Spain Current Favourites to Win 2026 World Cup
The 2026 World Cup runs between 11 June and 19 July and the outright betting market is now taking shape. Spain were victorious in 2010 for the first time and La Roja have become big tournament players over the past few decades. Luis de la Fuente is the head coach who steered the Spanish side to glory at Euro 2024 and he retains the nucleus of that squad.
Lamine Yamal is the pin-up star of the team and it could be that the Barcelona star has a breakthrough World Cup, although this is a side who also boast midfielders Gavi, Rodri and Pedri. Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella is one of the best left-backs in the world, with Fabian Ruiz and Mikel Merino also accomplished players and perhaps they’re the side to beat.
Can Tuchel Lead England to First World Cup Success Since 1966?
England were defeated in the Euro 2024 final by Spain after a successful tournament. However, Gareth Southgate came under fire for negative tactics and the hope is that Thomas Tuchel is able to achieve a success along with attacking football being on show. There’s certainly plenty to like about a team whose attack is spearheaded by the prolific Harry Kane.
Kane has been the master marksman for the Three Lions in the past few major tournaments, with the Bayern Munich forward likely to have plenty of ammunition. After all, we have players such as Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham competing for a place, while Declan Rice is now achieving a world-class status.
The big question mark over England is whether they can finally break their duck after sixty years of not winning a major tournament. They reached two finals under Southgate although this is a fiercely-competitive event and it remains to be seen whether they can topple some of the other major nations.
France, Brazil and Argentina Also World Cup Contenders
Argentina were the second seeds in the recent 2026 World Cup draw, partly by virtue of winning the previous tournament in Qatar. Lionel Scaloni led La Albiceleste to glory and has now been in charge of the national team since 2018. He has the respect of the players including Lionel Messi who is likely to be captaining his country for the final World Cup at the grand old age of thirty-eight.
Messi remains a talisman for a country who will also have veteran Nicolas Otamendi in the squad, with Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martinez other notable players for a team who have the knowhow of winning the tournament with this group of players. However, arch-rivals Brazil are gunning for a first success since 2002 and they now have Carlo Ancelotti at the helm.
The Italian enjoyed plenty of success with Real Madrid in the Champions League including wins in 2022 and 2024, with the hugely experienced coach now using his expertise to guide players such as Vinicius Junior, Casemiro and Eder Militao to success. They have all worked under this manager before and there’s a great chance for them to be successful.
Then we have France. They’re impossible to ignore for a few reasons. Firstly, they won the 2018 World Cup and then reached the final four and a half years later. Trailing Argentina, they somehow clawed their way back and took the game to extra-time and penalties before a shootout defeat. Perhaps we’ll see them go deep again under Didier Deschamps, especially with Kylian Mbappe among the best strikers in the world.
Could Portugal or Germany Return to Europe With the Trophy?
Portugal will be led into battle by Cristiano Ronaldo who has been plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League for the past few years. The legendary figure has previously helped his country win a European Championship and this is surely his final chance to become a world champion with the Portuguese. CR7 is flanked by lots of top-drawer players including Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva.
Germany are available at the same odds to win what would be a fifth World Cup, with Die Mannschaft having last been successful in 2014. The previous two tournaments have ended disastrously, with group stage exits certainly not in the script. Now Julian Nagelsmann is hoping to buck the trend and he has lots of quality Bayern Munich players to form the spine of the team.
Mbappe and Kane Head World Cup Golden Boot Market
When it comes to betting on a player to win the Golden Boot, you need to consider the likely number of games that will be played. Kylian Mbappe has scored 55 goals across 94 matches for Les Bleus and it’s easy to see the Real Madrid forward topping the scoring charts. After all, the French skipper has scored 49 times across 52 appearances for his club.
Harry Kane has been a constant source of goals for England in major tournaments and the 32-year-old has a phenomenal record for Bayern Munich. At the time of writing, the forward averages more than a goal per game for the German champions, with Kane having an enviable 78 goals in the space of 112 appearances for his country.
These two players head the betting market for Golden Boot, although Lionel Messi is also among the favourites, with the Inter Miami forward likely to be on penalties and free-kicks for the reigning champions. Perhaps he will be rested in the group stage phase and we’re intrigued to see how Erling Haaland is able to perform for an improved Norway side.
The Manchester City forward has been amazing in the past few seasons and he’s particularly prolific for his country considering there have been 55 goals across 48 international appearances. His stats are staggering and he has over 100 goals for his English club since switching from Borussia Dortmund, although much depends on whether Norway go deep.
Lamine Yamal could be a decent each-way contender considering that the Spaniard is likely to play a succession of matches, although he hasn’t been piling in the goals for Barcelona this term. Cristiano Ronaldo has been largely hit and miss in recent major tournaments but will be on set pieces and penalties for a Portugal side who could go deep in the competition.