The road to the knockout stage will not be easy for these three groups. While Argentina, Portugal and England enter as favorites, several challengers could make life difficult for the group leaders. From potential farewell World Cups for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to debut appearances for nations like Jordan, DR Congo and Uzbekistan, these groups offer plenty of storylines heading into the tournament.
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Argentina enters as the favorites to win the group. With this possibly being Argentine captain Lionel Messi’s last World Cup, La Albiceleste will be aiming to make a deep run in the tournament. Anything but a finish atop the group would be a surprise.
Algeria has qualified for the World Cup five times, including 2026, and reached the Round of 16 in its last appearance in 2014. Algeria has shown strong form recently, recording a 0-0 draw against Uruguay and a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in its last two matches. I think they will be competing with Austria to see who makes it out as the second place team.
Austria is a strong and experienced nation but has not qualified for the World Cup since 1998. Veteran David Alaba will lead the team from the back, while midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka provides youthful energy after switching his international allegiance from England to Austria.
I think Austria has a slight advantage in making it out in second, leaving Algeria to potentially compete for one of the tournament’s third-place qualification spots.
Jordan will be making its World Cup debut having had a tough couple of warmup matches including a 1-4 defeat against Switzerland and a 0-2 defeat against Colombia. I think they will finish in fourth-place and be eliminated in the group stage.
Group K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Portugal has one of its strongest squads in recent history, and in my opinion, a good chance of going far, if not winning the tournament. It is possible that this could also be Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup as well and A Seleção das Quinas will be hoping to send Ronaldo out on a high note.
Colombia has a strong team, led by midfielder James Rodríguez and striker Luis Díaz. In its most recent World Cup appearance in 2018, Colombia was eliminated by England in the Round of 16 on penalties. They will be looking to go further this time around and I think they will make it out of the group in second place.
DR Congo and Uzbekistan are both making their World Cup debuts. DR Congo did make it to the 1974 World Cup however the country was known as Zaire at the time. DR Congo has lost only five of its last 23 matches, while Uzbekistan has lost five of its last 25. I think these two will be battling it out to see who has a chance at advancing in third-place and who will be heading back home.
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
England is favored to top Group L, however, I think most are underestimating the Croatian side. England has a strong squad but has also omitted several notable players who many expected to make the roster such as world-class right back Trent Alexander-Arnold and midfielder Cole Palmer.
Croatia returns much of its core from the 2022 World Cup while integrating several younger players. Led by Captain Luka Modrić, striker Ivan Perišić, midfielder Mateo Kovačić and defender Joško Gvardiol, they will be a hard team to beat and I think have a slight edge over England in terms of who tops the group. Remember that Croatia made it to the finals in 2018 and came in third-place in 2022.
Ghana has a competitive team but are lacking form, having lost five of their last six matches, including a 1-5 loss to Austria. In my opinion they still have the edge over Panama and have a chance at qualifying in third-place.
This will be the second World Cup Panama has qualified for; the last one being 2018. They have a solid squad; however, I think they will finish the group in fourth and be eliminated in the group stage.
As always, stay tuned to Futbolhijo.com for in-depth coverage of the biggest World Cup yet. Check back for my next article, where I will begin covering matches and news that happens throughout the tournament. You can also read my previous analysis of Groups G, H and I.
Cover Photos: Left photo: Lionel Messi. Taken by Christopher Johnson. Wikipedia. Creative Commons. Right photo: Cristiano Ronaldo. Taken by Майоров Владимир. Wikipedia. Creative Commons.