World Cup season is finally upon us. With just over a week until the infamous tournament kicks off in Russia, I decided to take a closer look at all 32 teams competing to win the greatest prize in all of Football (or Soccer) and compare them to the 32 teams in the NFL. Here’s what I came up with…
Dallas Cowboys – England
Ask any England fan about the World Cup and the response is always ‘It’s our year.’ ‘We’ve got a lot of good young players coming through.’ Every year, unfortunately however, that never really becomes the case. England have consistently underwhelmed on the international stage, despite plenty of domestic prestige in the team. With Harry Kane (Dak Prescott) and Zeke (Delle Ali) carrying the hopes of the team on their shoulders, this year, like the Cowboys 2017 season, may carry much of the same disappointment.
Washington Redskins – Russia
Russia always seem to land a nice group and have all the potential to to push on to the next stage of the competition, but never tie it all together. While having no problem qualifying for the big dance, advancing out of the group stages is another question. Much like the Redskins, who haven’t got past the Wildcard round since 1991.
Philadelphia Eagles – Iceland
The ultimate underdogs. Joined by their incredible traveling supporters, Iceland stole the hearts of everybody during the Euro 2014 tournament and look set to do the same in the World Cup. While the talent levels are drastically different between the Eagles and Iceland, the underdog narrative and performance levels exuded by this team simply have to be admired.
New York Giants – Uruguay
Sure, Uruguay have a fairly strong squad, but when was the last time they made any real impact in an international competition? The big names often fall short of the mark when it matters without much in the way of young talent waiting in the wings to step up.
Buffalo Bills- Costa Rica
The Bills have the big names, but for some reason consistency is a word that alludes the team year after year. With Bryan Ruiz (LeSean McCoy) at the helm, there’s always something holding Costa Rica back. A stunning run in 2014 is on the mind of many and prevalence in the CONCACAF Gold Cup has always been strong. But there’s never really a ‘we should be taken seriously’ vibe…much like the Bills.
New England Patriots – Germany
A dominant dynasty. Love them or hate them, Germany and the Patriots are going nowhere anytime soon.
Miami Dolphins- Sweden
The Dolphins spent last season trying to revive the career of Jay Cutler. A coaching change saw plenty of potential infused into the roster in 2016, but it was the same old story in Miami. With an aging roster, Sweden are in a similar position. A strong, strong history with little in the way of exciting talent emerging, their qualification for the tournament this year was their first bid since 2006.
New York Jets – Korea Republic
I mean, they show up and that’s all that matters. Sometimes they will spring a surprise result, but the expectation never has been winning it all…
Baltimore Ravens- Japan
Joe Flacco, like Honda, is the aging, declining, heartbeat of a team that excels elsewhere. There’s always a chance at an upset with these teams, but after a brief spurt of excellence, it’s back to what we’ve grown accustomed to.
Cincinnati Bengals- Saudi Arabia
Led by the Ginger Ninja, the Bengals continue to fall short of the mark with a flurry of controversies and lack of depth across the board. Saudi Arabia don’t have much in the way of depth anywhere…
Cleveland Browns- Australia
Australia always enter the fray but never get much further. Although, there is a sudden sense of excitement around the team. Tomi Juric has hit his stride up front and should provide a much needed burst for a team always caught in the depth of competition…much like Baker Mayfield and the Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers- Poland
Like thew star-powered Steelers, Poland are forever a team to be feared and always pose a severe threat to shattering World Cup dreams and Pittsburgh are very similar in that regard. It’s been a while since their last notable World Cup run, but the Euro 2016 quarter finalists look as dangerous as they ever have coming into this years tournament.
Chicago Bears- Colombia
There’s not a lot of overall talent on the roster, but the hopes of the team rest on the shoulders of a young breakout star in James Rodriguez…or do we mean Mitchell Trubisky?
Detroit Lions- Croatia
Matthew Stafford may be one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but his supporting cast outside of Megatron hasn’t really been substantial enough to make a Super Bowl run for a good few years. Like Luka Modric, Stafford is the heartbeat of a team who can go toe-to-toe with many teams offensively, but this will be the year that they’ll be hoping the other side of the ball holds up.
Green Bay Packers- Portugal
One of the greatest players in the world is constantly forced to put the team on his back and push them to the verge of greatness. Outside of Ronaldo and Rodgers lies an aging roster that carries the question ‘what happens if the soul of the team goes down?’
Minnesota Vikings- Tunisia
This is the first time Tunisia has qualified for an international tournament not named the ‘Africa Cup of Nations’ since 2006. For this tournament, they scored 11 goals in 6 qualifying games…4 of them game in the same match. Normally, I’d associate the Vikings with Iceland. But after some poor front office decisions, what is actually a really strong team has always managed to just choke when it matters most. Cc: The NFC Championship game. If I’m honest, there’s not a lot that these two have in common, but after beating Costa Rica in a friendly, fans are hopeful of success…mirroring what Zimmer was able to bring to a season that many wrote off before it even started last season.
Houston Texans- Belgium
An exciting young team that’s packed with star power throughout, Belgium could easily become the darlings of the tournament. The same can be said for the Texans…so long as they stay healthy.
