Power Ranking of the 12 teams from the Americas at the 2026 World Cup

Twelve teams from North and South America will participate in the World Cup. I consider the reigning champions to be the best.

Argentina will be one of the teams to beat at this World Cup, with Lionel Messi returning to defend the trophy as he led his country into the winter of 2022. There are, however, other teams from Central and South America who could also spoil this tournament.

Here’s how I rank the 12 teams in the Americas ahead of Mexico’s World Cup opener Thursday against South Africa.

If there was a trophy for the team that will bring the best atmosphere to the World Cup this summer, it’s Curaçao. You see the players’ practice and dance entrances, their school bus on the move – it’s absolutely epic. They will get the most out of the tournament on and off the field from an experience point of view and hopefully from a playing point of view.

Most of the players are from the Netherlands, so there will be a solid foundation for this team which ultimately lacks international experience. (I also hope to vacation in Curaçao after the tournament.)

Obviously, Panama finds itself in a difficult group with England, Croatia and Ghana. This team will rely 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 and unfailing opponents. Also, on a positive note, the warm climate will not affect them.

Panama have upset teams in the past in CONCACAF, so I wouldn’t rule them out, but really making noise in this tournament will be a difficult task. Set pieces will be key.

Keep an eye on this match against Croatia. I think Panama could spring a surprise.

Haiti might surprise some here. He had strong results in friendlies, including a 4–0 victory over New Zealand on June 2.

Additionally, Haiti will potentially have a home-field advantage against the United States, with many fans at each game. Don’t rule out this team.

Paraguay returned to the World Cup for the first time since 2010, when they reached the quarter-finals in South Africa.

He will have great defensive focus, but he might have some flaws where he lacks focus when the game is in transition. I also saw the Paraguayans having difficulty scoring.

Overall, they are the most direct team in South America with the fewest passes in CONMEBOL qualifying, so they won’t need many passes to score. Paraguay also made the most tackles of any team in their 18 qualifiers.

Under the direction of head coach Jesse Marsch, the high press will be Canada’s greatest strength. This could also be his biggest weakness, if he can’t maintain it for the entirety of a match against quality opposition later in the tournament. Canada will have to take advantage of playing its group matches in its home country.

Alphonso Davies will clearly be the chance generator in the future, but is the Bayern Munich man 100% healthy and fit? Whether this is the case for the duration of the tournament will determine Canada’s success.

The first thing I think of with Mexico is the inconsistency, both in terms of coaching and personnel. You never really know what you’re going to get with El Tri.

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

Going forward, there will be a lot of pressure on strikers Santiago Giménez and Raúl Jiménez to score the big goals.

Can Bielsa’s ball prove himself on the world’s biggest stage? Manager Marcelo Bielsa always emphasizes high pressure and aggression, which are already part of the garra charrua mentality.

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

Eyes will be on Real Madrid star Federico Valverde, who will provide the most experience in this team. There is also a big question regarding the return of defender Ronald Araújo from injury.

Despite some notable losses over the past 12 months, particularly a 5-1 defeat to the United States in the fall, I still think Uruguay can become a tournament team that is defensively strong and aggressive enough to achieve impressive results.

I have the United States as my dark horse. After following him for the last four years, it’s great to see how head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his coaching staff have internalized the importance of culture with intensity.

Coming into the tournament we saw two good performances and that mentality come together against Senegal and Germany. The United States is trending upward heading into the World Cup.

Folarin Balogun is a potential star of this tournament. He is such a dynamic player and a constant threat who does well in front of goal, consistently putting himself in many good positions while playing with a defender on his back. It also constitutes the first line of defense of the United States in its press. I’m really excited to see how Balogun pairs with Christian Pulisic.

A key player will be Weston McKennie in midfield. He has just had a very good season with Juventus in Italy and can play in many positions between midfield and attack. Having his experience in midfield, where he appears to play, will be very valuable.

Two other names I’m excited to see: Antonee Robinson and Sebastian Berhalter. I can’t wait to see Robinson in this USA attack, especially after his great goal against Germany. For Berhalter, can he be a starter on this team? It’s a fantastic story, the son of a coach who saw his father coach in the last tournament. I’m a big fan of his.

Finally, the position that concerns me before the tournament: that of goalkeeper. Matt Freese will be the most inexperienced goalkeeper in recent memory at a World Cup if he starts. I hope he has a good tournament and enters the tournament with great confidence.

Ecuador finished second in CONMEBOL qualifying and are very solid defensively. Midfielder Moises Caicedo has emerged as a leader and has made 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 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 will be at New York/New Jersey Stadium, and I can’t wait to see the entire stadium in yellow against Germany on June 25.

¡Yes yes, Colombia yes yes Caribbean!

This is obviously the country of my roots. Colombia is a dynamic, technical team that loves possession and represents the biggest threat this World Cup will have in the future with winger Luis Díaz. He was a great player at Liverpool and is coming off a sensational first season at Bayern Munich.

James Rodríguez has not shown consistency at club level, but that is nothing new. He always shows up for the national team when it matters most.

I have concerns for this team defensively, which we saw in the 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. Additionally, goaltending is a potential concern.

Brazil didn’t do very well in World Cup qualifying, finishing fifth in CONMEBOL. This team was very inconsistent and found itself in great difficulty on both ends of the field.

Vini Jr. is obviously who this team is going to rely on heavily in attack, and Raphinha has become a major player for them since moving to Barcelona two years ago. Can these two combine to power Brazil’s attack? Defensively, Brazil has strong central defenders in Gabriel and Marquinhos, but this team overall is not as strong as previous eras.

That’s not to say this team won’t be a threat, especially under experienced manager Carlo Ancelotti. A foreign coach has never won the World Cup, but he’s the type of coach with an extremely impressive resume who could become the first.

Endrick, 19, is a key player to watch for Brazil. We talk a lot about 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.

The last time a team won back-to-back World Cups was in 1958 and 1962, when Pele managed Brazil. Will the motivation be there for Argentina? The majority of players in this squad were there in 2022.

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

It should be noted that goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is currently dealing with a hand injury, which is not ideal for the position ahead of a tournament. Another key player to watch is striker Julian Alvarez, who has been linked with a move from Atlético Madrid to Real Madrid, which I hope doesn’t happen as a fan. He is a very creative player and such a goal threat, including from set pieces as an incredible free kick taker.

There is no doubt about Argentina’s talent. It’s just a question of whether this team will do everything possible to win this tournament again.