Welcome to The Athletic’s 2026 World Cup tactical group guides, walking you through the key battles on the pitch, the players to look out for, and the fun facts to impress your friends ahead of the tournament.

Germany take on Finland in a first pre-World Cup friendly to shake off the cobwebs before the real competition gets under way next month. Julian Nagelsmann’s side skulks around the second tier of favorites for this year’s tournament.

The USMNT's 2026 schedule is focused on the World Cup, but Mauricio Pochettino has one more high-profile friendly before leading the Stars and Stripes into the World Cup on home soil.

Fresh off a win over Senegal, the USMNT face their toughest pre-World Cup test yet against Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Germany. GOAL breaks down five key storylines.

Four-time champion Germany targets redemption in World Cup Group E under Julian Nagelsmann. However, Die Mannschaft faces a stiff challenge from a defensively stubborn Ecuador, a tactically flexible Côte d'Ivoire,

Sports Mole provides predictions and previews for all of Saturday's World Cup warm-up fixtures, including USA vs Germany.