Man City 2026 World Cup Watch: How the Blues fared in the group-stage | OneFootball

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 11 with 48 nations sorted into 12 groups of four, competing to secure their spots in the knock-out stages.

As each side picked their 26-player squad ahead of the competition, 17 of Manchester City’s finest made the cut to fight for their respective nations on the world stage.

With respect to clubs, after Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, Manchester City have the largest presence in the ongoing World Cup, with their stars representing 12 different nations across three separate continents.

After each nation plays three matches against the opponents in their group, the two teams with the most points in each group and the eight best third-placed sides will advance to the Round of 32, which is set to begin on June 28.

Here’s how Manchester City players have fared in the World Cup group stage.

Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

England

Three Manchester City players received the call-up to Thomas Tuchel’s squad, including academy graduates James Trafford and Nico O’Reilly, along with Marc Guehi, who made the move to the Etihad Stadium from Crystal Palace in January.

England secured a 4-2 win against Croatia in their opening game of the competition at Dallas Stadium on June 17.

While O’Reilly was named in the starting XI and was on the pitch for the full 90 minutes, Guehi came off the bench, replacing former City star John Stones in the 87th minute.

The Three Lions were pitted against Ghana in their second group stage clash, which ended in a goalless draw on June 23. The match saw Guehi start and O’Reilly substitute Djed Spence on the pitch in the 65th minute.

In their last group stage game, England bagged a 2-0 win over Panama at the New York New Jersey Stadium on June 27.

Both Guehi and O’Reilly were starters in the match and were crucial to the Three Lions’ defense until the blow of the final whistle.

Trafford is England’s third-choice goalkeeper and is yet to don the gloves in the 2026 World Cup.

Croatia

Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic were named in Croatia national team head coach Zlatko Dalic’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.

The Vatreni were on the receiving end of a 4-2 loss against England in their first match of the competition, which saw Gvardiol serving the backline for the full 90 minutes, while Kovacic came off the bench, replacing captain Luka Modric in the 58th minute.

Croatia took over the reins following their defeat against the Three Lions, as they bagged a 1-0 victory over Panama at Toronto Stadium on June 24.

Both Gvardiol and Kovacic were included in the starting XI and were substituted in the 46th and 72nd minutes, respectively.

The Vatreni concluded their group stage journey with a 2-1 win over Ghana on June 27 at Philadelphia Stadium.

Kovacic provided the assist for Croatia’s opening goal, netted by Petar Sucic in the 31st minute. The City midfielder was later replaced by Mario Pasalic in the 78th minute.

Gvardiol, meanwhile, came off the bench, substituting Nikola Vlasic on the pitch in the 88th minute.

Ghana

After receiving his first-ever call-up to the Ghana national team in May 2022, Antoine Semenyo has returned to represent the Black Stars in the World Cup for the second time.

The 26-year-old joined Manchester City on a five-and-a-half-year contract from Bournemouth for a reported fee of £64 million in January.

Ghana started their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 win over Panama at Toronto Stadium on June 18, followed by a 0-0 draw against England in their second clash of the competition.

The Black Stars’ undefeated run in the group stage came to an end with their 2-1 loss against Croatia.

Semenyo has started and played the entirety of all three group stage games. Overall, the Manchester City star has netted three goals in 37 appearances, including five World Cup matches for Ghana.

Group I: France, Norway, Senegal, Iraq

France

Following his senior debut for France in the Nations League in June last year, Manchester City star Rayan Cherki has been named in Didier Deschamps’ star-studded squad for the 2026 World Cup.

The 22-year-old arrived at the Etihad Stadium from his boyhood club Olympique Lyonnais last summer and has since made 27 goal contributions for the Premier League giants.

France maintained a winning streak across the three matches in the group stage, starting with their 3-1 victory over Senegal at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 16.

Cherki made his World Cup debut by coming off the bench and replacing Desire Doue on the pitch in the 87th minute against the Lions of Teranga.

France then bagged a 3-0 win over Iraq on June 22 at Philadelphia Stadium, where Cherki was subbed on for Michael Olise in the 68th minute and was also involved in a key pass.

