With the USMNT out, who should Americans root for at the World Cup?

The USMNT crashed out of the 2026 World Cup with a dispiriting thud on Monday night against Belgium. But while their run has ended, the passion for this tournament that they helped spark around the country lives on — and needs somewhere else to go as we reach the quarterfinals.

That’s why we’re here to help. If you’re an American fan new to the game and desperate to find a new rooting interest to help you enjoy the next week and a half, we’ve prepared a complete guide to which of the eight remaining teams — France, Morocco, Spain, Belgium, Norway, England, Argentina or Switzerland — is for you.

France: You want to experience soccer nirvana

The pitch for France is simple: Sometimes you just want to watch the very best. Just how loaded are Les Bleus at this World Cup? According to Transfermarkt, the other seven teams in the quarterfinals combine for a total of seven players with a market value in the nine figures. France has five on their own, highlighted by the Monstars attacking trio of Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé.

They can be a somewhat frustrating experience at times; thanks to the conservative style of coach Didier Deschamps (a former defenseman for France), it can sometimes feel like you’re watching a Lamborghini with the restrictor plate still on. But you can’t keep such an historic collection of talent down forever, and when it all clicks, there’s nothing else like it in this tournament.

Morocco: A chance for Africa to finally break through

Only eight countries have ever won the World Cup: five from Europe and three from South America. No African nation has ever hoisted the trophy; heck, no African nation has ever even reached the World Cup final.

The closest the continent has ever come was four years ago, when Morocco’s Cinderella run carried it all the way to a fourth-place finish. Now, armed with many of those same players, the Atlas Lions are back to try and finish the job, starting with a massive quarterfinal clash with France on Thursday in Foxborough.

It’s been a remarkable rise for Moroccan soccer over the last few years, one that’s also included the women’s team’s first-ever appearance at a World Cup. Now, they have a chance to shock the world, and prove once and for all that this is a truly global competition.

Spain: You believe that the children are our future

Even as someone of Spanish heritage, I’ve gotta be honest: It’s pretty difficult to make a compelling case for Spain. La Roja are notorious for playing a plodding, possession-heavy style, one that results in loads of completed passes but often not all that many goals. They also won their first World Cup not all that long ago, back in 2010, so it’s not even like there’s a historic drought to be snapped. This is a blue blood through and through, and not even a particularly fun one to watch.

But what the Spaniards do have is Lamine Yamal, arguably the best player on Earth despite the fact that he’s just 18 years old. (He’ll celebrate his 19th birthday on July 13.) Yamal first burst onto the scene at the 2024 Euros, where he helped his team take home the trophy while earning Young Player of the Tournament honors at the age of 16. He’s since become a lethal winger for Barcelona, and now he has the chance to stamp his name alongside the likes of Mbappé as the best of the best.

Belgium: You really loved ‘The Last Dance’ (or you just want to say you lost to the best)

If you want to pull for Belgium just to help the U.S. save some face, I understand; if the Red Devils capture their first World Cup title, at least the Americans can say that they were embarrassed by a team of destiny. But if that’s not enough — well, that and the incredibly sick Rene Magritte-inspired away kits they’re rocking at this tournament — we’ve got more for you.

Belgium first burst onto the global scene in 2014, when they advanced to the quarterfinals for just the second time ever. That was followed by a third-place finish in 2018, their best ever, and seemed to set up a breakthrough in Qatar in 2022. But, in a shocking turn of events, the Red Devils didn’t even make it out of their group; suddenly, the golden generation led by stars like Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Jan Vertonghen seemed to have missed their last, best chance to reach the mountaintop.

Most of that generation is gone now, but De Bruyne and striker Romelu Lukaku remain as the last of the old guard. Do they have one last run in them? Can new stars like Jeremy Doku and Leandro Trossard finish what their predecessors started?

Norway: Erling Haaland. That’s it, that’s the tweet.

Norway might be the breakout star of this World Cup, from their historic run to the quarterfinals to a fan base that’s taken America by storm by doing the Viking row in seemingly every location imaginable — from mall escalators to beer gardens and everything in between. But none of it would be possible without Haaland, who was already the most feared pure center-forward in Europe before he made himself a household name in the States.

And really, it’s impossible to take your eyes off him, from the flowing blonde hair to the meditation celebration to the fact that he looks like DK Metcalf when he gets a head of steam going. In a game as difficult and prone to luck as soccer, Haaland somehow finds a way to feel inevitable — sooner or later, he’s going to find the back of the net, leaving the entire defense wondering what just happened. If you want to choose just one magnetic personality to follow, here’s your man.

England: You’re a Cubs or Red Sox fan

As you might have heard, England is obsessed with the beautiful game. While the history of soccer is long, winding and disparate, arguably no country played a more central role in the development of the sport we know and love today. Which is why it’s so painful — and so scarcely believable — that the men’s team hasn’t won a major title since capturing the World Cup on home soil back in 1966.

That’s a full 60 years of agonizing wait, and anyone currently alive in the UK can recite to you the many heartbreaks and close calls they’ve endured over that time. Hence why the curses of the Billy Goat and the Bambino are easy parallels to this England team — you know, if the Red Sox or Cubs had the weight of an entire country on their shoulders, and only got one crack at glory every four years.

(The Dallas Cowboys would also work as a team with a rich and storied history along with a long title drought, a knack for blowing high-stakes games and an ability to bring the rest of the world together to root against them, but hey, we’re trying to be nice.)

Argentina: A chance to appreciate the GOAT one last time

Argentina might not be the most obvious choice for bandwagon fans; they just won the thing four years ago, for Pete’s sake. But a counterpoint, if I may: How many more times will we be able to say that we got to watch quite possibly the greatest soccer player who’s ever lived compete on the world’s biggest stage?

Just how compelling you find that argument likely depends on whether you’ve got family elsewhere in South America, or whether you happen to be a Real Madrid fan. But even at the age of 39, Lionel Messi remains an undeniable marvel. Sure, he’s not the all-consuming force he was in his prime, but he’s still a menace operating from the middle of the field — and as he showed in saving Argentina from the fire against Egypt in the round of 16, he can still turn it on when he needs to. If you’re a student of history, you want this run to continue for as long as possible.

Switzerland: You’re a sucker for an underdog story

Okay, so “underdog” is perhaps doing a disservice to the Swiss. This is a solid team with a good deal of history, having reached at least the round of 16 in five of the last six World Cups (including four in a row). And it’s not like there’s no top-flight European talent on this roster.

Still, the Rossocrociati have never advanced past the quarterfinals at a World Cup. Per the latest FIFA Rankings (an imperfect metric, but go with me), they’re the second lowest-rated team remaining, behind only Norway — and Norway’s got Haaland. Even Morocco, for as little success as they’ve enjoyed historically, has more top-flight European players on their squad. Switzerland just grinds, and grinds, and grinds some more, willing to outwork you until you give in. If you’re looking for a Little Engine That Could to throw your support behind, there’s really only one option remaining.