​  ​​Read More​     The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Thursday when Mexico and South Africa square off in Mexico City. The United States Men’s National Team opens up what they hope is a deep run in the tournament when they battle Paraguay at SoFi Stadium on Friday night. Along with the United States and Mexico, Canada will also host a number of games during the tournament that will run until July 19th.Since the United States last hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1994, the number of teams has now doubled. During the 1994 edition, there were 24 teams vying for soccer’s greatest championship. 2026 will mark the first time there will be 48 nations competing to be the best in the world. Hopefully, the College Football Playoff doesn’t get any ideas and tries to expand to a 48-team playoff since nobody is clamoring for that many teams to be involved in the postseason.While we don’t want the College Football Playoff to turn into the FIFA World Cup when it comes to the number of teams involved, we can look for similarities when it comes to the teams involved in both tournaments. Today, we are going to try to find the World Cup squad that is the closest comparison to the Ohio State Buckeyes. With so many teams competing in the FIFA World Cup over the next month, there are bound to be some interesting opinions on which nation’s team most resembles the men of the scarlet and gray.We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.Despite the two squads having different shades of red, there are a lot of similarities between La Roja and the Buckeyes. Spain enters the 2026 FIFA World Cup ranked second in FIFA’s rankings, which is a spot we could see Ohio State ranked when the initial season rankings are released in a couple of months. The 2010 FIFA World Cup champs are a popular pick to win their second title this year, while Ohio State currently is the favorite to win the upcoming College Football Playoff.Along with being at the top of their sports, Spain and Ohio State also have a massive collection of talent. Much like how wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is seen as a generational talent for the Buckeyes, La Roja has Lamine Yamal, who many are looking at as the next massive soccer star. If you’re looking for a quarterback comparison, the Julian Sayin of Spain is Rodri, who is the team’s captain. Smith and Yamal will get more attention on their respective teams, but Sayin and Rodri are the engines that run their squads.Another similarity between Spain and Ohio State is that they both can be wildly entertaining, as well as wildly frustrating at times. In the loss to Miami in the CFP quarterfinals, the Buckeyes were overwhelmed by the Hurricanes. Last time Spain played a FIFA World Cup game, La Roja looked stuck in the mud against Morocco in a match they were heavy favorites heading into. Spain was sent home in the round of 16