Every four years, countries send their best soccer players to compete in the FIFA World Cup, which is the biggest sporting event in the world.
The groups for next year’s event, which will be hosted in the US, Mexico, and Canada, were recently unveiled, and the hype for the tournament is starting to build.
Games will be held in many stadiums across the continent, including in Kansas City, which will host 6 games at Arrowhead Stadium, including one of the quarterfinal matchups, and the first group stage game for the 2022 winning nation Argentina.
Sydney Swanson, an English teacher at our school, signed up to be a volunteer helper during next year’s event. She attended a tryout in Kansas City and is waiting to hear if she will be selected.
The 12 groups for next year were drawn in Washington, DC on December 5, and they include:
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Playoff D Winner
Group B: Canada, Playoff A Winner, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Playoff C Winner
Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Playoff B Winner, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, Playoff 2 Winner, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Playoff 1 Winner, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
The playoffs will be decided in March 2026, and these are the matches of the teams fighting for each spot:
UEFA Playoff A: Wales vs. Bosnia, Italy vs. Northern Ireland
UEFA Playoff B: Ukraine vs. Sweden, Poland vs. Albania
UEFA Playoff C: Slovakia vs. Kosovo, Turkey vs. Romania
UEFA Playoff D: Czech vs. Ireland, Denmark vs. North Macedonia
FIFA Playoff 1: New Caledonia vs. Jamaica, winner faces DRC
FIFA Playoff 2: Bolivia vs. Suriname, winner faces Iraq
The World Cup is iconic around the world, think the Super Bowl times 100, and that’s not an over exaggeration.The 2022 World Cup Final attracted 1.5 billion viewers, while Super Bowl LIX in 2025, which was the most watched Super Bowl ever, only attracted 127.71 million people.
With the World Cup being so well-known, people make their picks, and some people choose the better teams,.
“I kind of want Argentina [to win],” English Teacher Sydney Swanson said.
Some students also agree.
“I would like Argentina to win,” Brody Ahern (‘27) said.
Some people like to pick the underdogs.
“I really want Mexico or Iraq [to win],” Landon Morris (‘28) said.
With the World Cup being in the US, people of course are rooting for our country.
“I want the US to win, and if they get eliminated then I want Germany to win,” History Teacher Greg Schroeder said. “Those are the teams I am rooting for.”
The World Cup is a huge event annually, and it’s nice to see everybody gearing up for next year’s games.