaçao. You see the players’ training entrances and dancing, their traveling school bus — it’s absolutely epic. They’ll make the most of the tournament on and off the pitch from an experience standpoint and hopefully from a playing perspective.
Most of the players are from the Netherlands, so there will be a solid base for this squad that ultimately lacks international experience. (I’m also hoping to vacation in Curaçao after the tournament.)
11.
Midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla will be the go-to guy for Panama. (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
Obviously, Panama got a tough group with England, Croatia and Ghana. This team will be leaning heavily on midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla and Aníbal Godoy, who plays for San Diego FC and has 159 international caps to his name. Panama will have to be solid defensively against three strong opponents with no lapses in concentration. Also, on a positive note, the warm climate won’t affect them.
Panama has stumped teams in the past in CONCACAF, so I wouldn’t count them out, but making real noise in this tournament will be a difficult task. Set pieces will be key.
Keep an eye out for that Croatia game. I think Panama could pull off a surprise.
10.
Striker Duckens Nazon is Haiti’s all-time-leading goalscorer. (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Haiti could surprise some people here. It has had some solid results in friendlies, including a 4-0 win over New Zealand back on June 2.
Also, Haiti will have a potential home-field advantage in the U.S. with a lot of fans at every game. Don’t rule this team out.
9.
Miguel Almiron will power the attack for a Paraguay team that will be focused on its defensive strength. (Daniel Duarte/AFP via Getty Images)
Paraguay is back at the World Cup for the first time since 2010, when it made the quarterfinals in South Africa.
It will have a big defensive focus, but it could have some flaws where it lacks concentration when the game is in transition. I also could see the Paraguayans struggling to score.
Overall, this is the most direct team in South America with the fewest passes in CONMEBOL qualifying, so it won’t need many passes to score. Paraguay also had the most tackles of any team in its 18 qualifiers.
8.
Canada will go as far as its star, Alphonso Davies, leads it. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Under head coach Jesse Marsch, the high press is going to be Canada’s biggest strength. It could also be its biggest weakness, though, if it can’t sustain it for the entirety of a game against quality opposition later in the tournament. Canada will have to take advantage of playing its group games in its home country.
Alphonso Davies will be the clear generator of chances going forward, but is the Bayern Munich man 100 percent healthy and in form? Whether that’s the case for the entirety of the tournament will determine how successful Canada can be.
7.
This will be Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa’s sixth World Cup. (Molly Darlington – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
The first thing I think of with Mexico is inconsistency, both in terms of coaching and personnel. You never quite know what you’re going to get with El Tri.
Goalkeeper will be a question going into the tournament. I will be patiently awaiting some magic from memorable Memo Ochoa moments and Memo memorabilia.
Going forward, there will be a lot of pressure on strikers Santiago Giménez and Raúl Jiménez to score the big goals.
6.
Uruguay star Federico Valverde greets fans at the airport before departing for the World Cup. (Santiago Mazzarovich / AFP via Getty Images)
Can Bielsa ball prove itself on the world’s greatest stage? Manager Marcelo Bielsa always emphasizes the high press and aggression, which are already part of the garra charrúa mentality.
There has been talk of friction in the squad, which is alarming, but it’s time for the leaders to get this team going without the likes of Luis Suárez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Godín.
Eyes will be on Real Madrid star Federico Valverde, who will provide the most experience in this squad. There is also a big question about defender Ronald Araújo coming back from injury.
Despite some noteworthy defeats over the past 12 months, specifically a 5-1 loss to the U.S. in the fall, I still think Uruguay can become a tournament team that is sound defensively and aggressive enough to pull off some impressive results.
5.
Christian Pulisic (left), Antonee Robinson (center) and Weston McKennie will be key players for the United States this summer. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
I have the U.S. as my dark horse. Having followed it throughout the past four years, it’s been great to see how head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his coaching staff have integrated the importance of culture with intensity.
Entering the tournament, we saw two strong performances and that mentality come together against Senegal and Germany. The U.S. is trending upward entering the World Cup.
