Five Silver Linings to the 2026 World Cup: Why This Tournament Might Just Deliver Despite Its Flaws

We've spent plenty of time griping about this World Cup, and fair enough too. FIFA has done what FIFA does best: indulge the worst sort of people whilst showing precious little concern for player and fan welfare in what could prove unbearable conditions.

Yet amid all that justified frustration sits a football tournament bursting with extraordinary talent, ultimately crowning the planet's champion in its favourite sport. Surely it can't all be dreadful?

Here are five genuine reasons to believe this tournament could be brilliant—even if most are happy accidents and the organisers deserve zero credit.

Fresh Blood

The 48-team format remains questionable, but the novelty of seeing Jordan, Uzbekistan, Curaçao, and Cape Verde compete at the World Cup for the first time? That's genuinely exciting. Yes, FIFA's motives were cynical—they'd happily expand to 64 if given the chance—but you needn't celebrate the route taken to enjoy the destination.

The format gifts these nations genuine hope of reaching the knockout rounds. Who knows, if the stars align, we might even get fresh material for jokes about Scotland's inevitable early exit.

Familiar Faces Making a Return

Beyond the debutants, numerous countries are ending lengthy World Cup droughts. Scotland and Norway both end 28-year waits, and notably, both topped their qualifying groups anyway—they'd have qualified under the old format.

Austria returns after 1998. Haiti and DR Congo feature for the first time since 1974. Iraq hasn't been here since 1986. Turkey's back for the first time since their 2002 semi-final run. Czech Republic ends a 20-year absence. New Zealand, Paraguay, and South Africa all return after 2010. Algeria and Ivory Coast make their first appearance in 12 years.

The expansion hasn't eliminated qualification's difficulty either. Italy, Denmark, Cameroon, Nigeria, Costa Rica, Poland, Serbia, and Wales all missed out despite relatively recent pedigree.

The takeaway? This World Cup will feel different, but not all that change is inherently negative. You simply must remember: the bad bits are intentional, the good bits accidental. And no, you absolutely do not "have to hand it to" FIFA.

A Managerial Masterclass

World Cups always feature brilliant players—it's rather the point. But elite managers? That's rarer. This time, however, the dugouts are genuinely stacked.

Dick Advocaat, Marcelo Bielsa, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Julian Nagelsmann—these are heavyweight names. Then there's Carlo Ancelotti managing Brazil. That eyebrow alone is worth the admission price.

Lionel Scaloni returns to defend his title and finally shed his 2006 FA Cup final associations. Didier Deschamps is here, as is only right. Zlatko Dalić remains Croatia's boss. Ronald Koeman should manage nobody but the Dutch. Javier Aguirre, at 67, embarks on his third stint with Mexico. Graham Potter has Sweden. Fabio Cannavaro manages Uzbekistan.

In a tournament where heat and an extra knockout game will test tactical nous severely, this managerial talent could prove decisive.

Legendary Farewells

Barring surprises, this should be Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Luka Modrić's final World Cup. It might also be the last for Guillermo Ochoa—after which one genuinely wonders if the 2030 edition, split across three continents, will even qualify as a proper World Cup.

The Knockout Extravaganza

Yes, 72 group matches crammed into 17 days is madness—too many games, too few days. Yes, there's no rest day for another two rounds after that. Put that aside for now.

What awaits once the bloated group stage concludes could be genuinely spectacular. From June 28 to July 19, you're looking at three weeks of pure, unadulterated football: 32 knockout matches across 22 days, each one eliminate-or-go-home, culminating in a world champion.

The doubled knockout games shouldn't be dismissed. If players manage to avoid complete exhaustion by this point, these really could be genuinely magical weeks. That's worth holding something in reserve for.