With the Fifa World Cup kicking off tomorrow morning, NZME staff share their thoughts on how they see the tournament playing out, including where the All Whites will finish.
Cameron McMillan: I’m not expecting a first-time winner and am expecting either Spain, France, Argentina or Brazil to be lifting the trophy at the end. Amazing Spain haven’t reached the quarter-finals since winning the title in 2010. Feel like the draw could open up in their favour if they top their group.
Alex Powell: As the reigning European champions, it’s hard to see Spain not going very far in this tournament. Spain’s style of prioritising possession and breaking teams down with a death-by-1000-cuts mentality is perfect for tournaments and with how the modern game is officiated.
William Woodworth: No Real Madrid players, no problem for Luis de la Fuente and the 2024 Euros champions. World-class across the park and on the bench, they have shown they can beat every one of their major World Cup rivals when it matters, can beat you tactically every which way they need to, and they’re used to the variety of conditions.
Also picking Spain: Ben Francis, Samuel Sherry and Matt Bullock.
Jason Pine: They seem to have a well-balanced squad with incredible strike power. They rise to big occasions (have played in both the last two World Cup finals) and want to send boss Didier Deschamps out on a high.
Christopher Reive: Interestingly, since they won in 2002, Brazil have made it past the quarter-finals only once. But they have a strong squad and are likely to be on the opposite side of the draw to pre-tournament favourites Spain and France. I’m expecting a deep run from the Brazilians.
Also selecting Brazil: Liam Napier.
Andy McDonnell: Their golden age has one final sting in the tail - old man football comes up trumps, much like the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.
McMillan: Only scored one goal at the Euros and it just so happened to be the winner in the final against England. But the Real Sociedad attacker has scored in his last six internationals and will likely take their penalties. Expect him to get goals in early fixtures against Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia (remember Spain put seven goals on Costa Rica in their opener four years ago).
Reive: Similar reasoning to Cam. I expect Spain to be in this tournament for a long time and there will be plenty of goals on offer in the group stages.
Francis: All eyes will be on Lionel Messi to provide the goals for Argentina, but I suspect Alvarez will nab a few of his own, especially early in the tournament with some favourable group games. Adding to the intrigue is speculation about his future, and one way to increase your value is by scoring on the biggest stage of them all.
Powell: While Norway’s Erling Haaland does seem like a logical choice, it’s hard to see them going deep enough into the tournament to rack up enough goals. Instead, look at his 2023 Manchester City strike partner. Alvarez sat second to only Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe on the 2022 World Cup scoring charts, and has improved in the four years since while the other two have gone backwards due to age and the pressures of Real Madrid.
Pine: The big factor here is a player from a team which will go deep into the tournament, but also has some relatively comfortable group matches to “pad their stats”. It also helps if they’re the side’s penalty taker in regulation time. England’s captain fits the bill for me.
McDonnell: Leads England to a devastating final (or semi-final) loss.
Woodworth: This was a toss-up with Julian Alvarez, but in a pool with Algeria, Austria and Jordan – not exactly a group of death for the reigning champs – we’ll see top scorer come from someone in the Albiceleste.
Sherry: France have a very impressive attack, and the Real Madrid forward will be spearheading it as they progress throughout the tournament.
Also picking Mbappe: Napier.
Bullock: The Argentine star benefits from being placed in a comparatively easier group than the likes of France and England. A weaker group makes it likely that Messi, who came second on the top goalscorers chart last time out, will do one better.
McMillan: Will be hard to ignore if he’s far ahead in the Golden Boot and Spain make a run deep into the finals.
Reive: The Golden Boot winner in 2022, I’m expecting another strong tournament from Mbappe. In a strong French squad, I expect he will be in plenty of the action, be it scoring goals or setting up his teammates.
Francis: Olise has been in great form ahead of the World Cup, and there are no signs the winger will slow down anytime soon. While many will no doubt tip his France teammate Mbappe, that could allow Olise to fly under the radar and make a serious push for the top prize.
Pine: Olise is one of the most exciting attacking players in the world. While others in the French team (such as Mbappe, Dembele and Cherki) may be more familiar, this guy is a star in waiting. He scored a hat-trick against Northern Ireland in their final warm-up match on Monday and is ready to make his name on the world stage.
Powell: As the likes of Messi and Mbappe have done before him, this appears to be Yamal’s stage to announce himself as one of the best players in the world. Even at just 18, Yamal has been one of the star names in club football for about two years now, and is only going to get better. The teenager has been battling a hamstring injury, suffered playing for Barcelona, but is reportedly on track to be fit for Spain’s tournament opener.
