With star players locked in, underdog nations upsetting the odds, and two previously unheard-of goalkeepers doing their best Gandalf you-shall-not-pass impressions, likely and unlikely heroes and engaging storylines are everywhere across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
But still, choosing the right team to follow is difficult — never mind selecting one out of the 41 sides left in the competition.
So, inspired by the 2025 college football guide for the bandwagon fan, here are our writers’ picks for the teams worth supporting and why, whether you’re a new fan of soccer or support a team already eliminated.
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Country: Netherlands
World ranking: 8
Previous best at World Cup: Finalist (1974, 1978, 2010)
Why you should get on board: They are by far the most talented side to have never won the World Cup, usually play a beautiful brand of football, and their fans are amongst the most fun in the tournament. Naar links! Naar rechts!
Why you shouldn’t get on board: Your journey as a fan is extremely likely to end in heartbreak. Full disclosure: Sign the consent form. I don’t want any angry complaints after a likely quarter-final exit. Also, the squad quite often falls out with each other, but hey, if you like a soap opera, it’s usually a good watch.
Best player to have on your shirt: Frenkie de Jong. The Barcelona midfielder is the heart of this side — though after Brian Brobbey’s brace against Sweden, the Sunderland striker could turn into one of this tournament’s cult heroes.
Which other sports team are they like?: Look, the Netherlands are basically the New York Knicks — and I’m not just talking about the orange.
Both teams have endured long droughts. Both, at times, have sunk from the weight of the burden. Both teams had golden eras in the 1970s. Both have crazy fans and believe their side, in some way, embodies the soul of their respective sport.
So come on — if you cannot get enough of the Knicks ending their 53-year wait for a championship, get behind their Dutch brethren too.
Jacob Whitehead
Country: Senegal
World ranking: 19
Previous best at World Cup: Quarter-finals (2002)
Why you should get on board: Senegal are such a fun team.
They have lots of exciting young players, and their fans are often the stars of the show in the stands. Think supporters painted with the letters of the country, with rhythmic drumming, dancing and two-stepping to a constant beat, always creating a joyful, exuberant atmosphere.
Why you shouldn’t get on board: The vagaries of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the governing body of the sport on the continent.
After beating hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) — the biennial African international competition — in January, Senegal were stripped of the title.
CAF ruled that Senegal’s mid-match protest — when everyone except team leader Sadio Mane left the field in protest for a few minutes at a contentious penalty awarded to Morocco — meant they would forfeit the match.
So expect controversy. And, I suppose, your arms and legs might get tired from the incessant movements hard-wired into being a Senegal fan.
Best player to have on your shirt: Former Liverpool winger Mane, who wears No 10, is the star player and elder statesman at 34, plus their record goalscorer. Otherwise, brilliant teenager Ibrahim Mbaye, 18, of Paris Saint-Germain, who wears No 20, is the up-and-coming wonderkid to watch.
One of the greatest African footballers ever to have played the game.
Which other sports team are they like?: How about the Dallas Mavericks?
Think a headline star towards the end of his career who has starred on the domestic and international stage (Mane, meet Kyrie Irving), one stellar up-and-comer (for Mbaye, read Cooper Flagg), a successful period in the Noughties, strong performances in the last five years, and loyal fans. Senegal Fans For Life!
Max Mathews
Country: Norway
World ranking: 22
Previous best at World Cup: Round of 16 (1938, 1998)
Why you should get on board: I’ve got four reasons for you:
1. I’m Danish, and I’m endorsing Norway. I’m risking exile from my family, so you know I’m serious.
2. Have you ever wanted to learn how to row? Let 30,000 Norway fans show you at a game sometime…
3. The jerseys might be the sickest (technical term) in World Cup history? The font is in the style of Norse runes. Come on.
4. Norway are fun. They’ve got that ‘long-awaited return’ thing (Norway are back in the World Cup after a 28-year absence) paired with a talented squad and a stellar run of form. They play aggressively, they’re imposing, they feed off their fans. Exactly what a Norwegian soccer team should be.
Why you shouldn’t get on board: The group is far from settled, and the real tests are ahead. France still lurks in the group, and a loss to them tomorrow (June 26) would likely put Norway on a knockout round path that includes teams such as Ivory Coast, Japan, Brazil, or Morocco, and then England or Mexico in the round of 16. Norway could be a group stage darling that exits quickly.
