Spain’s international success following their 2024 Euro campaign, in which they beat England to the trophy under the tutelage of Luis de la Fuente, has revolutionized the international setup after a period of turbulence for Spanish football following their success in the early 2010s. 

The squad that carried Spain to the EUROs trophy will still be largely intact for this tournament with some exciting young players who will only have matured further when this competition kicks off next year. The likes of Pau Cubarsi, Pedri, Yamal, and Williams form an exciting core that Spain can build around. You would expect the European Champions to be in and amongst the conversation come the latter stages of the tournament.

What is particularly promising about Spain is their ability to dominate games on the international stage, it is difficult to find the level of control they do in international football given that these players often do not play together and have limited time to understand the manager's ideas. Luis de la Fuente will be crucial to any success Spain have at this tournament. The head coach has worked his way up the ranks previously being in charge of the youth setups so he has an excellent knowledge of the Spanish pathway and how Spain want to play on the international stage.

Spain saw off Croatia, Italy, France, Germany, and England on the road to winning the European Championship, showing they have the pedigree to compete with some of the best sides in Europe and can translate these performances to the international stage in the latest edition of the World Cup. 

Thomas Tuchel has been drafted into the impossible job of leading England to a major international trophy. The Three Lions have gone close on a few occasions over the last few tournaments, finishing runners-up in two European Championship campaigns as well as deep runs in each of the two previous World Cups in 2022 and 2018.

Tuchel is arguably the perfect manager for a cup competition; his teams are set up game by game with a defensive solidity that is suited to knockout football. What is really interesting from his early comments as England manager is that he wants his side to ‘reflect the Premier League’, making specific reference to the speed and physicality of the division, which is a good marker for how we can expect this England side to operate.

The young talents that were littered throughout the previous international squads have now matured and taken up positions at some of the top clubs in Europe. Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Harry Kane are just some of the talents England are expected to have at their disposal, which will cause any international side problems if the right balance is found, something Gareth Southgate really struggled with. There is arguably too much attacking talent to choose from, but Tuchel is quite a shrewd operator and makes decisions to benefit the whole team as opposed to platforming a particular individual.

England are still missing a few crucial profiles, which is perhaps why they missed out on those recent international tournaments. A true 6 has been missing for some time from the England squad and the defence also has holes which will have to be addressed by the new boss if England want to go deep in this tournament. England have reached at least the quarter-finals in each of the last four major international tournaments, a major improvement on the previous generation of English football, but still just short of ending a 59-year wait for success on the international stage. 

Portuguese football is a really interesting place coming into the 2026 World Cup, guided by former Wigan and Everton boss, Roberto Martinez. Martinez’s managerial style is much more suited to international football, he’s much more like Gareth Southgate in prioritising the culture and atmosphere in the camp but he also has the talent at his disposal to go deep in this tournament. 

Portugal arguably have the most balanced squad in world football aside from France, there are world-class players in every position of the pitch which naturally gives them a decent opportunity to reach the latter stages of the World Cup. It’s yet to be seen if Cristiano Ronaldo will be included in the World Cup squad but all the signs suggest he will be in the squad in some capacity which adds an extra emotional element to the campaign alongside the talent they have.

Portugal do have recent pedigree at the international level, winning the European Championships in 2016 as well as lifting the Nations League in 2019. The recent European Championships saw them exit in the quarter-finals at the hands of France on penalties, they weren’t the most convincing in this tournament but it was an opportunity for Roberto Martinez to learn his squad which will set them up in good stead for this tournament. 

The talent and balance in Portugal’s squad are undeniable, the question will be whether they can find the right balance in forward areas and how Roberto Martinez is able to manage some of the egos in the dressing room which could hinder Portugal from going far in this competition.