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Laurie Hernandez is NBC's breakout broadcasting star of the Paris Olympics

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Laurie Hernandez is NBC's breakout broadcasting star of the Paris Olympics

It was a small broadcasting moment, one you understandably may have missed, but it highlighted why Laurie Hernandez has been one of the broadcasting stars of the Paris Games. During NBC and Peacock’s live coverage of the women’s gymnastics team final at the Paris Olympics last Tuesday — the United States took gold thanks to vaults from Simone Biles and Jade Carey and a Michael Jordan-like closing routine by Biles on the floor exercise — Hernandez offered the many laypersons in the audience a lesson on how to become a smarter gymnastics viewer.

“You can always tell if a gymnast is nervous by the way her ankles shake while she is either walking or on her tippy toes,” Hernandez said.

It was fascinating insight and the kind of details Hernandez has provided throughout NBC’s live gymnastics coverage. Her ability to communicate the sport to a broad audience combined with genuine enthusiasm for the success of her former teammates (she and Biles won gold in the team competition at the 2016 Rio Olympics; Hernandez won an individual silver medal on the balance beam) has made for an exceptional viewing experience.

She and Rich Lerner, the Golf Channel anchor serving as a play-by-play voice for the live gymnastics coverage, figured out the chemistry part right from the jump. (NBC has a more well-known gymnastics crew handling what we see on the prime-time rebroadcast consisting of play-by-play broadcaster Terry Gannon, analysts Samantha Peszek, Tim Daggett and reporter Zora Stephenson.)

“Because she competed so recently, Laurie speaks as a contemporary of the gymnasts,” said Molly Solomon, the executive producer and president for NBC Olympics, in an email. “With her emotion so authentic and at times so raw, as she experiences the pressure now from a broadcaster’s perspective, viewers find her voice and her empathy for the tension of the moment refreshing.”

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Hernandez continued her fine work on Saturday for the women’s vault competition. Following a vault from An Chang-ok of North Korea, Hernandez offered the following for viewers.

“If a gymnast looks like a letter L towards the end of it, that’s going to be a huge deduction,” she explained. “You want to look like a pencil or a straight line. Also, if the chest is parallel to the floor rather than being parallel or facing the vault table, then that’s another deduction.”

That’s excellent stuff. The Athletic connected with Hernandez in Paris over the weekend to discuss her broadcasting work.


It’s a significant challenge to translate the world of gymnastics to a mass audience. What’s your approach to explaining a sport that you know and love to people who don’t necessarily follow it every week?

There’s not necessarily a specific approach to it. I think the biggest thing is trying to bridge the gap between the massive gymnastics fans who know the code of points (the rulebook that defines the scoring system) honestly way better than I do versus those who are at home and know nothing about the sport but want to understand why someone might score so high or low.

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My mom was always such a great parent in the sense that she knew nothing about gymnastics. I would try to explain things to her and it was in one ear and out the other because she was just so proud of me. I feel like maybe that explains some of it. I was always excitedly trying to explain to her what I was doing in a way that she could understand, knowing that she knew nothing. I wanted to spread that joy and share this experience with her.

Can you give us a sense of what are you specifically looking at when working on air as a gymnastics analyst?

Let’s go down the order for gymnastics. We’ll start with vault. For vault, we’re looking at height and distance. Simone Biles and (Brazil’s) Rebeca Andrade are the two that come to mind in terms of the best, and in terms of past Olympics, McKayla Maroney is someone whose name I hope is remembered forever.

She had the height and capability and a daring nature to try new things. So when we’re looking at height, it’s how high can they go? Are their arms straight on the table? You’re running full speed at a stationary object. It’s like if you throw a pencil at the wall and you’re able to hit it with the eraser side, it’s going to bounce. But if you throw cooked spaghetti at the wall, it’s just going to sink and kind of melt into the floor. So the tighter the gymnast is and the more kind of straight arms and open shoulder position we see on the table, the higher they’ll go. That’s why Simone is able to do what she can do is because she hits the table at such an angle that I wouldn’t even dare to try. Vault is about height and distance and landing deductions.

