Colin Cowherd & Landon Donovan react to World Cup Draw: Mexico & Germany Aren’t Scary, Brazil Is Wildly Talented

Colin is joined by U.S. Men's soccer legend Landon Donovan and host of the “Unfiltered Soccer” podcast with Tim Howard to preview the 2026 World Cup.

They preview Group A led by Mexico, and Landon explains why Mexico doesn’t feature the top flight talent of past teams and why other teams won’t fear Mexico (00:45). 

They move to Group B led by Canada, and discuss the strength of the group relative to the US’s Group D and the potential of soccer power Italy qualifying for the group (2:30). 

They start with Brazil’s Group C and discuss the strength of Brazil’s team relative to the past and why they’ve been playing below expectations recently, and Landon warns  that Morocco shouldn’t be counted out (5:00).

Finally, they preview Germany’s Group E and they highlight Germany being an older team that doesn’t scare anyone, but should still win the group (6:30).

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume. Today's World Cup draw reaction is presented by Haleon,
the maker of Advil, Centrum, Toms, Censedine, and Voltaian. They've
teamed up with US Soccer for the Assist the campaign,
celebrating all the moments of support that make the big
goals possible, because every goal starts with an assist. In

(00:24):
the history of the United States men's national team. The
man you're looking at has the most goals and most
assists in the history of our country. And we have
ourselves a World Cup. Let's go to Group A. Now
I'm less familiar going forward, but it's Mexico, South Africa,
South Korea and a European playoff winner. My take on

(00:45):
Mexico is and I noticed this over the last two years.
I think they had regressed. I felt like when the
Americans played Mexico, I thought they lacked a certain level
of skill. I felt for the previous half decade. Has
Mexico in the last twelve calendar months. Are they back

(01:07):
on track or or are they still I don't feel
they're quite what they were.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Mexico used to scare you, right, and I'm talking big
teams in the world would really hate to play against Mexico.
There are not many teams in this tournament who would
fear playing against Mexico, even in Mexico. And the reality
is calling they just don't. You talked about the US
roster and all of the places these.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
They don't have the talent.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
They don't have the talent. And Christian like Christian Polisic
is the best player in the Italian League, which is
a statement that's wild to say, but he is. Mexico
doesn't have anyone near that level. They don't And so
when when people are frustrated and in Mexico, I follow
it because I revealent this when they when they are,
when they're below par and they're not playing well, I

(01:55):
love it and I revealent it. But but the reality
is they just don't have the horses. And you can
be good at all the things whatever. Soccer is such
a unique sport. You don't get eighty possessions a game
like you do in the NBA. You don't get twelve
possessions a game like you do in NFL. It's back
and forth, and one play makes the difference, and they
don't have enough players that can make that difference. And

(02:16):
so I worry a little bit about it about them
in this World Cup because they're lucky. They got a
pretty easy group. But I don't expect them to be
very successful.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
Okay, Group B to me is pretty thick Canada, Qatar, Switzerland,
and a European playoff winner which could be Northern Ireland,
could be Italy. That feels fairly formidable to me. It's
sometimes it's hard. I said this to a friend this week,
and it's hard for me to get my arms around
the Indiana Hoosiers being a college football power because I

(02:49):
had a workable TV the last fifty years. Like, I
don't get it. I don't think unless you fallow you
know this. But Canada is really formidable. They're good, they're
well managed. Group B to me, on its face, is
it stronger than our group?

Speaker 2 (03:08):
D Oh, yeah it is. Switzerland are a very good team,
very good team. And the kicker is if Italy get
out of this intercontinental playoff that they have, which most
people expect them to. They're not in a great way
right now, and they haven't been for probably a decade,
but they're still Italy. It's not a it's not a
novel team coming to their first World Cup. These players

(03:30):
are savvy. They play at big clubs all around the world.
They know how to win soccer games. The best part
about the draw calling being in the room there is
the storylines that develop quickly. It's just like when the
NFL schedule comes out. It's oh, it's Mahomes and Allen
and you love the storylines. Canada has their first match
in Toronto. If Italy get through this playoff, it'll be

(03:54):
Canada Italy in Toronto where there are gazillion Italians.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
What's the most international city in North America?

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Correct, and there's Italians, I mean everywhere. It would be
so electric, so electric to have Canada Italy in the
first match for Canada and a World Cup at home
playing the Italians, I'm very much hoping for it.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
To me, Italian soccer has always been more defensive, can
be physical, kind of a pragmatic style, a patient style.
So even really talented Italian teams, as tell me if
I'm wrong here, a little chippy, physical, want to be
on body. So I mean I look at a That's

(04:35):
how I interpret Italian soccer.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
Yeah, but even a bad like so Mexico is not
talented right now. This generation is which takes away basically
what they like to do. Italy can have the least
talented players on the field, but they're so smart and
they're so clever and they're so savvy that they can
win a game, right, they can win a game that
they have no business winning. And they've done it over
and over through history, and that's what makes them really interesting.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Let's go to Group C. That's Brazil, Morocco Haiti in Scotland.
Brazil is going to be your favorite. Morocco probably lodged
second by Brazilian standards. Where are they?

Speaker 2 (05:13):
They're a really interesting team also because they're not in
a good way. They finished fifth in their qualifying, which
is really hard to believe. They're always one or two,
are at worst third in their qualifying. For the first
time in their history, Colin, they are being coached by
a foreign manager in Brazil, which is it's really bizarre
for Brazil to be coached by a foreign manager. Carlo Ancelotti,

(05:36):
who was the manager for Real Madrid for a long time,
very good manager, but this is the first time. Never
in the history of the World Cup has the team
that won the World Cup been coached by a foreign manager.
So if Brazil were to do it, that would be
the first time, so they will be a really interesting
team to follow. You talk about talent though, oozing talent

(05:58):
all over the field, so play I doubt it. He's old,
he's at the end. Okay, it's hard enough for sure,
But Vinnie Junr they've got a ton of talented players.
But it's going to be really interesting to see. Do
not count out or sleep on Morocco. Morocco got to
the semi finals of the World Cup in guitar four
years ago and it was not It was not a

(06:20):
one and done. Their youth teams are consistently getting the
semi finals and finals. They've done a really good job
creating a program and a conveyor belt that keeps producing
good teams. So they are a very good team.

Speaker 1 (06:31):
Okay, Group E is Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Carra Cow
Ecuador's a. Ecuador's got generated pretty beast. Germany. I believe
in the last World Cup Landon, Germany was going through
a transition. They'd gotten old. If I recall, I think

(06:52):
I'm right on that. We can edit it out if
I'm wrong, But I believe the criticism was they just
hadn't transitioned and this is the way it works in
World Cup. So every four years sometimes it's like this
is just we got old. Where's Germany at now?

Speaker 2 (07:05):
Yeah, sometimes you get old at the wrong time, right,
And so ideally the federation plans these things out. But
the problem is is then you have a coach who's
trying to win this weekend, and so I'd rather play
the thirty year old than right, even if it's better
three years from now to have played the eighteen year
old Germany, I don't They don't scare anyone, but they're
still Germany and they have good players, solid players. I

(07:28):
expect them to win this group. But I would not
be surprised if Ecuador finds a way to maybe get
a point against Germany and then win their other games
by a better margin and sneak through us first. But
Germany will advance. I expect them to be the group
winners too.

Speaker 1 (07:44):
Big. Thanks to Haleion and for the assist, reminding us
that no one scores alone. To learn more of is
it haleianassist dot com and follow at for the assist.
Every goal starts with an assist. The volume