⚽ 2026 World Cup Stats & History: 1 Number to Know for All 48 Teams
The 2026 World Cup is the biggest in its history with 48 teams competing for the first time in this tournament, which will feature 104 matches spread across 16 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico in just 39 days.
Ahead of this year's tournament, I did some homework on every squad and compiled one number that tells a story for each team in the field. From the smallest nation to ever compete in a World Cup to the oldest player in this year's field, there are plenty of interesting figures and tidbits to know about each nation before matches kick off Thursday.
Every team is listed below in alphabetical order within each of the 12 groups at World Cup 2026. You can scroll through to enjoy the full statistical journey through all 48 teams or use the navigation table below to easily click on any group and find a specific team.
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🔢 World Cup stats & numbers to know for every team
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| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| Group A | Czechia, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea |
| Group B | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Qatar, Switzerland |
| Group C | Brazil, Haiti, Morocco, Scotland |
| Group D | Australia, Paraguay, Turkey, United States |
| Group E | Curacao, Ecuador, Germany, Ivory Coast |
| Group F | Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Tunisia |
| Group G | Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand |
| Group H | Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Uruguay |
| Group I | France, Iraq, Norway, Senegal |
| Group J | Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Jordan |
| Group K | Colombia, DR Congo, Portugal, Uzbekistan |
| Group L | Croatia, England, Ghana, Panama |
💡 2026 World Cup rosters breakdown
Our soccer expert Andrew Reid breaks down all 48 teams' World Cup rosters ahead of the 2026 tournament.
⚽ World Cup 2026 Group A
2: Czechia has finished runner-up at the World Cup twice, doing so under the Czechoslovakian banner in both 1934 and 1962. This year marks Czechia's first World Cup appearance since 2006.
17: Mexico features the youngest player in the World Cup field in midfielder Gilberto Mora, who is 17 years and 240 days old.
16: South Africa's first match of the 2026 tournament against Mexico on June 11 will be 16 years exactly since South Africa opened the 2010 World Cup as the host nation with a match against - you guessed it - Mexico.
5: South Korea is one of five nations to qualify for every World Cup since 1986, joining Argentina, Brazil, Germany, and Spain.
🏆️ World Cup Group A predictions
Reid is backing Mexico in his World Cup Group A predictions with second place coming down to the tournament's second match between South Korea and Czechia.
⚽ World Cup 2026 Group B
40: Bosnia-Herzegovina's top scorer in World Cup qualifying was 40-year-old forward Edin Džeko, who is the country's all-time leading scorer and led his side to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
20: Of the last 22 previous World Cup host nations, 20 have made it to at least the Round of 16 - the two exceptions being South Africa in 2010 and Qatar in 2022. Canada did not make it past the group stage in either of its two previous World Cup appearances in 1986 and 2022.
1: Qatar scored one goal in its lone World Cup appearance in 2022, courtesy of Mohammed Muntari against Senegal. Muntari is also on the 2026 squad.
88: It has been 88 years since Switzerland has won a knockout match in the World Cup. The last time they did so was against Germany in 1938 in the Round of 16 before losing to Hungary in the quarterfinals.
🏆️ World Cup Group B predictions
Reid calls Group B one of the trickier draws but trusts Switzerland to outlast host Canada in his World Cup Group B predictions.
⚽ World Cup 2026 Group C
23: Brazil has appeared in 23 consecutive World Cups, participating in every tournament since 1930. They are the only team to make each of the past 23 World Cups.
52: The 2026 World Cup marks Haiti's first appearance in the tournament since 1974. That year, the Haitians failed to make it out of the group stage after starting in a pod with Italy, Poland, and Argentina.
1: Morocco is the only African and Arab team to ever make a World Cup semifinal. The Atlas Lions made it all the way to the semifinals of the 2022 tournament before falling in a tight match against runners-up France.
43: Scotland features the oldest player in the World Cup field in goalkeeper Craig Gordon, who is 43 years and 162 days old.
