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Plus: a national first for Madrid and have Everton supplied the most former managers to World Cup 2026?Mail us with your all of your questions and answers“The opening match of the year’s World Cup is Mexico v South Africa,” notes Matt Reilly. “This was also the first game of South Africa’s World Cup in 2010. Is this the first time that an opening match of a World Cup has featured the same two teams as a previous tournament? If not, what is the most common opening fixture of a World Cup?”The hosts South Africa drew 1-1 with Mexico in the opening game of the 2010 edition. Siphiwe Tshabalala put them ahead with a spectacular goal before Rafael Márquez scored a 79th-minute equaliser. The two sides will meet again at the Azteca on Thursday.A repeat opening fixture happened once before, and Mexico were again involved. Back in the day – way, way back – World Cups often kicked off with simultaneous games. In Italy in 1934, when the competition was a straight knockout, all 16 teams began at the same time: 4pm CET on 27 May.The last World Cup to include simultaneous curtain-raisers was in Chile in 1962. Such schedules increase the scope for a repeat fixture, and Brazil met Mexico three times in four tournaments between 1950 and 1962.In 1950, when the World Cup was held in Brazil, it was a standalone opening game; in both 1954 and 1962, it was one of four. Brazil won all three games; their 2-0 victory in 1962 included a legendary solo goal from Pelé.1950 Brazil 4-0 Mexico Ademir 2, Jair, Baltazar1954 Brazil 5-0 MexicoBaltazar, Didi, Pinga 2, JulinhoMexico were also in the same group when Brazil hosted the tournament in 2014, so there is a world in which that was the opening game. But in this life, Brazil began with a 3-1 victory over Croatia before drawing 0-0 against Mexico in their second match.The Women’s World Cup, which began in 1991, has only ever had a single opening game. So far, none have been repeated.“There are no Real Madrid players in the Spain World Cup squad – a first or what?” asks Peter Chamberlain.A first indeed. There are 10 Real Madrid players at the World Cup, but none of them will be wearing a Spain shirt. The fewest before this competition, in the men’s game, was in 1950. Luis Molowny was the only Madrid player in the squad. He played a single game against the eventual champions Uruguay in the final stage.There were also no Madrid players in the Spain squad when the women’s team played at the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. Their women’s team was only founded in 2014. By 2023 they had eight players – including Olga Carmona, who scored the winner in the final.“Three former Everton managers will be in charge of teams at the World Cup: Carlo Ancelotti (Brazil), Roberto Martínez (Portugal) and Ronald Koeman (Netherlands). Is this is a record?” asks Mike Hulse.It’s not a record for this tournament. Matthew Williams was among those to point out that four Chelsea managers will be getting sweaty in an American dugout in the next few weeks:And, Matthew adds, Scotland have a former Chelsea assistant coach in Steve Clarke.“New Zealand have called up Tommy Smith to their World Cup squad. He played for Braintree Town last season, who were playing in the fifth-tier National League. Has a player from a lower division ever been called up to either a World Cup or continental championship?” asks Paul Wilson.We had this question four years ago, when the best we could do was tier seven. Here’s a snippet of what we said back then:double quotation markThe best answers come from the 2006 World Cup, specifically the squads of Togo and Trinidad and Tobago. “In 2006, they took Dennis Lawrence, who was playing at fourth-tier Wrexham, and Evans Wise, who was playing in Germany’s fifth tier for Waldhof Mannheim,” writes Leigh Cartwright. “Brent Sancho, Ian Cox, and Chris Birchall were also selected from League One (Gillingham, Gillingham, and Port Vale, respectively).”“During the same tournament, three Togolese footballers represented clubs on the lower rungs of French football,” adds Chai in Atalanta. “Affo Erassa played for AS Moulins (tier three), Alaixys Romao played for Louhans-Cuiseaux (tier three) and Richmond Forson played for amateur team Vendée Poiré sur Vie in Régional 1 (tier seven).”Finally, Florian Camphausen has news of the one that got away. “Sherif Touré Coubageat from German seventh-tier club Concordia Ihrhove did play a few minutes for Togo in the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations. But he was not called up to represent them at the World Cup.” Some people have no respect for trivia.“The German great Thomas Hässler won the World Cup in 1990 and the European Championship in 1996. His club career was considerably less glittering, netting only a solitary Intertoto Cup trophy with Karlsruher SC. That means he won one more winner’s medal as a national player than with clubs. Has anyone exceeded his tally by two or more international honours?” wonders Kári Tulinius.“In 1986, Gary Lineker scored six of England’s seven World Cup goals,” writes Brendon O’Mahony. “Has anyone scored a higher proportion of their country’s goals at a World Cup? Let’s exclude teams who were knocked out in the group stage or who scored three goals or fewer – otherwise you could have players such as Antonin Panenka, who scored both Czechoslavakia goals in 82 (penalties btw).”