Biggest 2026 World Cup storylines to follow with less than a month to go before kickoff

Biggest stars at the 2026 World Cup

Lionel Messi hasn’t confirmed his participation for the summer’s tournament, but he will surely represent Argentina in the United States if he remains fit.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who continues to be a consistent source of goals at 41, will look to lead Portugal to their first ever World Cup title.

The experienced forward has won everything there is to win except for that trophy.

The game’s other megastars Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal will also be aiming to etch their names in history this summer.

Haaland has an astonishing 55 goals in just 49 appearances for his country, while Yamal has helped Spain win the last European Championship.

Four debutants

Last October, Cape Verde made history by becoming the smallest nation by population (approx. 525,000) to qualify for the men’s tournament.

The record was smashed the following month by the Caribbean island of Curacao, which has a population of just over 150,000 and a land area of 171 square miles.

The Blue Wave will now be heading to the US to face Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast in their three group matches.

Jordan and Uzbekistan will also join the two tiny nations for the first appearance at the competition.

Iran’s participation in the World Cup

Iran’s participation has been a major storyline in the buildup to the summer’s World Cup.

Team Melli secured their place in the finals by winning Group A of the third round of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying.

But US president Donald Trump said in March that Iran’s players should not come to the World Cup due to safety reasons.

Despite the geopolitical tensions, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed the Asian side will compete at the tournament.