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Fancy a bandwagon? Eight teams to fill the Ireland-shaped hole in your World Cup
The Boys in Green didn’t make it, so who can we claim instead?
IF YOU’VE AVOIDED the World Cup hype up to now, prepare to be bombarded by all manner of footballing content over the next 38 days.
The biggest ever Fifa World Cup kicks off tonight in Mexico before games in the United States and Canada, the three co-hosts until the final on 19 July.
Ireland are of course not taking part, after a penalty shootout loss to Czechia back in March halted our progress through the playoffs.
There are however 48 teams that are, with a truly global geographical spread across the bumper tournament.
So if you haven’t been foisted with a team yet by way of an office sweepstake, here’s a list of eight nations you could cheer for and why you could consider supporting them.
Cape Verde
Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes is the only Irish player at this year’s World Cup, with the Dubliner representing Cape Verde, the home nation of his father Carlos Lopes.
Lopes will be in the heart of the defence of the West African island nation and faces a tough opening fixture on Monday evening when they take on tournament favourites Spain.
It is the first time Cape Verde has played at the football’s showpiece tournament and the ‘Blue Sharks’ will have a tricky time getting out of a group that also features Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, but if you’re looking for an underdog to cheer for this is perhaps your team.
Scotland
We’re stretching the Irish angles now but it would be remiss not to give a nudge to our Celtic Cousins in Scotland, who are competing at their first World Cup since 1998.
Scotland clinched qualification in dramatic circumstances following two stoppage-time goals last November to seal their path to America.
Their reward is a tricky group that is nonetheless great for fans and neutrals. Scotland will face Brazil, Morocco and Haiti in their group and should they even get one win they have a good chance of progressing to the knockout stages for the first time in the country’s history.
For their Tartan Army of fans, playing Brazil at a World Cup is always fun and they’re playing in two party-friendly cities of Boston and Miami so expect plenty of craic to be had.
Mexico
If the World Cup has a spiritual home, it’s probably in Mexico.
As The42′s David Sneyd writes, the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City is where both Pele and Maradona lifted the World Cup some 16 years apart and it’s also where the latter summoned The Hand of God against England.
There is therefore immense pride in Mexico in co-hosting this tournament which makes it the only nation to do so for the third time.
It’s usually good fun to cheer for the host nation and if you wanted to pick one you could do a lot worse than Mexico.
The team itself has a strong chance of progressing from the group and should they top their group they’d be due to play in Mexico City for the next two knockout rounds, giving them a chance of going deeper into the tournament.
The only disappointment is that if Ireland had qualified through the playoffs we would’ve been in this group with them and there’ll be some ‘what ifs’ to ponder.
Hey, at least we can cheer for them against Czechia, who join South Korea and South Africa to complete Group A.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
If you can’t make it across the Atlantic but wanted to sample some World Cup magic over the next couple of weeks, you couldn’t do much better than heading to Bosnia.
In a football-mad part of the world, Bosnia qualified for just it’s second-ever World Cup back in March when it defeated Italy on penalties, denying the four-time champions a place at the tournament for an incredible third consecutive time.
Cities across the Balkan nation like Sarajevo, Zenica and Mostar erupted in joy after the qualification and will be primed to party over the next few weeks.
Bosnia open their tournament against co-hosts Canada tomorrow night and will have a showdown against Qatar in their final game that could decide if they progress.
Their towering striker and probably greatest ever player Edin Dzeko turned 40 this year and will be looking for a swansong to his glittering career.
Norway
Norway is coming🇳🇴 pic.twitter.com/SjESCYPLMd
— Fotballandslaget (@nff_landslag) June 4, 2026
Okay, so far none of the teams would be considered among the favourites for the tournament but one of the teams being talked up as potential winners are Norway.
The Norwegians won all eight of the qualifying games, scoring 37 goals in the process and confining the aforementioned Italy to their doomed playoffs.
The team boasts one of the tournaments best players in Erling Haaland, who makes his debut at this level, and their final group game against France is arguably the highest-quality fixture of the group phase.
Oh, and why wouldn’t you support a team that takes an official photo dressed in full Viking gear on the banks of an Oslo fjord?
Senegal
All the teams at this year’s World Cup have a point to prove, but perhaps none more so than Senegal, who were stripped of the continental Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year two months after they lifted the trophy.
Senegal defeated hosts Morocco in extra-time in the final but before full-time several Senegalese players had temporarily left the pitch to protest the award of a penalty to Morocco.
When Senegal’s players came back on Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed the penalty and Senegal won the match in extra-time, prompting the usual celebrations.
However, two months later the competition’s organisers deemed that Senegal had “forfeited the match” by leaving the pitch and awarded the game and tournament to Morocco.
It was an unprecedented decision that leaves this Senegal team playing for even more pride in the US.
Senegal are also in that tough group with Norway, France and Iraq so if you decide to follow them there’ll be some good matches to watch.
Japan
One of the images of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma stretching every sinew to keep the ball in play on the way to defeating Spain the group stages.
Japan had already bested Germany in their opening game to top their group, only to lose on penalties in the following round against Croatia.
The Samurai Blue are back this year for their seventh appearance at a World Cup but will be hoping to make it past the last 16 for the first time in the country’s history.
The team has regularly been among the scrappiest of nations in recent editions of the World Cup but this year has an in-form goalscorer in the shape of Ayase Ueda.
England
Absolutely not? Maybe?
No comment.
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