“Scotland’s 2026 squad contains no more than three players from one team (Findlay Curtis was on loan at Kilmarnock in 2026, but is still a Rangers player as far as I am concerned). As far as the club side with the highest number of players in a national squad, is this the lowest number for either this World Cup, or any of the previous ones?” asks Stuart McLagan. “In addition, with only Celtic, Bournemouth and Hearts (Lawrence Shankland’s transfer isn’t registered until the transfer window opens) supplying more than one player, are the 21 different clubs supplying players to the Scottish squad a record? Also, while on a Wikipedia dive recently, I came across the weird story of the El Salvador team from the 1982 World Cup, who only took 20 players instead of the permitted 22 as a cost-saving measure. I can just about imagine things like this happening in the very early days of the tournament, due to lengthy travel and the lack of sponsorships and millions of pounds in prize money, but is this the most recent example of squads being short-handed?” We’ll have our second World Cup Knowledge special next week. Send your World Cup questions and answers to knowledge@theguardian.com

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Before Thomas Tuchel's first game in charge of England, back in March 2025, he said he felt the team had been too full of "fear" to go and win Euro 2024. He said his mission was to try to remove that trepidation."We play with the hunger and the joy to win, not with the fear to lose," he said.Everything he has done in the US since this England squad arrived here 10 days ago seems to have been with that original mission statement in mind.He has been repeatedly asked whether he thinks England can win this World Cup. He has repeatedly chosen to bat the suggestion away.In his latest news conference, he was questioned by journalists from Portugal, Brazil and Spain, and to each of them, with a big grin on his face, he pointedly said that he felt each of those nations is a challenger to be the champion in 2026.But he also said that while England are not among the favourites, they are among the "challengers who want to go all the way".He went on to say much depends on luck, and that England should not get too ahead of themselves thinking about trying to win the World Cup, when the tournament hasn't even started yet. When he added that there must be hard work and dedication, taking each step in turn, it was as if he was addressing his players directly.England's fixtures and routes to 2026 WC finalWC 2026 fixture schedule and UK kick-off timesEverything Tuchel does or says he treats as a subliminal message to his squad.The England boss revealed the players' families and friends have been invited into the base for a big barbecue all together; that the players have been given a lot of time off to enjoy their "holiday"; that they've been free to pop out to restaurants in Miami in the evening.Marc Guehi told us he had been to the beach to chill out and met up with family in local coffee shops.Never before have I known England's players to be given so much free time, and so much freedom, in the build-up to a major tournament.The fact that there have been no pictures or social media posts of England's players out and about in Florida tells you much about how they have behaved, but also about the appetite and knowledge of soccer in these parts.That relaxed approach to team discipline is likely to stiffen once England are done with this final friendly against Costa Rica in Orlando. But it is a startling contrast that, while English cricket is imploding with a culture of questionable self-discipline, Tuchel is showing the ultimate respect to his players, treating them like adults, who must take responsibility for themselves.The players are unlikely to lapse, however, because they know that their behaviour is constantly being monitored by the German coach and his staff, and that it could well have an impact on whether they get the nod to play at this World Cup.It is clearly a deliberate ploy from Tuchel to try to make the players as relaxed as possible and remove any negative thoughts of pressure before a World Cup ball has been kicked.The nerves and expectation will come, he says, inevitably and organically, once the squad fly out to their substantive tournament base in Kansas City on Saturday, and once the World Cup matches start appearing on the big TV in camp. The head coach sees it as a key part of his role to remove as much of the pressure as possible before it builds.It's interesting that Tuchel's first speech to the players from 15 months ago - rousing and Churchillian as it was - is once again doing the rounds on social media before this World Cup. He talked then of England's "Everest" and the mountain they have to climb if they are to deliver the first men's major trophy in 60 years. Many have been fooled into thinking that was a more recent speech, designed to motivate the players right now.It wasn't. It was Tuchel setting out his stall and his ambition right at the start of his journey with these players. He doesn't need to remind them right now that they have a chance. A real chance of putting "a second star on the shirt". He doesn't want to instill any "fear".So it's "contenders" - yes. "Favourites" - no. Expect that mantra to continue throughout the tournament.

