2026 World Cup Predictions: No Clear Favorite
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- The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs June 11 to July 19 across USA, Canada, and Mexico, with 48 nations competing and the final set for MetLife Stadium in New York on July 19.
- Peter Smith picks Portugal to win their first World Cup, citing Cristiano Ronaldo at 41, Bruno Fernandes as this season's Premier League player of the year, and Portugal's 2025 Nations League final win over Spain.
- Sam Blitz backs France, highlighting a 'frightening' front four of Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, and Kylian Mbappe, while noting the tournament will be Didier Deschamps' final as Les Bleus manager.
- William Bitibiri and Callum Bishop both tip Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti, calling the five-time champions 'dark horses' with a workmanlike side anchored by veteran Casemiro and a Champions League-final defensive duo of Gabriel and Marquinhos.
- Charlotte Marsh predicts Spain, pointing to their Euro 2024 victory and the historical 2008-to-2010 Euro-World Cup double pattern, with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal tipped as a breakout star.
- Oliver Yew picks England, citing Thomas Tuchel's tactical management and Harry Kane's 61-goal season at Bayern Munich as decisive advantages over previous tournament failures.
- Bishop flagged that only one European team has ever won a World Cup held outside Europe (Spain in 2010), arguing North American heat conditions could favor South American sides like Argentina and Brazil.
Why it matters: Five respected football writers reached five different conclusions on the same tournament, signaling genuine uncertainty around the expanded 48-team format and the North American venue. The one point of implicit agreement: conditions matter — only Spain in 2010 has ever won a World Cup outside Europe, and the heat factor in USA/Canada/Mexico could upend the European-heavy favorite list that bookmakers and pundits typically default to.
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