Oldest Player: It’s Messi, still going strong at 38. (198 caps, 116 goals)

Youngest Player: FW Nico Paz, 21 (8 caps, 1 goal)

Best Name on the Team: Hearing about midfielder Enzo Fernández always tricks me into thinking Enzo Ferrari until halfway through his last name.

Team Nickname: La Albiceleste  (The White and Sky Blue)

Coach Name: Lionel Scaloni (since 2018)

FIFA Rank: 3

Best World Cup Performance: 3 time champions (1978, 1986, 2022). Defending champs.

How did they qualify? Won CONMEBOL qualifying (12 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses)

Best player: We’ll look past the greatest living soccer player and highlight forward Lautaro Martínez, who has scored at least 19 goals for his club Inter Milan for 7 straight seasons.

The league where most of the team plays in: Spanish La Liga, 6 players. And every single one is on Atlético Madrid.

Base Camp: Origin Kansas City Riverfront, Kansas City, Missouri

Closest chain restaurant to base camp: Church’s Chicken, 2.7 mi

National dish: asado (meat grilled using a particular technique), empanada, matambre (very thin cut of beef taken from between the skin and ribs of a steer), locro (squash or potato stew originating in the Andes)

One Sickos Thing: You gotta be a little crazy to be a Goalkeeper and Emi Martinez meets that threshold and then some. Who could forget his celebration in winning the GOlden Glove after making the save of his lifetime in the World Cup and the ensuing penalty kicks then doing this with the trophy.

Oldest Player: FW Riyad Mahrez, 35 (114 caps, 38 goals)

Youngest Player: MF Ibrahim Maza, 20 (16 caps, 2 goals)

Best Name on the Team: Yacine Titraoui, midfielder

Team Nickname:الخُضر (The Greens), الأفناك (The Fennecs), مُحَارِبِي الصَّحْرَاء (The Desert Warriors)

Coach Name: Vladimir Petković (since 2024)

FIFA Rank: 28

Best World Cup Performance: Round of 16 (2014)

How did they qualify? Won CAF qualifying Group G (8 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss)

Best player: Forward Mohammed Amoura has 19 goals in 45 appearances for Algeria

The league where most of the team plays in: French Ligue 1, 5 players

Base Camp: The Oread Lawrence, Lawrence, Kansas and Kansas University

Closest chain restaurant to base camp: Topper’s Pizza, next door

National dish: couscous, rechta (pasta cut into thin artisan strips, typically served with chicken, chickpeas, and turnips)

One Sickos Thing: Algeria has brought an extremely inexperienced goalkeeper roster, with none of the three keepers having double digit starts for their country. Their most capped keeper is Luca Zidane, with 7. Luca is the son of the legendary French player Zinedine Zidane, of “sent off for headbutting in the World Cup final” fame.

Oldest Player: FW Marko Arnautović, 37 (132 caps, 47 goals)

Youngest Player: MF Paul Wanner, 20 (2 caps)

Best Name on the Team: MiF Carney Ckuwuemeka

Team Nickname: Das Team (The Team), Burschen (The Boys), Unsere Burschen (Our Boys)

Coach Name: Ralf Rangnick (since 2022)

FIFA Rank: 24

Best World Cup Performance: Third place, 1954

How did they qualify? Won UEFA qualifying Group H (6 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss)

Best player? Captain and defender David Alaba - He loves chairs.

The league where most of the team plays in: German Bundesliga, 13 players

Base Camp: Ritz-Carlton Bacara Resort, Santa Barbara, California

Closest chain restaurant to base camp: Chili’s, 3.2 mi

National dish: Wiener Schnitzel

One Sickos Thing: Austria and Hungary have the second most-played soccer rivalry in history, behind only Argentina and Uruguay. The two neighbors have played 137 times, with Hungary leading the series with 67 wins to Austria’s 40, and 30 draws. The two have not played since 2016, a Euro group stage match that Hungary won, 2-0.

