A pool devoid of big teams is set to be highly competitive, while Germany and The Netherlands are overwhelming favourites to top their groups.

Group D (USA, Turkiye, Australia, Paraguay)

The USA team is chasing the American dream. Competing on home soil in the global competition for the first time since 1994, the national side, now led by Mauricio Pochettino, is locked in to Make America Great Again in ‘soccer’.

The World No. 16’s first task will be to get out of a tricky pool that consists of two other top-30 teams but none of the perennial powerhouses — Turkiye at 22 and Australia at 27.

The close win over Senegal and narrow defeat to Germany in World Cup warm-up games should have given Pochettino a fair idea of where the finishing touches to the preparation have to be applied.

Playing in front of jam-packed galleries could be both a boon and a bane. While stars like Christian Pulisic, who is no stranger to elite football, can live up to the heightened expectations, some may wilt under the enormity of the situation. How they tackle battles not only on the field but also off it will be crucial to USA’s chances.

For Turkiye and Australia, the focus will be much beyond spoiling the co-host’s carnival.

Having earned the right to perform on the global stage after 24 years, the European outfit cannot afford to pass up the golden opportunity.

The wait has been so long that Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz, two of the most exciting prospects in the current squad, were not even born when Turkiye last caught the World Cup fever. Something close to the fairytale run of 2002 — which ended in a third-place finish — will be required if Vincenzo Montella’s contingent is to make inroads.

Australia, a regular at the finals since 2006, is no pushover but is yet to win a knockout fixture. Meanwhile, Paraguay, the lowest-placed team in the group at World No. 40, will be itching to prove that rankings do not directly translate to results.

Best finish: USA: Semifinals (1930); Turkiye: Third place (2002); Australia: Round of 16 (2006, 2022); Paraguay: Quarterfinals (2010).

Group E (Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador)

Germany was forced to board the first available flight back home after being knocked out in the opening round of the last two editions. Ghosts from the past may resurface, especially for those who had endured the pain first-hand in Russia and/or Qatar, but the 2014 title-winner must avoid the ignominy of three early exits in a row without fuss.

The top-level experience in Julian Nagelsmann’s squad, recent form of four victories in as many matches since March and superior ranking (10) — the other teams in the pool are placed well below the European side — provide the Germans the head start in the race to top the group.

The four-time World champion should, however, be eyeing bigger things. That Germany has flown under the radar in discussions pertaining to title contenders may free up the additional baggage it has usually carried. But it has catching up to do in the overall scheme of things.

First up for Germany is Curacao, the smallest nation (both in terms of population and land area) ever to qualify for football’s biggest spectacle. Adding intrigue, only one player in the 26-member squad — Tahith Chong — was born in the Caribbean island, yet the place of birth hardly matters within the group because “you are accepted into the family once you come here.”

Curacao is home to Dick Advocaat, the 78-year-old who is poised to become the oldest coach at the quadrennial event. The 82nd-ranked outfit will have to punch well above its weight in the Americas to inscribe its name in the history books once again.

As for Ivory Coast, which is back in the World Cup fold after 12 years, it has not got to this point “to make up the numbers or go sightseeing.” The African country is likely to be involved in a tussle with Ecuador for the second automatic qualification spot.

Best finish: Germany: Champion (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014); Curacao: Debut; Ivory Coast: Group stage (2006-2014); Ecuador: Round of 16 (2006).

Group F (Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia)

Come hell or high water, The Netherlands has guaranteed itself knockout football in every edition it has competed in since 1974. And it looks well placed to extend that streak under Ronald Koeman, who had donned the Oranje as a player in 1990 and 1994.

The Netherlands, the highest-ranked team in the pool at World No. 7, was sounded a warning in the recent 0-1 defeat to Algeria in a pre-tournament friendly. But the Dutch side is too good to not pass the preliminary test, with Japan being the closest challenger for the top spot.

It has the resources to even be fourth time lucky — it had finished runner-up in 1974, 1978 and 2010 — but consistently rising to the occasion against the ‘favourites’ will be vital.

Although not among the ‘big boys’, Japan cannot be ignored.

The Asian nation came agonisingly close to qualifying for the quarterfinals in 2018 and took centre stage four years later when it topped the group that included Spain and Germany.

So, not many eyebrows were raised after England great David Beckham termed Japan as a potential “surprise” package to upset the apple cart. “It has a really strong team… it could be kind of a secret,” Beckham told ABC News recently.

While Japan will miss the injured Kaoru Mitoma’s box of tricks in the final third, it has the experience and variety to crack complex codes. Hajime Moriyasu’s men may first have to overcome the Swedish challenge to secure a direct ticket to the eliminators.

Despite having a bumpy ride in the lead-up to the World Cup, Sweden possesses the dash of enviable quality that is required to get through to the next phase. With regards to Tunisia, it should play out of its skin to even stand a chance of making the cut for the first time.

Best finish: Netherlands: Runner-up (1974, 1978, 2010); Japan: Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022); Sweden: Runner-up (1958); Tunisia: Group stage (1978, 1998-2006, 2018, 2022).

