Will the USMNT deliver? Can Lionel Messi’s Argentina repeat? - Five burning World Cup questions with the tournament one month out

This is perhaps the biggest question of them all - certainly for USMNT fans. There is a narrative that host nations have to perform well. That’s not quite true. It is, objectively, extremely unlikely that fans will turn off the TV if the U.S. get bounced early.

Still, it would undoubtedly be good for soccer in this country if the USMNT put together a real run. This needs to be a team fans can get behind, one that scores a few goals, takes a swing at good opponents, and gives people something to believe in. What that looks like, exactly, is hard to pin down. There is a school of thought that the quarterfinals should be the expectation. Mauricio Pochettino has already said he believes the U.S. can win the whole thing. Either way, this has to be a team that makes the home fans care.

Here's a fun fact: only two teams have repeated as World Cup champions - and it hasn't happened in over 60 years. Italy went back-to-back in 1934 and 1938. Brazil won two in a row in 1958 and 1962. Since then, France have come close, finishing as runners-up in 2022 after winning in 2018. But it is otherwise a remarkably difficult thing to do.

There are a number of reasons for that. The first, and most obvious, is that soccer tends to be cyclical. You can't often win a World Cup with kids, and most sides who claim the crown tend to either let one generation go for one tournament too many - or usher in a new group too quickly. The second is mentality. It takes a lot of mental effort to go again, especially when there's a bit of a target on your back. And perhaps finally, there's an element of luck to all of this. Say what you will, get all the talent in the world, but it remains true that you do need the bounce of the ball to go your way to win consecutive games.

And with that, the focus turns to Lionel Messi and Argentina. They have, no doubt, kept the momentum going in major tournaments. They won the Copa America in 2024. A lot of the team that claimed the crown in Qatar is still around. That counts for something. But recent friendly results and performances have been a little underwhelming. Has their moment gone?

This is the fun one. Everyone likes to predict the team that is going to come out of nowhere and make a run. There is a fine lineage of dark horses in recent and old World Cups. Morocco were an all-timer when they made it to the semis in Qatar in 2022. Ghana's quarter inal run in 2010 was compelling stuff. South Korea and Turkey were both in the final four in 2002.

And this year, there are plenty of candidates - not least thanks to the fact that the tournament has been expanded to a whopping 48 teams. Ecuador, Norway, and Turkey are all pretty compelling shouts. Morocco and Senegal, too, could make runs - but their success in AFCON makes them more or less known quantities by now. But the best bet might just be Colombia, who are solid back to front, and have world-class quality in the electric Luis Diaz. Then again, the beauty of the dark horse is that it tends to be a team that no one backs.

Right then, England, show us what you've got.

Every World Cup, we seem to find a reason why England can - or will - win it all. This year, the reasons are pretty compelling. Harry Kane is primed to claim the Ballon d'Or - Champions League exit be damned. Declan Rice, Eliot Anderson, and Jude Bellingham are an elite midfield. A fully fit Bukayo Saka is up there among the best right-wingers in the world. More broadly, this is also an experienced unit, right in its prime. Chuck in the fact that Thomas Tuchel is a smart hire as manager, and England are, as ever, well placed to do some damage.

But talent has never been the problem. Rather, England's plight is one of mentality, vibe, and, in honesty, the crushing weight of expectation. England are never really good enough to win the World Cup - at least not relative to the rest of the field. The issue is we keep pretending they are. Yet Tuchel might be the man to change it all. Is it time to dream?

Not unlike the concept of the dark horse, a breakout star is inherently hard to predict. There are so many good footballers out there, and the World Cup provides a perfect platform for new faces to shine. The charm of it is that these people can be young or old. James Rodriguez was 22 when he set the world alight at the 2014 World Cup. Sofyan Amrabat - remember him? - was 25 at the 2022 World Cup.

The issue with this one is that there really aren't any stones left unturned. Everyone knows everyone at this point. There are very few, if any, unknown commodities. This, then, might be a tournament where a solid player turns into a superstar. In other words: Arda Guler, anyone?