Early favorites for the FIFA 2026 World Cup
The biggest international tournament in soccer will take place in North America in 2026. Several elite nations will be looking to secure victory in the largest World Cup competition of all time.
The three host nations – the United States, Canada, and Mexico – look set to provide a background for the most significant World Cup in a generation, as their venues will likely offer the final opportunity to see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo play competitive soccer before retirement.
The North American World Cup is also set to offer the most diverse representation it ever has as 48 teams will qualify for the finals in 2026.
Many countries that do not regularly appear at World Cups will have the opportunity to make their mark in 2026 although in truth there is a limited number of teams that could realistically become champions – here we will look at the three leading contenders.
France
France is the favorite to win the next edition of the FIFA World Cup offered at +500 in a bet on sports for the summer of 2026. Soccer fans can use the odds calculator to convert the odds featured in the early markets for the competition into any given format. Les Bleus’ disappointing semi-final exit at EURO 2024 will have perhaps led to many doubting their current generation’s ability to win further silverware. However, come 2026 much of France’s developing core will have entered their prime playing days, and the likes of Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez, and Kylian Mbappe should still be at their peak performance levels.
The nation boasts one of soccer’s greatest and most consistent pools of talent and besides the players that will surely grow and improve in the next two years, they will likely unearth new stars that elevate the squad.
It would be a huge surprise if Mbappe does not lead France at least to the latter stages in the North American spectacle of 2026.
Brazil
Brazil, like France, lacked a sense of identity in their 2024 tournament exploits but their talent machine should still set them up well for 2026.
A Selecao were knocked out in the Copa America semi-final by Uruguay in the final tournament before the next World Cup, but despite that, they are one of the favorites for 2026 at +550. The record-winners can never ruled out when it comes to soccer’s greatest stage.
While Brazil’s current generation is far from their greatest ever, a spine consisting of Alisson Becker, Eder Militao, and Bruno Guimaraes that backs up a host of wide attacking talent will undoubtedly be in the mix for glory in 2026.
England
England is probably the only team out of this trio that would be happy to take their 2024 squad into the 2026 competition. They have a host of top-level players including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Declan Rice, and Harry Kane so it is no surprise they are offered at +700 to become world champions for a second time.
England’s main advantage could be that they have maintained a long-term core of a similar crop of players under Gareth Southgate. Brazil and France undoubtedly need to change their squads significantly before heading to North America, while England already has a cohesive setup that could compete for years to come.
Ultimately, the 2026 World Cup has the potential to be the greatest competition ever and these three nations are the most likely to force their name to be etched into the trophy come the end of it.