One hundred days from the 2026 World Cup: USMNT quarterfinal dreams, can Thomas Tuchel bring England home - and five major storylines

When the US Soccer Federation hired Mauricio Pochettino in September 2024, their goal was clear: perform at the World Cup. What, exactly, that looks like is hard to determine. Pochettino said during his introductory press conference that he was targeting a quarterfinal appearance. He has stuck to his guns since then.

But the results haven't suggested that such a goal is realistic. The USMNT were poor for the best part of a year under the Argentine, and only really showed what they might be capable of during a duo of friendlies last fall against Paraguay and Uruguay. Since then, there has been optimism around this team. Club performances from individuals have picked up. Everyone is getting healthy at the right time.

The real test will be home games against Belgium and Portugal at the end of March. Get those right, and it might just be time to dream. A quarterfinal spot might not sound glitzy, but for the U.S., it would be a fine achievement. Watch this space.

In recent years, big time national teams have taken to hiring top tier club managers to find success. Brazil did it with Carlo Ancelotti. The U.S. did it with Pochettino. And now, England have joined the trend - bringing in Champions League winning manager Thomas Tuchel. The German is a seasoned tactician who has an impressive track record at the highest levels of club football. If he isn't elite, then he's certainly close.

And like with Ancelotti's Brazil and Pochettino's USMNT, Tuchel's hiring would seem to be geared towards World Cup success. For England, though, the target simply has to be to win the thing.

England fans say this every tournament, but this Three Lions side is full of talent, lacking in a clear identity. There are big names here: Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden. Balance is surely a concern. Yet Tuchel is the kind of manager who can find it. It probably doesn't need saying, but 2026 marks 60 years since the country won its only World Cup. A nation so obsessed with this sport simply has to do better. With Tuchel at the helm, they are trending the right way.

Canada have been on a journey. Yes, football is cyclical, there are highs and lows. But Canada's low lasted a very long time. And their high might be now. In truth, things have been trending this way for a while. Their qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar felt pretty seismic at the time, and even if they failed to win a game, the experience of simply being there might prove invaluable.

And since then, they have only improved. They brought in an excellent manager in Jesse Marsch, made a semifinal run in the 2024 Copa America, and have deepened the player pool. Suddenly, a nation of hockey is legitimate in the footballing sphere. Friendly results of late have been pretty good, too. The pieces would seem to be falling into place.

Expectations are tough to pin down. After all, simply winning a game would be an improvement on the last go-around. A kind group might help them. They have Qatar, Switzerland, and a playoff side (presumably Italy). At least two of those games seem winnable. That would mean a knockout spot, and, if results elsewhere go their way, another home game. It might be time to believe.

When Lionel Messi won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022, everything was sealed; this guy is the greatest to ever do it. If greatness is about trophy cabinets, the World Cup is the ultimate trump card. No one can really argue with it, not least given the fact that Messi was excellent throughout the 2022 tournament.

That was a nice story for pretty much everyone not named Cristiano Ronaldo. The Al-Nassr striker is stat-padding at this point. He's after 1,000 goals. He wants to find the net as much as possible. Sure, it'd be nice to win in the Saudi Pro League, but everything now seems to be about scoring as many goals as he physically can.

That's why this World Cup is so interesting for one of the sport's most confusing characters. Ronaldo is 40. He is Portugal's captain. This is certainly his last chance to win a World Cup. Forty-four is too old. The question is, then, can he do it?

Portugal are quality in central midfield and boast a wealth of attacking talent. But their defensive structure can certainly be criticized. Ronaldo's reluctance to work off the ball might hinder them - even if he offsets that with offensive production. It will be a gripping last chance at glory.

There are serious questions to be raised here about soccer as a force for good. The beautiful game has always served as a unifier. World Cups are where we all, in general, feel pretty good about the state of things - and simply enjoy soccer as a collective. That might happen this summer. It probably will. This will, in all likelihood, be a good World Cup.

But there is no ignoring the fact that it comes amidst a tumultuous time in the world. The United States is currently in a period of heightened conflict with one of the nations set to play in this tournament. As of the time of publishing, fans of Iran will not be able to come to see their team this summer. Iran's football association president admitted that he couldn't guarantee his country's participation earlier this week. There are still viable concerns about fans getting visas to attend this summer's matches.

In Mexico, fan safety is under threat, following violence related to the killing of cartel leader "El Mencho". Liga MX games have already been cancelled in response. The country will host 13 matches, including the tournament's opener. There are some problems that soccer cannot fix. This summer will put that to the test.

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