Bullock: The 18-year-old is under an injury cloud; if he can keep fit, he is a good shout to take the best player award. If he is successful, he would become the youngest player to do so.
Woodworth: This World Cup feels like the start of a new duopoly at the top of world football, with Yamal alongside Mbappe, but Mbappe seems to be on a historic run of bad karma watching PSG win two Champions Leagues after he left, and their president indirectly calling him a bad locker-room presence after a trophy-less season at Real Madrid. I’m picking it continues; sorry, Kylian and France fans.
Sherry: The Portuguese midfielder will take his brilliant Premier League form into the World Cup and help his country progress deep into the tournament. Plenty of talk will be around this being Cristiano Ronaldo’s last tournament and how Portugal will work around that, but Fernandes will be the one to make the team tick.
McDonnell: Leads USA to a devastating semi-final (or final - see below).
McMillan: Lack of goals will hurt them, as seen in warm-ups. They must get a result against Iran to have any chance of advancing.
Reive: Since qualifying for the World Cup last March, they’ve played 12 matches and scored just nine goals while conceding 20 – and four of their goals came in one game. Their strike rate does not fill me with confidence as the level of opponent steps up.
Powell: As unpatriotic as it might be, this World Cup might be one too early for this All Whites squad. Being a first World Cup for all but two of this squad, there is a very real chance that the occasion could be too much for the All Whites. Needing results against at least one of Iran, Egypt and Belgium is no easy feat either. However, with NZ’s participation effectively guaranteed from here thanks to the 48-team format, this tournament is an incredible opportunity for this young All Whites core to learn from going forward.
Also picking the All Whites to exit in the group stages: Napier, Woodworth, McDonnell, Bullock.
Pine: I honestly believe they can make it to the knockout stages, but so much depends on their opening match against Iran. At the very least, they’ll need a draw to give themselves a base to build on. A win in that game isn’t out of the question and would give NZ a great chance of progressing as one of the best third-placed teams, as three points should be enough, depending on goal difference. Let’s dream of a knockout fixture.
Sherry: Trying to be optimistic. If they manage to finish the group stage with four points, they could make it through as one of the best third-place teams, but anything beyond the first round of knockout games might be too tough for them to handle.
Francis: This is more a pick with my heart than my head, but I believe they can do just enough to qualify as a third-placed team. To do so, they will need to create history and grind out a win over Iran or Egypt, which is not beyond the realm of possibility. I also expect Belgium to be among the biggest flops of the World Cup.
McMillan: They haven’t lost a game since September 2024 and beat Argentina and Colombia in qualifying. Also beat the All Whites recently, no doubt a confidence booster. Wouldn’t be surprised if they shock Germany in group play and go as far as the quarter-finals.
Reive: In 10 World Cup qualifying games, they didn’t concede a single goal. Of course, the World Cup brings a step up in competition, but recent wins over South Korea, Scotland and France should have other teams on notice.
Francis: I can easily see the Tartan Army getting out of their group on the back of some brilliance from Scott McTominay. Depending on how the cards fall, they could even advance to the round of 16. While I don’t see them going much further, the fact that their last World Cup appearance was in 1998 would surely qualify that as a surprise.
Powell: As the moral champions of Africa – stripped of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title in controversial fashion – Senegal look like the most exciting side from outside Europe or South America. They were unbeaten in qualifying, and conceded only three goals across their whole campaign. That defensive solidity is always key in tournaments. If they can get out of a group that also contains Spain and Norway, watch out for the Lions.
Woodworth: The on-field champions but courtroom losers of the Africa Cup of Nations have a brutal draw with France and Norway (another serious candidate for this category plus the winners of best promotional material), but the Lions of Teranga will have all the motivation in the world. Shout out to Turkey and Scotland.
Pine: Japan have made the knockout rounds four times, including three of the last four World Cups, without going any further than the round-of-16. Their highly technical style will suit the warm conditions and tire their ball-chasing opponents. The quarter-finals beckon and even beyond.
Sherry: Should have won the Africa Cup of Nations (even though they have been awarded the trophy since on a technicality), but they are the best team from the continent at the World Cup. A win against Brazil in their first game could set them up to go on an impressive run.
McDonnell: Semi-final or finalists. Donald Trump turns up to every knockout game, offers the team a turkey covered in cheese after every win, they start wearing patriots jerseys from quarter-finals onwards, Eli Manning turns up for their only loss.