The 2026 world football tournament has begun. Forty-eight countries will compete to become champions in a football festival taking place across Canada, the United States, and Mexico from 12 June to 19 July 2026.
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In this article, we’ll ask our KAORI contributors and social media staff who they think will be crowned champions this year, and how far they believe the Japanese national team can go in the tournament. Here are their answers!
Dean Astarada (KAORI Newsline)
Champion: Germany
Reason: Although Germany is synonymous with Bayern Munich, who have fulfilled the call-up for this year’s world football tournament, Julian Nagelsmann appears to have learned from the mistakes of the Hansi Flick era by selecting German players with impressive domestic performances. Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala, and Florian Wirtz are expected to spearhead Die Mannschaft’s attacking formation.
Although this tournament could be Manuel Neuer’s last dance, the defensive combination of Antonio Rudiger, Nico Schlotterbeck, and David Raum is expected to strengthen the defence. Nagelsmann also needs to diversify his strategy beyond the False 9 to create effective scoring opportunities.
Japan’s Chances: Quarter-final/Semi-Final
Reason: The Japanese national team’s biggest test to date will be their return against European and South American teams. Although Japan dominated the Asian qualifying round, the group stage will be their biggest challenge, with the Netherlands and Sweden in the same group.
The quarter-finals and semifinals are a reasonable prediction if Japan maintains this dominance. Ritsu Doan, Wataru Endo, and Kento Shiogai are predicted to be the players with the biggest impact for the Japanese national team this time around.
M. Sifaul Azis (KAORI Newsline)
Champion: Spain
Reason: With a team composition that is almost identical to the one that won Euro ’24, it looks like Lamine Yamal and his teammates will repeat Spain’s golden era of 2008-2012.
Japan’s Chances: Quarter-final
Reason: Learning from experience, Moriyasu will bring a slightly different strategy and has seen several recent friendly matches against strong European teams. The Blue Samurai are confident they can go far, and the quarter-final is within reach. The power of the Blue Lock will feel even more evident. And one more thing, DON’T FORGET TO READ THE MANGA GIANT KILLING!
Eriq Affandi (The Indonesian Anime Times)
Champion: Norway
Reason: When thinking of the Norwegian Landslaget (national team), one usually refers to the combination of Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard up front. That’s not wrong. However, Norway is more than just those two world-class players. The entire Norwegian squad is by no means to be underestimated, boasting a mix of young and old players with extensive European experience, exceptional cohesion and tactical adaptability. Proof? The last European qualifying round featured four-time world champions Italy and strong contender Finland, AND they finished first, including beating Italy twice in a row!
In addition to his evenly well-structured squad, Norwegian coach Ståle Solbakken has led this determined team to qualify for the world football tournament for the first time since Egil Olsen did so in 1998. The former Copenhagen manager has polished the Norwegian team into a solid defensive team with a fluid and unpredictable attack. Despite being placed in a tough group alongside two-time champions France, Senegal, and dark horse Iraq, the aforementioned factors, coupled with surprises in each match, have the team nicknamed Røde, Hvite, Blå (Red, White, and Blue) poised to win the world football tournament trophy in a way they’ve never tried before.
Japan’s Chances: Round of 16
Reason: Without diminishing the sense of accomplishment and remarkable progress the Japanese national team has made in every world football tournament, their challenges will be threefold: facing the top European and South American teams and the team’s mentality of being vulnerable at any moment. Furthermore, with 48 teams participating, most of them are something they’ve never faced them previously.
Coach Hajime Moriyasu will have to think hard about how to deal with each team they face, from Sweden and the Netherlands in the group stage to equally strong teams in the knockout rounds. The Blue Samurai’s tactical mix, squad depth, and mentality will determine whether they are stopped in the round of 16 for the third consecutive year, or perhaps…
Tanto D (KAORI Newsline)
Champion: England
Reason: Simply because they want to see this country truly come home to win the world football tournament, and coincidentally, their record at the 2022 tournament in Qatar was still quite good, despite being eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Japan’s Chances: Round of 16
Reason: Likely the same as in the previous tournament, the furthest they’ll go is the round of 16.
Clemens Pijoh (Social Media Team)
Champion: Netherlands
Reason: I personally think the Netherlands will win. There’s no particular reason, really. Their defence is pretty good for this match, especially with De Jong in the middle. And don’t forget Captain van Dijk, who’s actually an elite defender at Liverpool, but he’s just not fit this year, haha.
Anyway, a good defence can provide good counterattacks, as is typical of the Dutch game. Plus, a win will prevent the Netherlands from always finishing runners-up like Arsenal. Arsenal can already move on, you know…
Japan’s Chances: Quarter-final
Reason: Well, I don’t really have a big opinion on Japan, but if possible, I’d like them to make it to the quarter-final or further. The reason? It’s just exciting to have an Asian country suddenly join the quarter-final round. So I expect that Japan will be the dark horse this time. With several of their top players already playing for big European clubs (Liverpool, Crystal Palace, Munich), I hope they can pull off a surprise at the 2026 world football tournament, hehe.
Aldin Firgiawan (KAORI Newsline)
Champion: Spain
Reason:
- Squad Balance and the Return of the Field General: Their midfield is once again led by a fully fit Rodri. Rodri’s presence provides incredible stability in controlling the rhythm of the game.
- Combination of Youth and Experience: Their victory at Euro 2024 has given talented young players like Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres a mature winning mentality.
- Dominance: Spain is one of the teams with the best pressing and ball possession skills in the world right now. They are very consistent and are predicted to face no major obstacles until the knockout stage.
Japan’s Chances: Quarter-final
Reason: The Japanese national team’s chances are slim, as they face Sweden and the Netherlands in the group stage, who are expected to be tough opponents. However, they might make it through the group stage if they can hold off either Sweden or the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, in the knockout stage, if they face opponents like Brazil, Argentina, or France/Spain, they can prove their synergy and advance to the quarter-finals. Japan could be a dark horse this year, if they can.
M. Razif Kurniawan (KAORI Newsline)
Champion: Morocco
Reason: A bit unique, but I’m backing Morocco. They’re the team that made it to the semi-final in the 2022 tournament and beat a powerhouse team like Spain. Many Moroccan players are now playing in major European leagues, making this dark horse a potential champion.
Japan’s Chances: Round of 16
Reason: The Japanese national team is arguably the king of Asia, competing with other major Asian teams like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and South Korea. However, this team usually struggles when faced with major European teams. So I still find it hard to imagine this team advancing past the round of 16. Despite this, the Japanese national team always comes up with big surprises, so it will be interesting to see how far they can go in this year’s World Cup.
Dany Muhammad (The Indonesian Anime Times)
Champion: Spain
Reason: Because I feel like they have the most complete squad right now, and the combination of Rodri and Pedri acts as pivots who can defend while also creating chances.
Japan’s Chances: Quarter-final
Reason: While Japan has been impressive at the Asian level and during friendly matches, I don’t think it’s time for Japan to win the title yet. I expect a great performance, but their limit is only the quarterfinals.
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These are the answers from our KAORI staff above. Who do you think will emerge victorious in the 2026 world football tournament? And how far will the Japanese National Team go this time? Don’t forget to leave a comment below, and we hope your chosen team wins this year!
Also read:
The Indonesian Anime Times