For the uneven bars, we are looking at handstands. That’s where gymnasts tend to get deducted the most. Toes have to be all the way up to the ceiling. We’re also looking for any release moves where a gymnast lets go and catches the bar. It could be the same bar, could be a different bar, they could turn mid-air. Then a fun thing is just checking to see if the bar bends when they swing beneath it. Some of the best bar workers, not only in the United States, but in the world, will actually use the equipment to their advantage. They’ll kind of relax their bodies underneath the bar and allow their full weight to just tug at it. It allows them to have toss skills even higher. It helps them do less work. That’s definitely a fun thing to look for.

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For beam, it is minimal wobbles. If their ankles while they are on their tippy toes are shaking back and forth, that is a telltale sign for me. I could always gauge how nervous I was by the shakiness of my ankles. When you only have four inches to work with, you don’t have room. So obviously no falls or wobbles on beam. Then breathing is a big one. Some of the best beam workers will exhale when they land because that center of gravity will sink them into the equipment. A lot of times when people get nervous, they hold their breath. It may bring your center of gravity up towards your neck, but what you want is the opposite. You want to feel grounded. So an exhale will do that.

Then for the floor, it’s just watching for a lot of fun. Landing deductions is the biggest thing but if you see a gymnast out there who’s having an absolute blast, the odds of her getting an artistry deduction, which I call ghost deductions, places where you might not realize there’s a deduction, is small. Artistry is a big place where the judges tend to grab and pull. When you look at a team like Brazil, they’re such a joy to watch.


“For the floor … if you see a gymnast out there who’s having an absolute blast, the odds of her getting an artistry deduction,” Laurie Hernandez says. (Jean Catuffe / Getty Images)

Where have you and Rich Lerner been located inside Bercy Arena during the competition?

We are on the complete opposite side of where the vault is. There is an entire section of the arena that’s just purely media and networks from different countries. We have a really good view of all four events. The (other NBC broadcasters) are near us but we don’t really get to interact with them since we’re calling it live. There are times where they’re also calling it live but then for prime time, there’s a lot of either recaps or reshoots or whatever that might be.

You received a lot of social media attention for your very natural reaction to seeing Seth Rogen in the crowd. What’s your reaction when something you say on a broadcast becomes a moment on social media?

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It’s hours of live commentary, so thank God I said something that was at least funny or kindhearted. My goal is always to have an optimistic outlook because I recognize how hard this sport can be. But I’m also chronically online. I’m 24. I’m in college. I’m unfortunately on TikTok until my eyes get droopy. I’m trying to work on that.

But sometimes those natural instincts on air are just my natural instincts. Sometimes I feel a little embarrassed by it, but people seem to really enjoy it. At the end of the day, I want it to feel like I’m talking to a friend.

You are currently a student at NYU majoring in drama but a unique one in that you have a lot of television experience at the very young age of 24. (For example: Hernandez was champion from Season 23 of Dancing with the Stars.) How are you looking at gymnastics broadcasting long-term?

To be honest, I’m so in awe of even just being here. The imposter syndrome has kicked in tenfold in the sense of not having as much experience as those around me. Yet I am commentating about something that I find so important and near and dear to my heart. I would love to do more commentary work in the world of gymnastics because I love it so much.

My parents (knew) since I was a little kid that I wanted to do entertainment. I always loved acting in comedy and imitating people and putting on funny voices. I found so much joy in that and in getting them to laugh. I loved fiction as a kid and still love it to this day. I do a little bit of screenwriting and novel writing. So I’d definitely love to do some on camera acting work for film and TV. I’ve also always loved the world of animation whether it’s through motion capture for video games, or if it’s voice acting for animation. That that would be a dream.