Best player to have on your shirt: Erling Haaland, duh. The Manchester City star scored twice against Iraq in Boston and twice against Senegal in New Jersey. He’s one of the world’s best players and has a swagger/fun factor that is off the charts.
This year, he bought a 1594 edition of the Kings’ Sagas, the foundational chronicle of the Viking kings of Norway, and then gave it away to his hometown library.
Erling Haaland supports his local library. Not sure how else to sell you on him…
Which other sports team are they like?: Norway are the Buffalo Bills. Generational star who everything revolves around (Josh Allen/Haaland). Passionate fanbase that’ll jump through tables/paint themselves head to toe and scream themselves hoarse. A long wait for relevance that may finally be paying off.
I imagine the winters aren’t too different, either!
Patrick Iversen
Country: Austria
World ranking: 23
Previous best at World Cup: Third place (1954)
Why you should get on board: 1) Austria has a mix of veteran players with young rising talent. Marko Arnautovic, 37, is on the squad with the most caps for the country (135) and the national team’s leading scorer (48 goals). Konrad Laimer, 29, is effectively manning the central midfield. But then you have Paul Wanner, 20, who elected Austria over Germany (he’s a dual citizen) and brings a ton of pace and vision to his game.
2) Austria’s playstyle. If you love a high-pressure system that pounces on opponents’ mistakes, this is the country for you.
3) Austria is the answer to future trivia questions. The country against which Lionel Messi scored to become the all-time leading scorer at the World Cup.
4) Austrian culture. I may be biased (my grandfather was Austrian), but Austria’s love of classical music, skiing, sachertorte, and apfelstrudel makes it a superb country.
Why you shouldn’t get on board: I hate to break it to you, but Austria is unlikely to win the World Cup. They might make the knockout stage but a likely runner-up finish in Group J means they have to draw the winner of Group H, which is Spain. Tough luck.
Best player to have on your shirt: Invest in youth. Go for Wanner. He got his start in the Bayern Munich academy. He now plays for the Dutch club PSV, where the team won the Eredivisie in 2025-26, the highest league of football in the Netherlands.
Which other sports team are they like?: Minnesota Wild in the NHL. Minnesota is often a trendy pick to advance in the postseason but bow out early. In the last 10 years, the furthest the Wild have advanced in the playoffs is the second round.
Lukas Weese
Country: Japan
World ranking: 16
Previous best at World Cup: Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022)
Why you should get on board: Nice jerseys, delightful fans, tidy football, no histrionics, stirring national anthem and they are the best team in Asia, the world’s most populous continent, so the Samurai Blue must be amazing, right?
Yes! They strolled through Asian qualifying to become the first non-host nation to book their spot in the tournament and then beat Brazil and England (at Wembley, a first win there for an Asian team) in pre-tournament friendlies.
Why you shouldn’t get on board: Despite becoming really good at qualifying for World Cups (this is Japan’s eighth in a row), they are really bad at going beyond the round of 16. Is this the year they break through their glass ceiling?
Maybe. They certainly showed their mettle in their opening game when they came back twice to get a point against the Dutch, and then they toyed with Tunisia to win 4-0.
So, they have practically reached the knockout rounds. There are a few buts, though… The first is that they are missing three of their best players through injury — current and former Liverpool duo Wataru Endo and Takumi Minamino, and Brighton star Kaoru Mitoma — and their path to the quarter-finals might have to go through Mexico and Brazil.
Best player to have on your shirt: Feyenoord striker Ayase Ueda is getting a lot of attention thanks to his brace against Tunisia, but my favourite is Daichi Kamada. The Crystal Palace midfielder is the quintessential Japan player: hard-working, neat, nimble…all the cliches. He plays a slightly more attacking role for his national side than he does for Palace, as his two goals here would suggest.
Which other sports team are they like?: Until Palace’s recent trophy glut, Kamada’s two teams were similar in that they were always at the right events and had their moments, but ultimately came up short. Better comparisons now are probably any of the EPL’s “B” teams: Brentford, Bournemouth and Brighton.
In terms of U.S. teams, any of the Philadelphia franchises apart from the Eagles feel like decent shouts, as they have all been around forever and nobody seems to dislike them much, but they just have not won enough.
The Eagles are the exception, of course, as they have won things and rival fanbases do dislike them. Not like Japan at all.
