Seth Romsa

The FIFA World Cup is set to begin in just over six months, kicking off games across the United States, Mexico and Canada in June and July.

Nearly all teams have already qualified, as 42 of the 48 spots are locked up and the final six will be determined by playoff games in March.

A number of teams have broken long droughts including Norway and Scotland in Europe while the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao with a population of approximately 158,000 people will be making its first appearance as the smallest qualifier to date.

The expansion of the tournament is sure to bring in a number of smaller countries with a likely small chance of hoisting the World Cup in the future, with some big teams continuing to struggle to even qualify.

Italy may miss its third straight edition if it fails to advance through the playoffs in March, adding another sad chapter to what is one of the most decorated teams in history.

Those matches will see four more European teams qualify while two more qualify through intercontinental playoffs from either North America, South America, Africa, Asia or Oceania.

Preparations throughout North America are ongoing, with a number of host sites across the United States taking part, despite most of those not being close to this area.

Taking a quick glance at ticket prices this past weekend, it’s going to be difficult to find a way to one of those games even with the closest locations (Seattle and Kansas City) being some of the cheaper options.

There are a number of headlines going into this World Cup, as this time (again) should be the last edition for two of the best to play the game in Lionel Messi for Argentina and Christiano Ronaldo for Portugal.

There are a number of teams that could find themselves at the top and lifting the trophy at MetLife Stadium in July, but this year’s tournament could prove to be one of the toughest with the expansion of the tournament adding an extra round of games. The top two in every group will qualify and the top eight third place teams will advance as well.

My current favorite kind of seems to be Spain following their Euros victory a year ago, but there are at least six to eight teams that would not surprise me if they put it all together for the month long tournament and take the title.

As we head into the final six months it will be interesting to see attendance throughout the country for the first men’s World Cup here in 32 years, which last ended with a Brazil title.

The draw for the tournament is Friday morning, taking place at 10 a.m. Mountain Standard Time to see where each team lands for their group in six months.