Sports
Ten years later, Odell Beckham Jr.’s one-handed catch has stood the test of time
One of the most iconic catches in NFL history — a play that would change Odell Beckham Jr.’s life — started with a misunderstanding and a poor route. Eli Manning is quick to remind his former New York Giants receiver of both whenever the play comes up.
And it always does. It’s one of the more indelible moments in the NFL over the last decade.
“It was kind of like bad, bad, bad … unbelievable. Or, oh, no, no, no … great job,” Manning said. “We laugh more about that. I recognize how good it was and eventually get to (acknowledging) that point, but with your pals, it’s always good to give them a little heat about what it could have been. It could have been a walk-in: double move, beat him by 5 yards, nice easy catch and cruise in for an easy touchdown.
“But that’s not the Odell way.”
For weeks during the 2014 season, Giants players and coaches learned about the “Odell way.” They watched a precocious rookie in practice snatch balls out of the air with a swipe of his hand. They saw him throw, punt and kick field goals, effortlessly launching footballs to improbable depths. They witnessed him nonchalantly perform eye-popping, athletic feats as if he had been doing them all of his life. His former Giants teammate, inside linebacker Jameel McClain, remembers watching Beckham and thinking, “Man, God really did a number on him.”
On Nov. 23, 2014, a MetLife Stadium crowd of more than 80,000 and a prime-time NBC television audience learned what the Giants already knew: Beckham was capable of the extraordinary. His one-handed — check that, three-fingered — 43-yard touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys on a ball that sailed behind his head electrified the world and transformed Beckham from an exciting, talented rookie into a sports phenom.
“During the moment, I didn’t know the magnitude of what actually happened,” Beckham said. “I only know the aftermath. It’s been my life ever since.”
The Catch That Broke the Internet.
Odell Beckham Jr. catches a one-handed touchdown and it is arguably one of the most iconic catches in NFL history. (via @nflthrowback)pic.twitter.com/SAchXm5uCv
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) December 22, 2019
Beckham says that with a tone of acceptance, but also a tinge of regret. He appreciates the fame and fortune that the catch helped generate. He also resents that the catch is used to minimize the other accomplishments of his career. In many ways, Beckham and his most celebrated play have a love-hate relationship.
He’s 32 now, no longer a phenom but a veteran of 10 NFL seasons. The Miami Dolphins are his fifth team. He is closing in on 600 career catches, 8,000 receiving yards and 60 touchdowns. He might have been the MVP of the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in February 2022 had his left knee not given out, forcing him to miss the rest of the game and the entire next season, altering his football future.
Yet, the one play that has largely defined his career happened exactly 10 years ago Saturday. Beckham’s catch while being interfered with by Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr adorns countless highlight reels and is commemorated on T-shirts and posters on the walls of sports bars and man caves. It inspired scores of imposters and flashy one-handed catches to come.
A decade later, his connection with Manning is typically the yardstick for which all other acrobatic one-handed catches, such as the one Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets made late last month, are measured.
CATCH OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE FROM GARRETT WILSON
@nyjets pic.twitter.com/A3efxJMIiF
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) November 1, 2024
“There’s always something about the original, and it was the first time I had seen something like that,” said Cris Collinsworth, the longtime NFL receiver who was in the NBC booth providing color commentary with Al Michaels for the Giants-Cowboys game. “Today, between the gloves, the balls aren’t as slick and these guys are freakier athletes. These guys are 6-4, 225 pounds, and they run 4.3 (seconds in the 40-yard dash). It’s just insane what they are able to do, so I try not to get so freaked out about it anymore.
“But yeah, when it happened, I thought (Beckham’s catch) was the best thing that I’d ever seen.”
It’s stood the test of time, too.
Beckham remembers it vividly. He was playing for LSU against Auburn in 2013 when he soared above the far sideline and tried to make a one-handed snag. He couldn’t haul it in, but he vowed that he’d make that play the next time the opportunity arose.
His inspiration came from LSU teammate Jarvis Landry. The two would spend hours outside their college dorm, throwing footballs to each other and practicing one-handed catches.