Matt Slater
Country: Canada
World ranking: 31
Previous best at World Cup: Group stage (1986, 2022)
Why you should get on board: Excitement, man. Canada are both full throttle on the pitch and likeable off it, ensuring neutral fans will cover their bases.
Their soccer is aggressive, which is what any neutral wants to see. They’ve got a head coach in Jesse Marsch who is outspoken, full of swagger and understands tactically how to get the best out of this group.
Why you shouldn’t get on board: Until it happens and Canada starts winning knockout round games, they will still feel like outsiders in international soccer. And in Canada, many who have suffered through Canada’s lean generations are waiting for the other shoe to drop with this rising Canadian team.
Best player to have on your shirt: Tajon Buchanan.
Owning an Alphonso Davies Canada shirt is like owning one of those Nirvana smiley-faced T-shirts from Urban Outfitters. Yeah, it’s punk enough, but it only suggests you have, at best, a passing understanding of what you are really wearing.
That’s why Buchanan, who plays for Villarreal in Spain, is the play. He represents everything good about this Canadian side: his pace can turn a game on its head, he plays with snarl in attack, and he’s fearless.
Which other sports team are they like?: The Buffalo Sabres.
The Sabres were known as habitual underachievers. They owned the NHL’s longest playoff drought until this year: fuelled by the kind of youth and strong self-belief Canada also possesses, the Sabres flipped the script.
Not only did they qualify for the playoffs, they pushed to the second round. And with their core, the Sabres showed they likely weren’t one-hit wonders. They were laughable outcasts for so long, but not anymore.
Lukas Weese
Country: Colombia
World ranking: 12
Previous best at World Cup: Quarter-finals (2014)
Why you should get on board: The dancing, the music, the hip-shaking moves. I’m not talking about Colombia’s fans, who are among the most party-first fans at any major tournament. I’m referring to the players.
When Colombia qualifies for the World Cup, you should always expect fun football and edge-of-your-seat drama.
Why you shouldn’t get on board: Colombia are heartbreakers. Go back to 2014 when James Rodriguez and Colombia were the World Cup darlings. They danced their way to the quarter-finals for the first time, only to be booted from the tournament by hosts Brazil in gut-wrenching fashion. In 2018, Colombia took England to penalties in the round of 16 but lost.
Best player to have on your shirt: Luis Diaz, but call him Lucho. The Bayern Munich winger is a true global star and a first-rate entertainer on the pitch. He has elite dribbling skills. He loves an impromptu no-look pass and he can produce spectacular goals on the regular.
Which other sports team are they like?: The Atlanta Braves. Both the Braves and Colombia have likeable stars and international flair. Their fanbases are fanatical but grounded in reality. The Braves won the World Series in 2021 after a 26-year drought, so Braves fans certainly know how to suffer and underwhelm.
Colombia haven’t won a major trophy since 2001 (Copa America). A 28-game winning streak and a runner-up finish for Colombia at the 2024 Copa America did two things: allowed Colombians to dream big while simultaneously reminding them (and me) where we stand in the championship hierarchy.
Felipe Cardenas
Country: Curacao
World ranking: 81
Previous best at World Cup: N/A
Why you should get on board: Curacao are the World Cup’s ultimate underdog story, and with a population of about 156,000, they are the smallest country to qualify for the competition.
One of four tournament debutants in the expanded 48-team format, their squad blends Caribbean identity with Dutch football education.
After suffering a 7-1 defeat by Germany in their opening group game, Curacao responded by holding Ecuador to a goalless draw — their first World Cup point.
Goalkeeper Eloy Room made a World Cup record-equalling 15 saves in a 90-minute match, turning the fixture into national history.
Why you shouldn’t get on board: The Germany game showed how enormous the gap can be. Curacao have limited resources, almost no experience at this level and can spend long periods without the ball. Supporting them may involve watching through your fingers.
Best player to have on your shirt: Tahith Chong. The Sheffield United midfielder is the only member of Curacao’s squad born on the island.
Which other sports team are they like?: Not a team, admittedly, but Curacao are Buster Douglas getting back to his feet against Mike Tyson.
Douglas entered their 1990 heavyweight-title fight as a 42-to-one underdog against the undefeated Tyson. Knocked down late in the eighth round, he beat the count, then knocked Tyson out two rounds later.
Curacao’s 7-1 defeat was their knockdown. The Ecuador draw was them getting back up. Can they now land a punch of their own? Nobody expects Curaçao to win the World Cup — but that’s the fun of supporting the underdog.
