Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal crashes out? Neymar returns for Brazil? Lionel Messi vs. Kylian Mbappé for history - Bold 2026 World Cup predictions 100 days out from kickoff

Surely he has to, right? This is the thing with Neymar: he always sort of sticks around. And as much as Carlo Ancelotti is a stern disciplinarian, he's also one for squad harmony. And here's the thing: Brazil really loves Neymar. Not just the team, the nation. Rodrygo said earlier this week that Ney's inclusion should be a "no-brainer", and, by all accounts, his recovery from what seemed a pretty serious knee injury is going rather well.

Now, the tricky bit is what happens when he's there. It's tough to justify Neymar on the bench, dishing out hi-fives and hanging out during hydration breaks. You'd figure that if the attacking midfielder is around, he has to play. And it just so happens that the Selecao could use a bit of verve and creativity through the middle, and perhaps someone to take the load unfairly placed on Vinicius. If only there was someone available... watch this space.

South Korea had a rough go of it in the 1954 World Cup. They were blasted, 9-0, by Ferenc Puskas' Hungary in their opener before suffering a 7-0 beating in their second match against Turkey to suffer elimination. All these years later, despite expansions and format changes, those 16 goals are still the most a team has ever conceded at a single World Cup.

Could that change this summer? The ingredients are surely there for several teams to get blown out.

With the expansion to 48 teams, several countries that never would have qualified for previous World Cups are involved this summer. Four teams - Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan - are playing in the tournament for the first time, which means they'll all face a quality of opposition unlike they've ever seen before. Curacao, for example, will take on Germany, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador. Uzbekistan get Portugal and Colombia, while Jordan have to deal with Argentina, Algeria, and Austria.

It could get worse, too. Although it would require some upsets, Suriname and New Caledonia also have a chance at qualifying through the playoff. They're ranked 123rd and 149th in the world, respectively.

The sheer difference in quality will lead to some beatdowns. Those beatdowns could be of the historic variety, too, as the lesser teams in the tournament look to avoid matching South Korea's unfortunate record.

Portugal are a very hard side to pin down. They are, no doubt, blessed with some of the best attacking talent in the world. Their midfield is scary. Their wide players are electric. Sure, they are a little light on the right side of defense, and center back might be an issue. But there are stars all over the pitch here.

There is, however, one big fat glaring issue, and he's 40-years-old, and plays in the Saudi Pro League. Ronaldo, at this point, is stat padding. He wants to score 1,000 goals. He wants to win everything possible. He wants to prove, at this World Cup, that he can equal Lionel Messi's crowning achievement in football. But Ronaldo rips the balance of this team to shreds.

Any side organized enough to nullify him and athletic enough to hit them on the counter could steamroll Portugal in transition. So yes, a lot depends on the group here. If Colombia are as good as expected - more on that later - Portugal will face a tricky round of 32 opponent. Croatia, for example, are possible. That might not be pretty.

Cheating a bit here and going with a pre-World Cup prediction, but one that would greatly alter the chemistry of Group B.

The Italian national team has been bad for a while now. Gli Azzurri missed each of the last two World Cups. They've won just one World Cup game since lifting the trophy 20 years ago. Now, they're in the playoff again, and anyone following this team knows that's no guarantee.

The faults of Italian soccer have been diagnosed plenty, and those faults have led to a dip in quality for both Serie A and the national team. When assessing this particular national team group, the weaknesses are obvious. Italy haven't produced a truly dynamic attacker in a generation. The team's best striker, Mateo Retegui, plays in Saudi Arabia. The defenders are nowhere near the quality of the legends of yesteryear. When you put those facts together, you get a mediocre team, one that got smacked around by Norway in qualifying to put themselves into this mess.

Can they dig themselves out of it? Sure, but don't bet on it. Margins are fine, and Italy don't have gamechangers, which means they're susceptible to the game being changed on them at the worst moments, with a World Cup on the line.

So this one might get complicated. What counts as a "run" at this World Cup? Sure, there are more teams than ever. That should lead to some easy group stage games. But it could also mean tougher knockout fixtures - and more chances for things to go wrong. But Colombia have all of the right stuff to be a true World Cup contender who can make things happen. They are rock solid at the back, well coached, experienced, and have a bona fide star in Luis Diaz. Look at this side, and there are no real holes. Their support in the United States will also be absolutely immense.

They proved at Copa America in 2024 that they can hang with the big boys - an extra-time loss to Argentina in the final is nothing to be ashamed of. And they could do so again here. If they win their group, then it's off to the races. They will need a favorable result here and there to avoid Argentina in the quarters. But with a couple of breaks, this is a semifinal team - and a mightily likeable one, to boot.

With 16 World Cup goals to his name, Miroslav Klose remains the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer. Lionel Messi is lurking, though. He needs just three goals this summer to catch Klose and further cement his legacy on the big stage.

All things considered, though, Messi isn't the one most likely to break Klose's record this summer; it's actually Kylian Mbappe.

Lurking just behind Messi on 12 goals, Mbappe is certainly on pace to surpass both the Argentine and the German this summer. He scored six goals at the 2018 World Cup, including two in the final. He netted eight in 2022, headlined by a hat-trick in that finale. It could be argued that, even at just 27 years old, Mbappe could solidify his legacy as the World Cup's best-ever player in this upcoming tournament.

Leapfrogging Messi to surpass Klose would do the trick, cementing Mbappe's place in history while he still has so much gas in the tank.

Lamine Yamal has been truly excellent for Barcelona this year. Many have compared him to Lionel Messi, but he is perhaps more like Neymar - all tricks, flicks, and spins. If he isn't the best player in the world, he is certainly in the top three.

But there is also an immense danger of fatigue for young players. Yamal has been playing top-level football for Barcelona for two-plus years now. He is, no doubt, the go-to guy for the Blaugrana. That comes with fatigue and injury. No attacker has played more minutes for Barca in La Liga. Extrapolate it to all competitions, and things look more concerning. It is March, and he has logged nearly 3,000 minutes this season.

In short, exhaustion could be on the way. If Barca stay alive in the Champions League and push for La Liga glory, the Spaniard could show up to the World Cup having already played 60 games. Tired legs and the American sun? Lamine's first World Cup might not be the spectacle so many are hoping for.

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