By Neel Shelat MexicoMexico are poised to become the first nation to host the FIFA Men’s World Cup three times. A festive atmosphere is to be expected at the Estadio Azteca ahead of the tournament opener between El Tri and South Africa, but it could quickly be replaced by tension in the air.The team’s run of seven consecutive World Cup knockout appearances ended in 2022 as they were edged out by Poland in Group C. They went on to win a few more CONCACAF titles subsequently, but disappointed on the big stage again with another group stage exit in the 2024 Copa América.Experienced head coach Javier Aguirre was brought in in the aftermath, taking charge of the national team for a third time in his storied career. He has set about shaping the side into a solid unit, making them more defensively compact and tougher to break down. This has come at the cost of some entertainment value since they don’t take a lot of risks going forward, but it does seem to be a style of play suited to tournament football – as was evidenced in their 2025 Gold Cup triumph.Captain Edson Álvarez will have a key role to play with his leadership both off and on the field, as he very much is the tempo-setter and can drop into the back line from midfield to further dictate proceedings. An attack crying out for creativity could use the spark of Alexis Vega or even Gilberto Mora — who became the youngest-ever appearance-maker for Mexico’s men’s national team last year and is still only 17 — while the likes of Raúl Jiménez and Saudi Pro League top-scorer Julián Quiñones will be keen to finish off the chances they get.Mexico’s Quiñones was the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League this seasonMexico are the highest-ranked team in a group that includes South Africa, South Korea and Czechia, so they should be backed to advance to the knockouts. Their pathway thereon gets a little murkier.On paper, finishing second might produce the most favourable Round of 32 draw since that would pit them against the runners-up of a relatively weak Group B, while first could run into tricky opponents like the Ivory Coast, Ecuador or Scotland, and advancement from third would likely set up a meeting with Germany. CanadaCanada should be quite pleased with their group stage draw since they are in the aforementioned Group B, which looks to be the weakest at the tournament by many measures.Two-time qualifiers Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Qatar, who’ve qualified for the first time as non-hosts, are teams that Jesse Marsch’s side will be considered favourites against, so they can aim for much more than their first Men’s World Cup point in their third tournament appearance. Their schedule also looks good, since those are the two sides they will be facing first.Canada have a good chance of avoiding the heavy-hitters at the beginning of the knockout stage as long as they finish in the top two, so their campaign has a good chance of continuing into July. They will not be afraid to face any of the tournament favourites either, having developed into a very well-drilled and cohesive unit in recent years.Their American head coach Marsch deserves credit for that, as he has come in and instilled his pressing-based style of play into the squad very well. He took the team to the semi-finals of the 2024 Copa América in his very first competitive matches in charge.The squad has remained largely unchanged over the last two years, as have the tactics and key players. Canada have a good deal of quality on the wings and up front, including the likes of Alphonso Davies (dependent on his recovery from injury) and Jonathan David, but a lot may rest on how firmly their defence can hold up. And how well they replace Moïse Bombito, who has not been deemed fit to continue after being tested in a training game over the weekend. United StatesThe United States men’s national team (USMNT) have made it to the Round of 16 of each of the last three World Cups they have qualified for. Their aim for this home World Cup will be to at least keep that run going, but they will have to overcome some tricky obstacles along the way.For one, their group is quietly challenging. Türkiye have a talented side with standout attackers who can single-handedly win a game, Australia are a tough nut to crack and will be keen to reach back-to-back Men’s World Cup knockouts for the first time, and Paraguay are no pushovers either. In fact, Group D is the only one at the tournament in which all teams are in the top 40 of FIFA’s world rankings, making it arguably the toughest to call.Topping the group will be important to ensure a smoother knockout run, since the runner-up will likely face Egypt or Iran, who are both well-experienced and can be very tough to break down. So, the USMNT will need to bring their A game from the get-go.How the team will shape up is not entirely clear, however. Mauricio Pochettino has experimented with both a back three and four in recent matches, though some fundamental principles such as advancing full backs and forwards that operate infield have remained consistent.Chris Richards’ injury concerns would be a big blow to the defensive unit, but Pochettino will hope that midfielders like Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie can provide enough support. Going forward, a lot could rest on Christian Pulisic, who had a great first half of the season with Milan but dropped off drastically after the turn of the year, registering just two assists and no goals. He will need to find his best form if the USMNT are to have a satisfactory run on home soil.(Images from IMAGO)You can follow the World Cup with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.