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I wonder if you could offer me a perspective as an Olympic gold medalist on why Simone Biles is the best of all time?

If you asked an Olympic gymnast why Simone is the best, we could give you all kinds of things. We could say she’s the most powerful gymnast. We could say it’s because she’s daring. We could name a list under the sun. But the fact of the matter is she’s not only physically aware of herself, but mentally present as she flips. She’s making split-second decisions in the air.

Every gymnast is striving for perfection. That’s the goal. That’s the dream. But no one’s ever perfect. For every single turn, there is usually something going wrong, and that’s what we plan for. But when she’s out there and she’s doing something like a triple-double on floor, that’s three twists and two backflips. If she takes off a certain way, she can be, “OK, I’m not rotating enough, I’m going to need to pull this way or rotate that way and up.”

It’s like having a multiple-choice question with a thousand different answers, and because she’s trained so hard, she just knows what answer in a split-second. She thinks it — and it’s done. I’m in awe of her quick thinking, and I’ll forever be in awe of it.

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NBC’s Olympics coverage enjoying a viewership surge, though there’s a caveat

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(Top photo of Laurie Hernandez in 2019: Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP)

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Thunder lose star Jalen Williams for Western Conference Finals Game 7 as hamstring injury lingers

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Thunder lose star Jalen Williams for Western Conference Finals Game 7 as hamstring injury lingers

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The Oklahoma City Thunder will be shorthanded in Saturday’s pivotal Game 7, as one of Oklahoma’s key contributors has been sidelined with an injury.

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OKC guard Jalen Williams has been ruled out for Game 7 with a hamstring issue, ESPN reported on Friday. Williams appeared to aggravate his left hamstring during the Thunder’s 122-113 victory in Game 2. He missed the next three games before returning for Game 6, but logged just 10 minutes off the bench in Oklahoma City’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, which forced a winner-take-all Game 7.

“He’s obviously not 100%,” Mark Daigneault, the head coach of the Thunder, said.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams watches during the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 18, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Daigneault applauded Williams for fighting through the injury and doing everything he could to help Oklahoma City.

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“He didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know what to expect. So, it was a matter of getting him out there in kind of an insulated role and see what he can bring to the team. He’s an All-Star player, he’s an All-NBA player. He hasn’t done a full return to play [protocol] like he would if this was the regular season, and yet, he just wants to do whatever he can to try to contribute whatever he can to the team.”

BLOCKBUSTER GAME 7 SHOWDOWN: FOUR BEST BETS FOR SAN ANTONIO SPURS AT OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

“I give him a lot of credit to get himself out there. He did the best he could. He’s certainly not the reason we lost.”

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams reacts to a shot by forward Luguentz Dort in the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game one of the Western Conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on May 18, 2026. (Alonzo Adams/Imagn Images)

Williams did not talk to reporters after Thursday’s game in San Antonio.

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Williams underwent surgery last offseason to repair a wrist injury but still played a key role in the Thunder’s run to the NBA Finals last season. He appeared in just 33 regular-season games before this year’s playoffs.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams drives into the paint during the first quarter of Game Two of the NBA Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 20, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

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The winner of Saturday’s Game 7 will advance to the NBA Finals to face the New York Knicks. New York snapped a nearly three-decade Finals drought by sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.

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Southern California sprinters scorch CIF state prelims, setting up record-chasing finals

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Southern California sprinters scorch CIF state prelims, setting up record-chasing finals

Cool conditions produced a bunch of fast times Friday at the CIF state track and field championships.

Rosary Academy sprint coach Jon Gilmer was worried 4×100-meter relayers Tra’via Flournoy, Justine Wilson, Pfeiffer Lee and Maliyah Collins might get complacent at prelims, but the Royals were the top qualifiers in 45.13 seconds — nearly a full second faster than Canyon Country Canyon (46.07) — at Buchanan High School.

“It’s different not having Calabasas here,” Gilmer said. “Now we’ve got to push ourselves.”

