Welcome to World Cup Top Five — Road to 2026
We're just over a year away from the biggest football tournament ever staged. 48 teams, three host nations, 16 cities, and 104 matches stretched across the USA, Canada and Mexico.
To mark the occasion, we've completely rebuilt this site from the ground up. New look. New feel. Same obsession with ranking everything in fives.
What's coming over the next 12 months
- Predictions for every group as the draw approaches
- Deep dives on every host city
- Player watchlists as the qualifying rounds shake out
- History lists — the best, the worst, the weirdest moments from every World Cup since 1930
Why fives?
Because three is too few, ten is too many, and five forces you to make the hard calls. Every list on this site is a debate waiting to happen — drop us a note if you disagree.
See you in North America. 🌎⚽
Keep reading
Top Five Off The Beaten Path Destinations in the 2026 World Cup
Discovering lesser-known gems amidst the grandeur of the 2026 World Cup host cities offers a unique adventure for football enthusiasts. While iconic destinations like New York City and Los Angeles beckon, delving into off-the-beaten-path…
The Top Five Active Footballers who have never played in a FIFA World Cup
The World Cup stands as the ultimate aspiration for every footballer, a dream nurtured since childhood. Yet, despite their club-level achievements, many players, like Ryan Giggs and George Weah, have been denied this pinnacle due to thei…
Five Nations that will Benefit from the Expansion of the 2026 World Cup
The upcoming tournament will be the first ever to showcase 48 teams, a 50% increase from the format that we have come to love between 1998-2022. While many questions have been raised regarding the effect on the quality of football, it al…