Folarin Balogun is a potential breakout star in this tournament. He’s such a dynamic player and a constant threat who does well in front of goal, consistently putting himself in so many good positions while playing with a defender on his back. He is also the first line of defense for the U.S. in its press. I’m really excited to see how Balogun links up with Christian Pulisic.
A key player is going to be Weston McKennie in midfield. He’s coming off a really good season with Juventus in Italy and can play so many positions between the midfield and attack. Having his experience in midfield, where it looks like he’ll play, will be very valuable.
Two other names I’m looking forward to watching: Antonee Robinson and Sebastian Berhalter. I’m looking forward to seeing Robinson in this U.S. attack, especially after his banger of a goal against Germany. For Berhalter, can he be a starter in this team? He’s a fantastic story, the coach’s kid who watched his dad coach at the last tournament. I’m a big fan of him.
Lastly, the position that’s a worry for me going into the tournament: goalkeeper. Matt Freese will be the most inexperienced goalkeeper in recent memory at a World Cup if he’s the starter. I hope he has a good tournament and enters the tournament with great confidence.
4.
Midfielder Moises Caicedo is the heartbeat of Ecuador’s team. (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Ecuador finished second in CONMEBOL qualifying and is very solid defensively. Midfielder Moises Caicedo has grown into a leader and has made an incredible impact both at the international level and for his club, Chelsea.
Ecuador might lack quality in attack, but striker Enner Valencia is capable of popping up with a big goal. This team’s biggest strength is defensively, and those kinds of teams tend to do well at the tournament level.
Ecuador’s opening match is at New York/New Jersey Stadium, and I can’t wait to see the entire stadium looking yellow against Germany on June 25.
3.
Luis Diaz enters the World Cup as one of the best players in the tournament. (Raul ARBOLEDA / AFP via Getty Images)
¡Si si, Colombia si si caribe!
Obviously, this is the country of my roots. Colombia is a team that is vibrant, technical, loves possession and has the biggest threat this World Cup will have going forward in winger Luis Díaz. He was a great player at Liverpool and is coming off a sensational first season at Bayern Munich.
James Rodríguez hasn’t had consistency at the club level, but that’s nothing new. He always shows up for the national team when it matters most.
I have worries about this team defensively, which we saw in a friendly against Costa Rica on June 1, which Colombia won, 3-1. At times, the Colombian defense lacked the necessary concentration and consistency at the back line. Also, goalkeeping is a potential concern.
2.
Brazil was not very good in World Cup qualifying, finishing fifth in CONMEBOL. This team was very inconsistent, finding themselves in a lot of trouble on both ends of the pitch.
Vini Jr. is obviously who this team is going to lean on heavily in attack, and Raphinha has become a major player for them since he moved to Barcelona two years ago. Can those two combine to power the Brazil attack? In defense, Brazil has solid center backs in Gabriel and Marquinhos, but this team is overall not as strong as previous eras.
That doesn’t mean that this team is not going to be a threat, especially under experienced manager Carlo Ancelotti. A foreign manager has never won the World Cup, but this is the type of coach with an extremely impressive résumé who could become the first.
A key player to watch for Brazil is 19-year-old Endrick. We talk up a lot of young players in this tournament, like Jamal Musiala for Germany or Lamine Yamal for Spain, but I think Endrick has great potential and could be the future of Brazil – starting with this tournament.
1.
The last time a team won back-to-back World Cups was 1958 and 1962, when Pele led Brazil. Is the motivation going to be there for Argentina? The majority of the players in this squad were there in 2022.
Argentina still has a very strong roster at a time when Lionel Messi is not at the same peak level he was in 2022. He’s still putting up strong numbers for Inter Miami, though, and will be the leader for this team.
It’s worth noting that goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is dealing with a hand injury right now, which isn’t great for that position entering a tournament. Another key player to watch is striker Julian Alvarez, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid from Atlético Madrid, which I hope doesn’t happen as a fan. He’s a very creative player and such a goal threat, including on set pieces as an incredible free-kick taker.
There’s no doubting Argentina’s talent. It’s just a matter of whether this team will go full throttle to win this tournament again.