Rosary set a state record (44.23) at the Arcadia Invitational on April 11, but lost to the Coyotes one week later at the Mt. SAC Relays. However, the anticipated state finals clash was not to be as Calabasas dropped the baton in the Southern Section finals and failed to advance.

Collins had a huge lead by the time she received the stick for the anchor leg Friday.

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“This is maybe our fourth- or fifth-fastest time but we just wanted to make finals,” said Wilson, who ran the second leg before handing off to Lee. “We want to run faster tomorrow when we go for a PR, the meet and the state record.”

Calabasas might be out of the relay, but three Coyotes remain in contention in the 100, led by Malia Rainey (the top qualifier in 11.54), Marley Scoggins (11.63) and Olivia Kirk (11.63).

Calabasas sprinter Marley Scoggins, center, wins her 100-meter heat at the CIF state track and field preliminaries on Friday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

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Collins won her heat in 11.62, the third-fastest time.

Servite won the first heat in the boys 4×100 relay in 40.29 — two hundredths off its winning time at last year’s state finals — and is primed to defend its title in the event. Concord De La Salle (40.81) was the second-fastest qualifier, followed by the other heat winners, Rancho Cucamonga (40.87) and Loyola (40.93).

“We got the stick around pretty good today,” said Jorden Wells, who ran the first leg Friday instead of his customary second leg, which was run by Jaelen Hunter. “Did it feel different? Not really, I’ve done it before.”

Wells said his twin brother Jace will run the first leg Saturday, he will run the second while Kamil Pelovello and Benjamin Harris will stay in the third and fourth positions.

Harris, the favorite to win the 100 meters, won his heat in a wind-legal 10.36, but three others were fractions faster in wind-aided times — Elk Grove’s Cy Lugo (10.20), Will Wood’s Deshawn Seymour (10.34) and De La Salle’s Damari Dean (10.34). Newbury Park’s Jaden Griffin won the last heat in 10.37, setting the stage for an exciting finals sprint as all nine qualifiers ran under 10.48.

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Harris put himself in position for a Saturday double by winning his 200 heat in 21.10 but as he did in the 100, Lugo (the Sac-Joaquin Section record holder) had the fastest time (20.73), followed by Seymour (20.88), Camren Hughes (20.93) of Palos Verdes and Jace Wells (21.02). Jordan Wells (21.11) also made the cut.

Newbury Park’s Jaden Griffin, center, shouts after winning his heat in the 100 meters.

Newbury Park’s Jaden Griffin, center, shouts after winning his heat in the 100 meters at the CIF state track and field preliminaries on Friday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Servite (3:15.43) had the second-fastest qualifying time in the 4×400-meter relay behind only El Cerrito (3:14.96) of the North Coast Section.

Coming off a state-record 3:33.83 at the Masters Meet in Moorpark, Long Beach Wilson’s 4×400 girls relay had the fourth-fastest qualifying time (3:46.73) without two out of its best runners (Clara Adams and Saniah Varnado), taking second in the first heat behind San Luis Obispo (3:45.85) and safely advancing to the finals along with Heat 2 runner-up Rosary (3:45.08) and Heat 3 winner Canyon Country Canyon (3:46.77).

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Having broken the Southern Section record in the 400 meters six days earlier in 51.98, Adams put it in cruise control to win her heat in 53.53, the fastest qualifying mark. Joining her in the final will be her three relay teammates Varnado (54.42), Wilson (54.57) and Fowler (54.62). Adams later won her 200 heat in 23.60, a tenth of a second behind fastest qualifier Naiaja Sizemore of Vanden.

San Jacinto Valley Academy’s Kaahliyah Lacy ran a wind-legal 13.59 for the top qualifying spot in the girls 100 hurdles and Varnado (40.85) was the top qualifier in the 300 hurdles.