“That’s really how it came about,” Beckham said. “It really was a lot of Jarvis’ doing as far as the way he took me being a kid who was going to be good to understanding that I want to be a legend. I want to be remembered forever.”
The 12th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, Beckham didn’t get his professional career off to a great start. A hamstring injury sidelined him for much of training camp and the first four games of the regular season.
“He had a rocky start, and that New York media wasn’t friendly to him,” McClain said. “I remember having so many different conversations with him, like, ‘All of this is going to pass by, and the time that the world sees who you are is going to come.’”
In his regular-season debut, Beckham caught the game-winning touchdown pass against the Atlanta Falcons. Two weeks later, he had two touchdowns against the Cowboys. In the three games after that, he totaled 21 catches for 357 yards.
Beckham already had caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Manning midway through the first quarter in the rematch against the Cowboys in Week 12 on “Sunday Night Football.” The Giants had designs on more when they had a first down on the Cowboys’ 43-yard line. It was the area of the field where Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo liked to take deep shots, and the offense had been working extensively on different throws off bootlegs. One, in particular, called for Beckham to make an out-and-up move down the sideline.
As the first quarter ended, the coaches and Manning discussed the merits of a deep shot. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin wasn’t sure it was the best time to try it. Beckham pleaded with Coughlin to keep the call.
“We were trying to figure out what shot to take, and that was one of the shots on the menu,” McAdoo said. “Good thing we didn’t talk ourselves out of that one.”
As Beckham jogged back on the field, it was either Coughlin or Manning who said, “Don’t rush the route.” It, however, was the last three of those words that stuck in Beckham’s head as he lined up outside and to Manning’s right: rush the route.
“We wanted to get a little comeback and go, and we were a little worried if we just did a straight fake and rollout, it would bring the safety over. So, we just kind of did a half roll,” Manning recalled. “I want to take my eyes to the middle safety, hold him a little bit and have a backside post. Pretend that you’re looking at that and then gear up, and you’re throwing the comeback and go no matter what. If we’re getting high (safety), it should be one-on-one. We got the look that we wanted.”
Beckham, indeed, rushed the route and didn’t sell the comeback. Carr wasn’t fooled, either. He was stride-for-stride with Beckham tracking the flight of Manning’s pass.
“Definitely not one of my best routes,” Beckham said. “He tried to squeeze me to the sideline, and I kind of did a basketball move. If somebody is posting you up, you pull the chair. I just kind of pulled the chair. The rest was history.”
Beckham slipped inside Carr, who grabbed the front of the receiver’s jersey and was immediately flagged. Beckham then elevated, reached his right arm well behind his head and secured the ball with three fingers before tumbling into the end zone.
“You can’t see where the ball is, and to still get your hands and fingers on it and somehow be strong enough in your fingers to hold onto that thing and pull it in while falling backward?” Manning said. “It doesn’t quite make sense. One of the all-time great catches.”
Odell Beckham Jr. didn’t run the route the way Eli Manning intended him to, but it created an iconic moment. (Elsa / Getty Images)
In three decades as a broadcaster, Collinsworth remembers two instances where he had to pause because he was stunned by what he witnessed. There was the interception by New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler at the goal line in the final seconds of Super Bowl XLIX, and there was the Beckham catch.
When he spoke about the latter, he told the television audience, “That may be the greatest catch I’ve ever seen in my life.”
To which Michaels replied, “It’s in the conversation.”
“It was just special,” Collinsworth told The Athletic. “There’s some things that the more you slow it down, the better it gets. I thought that was one of those. It was like, ‘Oh, he did that?’ And then he got his feet in and he only got three fingers on it. It just kept adding up. It’s great to have those moments.
“When I was a kid, I can remember things that inspired me to want to play football or sports in general. I’m glad it happened. I’m glad there are Odell Beckhams in the world who can do things that other mere mortals can’t.”
McAdoo still recalls the look of astonishment on the face of the normally stoic Manning as he came to the sideline with the crowd buzzing after the catch. It never subsided throughout a game Dallas won 31-28.
