World Cup teams to worry aboutGOAL
Tom Hindle

The 2026 World Cup teams to be concerned about, ranked: Are Brazil set up for failure?

Brazil are short in key areas, while Belgium's golden generation has been and gone - but they're not the only ones who might struggle

Once the World Cup draw is over, the months that follow tend to bring plenty of excitement. This is the time to dream, to find the positives. Now, fans can look at their group and start to believe, piece together the math that would allow qualification, or an unlikely run. 

But of course, the opposite can also be true. Even in an expanded World Cup that will see 32 out of 48 teams advance to the knockouts, there are reasons for concern. Whether it be inexperienced sides who might find it hard to get out of a group, or presumptive favorites who could struggle to squeak by, not everyone can succeed here. 

And there are a fair few candidates to get it all wrong next year. Brazil look weak. Belgium's golden generation has come and gone. Meanwhile, Croatia simply are too old to make a run (then again, we've said those words before).

GOAL looks at the teams to worry about now that the World Cup groups are set...

  • Mohamed Salah Egypt 2025Getty Images

    5Egypt

    This really depends on which version of Mohamed Salah shows up. Let's be honest, the Egyptian has struggled for months now, reaching back into the end of the 2024-25 season. He doesn't look like the same player, while off-field turmoil hasn't helped. If Salah goes quiet for his country, Egypt have few other apparent attacking weapons. It could be a difficult one - even if they do have an admittedly kind group. 

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  • luka-modric-1200Getty Images

    4Croatia

    This is where the story ends, right? Croatia were, for some time, football's great overperformers, making a historically unlikely run to the World Cup final in 2018, and managing to stay alive in pretty much every major tournament since. That tendency came on the back of a real belief in their quality and, in recent years, experience playing in the biggest of moments. But now they're very old. Luka Modric was once the architect of it all, and he's 40(!) 

  • jimenezGetty Images

    3Mexico

    The serious issue with the Mexican national team is the expectation that follows them around them. El Tri represents a truly mad soccer nation, and haven't had a successful World Cup campaign in years. Surprisingly, the talent pool has rather dried up. Raul Jimenez and Chucky Lozano are very much players of the past - even if they still might make the side. And the new crop of players looks a little mixed. Gilbert Mora is 17, and, at the moment, is the guy expected to carry the team on his shoulders - which tells you all you need to know. 

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  • FBL-WC-2026-DRAWAFP

    2Brazil

    Brazil have never quite convinced under Carlo Ancelotti in his six months at the helm. Sure, the former Real Madrid manager was handed a tough job here. The Selecao hadn't truly settled on a manager after Tite left in the wake of the 2022 World Cup. And it showed. Managers came and went, players struggled for form. Ancelotti was supposed to be the stabilizing force. Thus far, his record as Brazil manager reads: three wins, one draw, one loss, with one goal conceded - but only nine scored. It's the very antithesis of what Brazilian football should be. 

    And in World Cup games, can they really be trusted? Vinicius Jr is in rotten form. Raphinha has failed to hit the heights of last year. There are question marks at the back. Neymar is a complete enigma. It's tough to see a run here. 

  • Belgium v Liechtenstein - FIFA World Cup 2026 QualifierGetty Images Sport

    1Belgium

    So much for that golden generation, eh? Belgium were supposed to be at their peak around 2018, and everything since then has felt like a bit of a downhill slide. Sure, there's still some quality here, but that team - Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Toby Alderwield, Jan Verthongen, Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard and Mousa Dembele - are all either old or retired. 

    Jeremy Doku is leading a new generation, but there's certainly been a fallow period for a country that once promised so, so much. 

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