The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the first tournament to be played in a 48-team format. In theory, this should create more space for countries outside Europe’s absolute elite. In practice, however, the picture for Central and Eastern Europe is more complicated. The region has its representatives, but not in numbers that would suggest a major shift in the balance of power in world football. Croatia, Czechia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Turkey are among the teams present at the tournament, while Poland, Ukraine, Serbia, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia are absent. This alone shows that a larger World Cup does not automatically mean an easier path for everyone.

The greatest expectations in this part of Europe are traditionally linked to Croatia. It is a national team that has long defied simple demographic and financial categories. A country of fewer than four million people has achieved results in the 21st century that much larger football federations can only dream of. The 2018 World Cup final and third place in 2022 mean that Croatia can no longer be treated as a charming outsider. This is a tournament team: experienced, mentally resilient, and used to playing under pressure. Its group with England, Ghana, and Panama is not easy, but it offers a realistic route to the knockout stage. The opening match against England will be crucial. A good result could put Croatia in position to fight even for first place. A defeat would not end its chances, but it would require full concentration in the matches against Ghana and Panama.

Another team with very interesting potential is Austria. Ralf Rangnick’s side may not have the same World Cup pedigree as Croatia, but it has something that often proves just as important in major tournaments: organization, intensity, and a clear footballing identity. Austria was drawn into a group with Argentina, Algeria, and Jordan. The match against Jordan should be treated as an obligatory reference point — a victory there could open the way to the knockout stage, especially in the new format, where some of the best third-placed teams also advance. The match against Argentina will be the toughest test, but the game against Algeria may prove decisive for the final group standings.

Bosnia and Herzegovina began the tournament with a 1–1 draw against Canada. For this national team, qualification for the World Cup is already symbolically significant. This is only its second appearance at the finals, after the 2014 tournament. A draw against one of the host nations keeps all options open, but it does not provide comfort. Bosnia still has matches against Switzerland and Qatar ahead. The most important game will be against Qatar, where Bosnia should look for the victory that could give it a real chance of advancing. Experience remains extremely important in this team, with Edin Džeko as its symbolic figure. The question is whether experience alone will be enough in a tournament where intensity and pace are increasingly unforgiving.

Czechia found itself in a more difficult position after a 2–1 defeat to South Korea. In a group with Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea, the margin for error was small from the start. Losing the opening match means that the game against South Africa has become a must-win encounter. A victory would bring Czechia back into contention, a draw would leave only mathematical hopes, and a defeat could effectively end its dreams of reaching the knockout stage. The Czechs have solid and experienced players, but in recent years they have been associated more with discipline and pragmatism than with attacking flair. At the 2026 World Cup, pragmatism alone may not be enough.

The most disappointing start among teams from the broadly understood region was recorded by Turkey, which lost 2–0 to Australia. This result is particularly painful because Turkey arrived at the tournament with great ambitions and an exciting generation of players. Hakan Çalhanoğlu brings experience and quality in midfield, while Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız symbolize the future of Turkish football. The problem is that in a short tournament, potential must very quickly turn into results. After the defeat to Australia, the matches against Paraguay and the United States have become a fight for survival. Turkey can still advance, but it no longer has room for another weak performance.

Poland’s absence is a separate issue. The Polish national team came close, but lost 3–2 to Sweden in the playoff final. For Polish football, this is especially painful because the expanded World Cup was supposed to be a tournament in which qualification would become easier. Instead, Poland failed to take its chance. Ukraine, too, was eliminated after losing to Sweden in the playoff semifinal. The absence of these two national teams weakens the visibility of Central and Eastern Europe at the tournament and shows that the region remains highly uneven: it can produce excellent tournament teams, but it does not have broad stability of results.

The new World Cup format does, however, change the calculations. In previous tournaments, a defeat in the opening match often dramatically reduced a team’s chances. Now, with the best third-placed teams also advancing, the road remains open for longer. For Czechia and Turkey, this is important. For Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is a chance to turn one good match into qualification. For Austria and Croatia, it provides an opportunity to build their position more calmly before the knockout stage.

The teams with the best chances of staying longer in the tournament are Croatia and Austria. Croatia has experience that cannot be bought or quickly developed. Austria, meanwhile, has a structure of play that can be extremely uncomfortable for opponents. Bosnia and Herzegovina could become one of the more interesting stories of the group stage if it beats Qatar or produces a surprise against Switzerland. Czechia and Turkey, however, must react immediately, because after the first round of matches their World Cup campaigns already resemble a walk on a tightrope.

Central and Eastern Europe, then, is not present at the 2026 World Cup as a unified bloc of strength. It is rather a mosaic: one team with a medal-winning past, one very well-organized national side, several teams fighting for a breakthrough, and several painful absences. If the region is to make its mark in North America, it will need not only isolated good performances, but teams capable of advancing from the group stage and showing that experience, discipline, and footballing identity can still compete with the biggest budgets and the deepest squads in world football.