Power Ranking of America’s 12 National Teams in the 2026 World Cup

Twelve teams from North and South America will be in the World Cup. I have the current champions as the best.

Argentina will be one of the teams to beat in this World Cup, with Lionel Messi returning to defend the trophy he led his country to regain in the winter of 2022. However, there are other teams from Central and South America that could also be spoilers in this tournament.

Here’s how I rank America’s 12 teams ahead of Mexico’s World Cup opener on Thursday against South Africa.

If there is a trophy for the team that will bring the best vibes to the World Cup this summer, it is Curacao. You see the entrances to the players’ training and dance, their traveling school bus – it’s absolutely epic. They will make the most of the tournament on and off the court from an experience standpoint and hopefully from a gameplay perspective.

Most of the players are from Holland, so there will be a solid base for this team that ultimately lacks international experience. (I also hope to go on vacation to Curacao after the tournament.)

Obviously, Panama had a difficult group with England, Croatia and Ghana. This team will lean 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 in defense against three strong opponents and without lapses in concentration. Also, on a positive note, hot weather will not affect them.

Panama has stumped teams in the past in CONCACAF, so I wouldn’t rule them out, but making any real noise in this tournament will be a tall order. Set pieces will be key.

Stay tuned for the Croatia match. I think Panama could surprise us.

Haiti might surprise some people here. They have had some solid results in friendlies, including a 4-0 win over New Zealand on June 2.

Additionally, Haiti will have the potential home field advantage in the United States, with plenty of fans at every game. Don’t count this team out.

Paraguay returns to the World Cup for the first time since 2010, when it reached the quarterfinals in South Africa.

He will have a great defensive focus, but could have some weaknesses where he lacks concentration when the game is in transition. I could also see the Paraguayans fighting to score.

Overall, this is the most direct team in South America and with the fewest passes in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, so they will not need many passes to score. Paraguay also had the most tackles of any team in their 18 qualifiers.

Under head coach Jesse Marsch, high pressure will be Canada’s greatest strength. However, it could also be his biggest weakness if he can’t sustain it for an entire match against quality opposition later in the tournament. Canada will have to take advantage of the possibility of playing its group matches in its home country.

Alphonso Davies will be the clear chance generator in the future, but is the Bayern Munich man 100 per cent fit and healthy? Whether that is the case throughout the tournament will determine how successful Canada can be.

The first thing I think about Mexico is the inconsistency, both in terms of coaching staff and personnel. You never know very well what is going to happen to you with El Tri.

The goalkeeper will be a question heading into the tournament. Chivas goalkeeper Raul Rangel will start, but I’ll be patiently waiting for some magic of potential Memo Ochoa moments and Memo memories.

Looking ahead, there will be a lot of pressure on forwards Santiago Giménez and Raúl Jiménez to score the big goals.

Will Bielsa be able to prove himself on the world’s biggest stage? Coach Marcelo Bielsa always highlights high pressure and aggressiveness, which are already part of the charrua claw mindset.

There has been talk of friction in the squad, which is alarming, but it is time for the leaders to get this team going without players like Luis Suárez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Godín.

Eyes will be on Real Madrid star Federico Valverde, who will bring the most experience to this team. There is also a big doubt about defender Ronald Araújo’s recovery from injury.

Despite some notable losses in the last 12 months, specifically a 5-1 loss to the United States in the fall, I still think Uruguay can become a tournament team that is defensively solid enough and aggressive enough to achieve some impressive results.

I have the United States as my dark horse. Having followed him for the last four years, it has been fantastic to see how coach Mauricio Pochettino and his coaching staff have integrated the importance of culture with intensity.

Coming into the tournament we saw two solid performances and that mentality came together against Senegal and Germany. The United States is on an upward trend entering the World Cup.

Folarin Balogun is a potential rising star in this tournament. He is a very dynamic player and a constant threat who performs well in front of goal, constantly getting into very good positions while playing with a defender on his back. It is also the United States’ first line of defense in its press. I’m very excited to see how Balogun links up with Christian Pulisic.

A key player will be Weston McKennie in midfield. He comes from a very good season with Juventus in Italy and can play in many positions between midfield and attack. Having his experience in midfield, where it looks like he will play, will be very valuable.

Two other names I hope to see: Antonee Robinson and Sebastian Berhalter. I’m looking forward to seeing Robinson in this American attack, especially after his great goal against Germany. For Berhalter, can he be a starter on this team? It’s a fantastic story, the coach’s son watching his father train at the last tournament. I’m a big fan of him.

Finally, the position that worries me for the tournament: goalkeeper. Matt Freese will be the most inexperienced goalkeeper in recent times in a World Cup if he starts. I hope he has a good tournament and comes to the tournament with a lot of confidence.

Ecuador finished second in the CONMEBOL standings and is very solid defensively. Midfielder Moisés Caicedo has become a leader and has had an incredible impact both internationally and for his club, Chelsea.

Ecuador may lack quality in attack, but striker Enner Valencia is capable of scoring a great goal. This team’s greatest strength is defense, and those types of teams tend to have good results at the tournament level.

Ecuador’s opening game is at New York/New Jersey Stadium, and I can’t wait to see the entire stadium wearing yellow against Germany on June 25.

Yes yes, Colombia yes yes Caribbean!

Obviously, this is the country of my roots. Colombia is a vibrant, technical team that loves possession and has the biggest threat of this World Cup in forward Luis Díaz. He was a great player at Liverpool and is coming off a sensational first season at Bayern Munich.

James Rodríguez has not had consistency at the club level, but that is nothing new. He always appears in the national team when it matters most.

I am worried 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 in the defensive line. Additionally, goaltending is a potential concern.

Brazil did not do very well in qualifying for the World Cup, finishing fifth in CONMEBOL. This team was very inconsistent and found themselves in a lot of trouble on both ends of the field.

Vini Jr. is obviously who this team will rely heavily on in attack, and Raphinha has become an important player for them since moving to Barcelona two years ago. Can those two combine to boost Brazil’s attack? In defense, Brazil has solid centre-backs like Gabriel and Marquinhos, but this team overall is not as strong as in previous eras.

That doesn’t mean this team won’t be a threat, especially under experienced coach Carlo Ancelotti. A foreign coach has never won a World Cup, but this is the kind of coach with an impressive resume who could become the first.

A key player to watch in Brazil is 19-year-old Endrick. We talked about a lot of young players in this tournament, like Jamal Musiala from Germany or Lamine Yamal from Spain, but I think Endrick has great potential and could be the future of Brazil, starting with this tournament.

The last time a team won two consecutive World Cups was in 1958 and 1962, when Pelé coached Brazil. Will the motivation be there for Argentina? Most of the players on this squad were there in 2022.

Argentina still has a very strong squad at a time when Lionel Messi is not at the same level as he was in 2022. However, he is still putting up good numbers for Inter Miami and will be the leader of this team.

It’s worth noting that goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is dealing with a hand injury right now, which is not good for that position entering a tournament. Another key player to watch is striker Julián Álvarez, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid from Atlético Madrid, something I hope does not happen as a fan. He is a very creative player and a great goal threat, even on set pieces as an incredible free-kick taker.

There is no doubt about Argentine talent. It’s just a question of whether this team will give its all to win this tournament again.