WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — On a special World Cup edition of Undrafted Opinions, Jake Rohm and Alex Flum go game-by-game and pick each of the 104 matches in the 2026 men’s World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Group Stages
This year’s World Cup features 48 teams playing in 12 different groups. Each team, as usual, will play in a group of four, facing each team once. The top two teams from each group will be guaranteed advancement to the knockout stage. Eight of the 12 third-place finishers will advance to the knockout stage.
Round of 32
For the start of the knockout stage, Jake and Alex present their scenarios and begin picking games.
Round of 16
With the new World Cup format, this year’s round of 16 could feature matchups that would be semifinal or even final caliber, in previous years. Jake and Alex both have some surprises in this round.
Quarterfinals and Semifinals
Like usual, these rounds feature the big dogs, whittling everything down to a championship matchup.
World Cup Final
After presenting their predicted winner of the third-place game, Jake and Alex announce who they think will win the 2026 men’s soccer World Cup on July 19, 2026, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