In their last group stage clash, Les Bleus secured a 4-1 victory over Norway at Boston Stadium on June 26, with Cherki coming on once again for Olise in the 65th minute.

Norway

Norway qualified for the World Cup after 28 years, with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland being pivotal to their long-awaited return to the competition, scoring in each of their eight qualifiers, registering a total of 16 goals.

Haaland is already his nation’s all-time highest goal scorer at just the age of 25, with 59 goals in 52 appearances.

The Norwegian star, who joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in May 2022, won the Premier League Golden Boot (27 goals) for the third time last season, following on from 2022/23 and 2023/24.

Following another impressive campaign at the Etihad Stadium, with an overall 38 goals and nine assists in 52 appearances, Haaland scored a brace in Norway’s 4-1 victory against Iraq in the 2026 World Cup at Boston Stadium on June 16.

Norway secured a 3-2 win over Senegal, with Haaland finding the back of the net twice within a span of 10 minutes at the New York New Jersey Stadium on June 23.

For their final group stage clash, Norway were pitted against France, and head coach Stale Solbakken made several changes to his usual starting squad, with Haaland among several other regular starters being unused substitutes in their 4-1 defeat.

Group K: Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia, DR Congo

Portugal

Manchester City duo Matheus Nunes and Ruben Dias are named in Portugal national team head coach Roberto Martinez’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Portugal began their campaign with a 1-1 draw against DR Congo at the Houston Stadium on June 17, with both Nunes and Dias being unused substitutes in the match.

The 29-year-old centre-back made the starting XI in Portugal’s 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan on June 23, making six defensive contributions and three clearances while Nunes started from the bench.

Portugal’s last group stage clash ended in a goalless draw against Colombia at Miami Stadium on June 28, which saw Dias on the pitch for the full 90 minutes and Nunes coming off the bench to replace Nuno Mendes in the concluding minutes of the match.

Uzbekistan

Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov was named in Uzbekistan’s squad for their historic appearance at the World Cup as the first Central Asian nation to qualify for the competition.

The 22-year-old joined the English giants in January last year, becoming the first Uzbek player to play in the Premier League.

While their first-ever qualification to the competition was a great achievement, Uzbekistan were unable to secure any victories in the group stage.

Khusanov was a regular in head coach Fabio Cannavaro’s starting XI, playing full-time in all three matches, while picking up yellow cards in their respective defeats against Colombia and Uzbekistan.

Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand

Belgium

Following his stunning performances for Manchester City in the recent season, with eight goals and 14 assists in 47 games across competitions, Jeremy Doku made it to Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.

The Red Devils remain undefeated in the competition so far after facing a 1-1 draw against Egypt in their opening game at Seattle Stadium on June 15.

Doku was named in the starting XI against the Pharaohs and was replaced by Matias Fernandez-Pardo on the pitch in the 86th minute.

The 24-year-old was ruled out of Belgium’s second match, which ended in a goalless draw against Iran at Los Angeles Stadium on June 21, due to a reported respiratory infection.

Doku returned to action in the Red Devils’ 5-1 victory against New Zealand on June 26 and was involved in two key passes before being subbed off in the 56th minute.

Egypt

Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush hit the mark for head coach Hossam Hassan’s squad selection for Egypt for the 2026 World Cup.

While he has featured at three Africa Cup of Nations before, this year marks to be the 27-year-old’s first-ever World Cup.

Marmoush was on the pitch for the full 90 minutes during his debut match in the competition, which ended in a 1-1 draw against Belgium.

The Pharaohs secured a 3-1 victory over New Zealand at BC Place Vancouver on June 22, and the match saw Manchester City’s no. 7 being subbed off in the 76th minute.

Marmoush came off the bench to replace Emam Ashour on the pitch at the beginning of the second half of Egypt’s 1-1 draw against Iran at Seattle Stadium on June 27.

Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia

Netherlands

Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman named Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders in his squad for the 2026 World Cup.