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Head coach Melissa Andreatta says Caroline Weir would prefer her to talk about her team-mates instead, but it cannot be avoided when the Scotland captain has just scored seven goals over two games in four days.Especially when those goals were crucial in making sure her side finished top of their Women's World Cup qualifying group - and only just ahead of Belgium.A 5-1 win over Israel in neutral Budapest was enough for the Scots to stay one goal in front of their rivals on goal difference despite the Belgians firing seven of their own without reply in Luxembourg.But it was tense at times as Weir conjured up four more goals to add to her hat-trick in Friday's 6-0 thrashing of the same Israeli side.Asked if Weir had proven again she is a bit of a superstar, Andreatta replied: "Yes, but I don't think she'll like me talking too much about her. She's quite humble."She'd want me to talk about her team-mates and she is so well supported by the other leaders in the group. The squad of 25 all play their part. No part is small when our goal is so big, so I think it's really been a squad effort."There's always a player that gives her that pass too and sets her up. She drives the standards, but she lifts others with her and that's what I'm really pleased about."Weir scores four as Scotland beat Israel to win group ahead of BelgiumLionesses beat Ukraine but slip into World Cup play-offsWales claim top spot as they impress in Czech winScots 'not stressed' as Belgium piled in goalsWeir is aware how much Scotland rely on her, especially with fellow midfield dynamo Erin Cuthbert being absent having picking up a long-term knee injury after scoring and setting up two goals on Friday."I feel a lot of responsibility," the 30-year-old admitted to BBC Scotland. "I feel responsibility in this squad as one of the more senior players, obviously, leading the team alongside other experienced players, of course."Like I said to you the other day, it's my dream to get to the World Cup. So I'm doing everything and anything to help the team by scoring goals and creating chances. That's what I'm there to do."Those were much needed as Belgium piled the pressure on in Luxembourg."To be fair, the team wasn't that aware," Weir said. "I knew at half-time we were in a good position but kept it to myself."And then, towards the end of the game, Mel told me the situation. But I think we were just focused on us."It helped that we kept scoring in the second half. So that was keeping everyone kind of focused and, you know, not stressed."We knew Belgium weren't going to give it up. They've scored a lot of goals again tonight, so we knew we had to kind of be at our best and keep scoring - and that we did."Weir has yet to reveal what the future holds for her in club football after her Real Madrid team-mates gave her a guard of honour at the end of four years with the Spanish league runners-up.The first Scottish player to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or Feminin last year is bound to be in demand.For now, she said "we can let our hair down for one night", have "a bit of break now and then we refocus for next season".Wherever she will be playing her club football next season, Weir will also now have her eyes on October and those hazardous World Cup play-offs.As the third best League B winner behind Switzerland and Portugal, and ahead of Wales on goal difference, Scotland are ranked 19th going into the play-off draw on 24 June.It means they avoid Poland, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine, who finished bottom of their League A groups and instead will face one of the League B runners-up or third-placed teams - that means Albania, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Israel, Northern Ireland, Slovakia or Turkey.Win that two-legged play-off in October and they still have another one to traverse to reach the finals in Brazil - likely to be against one of the League A runners-up or third-placed sides.England and Republic of Ireland are among the sides who will be favourites to progress against Group C winners.That is a long way off and, although Weir would "kind of want to play them right now", she hopes it means Cuthbert has enough time to make her return."It is a massive loss for us," she said. "She's such an integral player in the squad, not only on the pitch but off the pitch. She's such a talent and such a leader."So we missed her tonight. We'll be hoping her rehab goes well and she'll be back, hopefully, come the play-offs."Weir, though, was "really proud of the team" in Cuthbert's absence."Not just how we're scoring goals, but the ruthlessness, the mindset, the professionalism of the whole squad," she said.As her head coach pointed out, after a tense finale, they fully deserve to be able to "draw a breath" while adding: "You've got to have a vision and you've got to have a dream and we're living it."

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"This time, it's a different Steve Clarke."The Scotland boss feels like a new man - and he is sensing a fresh wave of optimism as he leads his team into a third major tournament.The 62-year-old ended a finals absence of more than two decades when he guided the men's national side to the Covid-impacted Euro 2020.Play-off heartache in their quest to qualify for the 2022 World Cup was followed by the Scots roaring their way to Euro 2024."I've not really enjoyed the previous two tournaments if I'm being honest," Clarke tells BBC Scotland in a candid interview.So why? Reduced crowds, two group games at Hampden and another at Wembley "didn't give the feel of a tournament" at Euro 2020, he says.On their showing in Germany two years ago, he adds: "We let ourselves down. We didn't play as well as we should have done and I probably didn't make the decisions that I should have."Clarke is convinced he and his players have learned from those experiences and are now in a position to "break that glass ceiling" by progressing to a historic knockout tie."What we've achieved up to now is great," he says. "Let's see if we can achieve a little bit more."From risk of death to the oldest man at World Cup"Now we have to show that tournament experience in a tournament," he says.That starts on Sunday (02:00 BST) when a World Cup group opener against Haiti officially ends Scotland's 28-year absence from football's grandest stage.Even after the astonishing qualification-clinching victory against Denmark in November, there was a shift in mood following underwhelming displays in back-to-back friendly defeats against Japan and Ivory Coast.That intensified somewhat when news broke that Clarke had penned a new four-year deal at the end of last month.But the vibe around the national team has changed, with Clarke notably positive after warming up for the tournament with a 4-1 win over 10-man Curacao before smashing Bolivia 4-0.That