World Cup preview: Who's likely to advance from Groups G, H and I?

Egypt, meanwhile, isn't much of a goalscoring team: It relies a bit too much on former Liverpool winger Mo Salah and current Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush, and when the two of them are off, Egypt is off, too. But it's built up a stellar defensive record for itself and boasts one of the finest goalkeepers in Africa in Al-Ahly's Mohamed El-Shenawy. Expect Egypt to keep scorelines low and midfields tight throughout this tournament.

And Iran? Why, it could wind up being the biggest surprise of the tournament. It was the first country on earth to qualify for the World Cup, and it did so by utterly dominating the Asian qualifying process. It managed 11 wins, four draws and just one solitary loss along the way.

Egypt's defensive rigor gives it a slight edge over its peers, but Belgium and Iran should be locked in behind it in the order. This is the kind of group where three teams can — and should — advance to the knockout rounds.

Predicted to advance: Egypt, Belgium, Iran

Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay

Let's just get it out of the way: Spain is the tournament favorite, so it's the clear favorite to win Group H, too. It's simply too strong, too deep, and too consistent to wind up doing anything else.

The big question, then, is who could join it in the knockout rounds. Two-time World Cup champion Uruguay, led by its peerless coach Marcelo Bielsa, is the likeliest candidate. The tiny South American nation made it all the way to the semifinals of the 2024 Copa America, eliminating Brazil along the way, but it's since entered a rough patch and has struggled against intercontinental opposition. You may remember a heavily rotated USMNT beating it 5-1 last November; Uruguay fans certainly do.

Saudi Arabia gets plenty of praise for beating eventual champion Argentina in the group stage of the last World Cup, but this is a very, very different Saudi team than that one was, and it's all the worse for it. The Saudi federation fired coach Herve Renard just 59 days before the World Cup was due to begin; unsurprisingly, the team is now scrambling for form and fitness. And Cabo Verde? The debutant nation could pull off a few surprises, but its lack of World Cup experience makes it a long shot for advancement.

Predicted to advance: Spain, Uruguay

Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway

This is quite possibly the most fascinating, nail-biting group in the entire tournament. Anyone could win it.

France is the most likely candidate. It's a tournament favorite, and its stellar attacking lineup of Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and more is strong enough to cover for its underwhelming midfield. A whopping 14 members of its 26-man squad won at least one trophy during their club seasons in 2025-26. But France has struggled in World Cups before — most notably in 2002, when it entered as a defending champion but went home in the group stages to the surprise of many. The team that sent it packing? Senegal.

Senegal, the people's African champion, would be all too happy to play spoiler for France again this summer. It's a fast, fit team that spikes all over the field, and it left the 2025-26 Africa Cup of Nations as the continent's best team on goals scored and goals conceded.

Iraq and Norway, meanwhile, are sleeper hits. Iraq revamped itself under the tutelage of Australian coach Graham Arnold and got to this World Cup by winning a high-pressure intercontinental playoff against Bolivia. Norway rose to prominence thanks to its striking partnership of Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Atletico Madrid's Alexander Sorloth and scored more goals in qualifying than any other European nation. It managed 37; its closest challenger, Belgium, managed just 29.

Predicted to advance: France, Senegal, Norway