PORTUGAL I RANK: 5 I BEST RESULT: THIRD PLACE (1966)At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo realistically gets only one more shot at a World Cup trophy to cap an already illustrious career. A five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo has more international goals than any other men’s player, with 143 in 226 matches for Portugal. While Portugal are ranked No. 5, the team got a wake-up call in qualification with a 2-0 loss to Ireland last November, notable because Ronaldo was sent off with a red card for elbowing a defender. He was banned for the next game — Portugal rebounded with a 9-1 victory over Armenia to seal their World Cup spot — but escaped more severe punishment. The team is loaded with talent, including Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and versatile young midfielder João Neves, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain.COLOMBIA I RANK: 13 I BEST RESULT: QFS (2014)Attacking midfielder James Rodriguez joined Minnesota United in Major League Soccer this season in an effort to get playing time ahead of the World Cup. Rodriguez is the team’s captain and most celebrated player: He was the Golden Boot winner at the 2014 World Cup with six goals, besting Germany’s Thomas Mueller with five. Rodriguez has 31 goals for Colombia. This is Colombia’s seventh World Cup. They missed out in 2022.UZBEKISTAN I RANK: 50 I BEST RESULT: FIRST APPEARANCE (2026)Uzbekistan are making their first-ever World Cup appearance. Uzbekistan had a team under the old Soviet Union but put together a new one after independence to compete internationally. Known as the White Wolves, the team is coached by Italian Fabio Cannavaro, who was only named to the post this past October after previous coach Timur Kapadze secured the nation’s World Cup berth in the third round of Asian qualifiers. Cannavaro was captain of the Italian team that won the 2006 World Cup.CONGO I RANK: 46 I BEST RESULT: GROUP STAGE (1974)The only time Congo played in the World Cup was in 1974, when the nation was known as Zaire. They became the first sub-Saharan African team to qualify for a World Cup. Congo qualified for the 2026 edition by winning a play-in match over Jamaica 1-0 in extra time in Guadalajara, Mexico. The team’s standout players include captain Chancel Mbemba, a defender for French club Lille, and winger Cédric Bakambu plays for La-Liga’s Real Betis.