positivity will still amount to cautious optimism for most of the Tartan Army. Clarke acknowledges these positive vibes are yet to be transferred to competitive football.There is no denying confidence is quietly bubbling away, though. The Scotland boss referenced it himself but stressed his players are not "over-confident"."They understand the challenges ahead and when they come, we'll be ready for them," he adds."I'm trying to soak it up. I wanted to go to a World Cup as a player. I didn't manage to do that. It's taken me 62 years to achieve what I wanted to achieve, so I'm going to try to enjoy it."Two summers ago, Scotland's Euros opener proved to be one of their biggest letdowns under Clarke - a 5-1 loss to hosts Germany."We have to remember how bad that felt," the head coach says.Clarke believes that crushing defeat put Scotland "on the back foot" for the remainder of their tournament, which again ended at the group stage."This time, we have to make sure we start on the front foot," he insists.On the evidence of the Scots' warm-up displays, there are signs they can achieve that against a similarly-ranked nation this weekend.The recent adoption of an aggressive 4-4-2 shape with two strikers playing centrally and direct winger Ben Doak operating off the right feeds into the idea of a "different Steve Clarke", although he suggested he has been unfairly "tagged with a label"."I think I've shown consistently throughout my time that I'm prepared to try something different," says Clarke, who feels he has his best depth across a Scotland squad."Going into this tournament, the something different was to think about maybe playing 4-4-2 to see how it worked."What people don't understand is when you're at a club you can work on a system for a long period of time and have a lot of training sessions on it. When you're in an international camp you don't have that."Away from the relentless preparation in the Charlotte sun, the Scotland boss "can't wait to see" his grandkids when the Clarke clan arrive in the US.The squad will be granted extended family time over the weekend in Boston, something that was not such a luxury in Germany two years ago."I phoned back home a couple of days ago and [the family] are all absolutely buzzing, especially the little ones," Clarke says."It's probably something we've learned from the last tournament. We played the game, you saw your family for 15-20 minutes, then we were away to the base and they were back to their hotel."So, we decided this time we would try to incorporate a lot more family time so people can be around their loved ones, whether it's a good result or a bad result."Everything you need to know about the World Cup

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The rules are simple. Each day there's a new footballer and the challenge is to guess who they are in as few attempts as possible.After each wrong guess you unlock a new clue. Guess the answer after as few clues as possible to score more points.Three is a good score, four or five points is exceptional.So, take part in quiz number three and return for more tomorrow.Today's player and clues are set by BBC Sport's Joe Rindl.After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device.What information do we collect from this quiz?Play more quizzesQuiz: Name every nation at the 2026 World Cup

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CommentsWhen Glenn Hoddle's England started their World Cup campaign in France in 1998, Thomas Tuchel was still working a student job at a bar in Stuttgart.Almost 30 years later, Tuchel is now the England manager tasked with doing what Hoddle and so many others failed to do - win the World Cup for the Three Lions.The 52-year-old German is known as one of the game's keenest minds, a coach obsessed with detail and blessed with a special gift for analysis.It is hard to imagine that in the late 1990s, Tuchel was working at the wildest parties in Stuttgart and hanging out with some of Germany's biggest hip-hop stars.Yet it was there, having almost given up on football entirely, that Tuchel began his journey to World Cup management.Last year, respected German coach Ralf Rangnick recalled the story of how he launched Tuchel's career as a coach."When I found out that he was working in a bar in Stuttgart to earn his living, I could hardly believe it," Rangnick told the BBC, external in an interview with former Germany and Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger."I called him and I said, 'what are you doing?' He said 'I have to earn my living there'. I said to him, 'Thomas, please, why don't you come to us in Stuttgart and work as a youth-team coach?'"I brought him together with the academy director and that's how his coaching career started."Tuchel had played under Rangnick at SSV Ulm and the two had long admired each other.At Ulm in the early 1990s, Rangnick was laying the groundwork for a tactical revolution in German football as one of the first managers to introduce zonal marking.As Tuchel later told Sky Sports, the coach "changed the way I watched football on television".Rangnick, meanwhile, quickly earmarked the young defender as a possible future coaching talent."He was always interested in why we play the way we play," Rangnick told the BBC."After a couple of weeks when you are a head coach you can always pretty precisely tell which players could become a coach."Tuchel's playing career was cut short by injury. Damage to the cartilage in his knees was causing such severe pain that he could barely walk up and down stairs.He had an operation at the age of 23 in a bid to save his career, but eventually realised he would have to retire.The knee issue ended his dream of playing in the Bundesliga, and as he told Die Zeit, external in an interview in 2017, it left him strapped for cash because his insurance had not covered the operation.Having given up his first degree in sport and English to focus on football a few years earlier, Tuchel was now back to square one."I still had nothing in my bank account. I felt like I was a professional footballer, but I still had to go looking for a job," he told Die Zeit.Tuchel moved to Stuttgart to study business administration and found work in a bar.This was not just any bar, however. Tuchel's new workplace was located in the famous Radio Barth building on Stuttgart's Rotebuhlplatz.Originally a huge music department store which sold records and instruments, the building had been slated for demolition after the store filed for insolvency in 1995.For a few years before it was torn down, however, the venue was rented out to young artists, who briefly transformed it into an iconic nightlife and culture venue.Located on the ground floor of the building, the Radio Bar where Tuchel worked became a hotspot for Germany's burgeoning hip-hop scene.In an interview, external with a student-made documentary in 2008, the bar's former manager