The Oranje were pitted against Japan in their opening game of the competition, which ended in a 2-2 draw at Dallas Stadium on June 14. The match saw Reijnders on the pitch for 70 minutes and being involved in two key passes before being replaced by Quinten Timber.

Ake came off the bench to replace Ryan Gravenberch on the pitch in the 81st minute.

Netherlands bagged a 5-1 win against Sweden in their second clash at Houston Stadium on June 20, with Reijnders once again making it to the starting XI and being subbed off in the 59th minute, while Ake was named to the bench as an unused substitute.

The Manchester City duo was named in the starting squad of their final group stage match against Tunisia at Kansas City Stadium on June 26, which ended in a 3-1 victory for the Oranje.

During his 72 minutes on the pitch, Reijnders was involved in four key passes and provided the assist for Netherlands’ third goal, netted by Jan Paul van Hecke in the 66th minute.

Ake, meanwhile, was on the pitch full time, providing six defensive contributions and three clearances.

Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia

Spain

Manchester City’s midfield maestro Rodri is an important name in Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.

The 30-year-old has started in all group stage matches, where La Roja maintained an undefeated streak.

Spain kicked off their World Cup campaign this year with a goalless draw against Cabo Verde at Atlanta Stadium on June 15.

During his 87 minutes on the pitch, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was involved in three key passes before being subbed off by Nico Williams.

The Spanish captain was on the pitch for the entirety of La Roja’s next victories over Saudi Arabia (4-0) on June 21 and Uruguay (1-0) at Guadalajara Stadium on June 27.

Group J: Algeria, Austria, Argentina, Jordan

Algeria

Manchester City left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri is included in head coach Vladimir Petkovic‘s 26-player Algeria squad for the 2026 World Cup.

The 25-year-old, who joined City from Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer, made his World Cup debut by starting in Algeria’s 3-0 loss against Argentina in the opening game of the competition at Kansas City Stadium on June 17.

Algeria’s 2-1 win against Jordan in their second clash at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Jun 23 saw Ait-Nouri being named in the starting squad and making seven defensive contributions before being replaced by Jaouen Hadjam in the 85th minute.

Petkovic’s men concluded the group stage with a 3-3 draw against Austria on June 28, where Ait-Nouri came off the bench in the 71st minute.

Which Man City players are in the 2026 World Cup Round of 32?

With the 2026 World Cup group stage officially coming to an end, 32 nations have now qualified for the first knockout stage of the competition.

Trafford, Nico O’Reilly, and Guehi, along with the rest of the England squad, advance into the next round, ranking first in Group L with seven points. The Three Lions are set to face DR Congo at Atlanta Stadium on July 1.

With Croatia ranking second in their group with six points, the Vatreni, including Gvardiol and Kovacic, are pitted against Portugal, where they will face clubmates Nunes and Dias in the Round of 32 at Toronto Stadium on July 3.

Portugal ranked second in Group K with five points while Uzbekistan came last, marking the end of Khusanov’s journey in the World Cup this year.

Semenyo and Ghana have made the cut for the Round of 32, ranking third in their group with four points and will face Colombia next at Kansas City Stadium on July 4.

Ake and Reijnders, along with the Dutch squad, are set to face Morocco in the next round at Monterrey Stadium on June 30 after the Oranje topped their group with seven points.

Both France and Norway have advanced to the Round of 32, ranking first and second, respectively.

Cherki and the rest of the Frenchmen are pitted against Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 30, while Haaland & co. are set to face Ivory Coast at Dallas Stadium.

Belgium and Egypt have both advanced to the next round with five points each in the group, keeping the hope alive for Doku and Marmoush.

The Red Devils will face Senegal at Seattle Stadium on July 1, while the Pharaohs are set to meet Australia at Dallas Stadium on July 3.

After ranking first in the group with seven points, Rodri and Spain are pitted against Austria at Los Angeles Stadium on July 2.

Algeria were able to secure the third place in Group J, and Ait-Nouri, along with his tean will be facing Switzerland next at BC Place Vancouver on July 3.

Overall, 16 Manchester City stars across 11 nations have made it to the 2026 World Cup Round of 32. Now, it remains to be seen which among them advance further in the competition.