🏆️ World Cup Group C predictions
Reid backs Brazil in his World Cup Group C predictions, but it's the favorites' surprising new approach - and who advances alongside them - that has his attention in this group.
⚽ World Cup 2026 Group D
16: Australia had one of its most successful World Cup runs ever in 2022, when the Socceroos made it to the Round of 16 before falling 2-1 to eventual champion Argentina.
0.78: Paraguay averaged 0.78 goals per game during World Cup qualifying, tied for the lowest mark of any nation in the tournament field.
3: In its last World Cup appearance in 2002, Turkey placed third in just its second tournament ever, the best finish of any team making their second World Cup appearance.
8: The United States' 26-man roster is tied for the most Major League Soccer (MLS) players in the tournament with eight alongside Canada.
🏆️ World Cup Group D predictions
Reid sees little between co-host USA and Turkey atop Group D, so his World Cup Group D predictions hunt for value further down the table.
⚽ World Cup 2026 Group E
156,115: With a population of just 156,115, Curacao is the smallest nation to ever qualify for a World Cup.
3: Ecuador had an automatic three-point deduction in World Cup qualifying after fielding an ineligible player during the previous qualifying cycle in 2022. Despite this, La Tricolor qualified for its second straight World Cup.
21: Germany has qualified for 21 World Cups, the best mark of any European nation, including 19 tournaments in a row. The last time Germany didn't participate in the World Cup was in 1950, when it was banned following World War II.
25.82: Ivory Coast is the youngest team in the 2026 World Cup, with an average age of 25.82 among its squad members.
🏆️ World Cup Group E predictions
Reid has Germany in control in his World Cup Group E predictions with second place likely settled when Ecuador and Ivory Coast meet on June 14.
⚽ World Cup 2026 Group F
51: Across 16 qualifying matches in the leadup to the World Cup, Japan finished with an insane goal differential of 51, scoring 54 times while conceding just three goals to their competition.
15: Netherlands features the most English Premier League players of any nation in the tournament with 15. Liverpool, Brighton, and Manchester City all contribute three players to the squad.
0: Sweden finished at the bottom of its World Cup qualifying group with zero wins, two draws and four defeats. Yet the Swedes managed to qualify for the tournament after beating Ukraine and Poland in the Nations League playoff.
48: Tunisia was the first African and Arab nation to ever win a World Cup match, defeating Mexico 3-1 in the group stage 48 years ago back in 1978. Tunisia's win is widely credited with accelerating FIFA's expansion of African representation in the tournament.
🏆️ World Cup Group F predictions
Reid sees the Netherlands and Japan clear of the field in his World Cup Group F predictions, but a tempting long shot could flip who finishes on top.
⚽ World Cup 2026 Group G
90: Striker Romelu Lukaku is the all-time leading scorer for the Belgian national team with 90 goals in 126 caps. The player with the next most goals is midfielder Kevin de Bruyne with 37.
92: It has been 92 years since Egypt played in a knockout match in a World Cup, last doing so in 1934 when there were only 16 teams in the tournament and there was no group stage.
7: This will be Iran's seventh appearance in the World Cup. Iran failed to make it out of the group stage in each of its previous six appearances.
85: New Zealand is the lowest-ranked team in the field, sitting at 85th in FIFA's rankings heading into the World Cup.
🏆️ World Cup Group G predictions
Belgium is the clear class of these four teams, so in his World Cup Group G predictions, Reid finds his best value at the very bottom of the table.
⚽ World Cup 2026 Group H
0: Cape Verde is one of two teams in the 2026 World Cup, along with Panama, to feature zero players younger than 23 on their 26-man squad.
25: Of Saudi Arabia's 26-man squad, 25 players compete for teams in the Saudi Pro League. The only Saudi player representing a European team is right back Saud Abdulhamid, who plays for French side RC Lens.
