The 2026 World Cup: Who Will Lift the Trophy?
Grammar: Modal perfect forms and advanced modals for speculation and prediction
A Level 4 English lesson exploring sport.
What's in this lesson
A Level 4 (upper intermediate) ESL lesson on sport, practising modal perfect forms and advanced modals for speculation and prediction. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: The 2026 World Cup: Who Will Lift the Trophy?
In the summer of 2026, for the first time in history, three countries will co-host a FIFA World Cup. The United States, Canada, and Mexico have been preparing for years, and sixteen cities — from Los Angeles to Toronto to Guadalajara — will host 104 matches across an expanded 48-team tournament. The scale is enormous. But the question that fans on every continent are already asking is the same: who might actually win it?
Vocabulary
- deepest squad
- home soil
- peak of his powers
- youth development
Grammar
- Modal perfect — past
- Germany must have trained hard, but still lost. — logical deduction about the past
- Modal perfect — future
- By July, one outsider will have proved everyone wrong. — completed action before a future point
Discussion questions
- Which sport matters most in your country?
- Should host countries get an advantage in tournaments?
- Can data and statistics really predict a sports result?
The 2026 World Cup: Who Will Lift the Trophy?
Grammar: Modal perfect forms and advanced modals for speculation and prediction
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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