Carlos Coelho recalled how popular it became."We had so many people coming that we had to shut the doors because nobody else could fit in the space," he said."People just loved it, especially being in this historic Radio Barth building. Everyone who came would say, 'this is where I bought my first record'."Tuchel began collecting empty bottles and glasses, before graduating to table-waiting and eventually serving cocktails at the bar."I wouldn't want to have drunk the cocktails I was making at the beginning," he told Die Zeit.Yet aside from how to make a mojito and carry a tray of glasses above his head, the England manager said his time at the bar taught him valuable lessons for his future career."Shift by shift, night by night, I slowly built up my confidence working in the bar," he told Die Zeit."I overcame my inhibitions about asking strangers if they needed my help, and I realised that people liked me for who I was, that they had no idea that I was an ex-footballer."One of the people Tuchel befriended at the bar was Max Herre, a Stuttgart musician who would go on to be one of Germany's most popular rappers.Speaking to the podcast, external Und was machst du am Wochenende (And what do you do on the weekend) in 2024, Herre recalled how Tuchel became part of his "clique" and would often turn up to his concerts."On one occasion, he even came all the way to a gig in Vienna," said Herre.When Rangnick called him up to offer him a position, Tuchel was initially reluctant.Yet in 1999, he had a moment when his former club Ulm were promoted to the Bundesliga.Tuchel heard about the promotion during one of his bar shifts and it knocked him sideways."I was really annoyed because I thought, 'I always wanted to get to the Bundesliga, and now they are living my dream,'" he told Die Zeit."I worked another half an hour and then I told my colleagues that I had to leave."Radio Bar's loss was VfB Stuttgart's gain, as Tuchel threw himself into his new life as a youth coach.He initially took charge of the under-15s, before later becoming assistant to Stuttgart's legendary youth coach Hans-Martin 'Hansi' Kleitsch with the under-19s.Like Rangnick, Kleitsch had been an instrumental figure in the shift to zonal marking, and he was also credited with making Stuttgart into a conveyor belt of world-class youth talent.Among those who came up the ranks under Kleitsch were Sami Khedira and Mario Gomez.World Cup winner Khedira was also part of the under-19 team crowned German champions in 2005 with Kleitsch as coach and Tuchel his assistant.In an interview, external with German website Spox in 2020, Kleitsch said Tuchel made an impression on the young players with his fashion sense."Thomas used to wear an old military parka that a lot of the players liked," he said."A few of them also started going to Thomas' hairdresser, but I think in the end it was too expensive for them."Above all, it was Tuchel's abilities as a coach and in particular his talent for analysis that marked him out.Kleitsch described Tuchel as "the man with the X-ray vision"."His match plans always worked. He would dissect the opponents and always find solutions with his analysis. It was phenomenal," he told Spox.After his squad announcement raised eyebrows last week, England fans will be hoping that Tuchel's X-ray vision is still as sharp as ever.Three decades after he left his bar job to return to football, the German now faces what could be the toughest test of his career - to bring the World Cup back to England.Everything you need to know about the World Cup

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6 CommentsThe World Cup starts in Mexico City's Azteca Stadium on Thursday and finishes in the MetLife Stadium near New York City on 19 July.Forty-eight teams will contest the tournament, which will be played out in 104 matches across three countries over 39 days, including the co-hosts - Canada, Mexico and the United States - plus holders Argentina.Who will get their hands on the famous gold trophy this time? Who are the other main contenders? And how will England and Scotland do?BBC Sport's TV and radio football pundits and co-commentators have predicted what will happen over the next five weeks, and we have asked AI and Opta's 'supercomputer' for their picks too.Alan Shearer: France, but there's a caveat that comes with it - only if there is no in-house fighting. With the ability they have in forward positions, two or three big players are going to be left out every game, so it will come down to whether they cope with that in the right way.Danny Murphy: It's hard to look past France with the firepower they have, when you think about extra time in hot weather against tired legs.The likes of Rayan Cherki, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue can't all start, but they can be gamechangers if they come on after 70 minutes in 30 degrees heat.Olivier Giroud: For me the two strongest teams are France and Spain. But will they meet each other in the final or before? That will be the question, but I obviously hope France will win.Wayne Rooney: England and Spain will make the final, and hopefully England will win it.Thomas Frank: France are up there of course, and Spain too because they are very clear in how they play. That gives them a massive strength, although I still doubt them a little because they rely on Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams as the wingers and, if they don't have them, I am not sure they have enough individual quality to do it in the end.Along with Brazil, Argentina, England and Portugal, they are the main contenders. A lot of people are saying it is France or Spain, but for me it is between Brazil and England... and I am saying England!Micah Richards: How teams deal with the humidity is going to play a big part at this tournament, so the South American teams will be strong.But I just feel it's going to be a team who are really good at keeping the ball and that points me in the direction of Spain instead. Argentina will go close though, because of the way they work for Lionel Messi. I still think he can do something special, too.Steph Houghton: Hopefully it's England but, looking at other teams, France have so much quality right through their team - especially in attacking areas.Gael Clichy: France, Spain and England are the three for me who will do well. Spain seem to win everything, at every age group, so of course they are up there, but being French I am going for them to win it.Joe Hart: England. But I am not actually that bothered whether I am right or wrong. I just like to back my people and I want England to do it.Martin Keown: Looking at the draw, there will be some absolute blockbuster quarter-finals if the favourites win their groups, like England versus Brazil and Argentina against Portugal - or Messi against Cristiano Ronaldo.Is this the hardest World Cup there has ever been to win? Maybe. It