Amelie Claydon
Country: France
World ranking: 2
Previous best at World Cup: Winners (1998, 2018)
Why you should get on board: France are going to provide you with the best value for entertainment throughout this tournament. They have a ridiculous amount of attacking talent, including Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe, Bayern Munich’s mercurial playmaker Michael Olise, and Desire Doue, who has won back-to-back Champions League titles with Paris Saint-Germain. France are scoring goals for fun this summer.
Why you shouldn’t get on board: You could argue that Didier Deschamps’ side are a boring choice. Everybody knows how good France are: they have reached four of the last seven World Cup finals and won the competition twice. Part of the magic of the World Cup is discovering a new team and being captivated by players you have never heard of. Sometimes backing the underdog is more fun.
Best player to have on your shirt: Lionel Messi is still the centre of attention at this tournament, but Mbappe’s goalscoring exploits are remarkable. Mbappe has scored 16 goals in as many matches across three World Cups and is two behind all-time top scorer Messi. The difference is that Messi has made 28 appearances at six World Cups. Mbappe will inevitably overtake him. If the forward wins another World Cup in the future, he would have a strong claim to be the most influential player in World Cup history.
Which other sports team are they like: France’s fortunes neatly mirror PSG. They both had some success before the turn of the century, but have become a dominant and consistent force in recent years.
Jay Harris
Country: Egypt
World ranking: 26
Previous best at World Cup: Round of 16 (1934)
Why you should get on board: An impressive draw against Belgium followed by a come-from-behind 3-1 victory over New Zealand means Egypt are now well set to be the surprise winners of their group.
Departing Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah and Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush make them exciting in attack. Also, the Pharaohs is a pretty cool nickname.
Leaves Liverpool as one of their all-time greats and will want to impress potential new clubs.
Why you shouldn’t get on board: Egypt teams have not been great at dealing with pressure over the years. They have lost on penalties in two of their last three African Cup of Nations appearances, and exiting this World Cup in a similarly heartbreaking way seems quite likely.
Best player to have on your shirt: Salah and Marmoush will be favoured by many supporters, but Mostafa Ziko and Trezeguet — both goalscorers for Egypt in that historic victory in game two — are worthy choices.
Which other sports team are they like?: Despite winning AFCON a record seven times, Egypt have never been able to translate their success on the continent to the global stage.
Which brings a comparison with Arsenal: 14 English First Division trophies, but zero success (as yet) in the European Cup or Champions League.
Dermot Corrigan
Country: Brazil
World ranking: 5
Previous best at World Cup: Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
Why you should get on board: Brace yourself for some grade-A cliches, but it’s not a World Cup without Brazil. Literally, in fact: they’re the only country to have been at every single tournament, they’ve finished top of their group at every tournament since 1970 and, oh yeah, have won the whole thing five times.
They also still carry the reputation of playing a carefree, super-skilful type of football, even if that hasn’t actually been the case for about 40 years.
Why you shouldn’t get on board: There’s the possibility of an absolutely sensational implosion, as happened in the 2014 semi-final against Germany when they were beaten 7-1, and a nation wandered around in a collective shocked stupor for days.
Still, that was partly because, as hosts, they had wound themselves up so tight emotionally that a spectacular failure was semi-inevitable. Under the famously laidback Carlo Ancelotti this time, they won’t fall into that trap again. Probably.
Best player to have on your shirt: Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior is the obvious choice, and not an incorrect one, but if you want a young up-and-comer so you can shrewdly tap your nose in years to come and say you were in on early, then 19-year-old winger Rayan, of Bournemouth, might be the choice for you.
Which other sports team are they like?: This is slightly tricky because they hold more affection from neutrals than most domestic teams, but in terms of having a reputation for flamboyant play, you could compare them to peak-era Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors, or for glamour and big stars (as well as a shared shirt colour), it’s the LA Lakers.
One element that doesn’t fit with either of those is Brazil are going through a title drought: if they don’t win the World Cup this time, it will be their longest dry spell since their first title in 1958. That said, the last time the tournament was hosted in the USA in 1994, they had gone 24 years without winning, and they last lifted the trophy in 2002. So if you’re looking for illogical historical omens…
Nick Miller
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Canada, Austria, France, Netherlands, Brazil, Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Colombia, Norway, Curacao, Women’s Soccer, FIFA Men’s World Cup
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