Oldest Player: DF Salim Obaid, 34 (10 caps, 0 goals)

Youngest Player: FW Ibrahim Sabra, 20 (9 caps, 1 goal)

Best Name on the Team: Mohammad Abu Hashish

Team Nickname: Amer Jamous

Coach Name: Jamal Sellami (since 2024)

FIFA Rank: 63

Best World Cup Performance: THIS ONE! This is Jordan’s first appearance in the World Cup.

How did they qualify? Finished second in AFC qualifying Group B (4 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses)

Best player: Forward Musa Al-Taamari leads the team in caps with 91, and is second in goals among active players, with 24. He plays for French club Rennes in Ligue 1.

The league where most of the team plays in: Jordanian Pro League, 11 players

Base Camp: The Nines Hotel, Portland, Oregon and the Portland Pilots campus.

Closest chain restaurant to base camp: Raising Cane’s, 2 blocks

National dish: mansaf - lamb cooked in a sauce of fermented dried yogurt and served with rice or bulgur

One Sickos Thing: In addition to making their first World Cup, Jordan finished as runners-up in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup and the 2025 Arab Cup, their best-ever finishes in FIFA-sponsored events.

Oldest Player: FW Cristiano Ronaldo, 41 (226 caps, 143 goals)

Youngest Player: MF João Neves, 21 (21 caps, 3 goals)

Best Name on the Team: Diogo Dalot

Team Nickname: Seleção das Quinas (Team of the Quincunxes) - A quincunx is five dots arranged in a cross, referencing the Portuguese coat of arms

Coach Name: Roberto Martinez (since 2023)

FIFA Rank: 5

Best World Cup Performance: Third place, 1966

How did they qualify? Won UEFA qualifying Group F (4 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss)

Best player: Midfielder Vitinha is a key piece for the national team and club Paris Saint-Germain, and finished third in Ballon d’Or voting this year.

The league where most of the team plays in: English Premier League, 7 players

Base Camp: Four Seasons Hotel Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Florida and Gardens North County District Park

Closest chain restaurant to base camp: Chick-fil-A, 3.8 mi

National dish: bacalhau (dried salted cod), caldo verde (traditional soup of leafy greens, potatoes, olive oil, and seasonings), cozido à portuguesa (traditional boiled meal consisting of vegetables, meats, and sausages), pastel de Belem (sweet custard tart), Sardinha Assada (grilled sardines)

One Sickos Thing: Portugal has made every single World Cup since 2002. Prior to that, they had only made two. Their third place finish at the 1966 World Cup came in their first ever time participating in the tournament, and they were eliminated in the group stage in Mexico in 1986.

Oldest Player: FW Cédric Bakambu, 35 (68 caps, 21 goals)

Youngest Player: GK Matthieu Epolo, 21 (1 cap)

Best Name on the Team: MF Axel Tuanzebe

Team Nickname: Léopards, Guerriers de l'Équateur (Warriors of the Equator), La Céleste (The Skyblue)

Coach Name: Sébastien Desabre (since 2022)

FIFA Rank: 46

Best World Cup Performance: Eliminated after group stage, 1974 (as Zaire). This is their first time qualifying for the World Cup as DR Congo.

How did they qualify? Finished second in CAF qualifying Group B, then won the confederation playoff over Cameroon and Nigeria. Advanced to inter-confederation playoff, where they defeated Jamaica.

Best player: Despite being the oldest player on the team, Cédric Bakambu led DR Congo in scoring during qualifying

The league where most of the team plays in: French Ligue 1, 5 players

Base Camp: Omni Houston Hotel, Houston, Texas and Houston Sports Park

Closest chain restaurant to base camp: J. Alexanders - Upscale New American - 1.3 miles

National dish: poulet à la moambé - stew-like chicken dish made with spices and palm butter

One Sickos Thing: Midfielder Axel Tuanzebe not only has a great name, but at one point held the Guinness World Record for fastest time to individually clear a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos.