feels very open. My head is telling me the best team is France, my heart is telling me that it could be England.Paul Robinson: The only thing that stops France from winning it is France. They will need a harmonious dressing room.Pat Nevin: This is a guess, but England have a real chance. Along with France, they are my favourites and it's a toss-up between the two as to who will win it.I also wouldn't be shocked if we get a left-field winner this time, and Morocco are the ones who jump out at me, because I covered most of their games when they reached the last four in Qatar. From what I hear, they might be better now than they were then - and they were great then. They will be used to the heat too, which always helps.Ellen White: Well, obviously I want England to win it. That's what I am going with, but if that wasn't to happen then France have a very good squad.Tony Pulis: It's ridiculous that there are 48 teams, and 40 more games than last time. Fair play to all the countries that are going, everyone will enjoy it, but football at this level is now being used as a cash cow.I've got Argentina, Brazil, France, England, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Senegal as my quarter-finalists. My pick to win it? France.Chris Sutton: Spain are an outstanding team but I've gone for France to win the past two World Cups and I wasn't far wrong. I am not going to change my mind now - they didn't really click at the last Euros but I look at their frontline and think they will be hard to stop.Who will win the 2026 World Cup? Total votesFrance (9): Scott Brown, Gael Clichy, Rachel Corsie, Olivier Giroud, Danny Murphy, Paul Robinson, Tony Pulis, Alan Shearer & Chris SuttonEngland (7): Thomas Frank, Joe Hart, Steph Houghton, Martin Keown, Wayne Rooney, Sue Smith & Ellen WhiteThomas Frank: To win the World Cup you need individual quality, and England have definitely got that. Their midfield is very strong and if they can put the right defence together it is strong enough.They have a real chance. The team will be well structured because Thomas Tuchel is a top coach, plus they have experience in these tournaments and I am sure they will get their togetherness right because they seem to have some fantastic characters and leaders in the group.Ellen White: We've got an unbelievable squad, and I feel like Tuchel will create a nice blend in our team. We also have some great players, who have a lot of momentum - like Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka who have just won the Premier League with Arsenal.Steph Houghton: As well as experience, we've got some quality young players coming through. The only thing that worries me is a lack of game time for some players in our defensive unit, like John Stones or Reece James.Alan Shearer: I don't think we will win it, but we can make the semi-finals because of the ability we have, plus we have a manager who is not going to be afraid to make big decisions and leave certain players out. I am not sure that has always been the case.Hopefully he can get the best out of Harry Kane, like Bayern Munich have done this season when they have had players running past him. My guess is that Morgan Rogers, Saka and Marcus Rashford will play, and there are more goals there for England - they have all scored goals all season.Wayne Rooney: I'm going with Kane to get the Golden Boot.Chris Sutton: I worry a bit about England's defence, but you go through their team and they don't have too many weaknesses.Sue Smith: England have an elite manager who knows how to win things. The team is picked on togetherness and balance, but still has the star quality to succeed.Danny Murphy: It would be a disappointment not to make the semi-finals with the quality we have got. I think we are a bit too reliant on Kane. Lots of great teams are reliant on one goalscorer but when you look at the other players in the squad, none of them have been prolific or even consistent for England.At the back, I wouldn't have us down as being as good as France and Spain either. But being weaker defensively than we are offensively doesn't mean that we are not capable of winning it, if the luck goes our way.Martin Keown: England have potentially got the toughest of any last-16 tie, if we end up playing Mexico at the Azteca Stadium [if both teams win their groups and beat third-placed teams in the last 32]. Talk about advantage Mexico, taking into account altitude and climate and what that might take from the England team. Then we've probably got Argentina or Portugal in the semi-finals if they progress as expected too.But, whatever happens with the draw, I feel like the chemistry and balance of the group will be the important factor. Winning the World Cup always seems to come down to a piece of brilliance, and Tuchel has left out one or two maverick players who are capable of that because of his focus on the group, but that doesn't mean we can't still win it.England are very much in this fight. We are going to a World Cup which is probably the most open in living memory, because of the quality on offer, and we have a team now that dominates the ball.Micah Richards: For England to win it, everyone is going to have to be at their best, and it feels like other countries have got players in better form right now. I actually think we are best placed to win the next Euros, in 2028. All our top players will be in their prime then, apart from Kane who will probably have retired.Paul Robinson: There are players in this England team now that have played in these big games before, so that might just be the missing ingredient that gets us over the line this time.We say it every time we go to a tournament - that on their day we are capable of beating anyone, but something has been missing. Now? That big-game mentality is there.Joe Hart: England are 100% in the conversation. They are a top team, and they have made good progression - hopefully this tournament will be the one.Pat Nevin: The worry for Scotland is that two of the favourites, for me anyway, in Brazil and Morocco are in their group. It means their whole plan depends on beating Haiti in their first game. Everyone in Scotland knows it, and the manager does too. So, they cannot start pragmatically - they have to hit the ground with an absolute sprint.Can they do it? Well they have had a good build-up and the big reason I am very hopeful is that when we played against Germany in the first game of the 2024 European Championship we looked exhausted, and some of our best players weren't fully fit.That is not the case this time. John McGinn is flying. I've watched Scott McTominay and he is in extraordinary form for Napoli just now, and Lawrence Shankland is firing in the goals.OK, we have lost Billy Gilmour to injury but, in reality, Scotland look to me as if they are the strongest they've been since Steve Clarke took charge in 2019 and that is down to injuries, or players being