Six national teams to watch in 2025
One national team per continent to keep track of this year
It may be February, but a January without an AFC Asia Cup or Africa Cup of Nations allows international football aficionados a rather leisurely approach to previewing the calendar year ahead — something I have chosen to take full advantage of.
2025 will not have as much glitz as 2024, where there were almost too many continental tournaments to keep track of. Yet, there will bring sprinklings of tournament stardust, while FIFA World Cup qualification gets very, very serious across all six confederations.
This year will therefore be more about the teams themselves, rather than the big events. So as something of a preview, I have selected six teams — one per confederation — that will be worth keeping an eye on, for better or for worse, over the next 11 months.
Okay, let’s say 12 months to allow for the Africa Cup of Nations when it’s CAF’s turn. It will be the 2025 edition of the tournament, after all. Let’s get into it.
AFC — Indonesia
The most populous country in the world where football is the most popular sport thrust themselves into wider consciousness in 2024 by being the only team in 2026 World Cup qualifying to progress from the AFC First Round to the Third Round.
Upon reaching the third stage, Tim Garuda were expected to battle it out with Bahrain and China for fourth place in Group C — the final Fourth Round place — while Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia were to sail off into the distance to contest the automatic qualifying places.
Japan have followed the script and secured 16 points from their first six matches; Saudi Arabia and Australia, however, have not. Both regular qualifiers dropped points against Indonesia in September, marking the 1938 World Cup qualifiers (as the Dutch East Indies) as real contenders and setting a faltering campaign in motion for the big guns.
But just when they had given themselves a chance of finally living up to their potential as a footballing power, a draw with Bahrain and a damaging 2-1 loss to China set Indonesia right back, before taking an expected loss to Japan in November.
However, two Marselino Ferdinan goals in Jakarta secured a 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia for Indonesia’s first victory in the round to take them third on goal difference, a point shy of Australia in a group which could hardly be closer from second to sixth.
That win over the Saudis was not enough for South Korean coach Shin Tae-yong to complete the qualification campaign. A poor showing with what was essentially a “B” team at the 2024 ASEAN Championship plus the pain of the loss to China were said to be the reasons for his dismissal.
As a replacement, Indonesia have gone big, bringing in former Netherlands international Patrick Kluivert. Supporters of the choice will say the ex-Barcelona and Ajax goalscorer is more than a headline-grabbing appointment — Indonesia have heavily recruited Dutch-born players of Indonesian heritage who came through the highly-acclaimed academy systems in the Netherlands. Also, Kluivert has international experience, taking charge of Curaçao and was Clarence Seedorf’s assistant at Cameroon.
The more sceptical will point to just seven wins in 18 games with Curaçao across a permanent and interim spell, being dismissed alongside Seedorf after less than a year with Cameroon and his most recent managerial spell at the helm of Turkish club Adana Demirspor in 2023 lasting just 20 games.
Either way, it’s a make-or-break appointment for Indonesia ahead of arguably their biggest year as a national team. Kluivert will have to hit the ground running, which will be no easy task given his first match will be against Australia in Sydney.
Home games against Bahrain and China in March and June, respectively, are absolute must wins ahead of their final Third Round match, away in Japan.
A top-two place will spark jubilation, third or fourth will mean the likes of UAE, Qatar or Jordan could lie in wait in an incredibly competitive Fourth Round, while finishing fifth or sixth will be an agonising missed opportunity.
CAF — Tanzania
After a significant break, World Cup qualifying returns to Africa in March, the first round will conclude in October and the Second Round to determine the intercontinental play-off place will take place in November.
In December, the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations begins and, though it will not conclude until mid-January 2026, and as I mentioned, for the purposes of this article I’m going to include it.
Tanzania may be a left-field choice, but rather than a decisive 2025, the Taifa Stars will hope to have a positive year ahead of what is to come further down the road.
Alongside Kenya and Uganda, Tanzania will host the 2027 Afcon for the first time as Africa’s showpiece tournament returns to the east of the continent for the first time since the 1970s.
All three sides are in the process of building a team that can compete at their own tournament, and it’s the Tanzanians who look best-placed to do that at this stage. Under the guidance of the aptly-named Hemed Morocco, they and Uganda got through qualifying to make it to Morocco 2025, but Kenya missed out.
A debut World Cup appearance cannot be ruled out, but the qualifiers this year are more about proving they can compete with the elite. Uganda may be higher ranked of the three, but Tanzania — who were ranked 130th at the time of the last World Cup, but are now knocking on the door of the top 100 — sit just goal difference behind Niger in the battle for second in Group E with two matches against whipping boys Congo to come, having already beaten direct rivals Niger and Zambia. Any side taking top spot from Morocco looks a tough ask.
In Morocco next winter, both Tanzania and Uganda will not only be present, but will face each other in Group C in a match that will all but decide who is East Africa’s top dog going into the 2027 edition.
The group also contains Nigeria and Tunisia. Nigeria lost the 2023 final, only to make a shambolic start to World Cup qualifying, while Tunisia were eliminated in the group stage in the 2023 Afcon. A lot can change in the next 11 months, but both look ideal victims for giant-killers.
