Who has a chance to win the 2026 World Cup – Snapshot
Spain is seen as the big favorite to win the 2026 World Cup
Because the moment long awaited by football fans is approaching, we propose to make a brief analysis of the possible winners of this year’s World Cup, and why not, try some ante-post predictions.
World Cup
Of course, before getting into the nitty-gritty, it should be noted that choosing the favorite will depend on the current form of the team, the squad – known squad problems, the team’s experience (average age), the coach (his experience in final tournaments) and the history of the respective national team in major competitions (World Cup, European Championship, African Cup, Copa America).
Who are the favorites
France
The French have a very good, balanced team and they have Mbappe. They have 2 world titles (1998, 2018) and 2 European titles (1984, 2000) and were finalists 4 years ago.
Even though some players will be at their last world cup and will probably give it their all, others, on the other hand, are in the midst of their career development and any title, any victorious match, can change their lives.
The French attack can be devastating. Ekitike, Dembele and Desire Doue to watch.
Argentina
This will most likely be Messi’s last World Cup. And no, this living legend is not finished, on the contrary, he seems to be in a second youth. Yes, Major League Soccer is not a very strong football championship, but it is certainly stronger than our Super League and far above other football leagues in Europe and the world. Messi will matter a lot to the Argentines and from a moral point of view, he is the glue that holds the team together.
AP Photo/Martin Meissner
Currently in 2nd place in the FIFA rankings by nation, the Argentines are clearly among the big favorites. Players like Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo de Paul or Julian Alvarez will come out on top. I think Argentina has not had such a strong and well-rounded team for a long time. Winners of the Copa America 15 times and the World Cup 3 times, they are clear favorites in the final, and I hope they win it.
Brazil
When you say Brazil, you say tradition in football and especially at the World Cup. With an average age of almost 27 years, the Brazilians can fight with anyone in this championship. They don’t really have top defenders, but from the middle up they are excellent. Vinicius, Raphinha, Martinelli or the young Endrick can suffocate any defense.
They have 5 world titles, the last one won in 2002, and their asset this year could be Carlo Ancelotti, the 66-year-old Italian coach is at the peak of his career and this year he can become one of the most titled coaches in history if he takes the World Cup with Brazil.
Spain
Position 1 in the FIFA ranking, the Spaniards have a super squad, with young players like Lamine Yamal, Cubarsi or Christian Mosquera, but also experienced players like Cucurella, Rodri or Marcos Llorente. The value of the squad is estimated at 1.31 billion euros according to transfermarket.ro. The team’s asset is the homogeneity of the team, only 30% of the squad plays outside Spain, the rest are La Liga players. They have 1 World title won in 2010 and 4 European Championships.
These are the top 4 favorites in my opinion.
Who are the outsiders
Also among the favorites but not with such high chances as the top 4 are England, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and maybe Portugal.
In short, a few considerations for each:
England
With players rated higher than those of Spain in the example (1.62 billion vs. 1.31 billion), the English went last as favorites in the final tournaments, but they disappointed their fans, not winning a trophy since 1966. At the last World Cup they finished in the quarterfinals, and at the last European Championship they played the final.
Yes, they have players with very high potential, such as Harry Kane, Foden, Declan Rice or Saka, but it is possible that their strength is also their greatest weakness: the Premier League is the strongest football championship in the world. Yes, the players have tough matches in the championship, the FA Cup and the Champions League, but the fact that they play almost 60 matches per season can tire them out excessively. One advantage: homogeneity, they only have 4 foreigners. I like their coach, Thomas Tuchel, but I don’t know if it will be enough to win the title.
Germany
Germany is a football machine. The two flagship clubs of the Bundesliga provide the backbone of their national team, Bayern and Borussia with top players. But good players also come from Stuttgart. From abroad I especially note Florian Wirtz from Liverpool and Kai Havertz from Arsenal London. In general, it seems to me an aging team, with seniors like Joshua Kimmich (31 years old) and Antonio Rudiger (33 years old). The surprise of the team could be Karl Lennart from Bayern Munich who could explode at this final tournament.
Netherlands
The Clockwork Orange have an average squad, but not overly valuable. I note Van Dijk in the center of defense and Tijjani Reijnders (City’s midfielder), the rest of the squad are not superstars.
Coach Ronald Koeman’s contract expires after this World Cup and I must admit that he doesn’t impress me as a coach, as he did as a player. I don’t give them much chance.
Belgium
It seems like their golden generation is having their last appearance at a final tournament. Third place at the World Cup in Russia and a quarter-final at Euro 2020 are the milestones for this team. At the last World Cup they were eliminated in the group stage, beaten 2-0 by Morocco, who then reached the semi-finals. Jeremy Doku (Manchester City) is the star of the team, but he may not be enough. One drawback: almost the entire national team is made up of foreigners. Far too heterogeneous.
Portugal
When you say Portugal you say Cristiano Ronaldo and it is very possible that this will be his last World Cup, he is already 41 years old. If we also take into account the ages of Cancelo (31 years old), Semedo (32 years old) or Bruno Fernandes (31 years old), we also discover the weak point of this team: the high average age (27 years old). If we take into account how demanding this season has been, the injuries and the fact that three quarters of the team play in foreign championships, then we can get a complete picture of the fact that I do not think they can reach more than the quarters. Among the team’s highlights I think this year will be Vitinha (PSG).
Who could be the surprises
I’m looking forward to seeing Norway, Mexico (as the host country), Croatia (always a tough nut to crack at final tournaments), Uruguay (I hope Valverde keeps up his good form until then) and Morocco (semi-finalist at the World Cup 4 years ago).
From Asia, Japan and South Korea always offer quality football. I’ve noticed a lot of Japanese players in the European championships.
What the bookmakers say
As a snapshot, 2 months before the start of the World Cup, the odds displayed by Romanian bookmakers are broadly in line with expectations, betting mainly on European teams and occasionally on Argentina:
*Betano is backing Spain (odds 6), England (odds 8), France (odds 8)
*Superbet, at the time of writing this article, does not yet offer ante-post odds
*Unibet believes that Spain has the best chances with an odds of 5.50, then England (odds 6.50) and Argentina (odds 9)
*Winner at the time of writing this article does not yet offer ante-post odds
*Netbet also considers Spain to be the favorite with an odds of 5.5, then England (odds 6.50) and France (odds 8)
Foreign bookmakers see the following as favorites in order: Spain (odds between 4.5 and 6), England (odds between 6 and 8), France (odds between 7 and 8).
Final conclusions
So Spain is seen as a big favorite to win the 2026 World Cup.
I say it will be a world championship dominated by favorites. I don’t see many surprises, except for Norway. My favorites in order: Argentina, Spain, France.
by Insider