Another showdown is brewing in the boys 400, where Loyola’s Ejam Yohannes (47.08) and Hunter (47.21) won their heats in the two fastest times Friday. Hunter clocked 46.32 to set a California freshman record last spring, but lost to Yohannes by 11 hundredths of a second at the Masters Meet.

City Section champion Jayden Rendon showed good form in his bid to defend the state 300 hurdles crown, posting the fastest prelims time (36.80). He also advanced to the finals in the 110 hurdles with a 13.83 effort. Moorpark’s Davis Benson (14.03) nabbed the last spot.

Corona Santiago’s Braelyn Combe, right, wins the first heat of the 800 meters.

Corona Santiago’s Braelyn Combe, right, wins the first heat of the 800 meters at the CIF state track and field preliminaries on Friday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

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Corona Santiago senior Braelyn Combe won her 1,600 heat in 4:46.88 and is set for a four-lap battle with San Diego Section champion Chiara Dailey of La Jolla, who won the second heat in 4:46.00. Combe is the defending champion, having edged Hanne Thomsen of Santa Rosa Montgomery by five hundredths of a second in the finals last year.

“I just wanted to advance with as little effort as possible,” Combe said. “It was not as hard as I expected. I don’t want to leave any regrets. I’m taking it one race at a time.”

Combe also had the fastest time (2:08:25) of three heats in the 800 meters.

Venice senior Lawrence Kensinger, who set the City Section shot put record with a state-leading throw of 65 feet 11 inches last week, had the third-best mark at prelims (59-6¾) and easily advanced to the finals. Defending state high jump champion JJ Harel of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame tied nine others for the second-best mark (6-6) heading into the second day.

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Aliso Niguel senior Jaslene Massey had the top marks in the girls shot put (51-3¾) and discus (175-6) and transgender athlete AB Hernandez from Jurupa Valley was the leading qualifier in the girls long jump (20-5½) and triple jump (41-8½) and was one of 13 qualifiers in the high jump.

AB Hernandez competes at the CIF state track and field preliminaries at Buchanan High School on Friday.

AB Hernandez competes at the CIF state track and field preliminaries at Buchanan High School on Friday.

(Tomas Ovalle / For The Times)

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2026 World Cup Odds: Spain Narrowly Favored Over France

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2026 World Cup Odds: Spain Narrowly Favored Over France

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We’re approaching the biggest sporting event North America has ever hosted.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup takes place across the USA, Canada and Mexico in 13 days.

Bettors and fans already have their sights set on the global spectacle, which will kick off on June 11. The World Cup final will be held at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 19, 2026. 

After the World Cup groups were announced in December, Spain opened as the favorite at +450, followed by England (+550) and France (+750). 

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Now, with less than two weeks to go, Spain has slightly drifted to +475, with both France and England making up ground on the oddsboard. 

Let’s dive into the odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 29.

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2026 World Cup winner odds

Spain: +475 (bet $10 to win $57.5 total)
France: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
England: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
Brazil: +850 (bet $10 to win $95 total)
Argentina: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Portugal: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Germany: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Netherlands: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Norway: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total) 
Belgium: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Colombia: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Morocco: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total) 
Uruguay: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
United States: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)
Switzerland: +6500 (bet $10 to win $660 total) 
Japan: +6500 (bet $10 to win $660 total) 
Mexico: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Croatia: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Ecuador: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total) 
Senegal: +9000 (bet $10 to win $910 total) 
Sweden: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total) 

HOST NATIONS

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United States

The United States is led by Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Chris Richards, with several players competing in Europe’s top leagues. The U.S. has appeared in 11 previous World Cups, with its best finish coming in 1930 when the team reached the semifinals.

Canada

Canada’s key players include Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, giving the squad top-tier pace and goal-scoring ability. Canada has made two previous World Cup appearances, and is still looking for its first win ever in the tournament. 

Mexico

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Mexico’s top contributors include Raul Giménez and Edson Álvarez, forming a strong mix of attacking talent and midfield stability. Mexico has played in 17 previous World Cups and reached the quarterfinals twice, in 1970 and 1986.