“It was electric,” McAdoo said. “I’ve been a part of some big games, whether it was the Super Bowl, whether it was Aaron (Rodgers) and Brett (Favre) playing for the first time in the Metrodome. The buzz in the stadium after that happened lasted the whole game. It’s going to be hard to beat that catch.”
In many ways, the catch was buoyed by the perfect storm. It was a prime-time Sunday game, and NBC had a multitude of camera angles to do it justice. The game featured two big market teams with deep fan bases.
Beckham’s catch generated oohs and aahs from the crowd as it was shown across the stadium. The gasps kept coming as fans turned to their phones to keep watching clips of the reception.
“We’ve never had a play, I think in sports history, that went as viral,” said former Giants guard Geoff Schwartz, one of the first players to greet Beckham in the end zone. “That was sort of the start of social media being such an important part of our lives. Odell went from a first-round pick to a celebrity overnight.”
Said McClain: “That was one of those defining moments where it was like, ‘OK, world, welcome your new star.’”
Baltimore Ravens top receiver Zay Flowers was 14 when Beckham made the grab. Growing up in South Florida, Flowers saw a replay of the catch on his phone and went around showing his friends the highlight.
“I thought it was fake,” Flowers said. “I remember watching it over and over for like two weeks straight.”
Flowers and Beckham were teammates last year in Baltimore, and Flowers said the play briefly came up in conversation. When it did, Beckham told his teammate that the catch “changed his life.”
Zay Flowers’ locker is right next to Odell Beckham Jr.’s in the Ravens locker room. 😈 pic.twitter.com/9DeM8OvQBi
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) September 7, 2023
Beckham immediately achieved almost mythical status in New York, his every move garnering attention and headlines.
“It was like Bon Jovi coming back to the Meadowlands,” McAdoo said. “There was always a vibe about him and he was a performer.”
For Beckham, the true impact of his catch resonated when he’d see young athletes practicing one-handed grabs at schools and at football camps. He has traveled extensively overseas and been asked about the catch in Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands.
He’s flattered that it has inspired others, and he understands that his immense popularity around the globe — his 17.5 million Instagram followers were the most of any NFL player as of earlier this year — traces back to that November 2014 night, when he corralled a ball that seemed destined for out of bounds.
“In the most humble way, I can go almost anywhere in the world and people, for the most part, kind of remember that moment,” Beckham said. “Even people who don’t know football know me, which is a blessing. But, it’s honestly something that I never really foresaw. It came with that moment.”
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The way Beckham sees it, Michael Jordan had his crossover and game-winning shot against the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. LeBron James had his chase-down block against the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
He has the one-handed catch against the Cowboys.
“People want to amount my entire career to just one catch, but there’s so many other plays that happened and things that I did, where it’s just hard to be like, ‘Yeah, he only had one catch,’” Beckham said. “I’ve caught the ball multiple times with one hand. Everything in life is about timing, and it was pretty crazy timing. ‘Sunday Night Football.’ New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys. It’s something that I’d never trade for the world.
“Here I am today. It’s taught me the hardships, the good times, all of those things.”
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos: Al Bello / Getty Images)
Sports
Thunder lose star Jalen Williams for Western Conference Finals Game 7 as hamstring injury lingers
Spurs force Game 7 vs. Thunder, SGA struggles, Will Wemby carry this momentum? | The Herd
Victor Wembanyama scored 28 points and 10 rebounds in the San Antonio Spurs’ 118-91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the WCF. Jason McIntyre says that Wemby showed up in the biggest moments, and asks if he can carry this momentum into Game 7. Plus, he discusses Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s struggles and asks if he will cost the Thunder the series.
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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.
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.
“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.
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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CLOVIS — 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.
“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)
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.
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 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).
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 at the CIF state track and field preliminaries on Friday.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
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.
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.
(Tomas Ovalle / For The Times)
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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).
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
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
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.
UEFA TEAMS TO KNOW
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
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.
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
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
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
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.
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.
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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