Indianapolis Colts- Egypt
ANDREW LUCK, ANDREW LUCK, ANDREW LUCK, RUNNING DOWN THE WING. LUCKYLUCCKLUCKLUCKLUCKLUCKYLUCK THE INDY KING. Glad I’ve got that out of my system. Much like Mo Salah, Andrew Luck is the sole supplier of any kind of success for his team. Salah carried Egypt to their first World Cup berth since 1990. Andrew Luck meanwhile has been so battered and bruised due to the sheer lack of offensive line depth that the team has become a raging furnace without him. If either team is going to succeed in the months to come, it’s going to take a lot of ‘Luck’ from the fan favorites.
Jacksonville Jaguars- Switzerland
Switzerland always seem to cause a few surprises. Whether it’s Embolo the wonder kid, Yann the man in goal, or the veteran presence of Lichsteiner on the back line, Switzerland can never be written off. A dangerous, dangerous roster that was previously only missing a truly dominant striker…AKA, Blake Bortles.
Tennessee Titans- Peru
Don’t be fooled by their reputation, Peru mean business. They may not have the star power outside of some impressive young talent, but they can always be counted on to shake up the order with some surprise results. The same can be said for Mariota and the Titans, who find themselves in shootout after shootout.
Atlanta Falcons- Brazil
Brazil are among the kings of the Footballing world with future legends in their midst. The team are nearly always guaranteed to make a deep run and have become a factory for finding young stars. The Falcons are in a similar position. They’ll drive all the way until the end…and then somehow mess it up. Their last World Cup win was in 2002…which is astounding considering the prestige of the team. The lack of Championships for Atlanta is just as worrying.
Carolina Panthers- Panama
Panama have the group of death for a World Cup debutant. Much like the Panthers, who have to battle two offensive juggernauts twice a season, Panama have the odds stacked against them. With that said, there’s reason to be excited about the squad…but whether it will amount to anything more than an early exit remains to be seen.
New Orleans Saints- Argentina
Unlike Portugal, Argentina have one of the greatest to ever do it and a very, very dangerous supporting cast. Recent championship success has alluded them, but both Messi and Brees may be looking at their final chance to win it all.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Senegal
The Bucs have speed and youth but forcing Jameis Winston into clutch situation has rarely ended well. Just like Senegal, who defeated France shockingly in the World Cup back in 2002, the Bucs are prone to turning heads when they’re outmatched and underwhelming in easily winnable games. Senegal return to the World Cup with the likes of Mané leading the charge. Will that be enough to repeat history and become a team which people simply have to take notice of?
Denver Broncos- Mexico
Mexico always show up in the big dance, but have only finished inside the top 10 once since 1994. Denver has been a shadow of its former self offensively following the departure of Peyton Manning and the constant quarterback setbacks. They have the defensive talent to square up against any team, but aren’t complete enough to be a legitimate threat.
Kansas City Chiefs – France
Dazzling, exciting and always, always dangerous, France always have one of the most compelling sides in the tournament. Yet some way, some how, can never pull it all together. (Andy Reid in the playoffs, anyone?) This year is different though. With Paul Pogba maturing and Pat Mahomes entering the fray, there’s no reason why both teams cant go all the way.
Los Angeles Chargers- Serbia
How the Chargers have never gotten Phillip Rivers to a Super Bowl, I’ll never know. Now these two teams don’t have a lot in common, although a changing of the guard lies on the horizon for both. The era of accepting mediocrity has to end soon if either team is to emerge as a real contender. Despite winning their division four years in a row, the Chargers failed to win an AFC Championship. A move to L.A may be a late catalyst, but both rosters need an injection of success to change perceptions.
Oakland Raiders- Denmark
The Danes are always the underdogs and have a lethal roster this year. From Cornelius to Eriksen, Denmark is deep and ready for war, much like the Broncos and Derek Carr under their new Head Coach, Jon Gruden. Expect fireworks and plenty of them.
Arizona Cardinals- Morocco
At this stage, there wasn’t a great talent pool left to choose from, but the Cardinals have just simply been ‘meh’ in recent years, letting the opportunity for greatness slip them by. With future Hall of Famers on their roster, the Cardinals have descended into the depths of their division and last season can be compared to this team, which has only ever won two World Cup games. Sure, there are players like Benatia, but the lack of quality stings them over and over again.
L.A Rams- Spain
Talent, talent and more talent. Spain are always verging on being labelled a ‘Super Team’ and after this offseason, the Rams will find themselves in a very similar situation.
San Francisco 49ers- Iran
There’s a reason to be excited about the Niners and the same can be said for Iran, who finally have some notable players to watch….and no, I don’t mean Reza Ghoochannejhad, the Charlton Athletic icon who I planned to get on the back of my shirt at the age of 14 before he left the team on the day I went to get it done. Both teams should be very fun to watch.
Seattle Seahawks- Nigeria
Best. Uniforms. In. Their. Competition.
Oh, and it helps that both teams have the need for speed and blaze past opponents on a regular basis. There are weaknesses, like the potent offensive front for Seattle and Nigeria’s lack of coaching adjustments…but hey, progress is a process.
What do you make of this list? Let me know in the comments who you would associate with your favorite NFL team!