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. File
| Photo Credit: Reutres

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya speaks to the media. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi pose for the media during a bilateral signature agreements ceremony at the Presidential palace in Ankara, Wednesday, September 4, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

The presidents of Türkiye and Egypt on Wednesday (September 4, 2024) found common ground on the war in Gaza as they continued to mend long-strained relations, emphasising the need for a permanent cease-fire and guaranteed delivery of humanitarian aid.

Türkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi spoke during the Egyptian leader’s first official visit to Ankara after years of tensions between the regional powers.

“Türkiye and Egypt have a common stance on the Palestinian issue,” Mr. Erdogan said after he and Mr. el-Sissi oversaw the signing of cooperation agreements. “The end of the genocide that has been going on for 11 months, the establishment of a permanent cease-fire as soon as possible, and the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid continue to be our priorities.”

In February, Mr. Erdogan made his first visit to Egypt in more than a decade after the countries agreed to repair ties and reappointed ambassadors. He said the countries wanted to boost bilateral trade to $15 billion in the coming years.

Relations between Egypt and Türkiye, a long-time backer of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood group, soured a decade ago after the Egyptian military ousted President Mohammed Morsi, who hailed from the Brotherhood, amid mass protests against his divisive rule. Egypt also outlawed the group as a terrorist organisation.

In recent years, Ankara has stopped its criticism of Mr. el-Sissi’s government, aiming to improve strained relations with Egypt and other Arab nations while seeking investments during an economic downturn. In November 2022, Mr. Erdogan and Mr. el-Sissi were photographed shaking hands at the World Cup in Qatar.

The Egyptian foreign minister then travelled to Türkiye in 2023 to show solidarity after a deadly earthquake struck parts of southern Türkiye and Syria.

This is Mr. el-Sissi’s first visit to Türkiye since he was elected president in 2014, a year after he led the military’s overthrow of Morsi.

“We should work together to prevent humanitarian crises, especially by addressing regional issues together,” Mr. el-Sissi said. “We should work more intensively, especially with our brothers in Gaza and Palestine. In this context, both Türkiye and Egypt emphasised that an urgent cease-fire should be established as soon as possible.”

Mr. Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel’s military actions, accused Israel’s government of “condemning” the people of Gaza to hunger and thirst.

“Israel and its supporters are responsible for every innocent person who dies from hunger, thirst or lack of medicine,” he said.

He also told reporters that Türkiye wanted to cooperate with Egypt on natural gas and nuclear energy.

Mr. Erdogan welcomed Mr. el-Sissi at the steps of his airplane at the airport in Ankara, a gesture he rarely makes.

Mr. el-Sissi said on Facebook that his trip to Türkiye and Erdogan’s February visit to Cairo “mirror the joint will to start a new era of friendship and cooperation between Egypt and Türkiye.”

Egypt, together with Qatar and the United States, a key Israel ally, has been working for months to try and broker a cease-fire and the return of the remaining more than 100 hostages held by the Palestinian militant Hamas group. The negotiations have stalled following new Israeli demands.

Egypt opposes any Israeli presence along the Gaza side of its border, claiming it would threaten the decades-old peace treaty between the countries, a cornerstone of regional stability. Hamas had asked to have Türkiye added as a guarantor in the cease-fire talks, but the proposal was not accepted.

The war began with Hamas’ October 7 assault on Israel in which the militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 250 hostages. The overall Palestinian death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 40,000 people, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.

The PKK has been involved in an on-and-off armed insurgency against Turkiye since 1984.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Turkiye said on Thursday it had agreed on a military cooperation pact with Iraq that will see joint training and command centres against Kurdish separatists, with Baghdad saying it will ban the PKK as a party.

“We are going to raise our cooperation to the highest level thanks to joint command and training centres included in this agreement,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said after meeting in Ankara with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein.

He welcomed “Iraq’s growing awareness about the PKK”.

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK has been involved in an on-and-off armed insurgency against Turkiye since 1984.

Labelled a “terror organisation” by Turkiye, the United States and European Union, the PKK has bases in northern Iraq from where it launches attacks into Turkiye.

Mr. Hussein said the presence of PKK forces in northern Iraq poses “a danger for the Kurdistan region and other Iraqi cities” and poses a threat to Iraqi society.

Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region runs along the border with Turkiye.

“The Iraqi government has decided to add the PKK to the list of banned parties,” he added.

Mr. Hussein said that in addition to fighting militant organisations the discussions also touched upon securing their border against smuggling and illegal migration.

The pact follows signs of a thaw in relations between Ankara and Baghdad, which have been strained by a Turkish military operation against the PKK in northern Iraq.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said a joint security coordination centre will be created in Baghdad and a joint training and cooperation centre at Bashiqa near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

The international community must do its part to stop the genocide; it must put the necessary pressure on Israel and its supporters,” Turkiye’s Foreign Minister said. File
| Photo Credit: AP

“Turkiye on Wednesday (August 7, 2024) filed a request with a U.N. court to join South Africa’s lawsuit accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.

