World Cup 2026: A Look at the Debutants
The 2026 World Cup will welcome four debutants: Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan. Each of these countries has its unique story and challenges in the tournament.
The latest edition of world football's quadrennial celebration will take place in 2026, and it's cause for celebration for football fans. North America is the setting for what promises to be one of the biggest and best editions of the World Championship. Whether the 2026 World Cup will be the best ever can only be judged later. However, it is undeniably the largest with a record 48 teams participating, which is a 50% increase on the 2022 finals. In addition, the total number of matches increases from 64 to 104. Within these 48 countries are a number of household names, including previous winners such as Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Spain and Uruguay. However, for four of the participating countries it is a new adventure on this great football scene. Here's a closer look at the four World Cup debutants:
Cape Verde
FIFA World Ranking (June 2026): 68
Coach: Pedro Brito
Group members: Uruguay (17), Spain (3), Saudi Arabia (61)
Cape Verde, an archipelago of ten volcanic islands, has an estimated population of 530,000, comparable to Liverpool. The Blue Sharks' qualification sparked a week-long celebration, and regardless of the results, the celebration appears to continue in Atlanta, Miami and Houston. Although the team has no big-name stars, Cape Verde relies on defensive organisation, team spirit and moments of creativity from a squad drawn from both the islands and Europe. Former captain Brito is the architect of this unlikely success, while powerful striker Dalien Livramento achieved national hero status with his goals in qualifying.
Curaçao
FIFA World Ranking (June 2026): 83
Trainer: Dick Advocaat
Group members: Ecuador (24), Germany (10), Ivory Coast (34)
With a population of 155,000, Curaçao is officially the smallest nation to ever reach the World Cup finals. This is a huge achievement for the team nicknamed the Blue Wave, but they face a tough task against Germany in their opener. Compact, well-organized and a threat on the counter-attack, Curaçao may need to rely on a disciplined approach to navigate this difficult group. Manager Fred Rutten has extensive experience in European clubs, especially in the Netherlands, which could come in handy as a significant percentage of the squad play in the Dutch league. In a team without standout stars, British fans may recognize former Aston Villa player Leandro Bacuna and Sheffield United's Tahith Chong.
Jordan
FIFA World Ranking (June 2026): 63
Coach: Jamal Sellami
Group members: Austria (23), Argentina (2), Algeria (28)
The scenes in Amman were on par with those in Cape Verde when Jordan qualified. However, the draw was not friendly, with opponents whose combined FIFA rankings are lower than Jordan's. Still, Jordan can take inspiration from the Arab nation of Saudi Arabia, which surprised Argentina in the 2022 group stage. Moroccan coach Jamal Sellami has brought strong discipline and cohesion to the team, which has been hit by the loss of striker Yazan Al Naimat. That is positive for fellow attacker AliOlwan has recovered from his injuries, and winger Musa Al Taamari comes into the tournament after an excellent season with Rennes. A repeat of Jordan's appearances in the 2023 Asian Cup and 2025 Arab Cup finals appears unlikely, but the Chivalrous Ones will still be hoping for at least one surprise result in the group stage.
Uzbekistan
FIFA World Ranking (June 2026): 50
Coach: Fabio Cannavaro
Group members: Colombia (13), Portugal (5), DR Congo (45)
The first thing you notice about Uzbekistan is their coach. Yep, the man in the hot seat is former Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro, who lifted the trophy in 2006. The former captain only arrived after qualifying, when the Uzbek Football Federation was looking for a big name for the finals. In line with their coach, Uzbekistan rely on a highly disciplined defensive line-up, which helped them achieve qualification with a number of clean sheets. It will be a big challenge to keep Colombia and Portugal from scoring, but they are certainly well positioned to be difficult to beat. Notable names in the squad include Man City's Abdukodir Khusanov, who leads the defense, and top scorer Eldor Shomurodov, who takes on much of the attacking pressure.
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