Manchester City sent more players than any other club to the World Cup, and nearly all of them look like staying there
HOUSTON, UNITED STATES - JUNE 23: Bernardo Silva of Portugal, Abdukodir Khusanov of Uzbekistan during the Group K: FIFA World Cup 2026 match between Portugal and Uzbekistan at Houston Stadium on June 23, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Pablo Morano/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
Abdukodir Khusanov's Uzbekistan suffered a heavy defeat to Portugal
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Enzo Maresca has plenty to be getting on with as he prepares for his first summer in charge of Manchester City. And that preparation may well include some World Cup cheerleading in the middle of the night.
As the summer tournament enters the final games of the group stages, permutations are starting to take shape. How will the 48 teams be whittled down to the 32 that will contest the first knockout round?
In the early hours of Sunday morning, there is a double bill that may be of particular attention to Maresca: Uzbekistan play DR Congo and then Algeria play Austria as they look to play their way into the next stage. Algeria already have three points but are currently third in their group, while Uzbekistan will have to win and hope they scrape through as one of the top eight third-place finishes.
Those two games are some of the only realistic chances of Maresca seeing any of the 17 City players leave the World Cup in the groups. Abdukodir Khusanov and Rayan Ait-Nouri will both be looking to extend their stays in the United States, although from Maresca's point of view the more of his players remain at the World Cup the harder pre-season is going to be.
It remains to be seen what approach the new coach will take to the summer tour in terms of how much rest he gives to players after the World Cup. With the Blues heading off to Hong Kong in the final week of July, that is basically four weeks from the first knockout matches in the US and the last-16 matches start a week after that.
FIFPro, the global players' union, advises four weeks off in summer so for anybody who reaches the last-32 that would suggest they will not be on the plane heading from Manchester to Hong Kong if that advice is taken. City are currently looking at a number between 13 and 17 for players who will fall into that bracket.
It is a headache for Maresca to handle as he starts the daunting task of succeeding Pep Guardiola. He will want as many of his players with him as quickly as possible before the season starts, yet as he follows a man who gave his squad more rest than most it may not go down well if he cuts holidays short in order to haul people across the world.
Maresca knows his new players well enough that he won't learn anything new from watching them at the World Cup. It will be a anxious sight though to see how well so many are extending their stays and delaying their return to Manchester. A stiff drink may be needed to get through the games in the early hours of Sunday.