CONCACAF — United States
Okay, they cannot all be hipster picks, sometimes the most talked about teams are the most talked about for good reason!
On and off the pitch, 2024 was a disaster for the United States; crashing out early in the Copa América they hosted, which was rife with security issues just two years shy of the USA hosting the bulk of matches at the 2026 World Cup.
The 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup happening simultaneously (for some godawful reason) will be the final dress rehearsals for the US ahead of the summer of 2026, and everything has to run smoothly.
The Gold Cup will be the second real test for Mauricio Pochettino’s side as they seek to prove how far they have come since the Argentinian took over in October. The first comes in March, where the USA will aim to retain the CONCACAF Nations League title, against Panama in the Semi-finals and either Mexico or Canada in the final.
In 2023, a Semi-final loss to Panama was their undoing as Mexico took the Gold Cup crown. Nothing short of a medal will be considered good enough this time in what will be their last competitive fixtures until the World Cup.
CONMEBOL — Bolivia
The battle to finish in the top six in South American qualifying was on a knife edge for the first 10 matchdays, but in November, positive results for Brazil and Paraguay saw them open up five and four point gaps, respectively, on the team in seventh, the intercontinental play-off place.
In seventh with only six rounds of fixtures remaining are Bolivia, the lowest-ranked team in CONMEBOL, who have given themselves a decent chance of a first World Cup appearance since 1994 through unorthodox methods.
In 2024, Bolivia decided La Paz — only 3,640m above sea level — was no longer having the desired oxygen-starving effects on their opponents, so switched their home matches to El Alto, at 4,150m.
After one win and two losses in the capital, they thrashed Venezuela 4-0 in September and beat Colombia 1-0 in October in their new home. A 2-1 win away in Chile meant a 6-0 thumping at the hands of Argentina did little damage.
Another heavy loss in November away to Ecuador was little bother when another three points were guaranteed at home to Paraguay, but the visitors had not read the script, nor the elevation listed on El Alto’s Wikipedia page. A late Julio Enciso equaliser earned Paraguay a 2-2 draw and maintained said four-point gap.
In 2025, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil will be coming to El Alto to test if its powers remain, or if leaves have been taken from the Paraguayans’ book. Thee points against the struggling Chileans is a must, as is either a point against both of the former world champions, or a win against one of them.
La Verde will fancy themselves against Uruguay, whom they have lost to just once at home in World Cup qualifying history. Taking on an already-qualified Brazil on the final matchday could be a huge advantage, but Brazil’s form certainly cannot be taken for granted.
For all the talk of home matches, the first game of the year, away in Peru in March, could be the most crucial for Óscar Villegas’ side. Peru sit bottom of the group with one win and Paraguay hosting Chile at home means the pressure will be on Bolivia not to lose touching distance, as Venezuela remain poised to take the play-off place.
Whether or not Bolivia hit new heights, they are bound to be one of 2025’s high-lights.
OFC — New Zealand
Only a major shock will prevent New Zealand from taking the inaugural automatic World Cup qualifying place handed to a team from Oceania, needing only to beat Fiji and one of New Caledonia and Tahiti in March.
Thus I was intending to select the New Caledonians, the best-ranked of the three outsiders in OFC qualifying and arguably the best chance of taking the intercontinental play-off place.
However, perhaps the more intriguing story is how will the All Whites build towards the 2026 World Cup once they have sides more at their level to contend with. One such test will come in September, when they face Asian champions Qatar in the first edition of the AFC–OFC Challenge Cup since 2003.
If Chris Wood can keep firing for the next 18 months, the Kiwis might just justify the OFC getting an automatic place. One shock result in March, though, is all it will take for them to be the story for all the wrong reasons.
UEFA — Norway
With all their talent, there is no reason why Norway shouldn’t finally end their drought in 2026 and qualify for a first major tournament since 2000.
Then again, with all their talent, there was no reason why Norway shouldn’t have finally ended their drought in 2024 and qualified for a first major tournament since 2000.
UEFA nations get their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaigns underway in March and Martin Ødegaard, Erling Haaland and co have been drawn in Group I to face Moldova, Estonia, Israel and whoever loses the UEFA Nations League Quarter-final between Italy and Germany.
Guaranteed a four-time World Cup winner in a group where only one team qualifies automatically is tough, but then again, how tough is it to face either a team that was knocked out in the Group Stages at the last two World Cups, or a side that failed to qualify for both?
A positive spin on things could go a long way for Norway, whose decision to retain Ståle Solbakken as head coach was met with its fair share of negativity after picking up just 11 points from eight matches in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, falling well short of second-place Scotland.
Six wins against Estonia, Moldova and Israel will be the aim to secure a play-off place, which still could be attained through the back door after their positive Nations League showing. If Haaland can bang in enough goals, draws might be enough against the powerhouse to secure first place.
A defence not nearly as strong as their attack will be the main concern, but at least they will surely be entertaining.
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Anthony Tomas is a football writer and commentator, who has written for World Soccer Magazine, MUNDIAL and Flashscore.