Read part one here and part two here.
Norway: McMurtry Spéirling
A nation where electric cars now make up a staggering 98% of the new car market simply had to be represented by an EV in the Car World Cup, and with one of the most formidable striker combos in the tournament, led by the force of nature that is Erling Haaland, there’s only one car for the job: the completely physics-defying McMurtry Spéirling.
France: Bugatti Chiron Super Sport
Ranked number one in the world, with a world-class bunch of forwards and a very real shout of upping their tally of World Cup wins to three this year, there’s no question that France’s football team should be represented by some sort of Bugatti, but which one? As impressive as the Tourbillon is, only the 300mph (483kph) achieved by the Chiron Super Sport matches the astonishing level France is playing at right now.
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Senegal: Mitsubishi Pajero
Tipped as one of the favourites among the record-setting 10 African nations in the World Cup this year, what better car is there to represent Senegal than the Mitsubishi Pajero? After all, it’s the most successful car by miles in the Dakar Rally, which had its traditional end point in the country.
Iraq: TVR Cerbera
With early bookies’ odds suggesting that Iraq would be the first team to be knocked out of the World Cup, they entered the tournament as extremely long-shot outsiders, whose biggest strength comes at the front of the field. A minnow with plenty of power up front, you say? How about a TVR Cerbera? What do you mean ‘it’s a stretch’?
Argentina: Pagani Zonda F
While Argentina doesn’t have much of an automotive industry of its own, Alejandro de Tomaso and Horacio Pagani both hail from the country originally. That gives us plenty of choice for a high-performing car to match Argentina’s incredibly high-performing team, but we’ve picked the Zonda F because of what that ‘F’ stands for—Fangio, as in Juan Manuel Fangio, arguably the nation’s greatest non-football sports hero.
Austria: Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Unquestionably Austria’s most famous automotive export (with apologies to the Mini Paceman), the Mercedes G-Class also offers a nice parallel to the first Austrian World Cup squad in 28 years. For 2026, the squad is experienced and well-integrated with plenty of pedigree to call on, just like the Geländewagen itself.
Jordan: Nissan Patrol Nismo
Jordan has spent the last few years as an increasingly potent outfit in football across the Middle East and the wider Asian continent. It’s a country in a part of the world where big 4x4s like the Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol are seriously big business, and with the Patrol now available in faintly ludicrous 488bhp Nismo form, it’s a perfect fit for a Middle Eastern team on the up.
Algeria: BMW M3
Plenty of attacking talent, enormous potential on the breakaway and hugely entertaining to watch when everything comes together: they’re the key strengths of the Algerian team this year, strengths we also think are embodied by the BMW M3, and no, we’re definitely not running out of ideas.
Colombia: BMW M5
This year, Colombia’s got a lineup with plenty of pedigree and experience and lots of power up front, but enormously talented captain James Rodriguez turns 35 during the tournament—practically ancient in football terms—and hasn’t played much at the club level lately, raising concerns around fitness. So, a massively experienced, powerful entity with just a few questions around its current dynamism? Remind anyone else of the latest BMW M5?
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Isuzu D-Max
The Isuzu D-Max is apparently one of the best-selling cars in the DR Congo, which is partly why we’ve included it here. But despite being tough and highly capable, it’s always remained a bit of an underrated underdog next to trucks like the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger—exactly what the Congolese team is expected to be in this tournament, and a status it’s already reinforced with a draw with world number nines, Portugal.
Portugal: Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
To casual observers, Portugal feels like a country that should have at least a couple of World Cup titles, yet it’s never gone further than the third-place playoffs. Those same casual observers might also wonder why people haven’t queued around the block to buy a car as wonderful as the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. The similarities don’t end there: in car terms, the 10-year-old Giulia is as pensionable as 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo for a footballer, but both are still formidable talents.
Uzbekistan: Lada Niva
Making its World Cup debut, actual football experts (i.e. not us) say Uzbekistan is an underdog side with a happily settled and well-experienced squad and a tough, fighting spirit. Something else that hails from the former Soviet Union, doesn’t change particularly often and can withstand plenty of knocks is, of course, the Lada Niva.
England: Land Rover Defender Octa
Seeking to end 60 years of hurt, England’s sole World Cup win came when the original Land Rover was an 18-year-old spring chicken. The Defender and the England squad are very different today, but faintly ironically given who England faced in the 1966 final, it’s some German motivation that’s turned both into powerhouses this year—new manager Thomas Tuchel for the footy team, and a BMW V8 for the astonishing Defender Octa.
Ghana: Ineos Grenadier
Ghana’s a bit of an unknown quantity this year, given that like a couple of other teams, it brought a new coach onboard within just a couple of months of the start of the tournament. Nevertheless, both the Ghanaian squad and new coach Carlos Quieroz are known for tough, practical and no-nonsense styles of play, which brings us tenuously onto the Ineos Grenadier, a hard-as-nails relative unknown in the car world.
Panama: Toyota GR Yaris
Yeah, we had no idea about this one. We were trying to think of something to do with ships. We’re told, though, that the Panama squad is light on its feet, adaptable and benefits from a compact but tough defensive structure. This makes the Toyota GR Yaris the perfect fit. In our mind.
Croatia: Rimac Nevera
Ah good, a nice easy one to finish things off. Once a low-odds outsider among European teams, Croatia’s shot to footballing prominence lately, finishing second and third in the last two World Cups. It’s also shot to hypercar prominence, thanks to the mind-breakingly fast Rimac Nevera putting the country on the automotive map almost singlehandedly.
Italy: Ferrari Luce
Oh dear. Four-time champions Italy have had another football-based shocker this year, failing to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row. We have to imagine the country’s football fans are pretty despondent about this, but arguably not as despondent as its car fans when the covers first came off the Ferrari Luce last month. Kimi Antonelli’s F1 success couldn’t have come at a better time. Oh yeah, and the food’s still amazing. Honourable mention.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
