Kicks, Contenders and Chaos: A World Cup Preview

As the 2026 World Cup kicks off in North America, SMPA's Peter Loge breaks down the politics, players and pressures on the pitch.

This summer, the world's biggest sporting event lands in North America.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest in history, expanding from 32 to 48 teams and spreading matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Traditional powers such as Spain, France and Argentina will be joined by newcomers like Curaçao and Uzbekistan on men's soccer's premier stage .

The countdown to the June 11 kick-off is underway for millions of fans-among them Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs and self-described "soccer guy" Peter Loge.

Better known as a veteran of political campaigns who served in the Obama administration and held senior positions on Capitol Hill, Loge is a lifelong fan of the "beautiful game." A third-generation Arsenal supporter-his U.K.-born grandfather watched games from the team's legendary Highbury Stadium in London's North End-Loge played for college club teams and D.C. rec-leagues. He authored a book, "Soccer Thinking for Management Success: Lessons for Organizations from the World's Game," about organizational insights drawn from the world's most popular sport. And he even prefers predicting pitch play to handicapping political races.

"I love being the soccer guy," laughed Loge, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. "Those are my favorite conversations with the press."

Peter Loge enjoying a soccer match at San Mames, otherwise known as "La Catedral," home of Athletic Club in Bilbao, Spain.

For Loge, soccer matches are like global contests of "cultural, political and even religious identity," he said. In Spain, for example, regional loyalties among Basque players and Catalan nationalists are practically woven into the sport itself. Brazil and Argentina remain one of sport's fiercest rivalries while England-Argentina matches carry echoes of the Falklands War. And this year, a potential U.S.-Iran contest takes on added global significance.

But politics only explain part of soccer's pull. Loge says the speed of play and the continuous action-"The game doesn't stop"-demand constant attention and deliver drama in a tight timeframe. "You've got this limited window in which to do these astonishing things," he said. Indeed, he compares the pace to a political campaign-where hard-fought battles end in November only to resume in the next election cycle. "You're full in, you go hard, you stop, then you do it again."

From geopolitics and national pride to superstars and dark horses, GW Today asked Loge to break down the 2026 World Cup's biggest storylines.

Bigger, Not Better?

There are more teams than ever in the World Cup field-which is already a win for fans of first-timers like Cape Verde and Jordan. "If you're from a country that isn't often on the world stage, it's exciting to watch your players match up against heavyweights like Spain, France and England," Loge noted.

But while a larger field creates more cheering opportunities, Loge worries it will also result in more lopsided games-not to mention a greater risk of injuries that could affect the entire tournament. The gap between the world's elite teams and the rest of the field is still wide, he stressed. "The powers remain the powers."

Heat and Miles Matter

Unlike many World Cups, this one will stretch across a continent-with games in 16 venues across time zones from Mexico City to Vancouver to Miami before the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The combination of long flights and sizzling summer temperatures could become one of the tournament's most significant subplots.

"Teams have to manage distance and heat in ways most around the world aren't used to," Loge said.

Players to Watch

At the top of Loge's must-see list is Argentine superstar Lionel Messi. Despite nagging injuries, the 38-year-old reigning champion will return for his sixth World Cup-and Loge expects him to be ready for action.

"He'll play. He's Messi," Loge said. "For my money, he is the best player ever."

Along with soccer royalty like France's Kylian Mbappé and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo-who is expected to make his final World Cup appearance-Loge is eager to see Spain's Martín Zubimendi and Nico Williams. He's also keeping a close eye on the American core of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams. Loge expects the tournament to be a coming-out party for the 27-year-old Pulisic, who's nicknamed "Captain America."

"He could demonstrate that he is in fact an elite world-class player," Loge predicted.

Don't Sleep on the States

Loge likes America's chances to notch pivotal victories-if not win the entire tournament.

He doesn't rank the United States among the elite favorites, but believes they are a dark horse threat to upset stronger opponents. Led by Pulisic and McKennie-along with rising players like winger Timothy Weah, whose soccer legend father also served as president of Liberia-Loge warned against taking the host team lightly.

"We've got the talent to make a deep run," he said.

And expectations are high for Team USA. Failing to advance out of the early group stage would be "an epic failure," Loge declared.

Who'll Win It All?

Loge is picking Spain to hoist the championship trophy. He also likes England's chances and he's impressed by France's depth. "The players that France left off its roster would start for almost any other country," he said.

He's less convinced that a South American squad will prevail this time-including defending champion Argentina.

"Argentina obviously had a great World Cup last time out, but I just don't know that they have the talent to pull it off again," he said.

Politics on the Pitch?

Inevitably, political drama looms over the competition-from FIFA controversies to visa tensions to the prospect of a U.S.-Iran clash on both the pitch and the battlefield. But Loge hopes the focus remains "a world celebration of the beautiful game." For the six weeks of the World Cup, the political strategist urges politicians and fans alike to "put all that aside, pull on your jersey for Spain or the U.S. or whomever you support and cheer like mad," he said.