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Each World Cup is a mirror of the football era. It not only reveals who is the best national team in the world, but also what is the dominant idea in football at the moment. And that’s why the 2026 World Cup looks particularly interesting: it sits right on the line that separates two different eras. It is possible that we will experience the last World Cup of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but also the first of the generation that is preparing to succeed them.
On the one hand there are the teams that seem to express the present of the game. Spain arrive as European champions, with a team that combines control of the game with the explosiveness of players such as Lamin Yamal. France remains the team with the greatest depth of talent, most big performances and perhaps the highest competitive ceiling. If there is a pair that symbolizes the clash of two different footballing approaches, it is Spain – France: the team of possession against the team of speed and transitions.
If there’s a third favourite, in my mind it’s world champions Argentina, a team that has proven they know better than most how to survive in this type of competition. And if there is a strong underdog, it is Portugal, not only because of the quality of their roster, but mostly because of their excellent midfield and their own clear idea of the game.
Messi and Ronaldo probably end their presence on the biggest football stage here. For almost two decades they dominated world football and defined the way we talked about the game. Now they are preparing to hand over the baton.
That thought makes me wait to see who the stars of the next decade will be. Yamal, Musiala, Virch, Due, Nousa belong to a generation that didn’t grow up chasing Messi and Ronaldo, but is poised to take their place at center stage.
Another element that makes the event special is the presence of Carlo Ancelotti on the Brazilian bench. The attempt by one of the most successful club managers to lead the Seleção to the top is in itself one of the big stories of the tournament.
After all, this is what I expect most from the World Cup. Not just to find out who will lift the trophy, but to understand which football concept will dominate the next decade. Because the 2026 World Cup looks like the beginning of the next cycle.
