World Cup 2026, 50 days out: Five big questions for the summer

Fifty days to go. A World Cup that has been (at least) nine years in the making is nearly here, and it promises to be a truly historic tournament. A revamped format, an open field of contenders, and a last hurrah for the two most dominant figures of modern soccer, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

This summer’s World Cup will be unlike anything we’ve seen in the competition’s 96-year history. With three host nations, 48 qualified teams and 104 games, the 2026 World Cup will bring an avalanche of elite-level soccer to the United States, Canada and Mexico. The only problem might be keeping track of all the action with up to six games a day played across 16 cities in four time zones.

And so, with 50 days to go until kick-off at World Cup 2026, here are five key questions to watch out for at this summer’s tournament...

Can Cristiano Ronaldo lead Portugal to glory?

The last time we saw a first-time world champion was in 2010, when an all-conquering Spain side clinched the World Cup in South Africa. Sixteen years on, are Portugal about to make the step up and join international soccer’s genuine superpowers? A country of just over ten million people, Portugal has produced many of the finest players on the planet, including Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, João Neves, Nuno Mendes. And, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Pelé, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi... After Argentina’s success at the 2022 World Cup, three of the main contenders for soccer’s ‘GOAT’ status have now lifted the biggest prize that the sport has to offer. However Ronaldo, another of the game’s greats, is still yet to taste World Cup success with Portugal. If he can take his nation to the promised land it would be the crowning moment of an already stellar career. Now 41 years old, the 2026 tournament will be Ronaldo’s sixth World Cup appearance and his final chance to add the one trophy that has always eluded him.

Will the USMNT perform on the world stage?

‘Awake, America! Let Soccer Ring’. That 1994 headline from The New York Times hoped that World Cup ‘94 would usher in a new era of success for soccer in the United States. And while there have undoubtedly been huge strides forward in America’s soccer culture, the national team’s best World Cup performance in the intervening 32 years was a quarter-final appearance in 2002. With the tournament coming back to American soil this summer, is the USMNT ready to break new ground on the world stage?

American players like Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen) and Chris Richards (Crystal Palace) are regulars in the top European leagues, and former Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino has plenty of experience to offer his squad. However the performances under Pochettino have been mixed, and they are yet to beat any top-level opponents during his 18 months in charge. Comprehensive defeats to Belgium and Portugal in the March friendlies highlighted the difference in quality between the US and the global elite, but can home advantage and the chance to make history help to fire USMNT to a best-ever finish?

Can World Cup debutantes make an impact?

This summer’s tournament will be the first to feature 48 nations, a significant increase on the 32-team format at the past seven World Cups. That expansion has opened the door for more teams to qualify and there are several first-timers preparing to make their tournament bows this June. The 2026 World Cup will be the first time that Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan have featured in the competition, and the expanded format will give them real hope of advancing beyond the group stage.

For these smaller nations the chance to play at a World Cup could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, for fans and players alike. Jordan are in a group with reigning champions Argentina, while Uzbekistan and Curaçao will take on Portugal and Germany, respectively. But it is Cape Verde who may have the toughest assignment, facing No. 1-ranked Spain in their tournament opener on June 15. Cape Verdean defender Steven Moreira, who plays for MLS side Columbus Crew, is relishing the challenge: “Honestly, I’ve played in Europe, I’ve won in MLS, but when you play for your country it’s something different... I can’t describe it - the passion they give you is just amazing.” Neutrals will be hoping that at least one of those teams can make it out of the groups, and perhaps even further.

Can Argentina go back-to-back?

At the time, Argentina’s triumph at the 2022 World Cup had a definite feeling of finality. At his fifth attempt, a 35-year-old Lionel Messi had led his nation to glory and ended Argentina’s 36-year wait for a third World Cup, ‘La Tercera’. After so much heartbreak with the national team, Messi had finally conquered the tallest peak in soccer. It could have been a fairytale ending for Messi in the blue and white of Argentina. But four years on, the story is still being written.

Messi remains a key piece for Lionel Scaloni’s national team and he starred as Argentina went on to lift the Copa América again in 2024, retaining the title that they won in 2021. After five years of near-unprecedented success, Argentina head into the 2026 World Cup looking to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to retain the trophy. It would be an incredible, almost mythical achievement, one that would take Messi’s legend to even higher planes.

However it will not be easy. Like Messi, other 2022 stars like Emiliano Martínez, Nicolás Otamendi and Rodrigo de Paul are now well into their 30s, while the likes of Enzo Fernández, Cristian Romero and Alexis Mac Allister have had tough seasons with their club sides. Rousing this team again for a fourth straight major tournament will be a difficult task for Scaloni, but this Argentina group has proved that they know how to get the job done on the biggest stage.

Will the games be good?

For the first time ever, the World Cup will be co-hosted by three nations and the scale of the tournament - spanning the US, Canada and Mexico - unlike anything we’ve seen before. With 104 games across an entire continent, the 2026 World Cup will have an entirely different feel to anything that has gone before. For many top players, the huge amounts of travel and expanded format could prove difficult after a grueling European season.

International tournaments - aside from the midseason 2022 World Cup in Qatar - have sometimes suffered from their positioning in soccer’s calendar. Former England coach Fabio Capello spoke about the problem recently, saying that England’s tournament struggles are a consequence of players arriving “tired” after tough Premier League seasons. This summer Arsenal players will arrive after a season of 60+ club games, with little time to recover before the World Cup.

But there is reason to believe that this year’s tournament could be different. With more teams and more groups, organizers have had to extend the tournament this summer, giving teams more recovery time between games. For example, at the 2022 World Cup Argentina had just four days between their group stage games. In 2026, they will have either five or six days to recover. That additional recovery time should help players to reach peak levels on the field, but the extended six-week tournament could to take a toll in the latter stages.

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