left out and getting rest. Andy Robertson looks in brilliant nick because he has only played half a season at Liverpool. It's exactly the same with McGinn, who was out for a few weeks at the start of the year.Chris Sutton: Scotland will beat Haiti - it is just how Steve Clarke goes about it and whether he goes with two up top, which I think is worth the risk in this game.Ben Gannon-Doak is going to be important for them - he didn't start a Premier League game for Bournemouth last season but he gives them that bit of dynamism when everyone will be focusing on McTominay in the middle of the park, and McGinn.Most people are thinking Brazil and Morocco are nailed-on to be the top two in Group C, but I actually think Scotland could nick a point off one of them too. It might sound far-fetched but they could finish higher than third.Alan Shearer: If you win one group game then the likelihood is you are going to make the last 32, and Scotland's chance is against Haiti. With their fans behind them - they will have a crazy following as usual from the Tartan Army - they can do it.Tony Pulis: Scotland have got a record of doing things they shouldn't do at World Cups, but they can't fail against Haiti... surely?Scott Brown: We will get three points and get out of our group. The first game against Haiti would be a good one to get that done, but it won't be as easy as everyone thinks.Steph Houghton: It's a tough group for them but I think they will make it out of there, and they will believe they can do something special. They have real individual quality in a few positions and, as a group, they know what kind of team they are and play to their strengths.Rachel Corsie: We will get out of our group, and I think we will get through one more game after that. Then, who knows?Ellen White: If they can put in a big performance against Haiti and give themselves some momentum and confidence then that can get them into the knockout rounds.Thomas Frank: I am going for Norway. They have some well-known Premier League players like Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard but they also have others who can change games - Alexander Sorloth of Atletico Madrid, Antonio Nusa at RB Leipzig and Oscar Bobb of Fulham, who is a really top talent.It is their first World Cup since 1998 so they will come with a drive and a hunger too. I know everyone will do that when they come to this tournament, but it is just different when you have not been there for so long. Scotland will have that enthusiasm too, but they do not have the same individual quality.Paul Robinson: Saudi Arabia will surprise a lot of people. I cover the Saudi Pro League every week and I know their players inside out. We saw what Al-Hilal did at last year's Club World Cup, beating Manchester City and drawing with Real Madrid, and I can see Saudi Arabia bringing that to this tournament.Turkey will be tough to beat and while I know Belgium and the Netherlands are not exactly outsiders, they are not among the favourites either. No-one is really talking about them but they both have a mix of experience and younger players and they will be happy going under the radar at the moment.Ellen White: I am looking forward to watching Norway, and Japan did well when they beat England in March.Rachel Corsie: Turkey could be tricky for some, and I don't know if this is really a surprise but I think Japan could go beyond where their world ranking of 18 suggests.Steph Houghton: Japan. I really liked the way they played at Wembley.Olivier Giroud: One of the African teams. Maybe Ivory Coast, Senegal or Ghana - all dangerous on their day.Alan Shearer: Morocco could upset some of the big-hitters, like they did when they beat Spain and Portugal to reach the semi-finals in 2022, but my concern for this World Cup is that the number of teams could dilute the quality in the early stages. There could be a lot of tedious games, until we get to knockout football.Danny Murphy: The underdogs who do well are usually based on a strong defence, like Morocco were last time. Ecuador have got players like Chelsea's Moises Caicedo, Willian Pacho of Paris St-Germain and Arsenal's Piero Hincapie and they had an incredible defensive record in qualification, plus they will be used to playing in humidity.Wayne Rooney: Norway could do quite well, and I like Ecuador too.Martin Keown: Ecuador will take some beating. When I've watched them they always keep things very tight.Chris Sutton: I am not sure Ecuador will score enough goals with 36-year-old Enner Valencia leading their line but they are one of my picks, along with Japan.I became a bit of a celebrity in Japan when I correctly backed them to beat Germany at the last World Cup, or at least I appeared on TV over there to talk about it anyway. They have got some excellent technical players and will be dangerous, whoever they play.Joe Hart: I am not really a lover of dark horses. When it comes to any tie I always want the main team to win, and it will be a pretty similar feeling when I watch this tournament. I want everyone to go out there and express themselves, have a wicked time... but ultimately I don't want anyone to get in the way of England!Gael Clichy: Switzerland are a very dynamic group of young players, and their team and federation has progressed a lot in the past eight years or so. I have played there so I have been following them, and I'd like them to be the surprise of this tournament.Sue Smith: I am going for the US as the hosts who will go further than people think.Tony Pulis: Japan might have a good run at it and Norway, Morocco and Senegal are my other outsiders to watch.You've read what our expert humans think, but what about the machines?Opta's 'supercomputer' can tell you your team's exact chances of winning any competition at any given time.It is actually a complex algorithm that uses a model based on betting-market odds and the sports analytics company's own 'Power Rankings', which are calculated using past results.For this World Cup, it has simulated the outcome of the tournament 25,000 times - and has calculated Spain are the most likely winners (in 16.1% of the simulations).France (13%), England (11.2%) and Argentina (10.4%) are also given strong chances of glory. Scotland? Not so much.Clarke's side are down the list in 33rd place, with only a 0.2% chance of winning the World Cup according to Opta, but on the upside, in the same simulations they got out of Group C two-thirds (66.1%) of the time.AI has also had its say. Its prediction was generated using Microsoft Copilot Chat - we simply asked the tool 'who will win the World Cup and how will England and Scotland do?'Copilot Chat says Spain will win it, England will reach the semi-finals and Scotland will go out in the group stage, despite finishing third in their group.Do you disagree with our experts? Think algorithms are for boffins, not for football? You can pick your winners below.