Turkiye’s ambassador to the Netherlands, accompanied by a group of Turkish legislators, submitted a declaration of intervention to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

With the development, Turkiye, one of the fiercest critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza, becomes the latest nation seeking to participate in the case. Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Nicaragua and Libya have also asked to join the case, as have Palestinian officials. The court’s decision on their requests is still pending.

“We have just submitted our application to the International Court of Justice to intervene in the genocide case filed against Israel,” he wrote on the social media platform X. “Emboldened by the impunity for its crimes, Israel is killing more and more innocent Palestinians every day. The international community must do its part to stop the genocide; it must put the necessary pressure on Israel and its supporters,” he said.

“Turkiye will make every effort to do so,” he added. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Israel of genocide, called for it to be punished in international courts and criticised Western nations for backing Israel. In May, Turkiye suspended trade with Israel, citing its assault on Gaza.

In contrast to Western nations that have designated Hamas a terrorist organisation, Erdogan has commended the group, calling it a liberation movement.

South Africa brought a case to the International Court of Justice late last year, accusing Israel of violating the genocide convention through its military operations in Gaza.

Israel has strongly rejected accusations of genocide and has argued that the war in Gaza is a legitimate defensive action against Hamas militants for their October 7 attack in southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and in which 250 hostages were taken.

If admitted to the case, the countries who joined would be able to make written submissions and speak at public hearings.

Preliminary hearings have already been held in the genocide case against Israel, but the court is expected to take years to reach a final decision.

In a statement to the media, Hamas welcomed Turkiye’s request to join the lawsuit and said it affirms Erdogan’s support for the Palestinian cause.

“No country in the world is above international law,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli said on X earlier. “The case at the International Court of Justice is extremely important in terms of ensuring that the crimes committed by Israel do not go unpunished.” Keceli also called for the immediate implementations of precautionary measures ordered by the court, including a halt to military offensive and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Since Erdogan took power in 2003, former allies Turkiye and Israel have experienced a volatile relationship, marked by periods of severe friction and reconciliation. The war in Gaza has disrupted the most recent attempts at normalising ties.

Turkish policemen and security forces cordon off an area next to a car after an explosion in Ankara, on October 1, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

 A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in the heart of the Turkish capital, Ankara, on October 1, hours before parliament was scheduled to reopen after a three-month summer recess. A second assailant was killed in a shootout with police, the Interior Minister said.

Two police officers were slightly injured during the attack near an entrance to the Ministry of Interior Affairs, Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X (formerly, Twitter).

The attack occurred as parliament was set to re-open with an address by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

There was no immediate information on the assailants. Kurdish and far-left militant groups as well as the Islamic State group have carried out deadly attacks throughout the country in the past.

Mr. Yerlikaya said the assailants arrived at the scene inside a light commercial vehicle.

Television footage showed bomb squads working near a parked vehicle in the area which is located near the Turkish Grand National Assembly and other government buildings. A rocket launcher could be seen lying near the vehicle.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation has been launched into the “terror attack.”

“These attacks will in no way hinder Turkey’s fight against terrorism,” he wrote on X. “Our fight against terrorism will continue with more determination.”

Police cordoned off access to the city center and increased security measures, warning citizens that they would be conducting controlled explosions of suspicious packages.

The two police officers were being treated in a hospital and were not in serious condition, media reports said.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters, on Sept. 19, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the issue of Kashmir during his address to world leaders at the high-level 78th session of the UN General Assembly session here.

“Another development that will pave the way for regional peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia will be the establishment of a just and lasting peace in Kashmir through dialogue and cooperation between India and Pakistan,” Mr. Erdogan said in his address to the General Debate on September 19.

“As Turkiye, we will continue to support the steps to be taken in this direction,” he said.

His comment comes weeks after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi during which both the leaders discussed strengthening trade and infrastructure relations.

Mr. Erdogan said it was a matter of pride that India was playing a role at the United Nations Security Council. He said he favoured making five permanent and 15 “temporary” members as permanent members of the UN Security Council.

“Those 20 (5+15) should be permanent members of the UNSC in rotation. But as you know, the world is bigger than five. When we say the world is larger than five, what we mean is that it’s not only about the U.S., U.K., France, China and Russia,” he said.

In recent years, the Turkish leader has referred to the issue of Kashmir in his address to world leaders at the high-level UN General Assembly session.

Last year, Mr. Erdogan raked up the issue of Kashmir during his address to world leaders at the high-level UN General Assembly session here.

“India and Pakistan, after having established their sovereignty and independence 75 years ago, they still haven’t established peace and solidarity between one another. This is much unfortunate. We hope and pray that a fair and permanent peace and prosperity will be established in Kashmir,” Mr. Erdogan had said.

In 2020, Mr. Erdogan in his pre-recorded video statement to the General Debate had made a reference to Jammu and Kashmir. India had at that time termed it as “completely unacceptable”, saying Turkey should learn to respect the sovereignty of other nations and reflect on its own policies more deeply.