This World Cup will be incomparable to anything we have seen before. Why? The pure scope of the tournament: 104 matches in three different countries played across 16 venues in three different time zones.
If you have not travelled around the United States, it is hard to imagine just how vast this country is. The land mass of England could fit comfortably into the state of Georgia. Imagine a World Cup being played across Europe. Imagine having to playing a game in Siberia and then your next match in the Algarve. Fifa has done its best to minimise it, but travelling around America, Canada and Mexico will be intense. Fun, for sure, but it will be taxing for fans who are already being squeezed by high ticket prices.
Teams will be crossing time zones, switching from sea level up to high altitude (if you have to play in Mexico City or Monterrey), and then, in several of the host cities, having to contend with a cauldron of heat. And I don’t just mean the temperature. Everyone will have to respect the humidity. It definitely could impact matches.
England have chosen Kansas City, Missouri as their World Cup base. I was a bit surprised to hear that, because while the people of Missouri are among the nicest you will ever meet and the midwest hospitality is wonderful, the heat and humidity can be oppressive. As a London-born girl who enjoys an overcast day for a football match, I know it will take the lads a bit to get acclimatised, but I’m sure that is the goal. If you can run your butt off in Missouri in the summer, you can do it anywhere.
Argentina have a wonderful training base across the border in Kansas, while the Netherlands are training at the home of the Kansas City Current, a world-class training centre. They will love it there.
With three of the world’s best teams set up in Missouri and Kansas it is set to be a fun summer for football fans in the midwest, but it’s clear that playing a World Cup in America will suit possession‑based teams.
Spain are the favourites, in my opinion, for lots of reasons. Their playing style will suit all the conditions they will meet, plus they’ve got great experience and they’ve shown in the Nations League how good they are.
Behind them, England have a great shout. Thomas Tuchel is a tremendous manager. The keys for England are Declan Rice and Harry Kane. Rice has been my player of the season in the Premier League and, in a tournament where set pieces will really matter, he could be definitive. Kane’s probably had the best season of his career, so those two are crucial for England. And Bukayo Saka’s coming into form too.
England also have experiences of the near misses. Look at Arsenal winning the Premier League and Manchester City winning the Women’s Super League this year. Both went close several times previously before lifting trophies. In the losses come your biggest learnings. Those senior England players will have etched into the brains the small margins needed to go one step further.
France with their flair, their individual quality up front and their experience, will be strong. Similarly, Argentina’s team is built for major tournaments. I recently watched the 2022 France v Argentina final again – what an extraordinary final that was, the best World Cup final ever. With Lionel Messi still producing the goods, they’ll be knocking on the door.
My dark horses are the Netherlands, Senegal and Japan. Senegal have performed consistently, again and again, while in Ronald Koeman, the Netherlands have a coach with great experience and in Virgil van Dijk they’ve got the best defender in the world and a fantastic leader. I did commentary for ITV when England played Japan recently and, wow, Japan impressed me so much. That win exemplified the progression they’ve made over the last four years, and the way they develop players in their youth system is second only to Spain.
One thing I have really learned since being in the US is that we Europeans sometimes have a natural bias and we almost become a little Eurocentric. Sometimes there’s a bit of snobbery with it. There will be so many strong teams from all around the planet. Can I see Mexico getting out of Group A? 100%. Football is everything to their fans. The teams that face Mexico, or any of the host countries, on their home turf will find it tough.
With Canada, Jesse Marsch has created a relentless, high‑octane, high-press, aggressive game. I expect them to do something in their group. Australia have also had a good couple of years and Uruguay have a history of performing in World Cups, so you can’t ignore them. We are all looking forward to watching Erling Haaland and Norway. And of course, I’d love nothing more than for the USA to have an amazing tournament.
I’m going to be in Los Angeles to watch their opening game and I’m so excited to support Mauricio Pochettino and the guys. Mauricio has had a big impact on team dynamics and culture and, while it hasn’t been smooth sailing over 18 months, at a tournament, everything is possible. His team can be really dynamic and very aggressive out of possession. They will also have a unique and wonderful fanbase on their side.
The American outlaws, the hardcore fans, have fan groups in every area of the US. They go to all the matches and some travel across the country for games. They’ll bring their passion, their voices and their drums. At one of our send-off games for the Olympics, they greeted the team bus with a live band.
It’s a really uplifting place to work. For others, the “watch parties” are a huge thing. Because the US is so big, not everyone can travel to always support the national team like we might be able to do in England, so they’ve built a different culture in the way they engage their fans and I love it.
Then there’s the best bit: it’s so diverse and it’s so inclusive. I used to think you only got that inclusivity at women’s games but found that is not the case. You get it in the men’s games too. It’s a great atmosphere, it’s a beautiful thing.
The challenge for football in the US is competing with the many, many sports, especially behemoths like the NFL and NBA. This World Cup will be the next big seismic moment for soccer in the US to move the needle, to make it more accessible and to become the largest participation sport in the country.
You need big moments like World Cups to pull people in and people need heroes to look up to. This summer’s World Cup will deliver plenty of each. The impact will be sensational and long-lasting.