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Spain

Spain’s top talents include Pedri, Lamine Yamal and Rodri, forming a core that blends elite playmaking with scoring depth. Spain has appeared in 16 previous World Cups and won the tournament once, lifting the trophy in 2010. The team also won the 2024 Euros.

France

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France enters with Kylian Mbappé as the star player, with the 26-year-old just five goals shy of passing Miroslav Klose (16) for the most career goals at the World Cup. France has made 16 previous World Cup appearances and won the title twice, in 1998 and 2018.

England

England’s key players include Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, forming one of the nation’s strongest generations in decades. England has reached 16 previous World Cups and won the trophy once, in 1966.

Germany

Germany features Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich as central figures in a talented squad. Germany has participated in 20 previous World Cups and won four titles, most recently in 2014.

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Portugal

Portugal’s top group includes Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, with Cristiano Ronaldo still involved as the team’s all-time leading scorer and cap leader. Portugal has competed in eight previous World Cups and recorded its best finish in 2006, reaching the semifinals.

Netherlands

The Netherlands features top players such as Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Denzel Dumfries, forming a core built around elite defending and midfield control. Memphis Depay should also be on the team, the country’s all-time leading goalscorer. The Netherlands has appeared in 11 previous World Cups and finished as runner-up three times, in 1974, 1978 and 2010.

CONMEBOL TEAMS TO KNOW

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Argentina

Argentina is anchored by Lionel Messi, with Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez— headlining one of the most talented rosters in the tournament. Argentina has played in 18 previous World Cups and won three, including the most recent tournament in 2022.

Brazil

Brazil’s roster is led by Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha and Marquinhos, giving the team elite attacking and defensive quality. Brazil has appeared in every World Cup and holds a record five titles, with its most recent one coming in 2002. 

Uruguay

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Uruguay’s leading players include Federico Valverde, Darwin Núñez and Ronald Araújo, forming a core with elite midfield range and speed. Uruguay has appeared in 14 previous World Cups and won the tournament twice, in 1930 and 1950. 

Colombia

Colombia is headlined by Luis Díaz and James Rodríguez, with the former playing for Bayern Munich and the latter having a decorated World Cup résumé. Colombia has made six previous World Cupsand recorded its best finish in 2014, reaching the quarterfinals.

CAF TEAMS TO KNOW

Morocco

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Morocco’s key contributors include Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazaroui and Brahm Díaz, each with major European club experience. Morocco has appeared in six previous World Cups and achieved its historic best finish in 2022, reaching the semifinals.

Senegal

Senegal’s top players include Sadio Mané, Kalidou Koulibaly and Idrissa Gueye, forming one of Africa’s most experienced cores. Senegal has appeared in three World Cups and reached its best finish in 2002, advancing to the quarterfinals.

Ghana

Ghana is led by Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo and Inaki Williams, giving the squad strong playmaking and midfield presence. Ghana has competed in four previous World Cups and reached its best result in 2010, making the quarterfinals.

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AFC TEAMS TO KNOW

South Korea

South Korea is headlined by Son Heung-min, supported by key players such as Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in. South Korea has played in 11 previous World Cups and reached its best finish in 2002, advancing to the semifinals as co-host.

Japan

Japan features Takefusa Kubo and Kaoru Mitoma as its leading players, blending top European experience with emerging talent. Japan has appeared in seven previous World Cups and reached the Round of 16 four times, its best result to date.

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Australia

Australia’s top players include Jackson Irvine and keeper Mathew Ryan as its most experienced members. Australia has competed in six previous World Cups and reached the round of 16 twice, in 2006 and 2022.

OFC TEAMS TO KNOW

New Zealand

New Zealand is led by all-time leading scorer Chris Wood, with 45 international goals to his name. New Zealand has appeared in two previous World Cups (1982, 2010), and did not advance from the group stage in either appearance. 

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