Portugal are on their way to Florida where they will make their final preparations for the 2026 World Cup. There has never been so much expectation for a talented Seleção squad led by Cristiano Ronaldo who will be making his sixth appearance on the grandest stage in football.

Then there were 32. Or we're getting there, anyway. So, let's review why each team still alive at the 2026 World Cup could win the whole thing -- and why each probably won't.

Is this Portugal's best-ever chance to win the World Cup? Well, for a certain Portuguese superstar, it is surely the last chance. To date, Portugal has reached only two World Cup semifinals in 1966 and 2006.

"CR7, for whatever people think, he's past his best. End of story. But it's ego, isn't it? Cristiano Ronaldo, you could say, is bigger than Portugal. Well, he is. Messi, his biggest rival this generation, has won the World Cup. Messi scored a hat-trick in his first game. Ronaldo's thinking, I can do that."

Who can secure qualification before the group stage ends, and whose World Cup dreams could be shattered? Here's what you need to know.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two legends inextricably linked, as they built a high-profile rivalry simply by having existed in the same era of football history. Could they face off at the World Cup for the first time ever?

A talented Portuguese roster is aiming to deliver Cristiano Ronaldo his crowning glory.

Kylian Mbappe and his France team-mates showed why they are top of our rankings Charly Triballeau/AFP via Both of the finalists from Qatar 2022, holders Argentina and runners-up France, got their tournaments underway on Tuesday and looked the most convincing contenders yet.