Football News

ShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleCaroline GallWest MidlandsWhat started as drawing over highlighted pictures of football comic book icon Roy of the Rovers as a boy has led to a man's stellar career designing the kit for World Cup winners.Rob Warner from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, designed Italy's royal blue kit in which they lifted the trophy in 2006.While working for Puma and Umbro, he said he oversaw the design of the all-in-one Cameroon kit worn in 2004, designed the last ever Umbro England kit, and also Usain Bolt's kit for his record-breaking runs in Beijing in 2008.He said his footballing highlight was Italy, because of the win and also "how many people can say their product was head-butted by Zidane".Warner said he and his team wanted to "create a characteristic that represented Italy".The kit was a deep, royal blue with navy gradient panels on the side and gold player numbers."The Italian people see the football team as their superheroes," he said."The intention with that was that in a still photograph it would almost look a comic book superhero with the colour blurring away from the body of the hero wearing the outfit."Warner's designing began by "drawing over Tippexed-out images of Roy of the Rovers" - the legendary football comic book character.He put on a charity catwalk fashion show for Barnardo's while at school and went on to work with a Birmingham fashion designer in the Jewellery Quarter.After graduating in fashion design from Manchester Metropolitan University, he went to work for Puma in Germany for six years where he designed all the Puma kits for the 2006 World Cup tournament, as well as for winners Italy and clothing for Ferrari's Formula One team."That was a bit of fun," he said.As creative director for Umbro, he said he designed the the last Umbro England kit "which was, at the time, the controversial white and red one".He has since set up a design academy that sells courses for would-be designers, with more than 600 people signed up in over 50 countries.But what would his favourite World Cup kit be?"I think West Germany 1990 is most people's favourite," he said."[It] just had a little bit more subtlety - it was a bit more refined and really spoke to a Germany that was changing from West Germany to being a united country."In this summer's tournament, he said he loved the Curacao away kit - which might not even be used - with its bright, pastel stripes. He admitted being biased, as a former student of his who now worked for Adidas designed it."Obviously I'm biased a little bit in saying that away kit is my favourite, but it really is my favourite of the tournament," he said."I just like how restrained he was with designing that. He could have gone really wild."Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.

World Cup News

ShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleRichard SteadNorth WestEngland World Cup-winning hero Sir Geoff Hurst has said "there are no words to describe" having a mural of him in his home town.Hurst's image has been painted on a wall in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, to honour the striker, who was born at Lake Hospital (now Tameside General) in December 1941.The West Ham legend, who scored a hat-trick in the 1966 World Cup final, told fans: "People think I'm from London or Essex but not many people know I'm from Ashton-under-Lyne and to see this mural is just incredible."The mural depicts Hurst's third goal against West Germany as fans streamed on to the Wembley pitch, immortalised in the famous "They think it's all over..." television commentary.The mural includes that quote from BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme.The unveiling ceremony took place at the Street Life Festival, which is organised by a campaign called Make Ashton Great Again.It is funded by local entrepreneur Andy Kleek, who has supported community events in the Market Avenue area of Ashton-under-Lyne.Jason Stephenson, a local bar owner who has helped to organise events in the town, said: "There were hundreds of families here to meet Sir Geoff Hurst and there were so many young people who knew who he was.""It was incredible to see the artist use virtual reality to fill in the blanks and create a masterpiece."The mural is on a wall opposite a newly created fan zone on Wood Street, which includes benches and a giant screen for watching World Cup matches.Sir Geoff Hurst lived in Denton until he was aged six, when his family moved to Chelmsford in Essex.He went on to make 411 appearances for West Ham and is the last surviving member of England's 1966 team.The 84-year-old is president of Hyde United FC. His dad, Charlie Hurst, played for the Northern Premier League club in the 1930s.Two other World Cup winners have been born in Tameside: Jimmy Armfield, who was a member of the England squad in 1966, and Simone Perrotta, who won the competition with Italy in 2006.Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.