Tuesday marked 30 days to go until the start of the FIFA World Cup, with the opening game set for Mexico City between co-host Mexico and South Africa on June 11, the report says.
According to the report, ESPN’s global panel has released a second edition of Power Rankings for the top 15 contenders and is offering deeper looks at major nations and the three host countries. The piece projects starting XIs, squad lists and formations while dissecting strengths and weaknesses, and notes that the last two months have seen significant injuries and high-profile absences.
Per the report, Argentina are listed in Group J with fixtures against Algeria (June 16, Kansas City), Austria (June 22, Dallas) and Jordan (June 27, Dallas). The projected bench includes goalkeepers Juan Musso and Geronimo Rulli; defenders Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Otamendi, Facundo Medina and Gonzalo Montiel; midfielders Valentin Barco, Leandro Paredes, Exequiel Palacios, Nico Gonzalez, Thiago Almada and Nico Paz; and forwards Lautaro Martinez and Jose Lopez. The report says Argentina enter the tournament as defending champions, with a consolidated team identity, mental fortitude and an ability to compete. It adds that Lionel Messi’s presence provides incentive to retain the trophy and that his sixth World Cup appearance would break the record.
On Australia, the report places the Socceroos in Group D facing Türkiye (June 13, Vancouver), the USA (June 19, Seattle) and Paraguay (June 25, San Francisco). The projected bench lists goalkeepers Paul Izzo and Patrick Beach; defenders Kye Rowles, Kai Trewin, Jason Geria, Aziz Behich and Miloš Degenek; midfielders Paul Okon-Engstler, Patrick Yazbek and Ajdin Hrustić; and forwards including Nestory Irankunda and Mathew Leckie. The report says Australia have been especially defensively strong since Tony Popovic’s arrival and that the return to fitness of center back Souttar bolsters their counterattacking threat, while noting potential issues in sustained possession and vulnerability to counter-pressing.
The report highlights World Cup debutants Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan and frames its coverage as a 10,000-foot view of how teams are shaping up with less than 30 days remaining, pointing to injuries and absences as possible opportunities for new players to emerge, per the report.
