The Mbappe-Haaland Battle, the GOAT's Easy Path, and the Hosts' Potential for a No-Surprise at the World Cup

The title of this article encapsulates three intriguing topics presented in the results of the draw for the qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, which took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, United States, on Saturday (6/12/2025) early morning WIB. The most anticipated group is Group I, which will feature two of the best strikers in the world today, Kylian Mbappe from France and Erling Haaland, who is a mainstay for Norway.

The clash between Mbappe and Haaland will take place in the final match of Group I, on June 26 local time or June 27, 2026 WIB. Although the venue for the match has not yet been determined, looking at the two potential locations, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, will witness the match between the two new football megastars. Gillette Stadium has a capacity of over 64,000 seats.

Norway had a very high level in qualifying, especially with Haaland and (Alexander) Sorloth scoring a lot of goals.

The clash of sharpness between Mbappe and Haaland is highly anticipated. They concluded 2025 with a fantastic goal record. Mbappe is the second player of Real Madrid after Cristiano Ronaldo to score more than 60 goals in a single calendar year. As of December 5, Mbappe has already produced 62 goals.

Haaland is the face of a new generation in Norway. He led Norway to end a long wait to qualify for the World Cup since 1998, thanks to his record of 16 goals in the qualifying round. From January to November 2026, Haaland scored 52 goals.

"Norway were at a very high level in qualifying, especially with Haaland and (Alexander) Sorloth scoring a lot of goals. They're a quality team, but I think they think the same about France," said France coach Didier Deschamps, as reported by L'Equipe.

Norwegian coach Stale Solbakken emphasized that their perfect performance in the qualifying round must carry over to the main stage of the 2026 World Cup. A balanced approach in both defense and attack is the philosophy that Solbakken brings to North America.

"We played solidly in defense and were able to position our best players well, allowing them to help us win the match. We have a clear playing style that suits us in the final third of the attacking zone," said Solbakken.

In addition to France and Norway, Group I can be referred to as one of the "groups of death" due to the presence of Senegal. Still led by Sadio Mane, Senegal could emerge as a dark horse that disrupts the dominance of the two European countries.

If not anticipated, Senegal could repeat the trauma of France's 2002 World Cup defeat. Le Bleus lost to Senegal in their opening group game. Then, one of the three interconfederation playoff contenders (Bolivia, Suriname, or Iraq) will complete the group.

In addition to Group I, there are three other groups that deserve to be called "groups of hell" because they bring together strong teams from different confederations. Group C, which includes Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, and Haiti, is a group that should be closely monitored by neutral supporters.

Together with Carlo Ancelotti, the "Selecao" aims to return to the final match in North America, similar to the edition in the United States in 1994. However, Morocco and Scotland are not easy opponents for Brazil, which lacks world-class players.

"This is a very difficult group. Morocco performed very well in the last World Cup, and then Scotland advanced to the World Cup by winning important matches in Europe. We must be cautious, but I am confident in our quality," said Ancelotti as reported by the FIFA website.

Another "death group" is Group F, which features the Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, and one of the European playoff teams (Ukrainia, Sweden, Poland, or Albania). Then there's Group L, which will feature England, Croatia, Panama, and Ghana.

Furthermore, the two greatest of all time (GOATs), Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, will face no significant obstacles in the early stages. Argentina is in Group J, competing against Austria and two Arab teams, Algeria and Jordan.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni does not want to underestimate the three competitors in Group J. While still relying on Lionel Messi, Scaloni revealed the composition of players he will take to North America next year.

"We have proven that we can compete at the highest level. We will continue to bring in young players who can make extra contributions to the team," said Scaloni.

Portugal is in Group K, facing Colombia, Uzbekistan, and one of the interconfederation playoff teams (New Caledonia, Jamaica, or Congo). On paper, these three teams should be Portugal's goal barns.

"The draw results allow us to prepare ourselves. We respect our opponents. They are a team that will prepare well and have the potential to present a challenging challenge," said Portugal's Coach Roberto Martinez.

Referring to the competition between the two groups, Argentina and Portugal will have no difficulty advancing to the knockout stage as group champions. If they can meet performance expectations in the 2026 World Cup, then Argentina and Portugal have a great chance of meeting in the quarter-finals.

The match will be the final World Cup game for one GOAT whose team has lost. For another GOAT, they will be just two victories away from the biggest prize in the closing of their international career.

One other point of concern is that the three host teams, namely Mexico (Group A), Canada (Group B), and the United States (Group D), will face a challenging path in the group stage. Support from fans may prove difficult to boost their performance.

Mexico will host its opening match against South Africa at the Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, on June 11, 2026.

Mexico's biggest challenge will be in the next two games against South Korea and one of the winners of the European playoffs. Mexico's potential European opponents are Denmark, North Macedonia, the Czech Republic, or Ireland.

Meanwhile, Canada will experience its first experience of appearing in a World Cup at home surrounded by two European teams. Switzerland and one of the playoff teams (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia) force the Canadian squad to have to improve in the next six months.

The US has an easier competition than the other two hosts. They will face Australia, Paraguay, and one of the European playoff winners (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, or Kosovo).

However, referring to the inconsistent performance of the United States under Mauricio Pochettino, they are more likely to stumble than to sweep all three matches in Group D. (AFP/AP)