You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated World Cup 2026 page with all the latest news, match build-up and live text commentary, and keep up to date with group standings, real-time match results and schedules.The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) will be represented by a record eight teams at the 2026 World Cup: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. Iran, which is geographically in the Middle East, is part of the Central Asian Football Association.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4What time are World Cup 2026 matches in my time zone?list 2 of 4World Cup: Rating the chances of top European teams at the tournamentlist 3 of 4From Messi to Yamal: Top 10 superstars to watch at FIFA World Cup 2026list 4 of 4‘Pushing the limits’: Ageing stars make history at the 2026 World Cupend of listThe participation of so many Arabic-speaking teams at a World Cup is unprecedented.Morocco’s historic feat of becoming the first Arab nation to reach the World Cup semifinals at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 has bolstered the confidence of other MENA countries. Some teams believe they now have a shot at reaching the knockout phases in North America.Al Jazeera breaks down the chances of each side before the tournament kicks off on June 11:Algeria will look to star winger Riyad Mahrez for goals and assists [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]⚽ Algeria