Debutants, comebacks and the storylines I'll be following

Ask me what I love most about a World Cup and it won't be the trophy lift — it'll be the stories. The 48-team format basically guarantees more of them, because it opens the door to nations that have waited decades for a shot, and to others crawling back after long absences. Here's how I find the human drama underneath the bracket, and why I think 2026 will be the richest tournament yet for narrative.

The debutants

A first-ever World Cup appearance is a generational moment for a country. It inspires kids, reshapes how a nation sees the sport, and sends fans a bit delirious. I always seek out the teams playing in their first finals — their supporters bring an energy the established giants sometimes lack, and their players tend to compete with a fearlessness that makes them genuinely awkward to play against.

These runs matter beyond the month, too. A breakthrough can spark investment back home and inspire a whole generation. If your own team goes out early, adopting one of these underdogs is, in my experience, the quickest way to fall back in love with the tournament.

The host factor

Canada, Mexico and the United States all carry the weight — and the lift — of home support. Hosts have a habit of overperforming, buoyed by familiar conditions and partisan crowds. How the three co-hosts handle the pressure, and how their fans show up across sixteen cities, is one of the big subplots I'll be tracking. A deep run from any of them would set the whole continent alight.

Last dances and breakout kids

World Cups are where careers crest and where they quietly end. Some of the biggest names in the game may be turning up for what could be their final tournament, while a teenager nobody's heard of lights up the world stage and goes to bed a star. That handover — the farewell and the breakout — is reliably the most emotional thread of any edition. I never want to miss it.

Rivalries with a bit of needle

The draw always coughs up a fixture or two loaded with history — neighbours, old rivals, rematches that mean a little extra. Those games carry an edge the standings can't explain, and they tend to produce the loudest atmospheres of the group stage. Half my pre-tournament fun is scanning the groups for exactly these matchups.

• ▪Debutants chasing a first-ever World Cup moment
• ▪Co-hosts riding home support across three nations
• ▪Veterans saying goodbye, kids breaking through
• ▪Grudge matches with real history behind them

Pick your threads

You don't need to follow all of it. But choosing two or three storylines makes the whole month richer. Adopt a debutant, watch how the hosts cope, and keep half an eye on the old stars chasing one last triumph. The bracket tells you who plays whom — the stories tell you why you'll actually care.