Oldest Player: 35 year old GK Utkir Yusupov (39 caps), born in the Soviet Union!

Youngest Player: 18 year old DF Bekhruz Karimov (2 caps), played for the U17 team as recently as last year

Best Name on the Team: Chock full of great names, but nod to Midfielder Jaloliddin Masharipov

Team Nickname: White Wolves

Coach Name: Fabio Cannavaro (since 2025)

FIFA Rank: 50

Best World Cup Performance: Debut!

How did they qualify? Finished second in AFC qualifying Group A (6 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss)

Best player? Probably the captain, Eldor Shomurodov, who has spent time in Serie A

The league where most of the team plays in: Uzbekistan Super League

Base Camp: Grand Fiesta Americana Country Club, Guadalajara, Jalisco

Closest chain restaurant to base camp: There’s a Carls Jr 350 metres away. I didn’t even know they had Carls Jr in Mexico.

National dish: Uzbek Plov - rice dish made with meat, julienned carrots, onions, garlic, and cumin cooked together in oil or fat served in huge containers.

One Sickos Thing: Fired their entire coaching staff after qualifying for the World Cup in favour of an Italian staff led by Fabio Cannavaro. The Benidorm for Italians is in fact Uzbekistan.

Oldest Player: GK David Ospina, 37 (130 caps)

Youngest Player: DF Gustavo Puerta, 22 (5 caps, 1 goal)

Best Name on the Team: Cucho Hernández

Team Nickname: Los Cafeteros (The Coffee Growers), La Tricolor (The Tricolour)

Coach Name: Néstor Lorenzo (since 2022)

FIFA Rank: 13

Best World Cup Performance: Quarterfinals, 2014

How did they qualify? Finished third in CONMEBOL qualifying (7 wins, 7 draws, 4 losses)

Best player: Forward Luis Díaz is coming off of a season where he averaged a goal every two games for Bayern Munich

The league where most of the team plays in: Argentine Primera Division, 5 players

Base Camp: Grand Fiesta Americana Country Club, Guadalajara, Jalisco

Closest chain restaurant to base camp: There are a Popeyes and a Carl’s Jr in the building next door. This is the third Mexican Carl’s Jr to appear in these previews.

National dish: ajiaco (soup typically made with chicken, potatoes, and local herbs), bandeja paisa (meal platter typically consisting of red beans with pork, rice, ground meat, fried egg, plantains, chorizo, avocado, and arepa)

One Sickos Thing: Carlos Valderrama captained Colombia to three straight World Cups from 1990-1998, their longest streak of consecutive appearances. He also holds set MLS record for assists in a single season, 26, in 2000. Despite league expansion and longer seasons since, no one else has more than 20.

Oldest Player: MF Jordan Henderson, 35 (89 caps, 3 goals)

Youngest Player: MF Kobbie Mainoo, 21 (12 caps, 0 goals)

Best Name on the Team: Bukayo Saka or Eberechi Eze

Team Nickname: The Three Lions

Coach Name: Thomas Tuchel (since 2025)

FIFA Rank: 4

Best World Cup Performance: Winners in 1966.

How did they qualify? Won UEFA qualifying Group K (8 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses)

Best player? Harry Kane (a goal scoring machine in the Bundesliga)

The league where most of the team plays in: English Premier League (everyone except 4 or 5 players)

Base Camp: The Inn at Meadowbrook, Prairie Village, Kansas & Swope Soccer Village

Closest chain restaurant to base camp: Domino’s Pizza (0.6 miles)

National dish: pork pies, crumpets, custard, apple pie, rhubarb crumble, pudding, trifle

One Sickos Thing: The English fans love to sing It’s Coming Home as the World Cup Championship is coming home to the birthplace of football. Some folks think the song is a curse.