2: Spain won its lone World Cup title in 2010, two years after winning the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament. Spain also enters this year's World Cup as one of the title favorites, two years removed from winning the 2024 Euros.
3.4 million: With an estimated population of 3.4 million people, Uruguay is the smallest country to ever win a World Cup, doing so twice in 1930 and 1950.
🏆️ World Cup Group H predictions
Spain is the tournament's biggest group favorite, but Reid highlights the schedule in his World Cup Group H predictions as a major advantage for Uruguay in the chase for first place.
⚽ World Cup 2026 Group I
12: French forward Kylian Mbappé has 12 career World Cup goals in just 14 appearances. Mbappé won the Golden Boot at the 2022 tournament with eight goals for France.
40: Before 2026, Iraq last made the World Cup 40 years ago in 1986. That year, the "Lions of Mesopotamia" finished the group stage with zero points after drawing Mexico, Belgium, and Paraguay.
28: The last time Norway appeared in the World Cup was 28 years ago in 1998, which was two years before the nation's all-time leading scorer - Erling Haaland (55 goals) - was born.
24: Senegal's most successful World Cup appearance came 24 years ago in 2002, when they beat reigning world champions France in their opening game and made it to the quarterfinals. Senegal also starts the 2026 tournament against France.
🏆️ World Cup Group I predictions
Reid expects France and Haaland's Norway to handle the field in his World Cup Group I predictions, but his best bet is buried deeper in the race for third place.
⚽ World Cup 2026 Group J
10: Algerian striker Mohamed Amoura led all players in CAF qualifying with 10 goals, edging out Egyptian Mohamed Salah for the honor.
13: Lionel Messi has scored the most World Cup goals among all active players with 13 across five previous tournaments. Messi needs four more goals for Argentina this tournament to break German forward Miroslav Klose's record of 16.
2.05: At 2.05 meters (6 feet, 9 inches), Austrian goalkeeper Florian Wiegele is the tallest player to ever make a World Cup squad.
20: Jordan has the lowest estimated squad value at the 2026 tournament at €20 million, according to Transfermarkt. Half of that value comes from winger Mousa Tamari, who has an estimated value of €10 million.
🏆️ World Cup Group J predictions
Reid has defending champion Argentina atop his World Cup Group J predictions, but the fight for second headlines his best bet for the group.
⚽ World Cup 2026 Group K
6: Midfielder James Rodriguez scored six goals for Colombia to win the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. This will be Rodriguez' third World Cup representing Los Cafeteros.
48: The Democratic Republic of the Congo was the 48th and final team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, doing so on a headed winner by Axel Tuanzebe in extra time against Jamaica.
21: Rúben Neves will wear the No. 21 shirt for Portugal at the 2026 World Cup, a tribute to teammate and dear friend Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash last July at just 28 years old. Jota wore No. 21 for Portugal when they competed at the 2022 World Cup.
20: Twenty years ago, in 2006, Fabio Cannavaro helped Italy win the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Cannavaro is now the manager of Uzbekistan, who are making their first World Cup appearance this year.
🏆️ World Cup Group K predictions
Check back soon as we publish our World Cup Group K predictions.
⚽ World Cup 2026 Group L
3: Since gaining independence as a nation in 1991, Croatia has three top-three finishes at the World Cup, finishing as runners-up in 2018 and winning the third-place match in both 1998 and 2022.
60: It has been 60 years since England won its lone World Cup title in 1966. The Three Lions won the 1966 tournament on home soil. That was also their only appearance in a World Cup final.
10: This past year, Ghana winger Antoine Semenyo became the first player since Andy Cole to score 10 or more goals in all competitions for two different teams (Bournemouth and Manchester City) during the same Premier League season.
1,525: Panama leads all nations in the 2026 World Cup with 1,525 international caps across its 26-man squad.
🏆️ World Cup Group L predictions
Check back soon as we publish our World Cup Group L predictions.
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