Germany legend Toni Kroos has put his weight behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and make it to top 5 in the World Cup. Kroos didn’t mention Argentina and Brazil
“Spain, Portugal and France. Morocco could be a surprise because technically they have improved a lot in recent years. Germany and Brazil are not in the top 5. Sorry (to Romario) for not saying Brazil, but if they win it, it’s worth it,” he said while speaking on Brazil legend Romario’s YouTube channel.
Kroos further added that a 48-team tournament is good as it helps many nations to participate but personally he is not a fan of the format.
“I’m against it. It’s good that many nations can participate, but I think we need to take better care of the players and the quality of the tournament. With so many teams, in the group stage we’re going to see a lot of very clear matches, 4-0, 5-0, 5-1, and those are not games fans really want to watch. I care about good, high-quality matches, not a 5-0 or 6-0.”
Earlier, Argentina’s legendary player Lionel Messi had snubbed Portugal from top 5 contenders.
“Favourites to win the World Cup? There are very good teams, like Spain, France, England, and Brazil, and Germany. Everyone wanted to win against Argentina, and now that we have become the last world champion, the goal has become more challenging but we won’t stop competing, no doubt about that,” Messi said while speaking to ESPN.
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The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was conducted on December 5 in Washington, setting the stage for the first 48-team edition of football’s biggest tournament. Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan have qualified for the World Cup for the first time. pic.twitter.com/fOrauD71Jc
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be staged between June 11 and 19 across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle (USA); Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey (Mexico); Toronto and Vancouver (Canada).
The final will be played at the New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19.