Oldest Player: MF Luka Modrić, 40 (196 caps, 28 goals)

Youngest Player: DF Luka Vušković, 19 (4 caps, 1 goal)

Best Name on the Team: Toni Fruk or Petar Sučić

Team Nickname: Vatreni (Blazers) Kockasti (Checkered Ones)

Coach Name: Zlatko Dalić (since 2017)

FIFA Rank: 11

Best World Cup Performance: Runners Up 2018

How did they qualify? Won UEFA qualifying Group L (6 wins, 2 draws, 0 losses)

Best player? Probably a toss up between Joško Gvardiol, Mateo Kovačić and Luka Modrić.

The league where most of the team plays in: Italy’s Serie A - 7 Players

Base Camp: Hotel AKA Alexandria, Alexandria, Virginia and Episcopal High School, Alexandria, Virginia

Closest chain restaurant to base camp: McDonald’s 0.4 miles away

National dish: zagorski štrukli (traditional dish of dough with various fillings that is boiled or baked), jota (soup of beans and sauerkraut, potatoes, bacon, and spare ribs), pašticada (braised beef in sweet and sour sauce)

One Sickos Thing: I think the most Sickos moment that lives in my head for Croatia is when Crotatian Firefigthers were all watching the game in their Croatia kits but then the fire alarm went off and they all had to rush to put out a fire. (What is up with these YouTube labels?)

Oldest Player: FW Jordan Ayew, 34 (117 caps, 33 goals)

Youngest Player: Ernest Nuamah. 22 (18 caps, 4 goals)

Best Name on the Team: Kojo Peprah Oppong

Team Nickname: Black Stars

Coach Name: Carlos Quieroz (since April 2026)

FIFA Rank: 74

Best World Cup Performance: Quarterfinals in 2010

How did they qualify? Won CAF qualifying Group I (8 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss)

Best player? I’m Ghana be honest with you, this is Ghana be a hard choice and I’m not Ghana make one. Just kidding, I’m Ghana use the EA FC Rankings and Ghana go with Inaki Williams.

The league where most of the team plays in: France’s Ligue 1 - 7 Players

Base Camp: Providence Biltmore, Providence, Rhode Island & Bryant University

Closest chain restaurant to base camp: Subway - Right across the street.

National dish: fufu (pounded meal), jollof rice (long-grain rice dish with tomatoes, chilis, onions, spices, and other vegetables and/or meat cooked in a single pot)

One Sickos Thing: They are only the third African nation to ever reach the tournament's final eight, coming within a penalty shootout of the semi-finals and probably should have made it if not for Luis Suarez and become the first African Nation to make the Semi-Finals. Of course Suarez doesn’t apologize for this handball. Ghana had a chance for revenge in 2022 but fell to Uruguay 2-0 in the Group stages. Funny thing is that both were knocked out after that game. Uruguay and Ghana forever linked.

Oldest Player: MF Alberto Quintero, 38 (140 caps, 7 goals)

Youngest Player: DF Edgardo Fariña, 24 (15 caps, 0 goals)

Best Name on the Team: MF Adalberto Carrasquilla

Team Nickname: Los Canaleros (The Canal Men)

Coach Name: Thomas Christiansen (since 2020)

FIFA Rank: 33rd

Best World Cup Performance: Group Stage in 2018.

How did they qualify? Won CONCACAF qualifying Group A (3 wins, 3 draws, 0 losses)

Best player? Probably Midfielder Ismael Diaz

The league where most of the team plays in: Liga MX (3 players)

Base Camp: Nottawasaga Inn Resort & Conference Centre, New Tecumseth, Ontario

Closest chain restaurant to base camp: Depending on your definition of restaurant. Either a Tim Hortons 4 kilometres away, or the A&W right next to it.

National dish: sancocho - stew of chicken, ñame, and culantro. Often yuca, corn on the cob, taro, onion, and other vegetables are added

One Sickos Thing: SHOCKING Panama trying to score a goal while ENGLAND PLAYERS WERE CELEBRATING - YouTube tried to score a goal against England while they were celebrating, which England fans called a disgrace… until their team tried to do it a week later Lingard & Rashford quick kick-off against Croatia at World Cup 2018 semi final.