2026 World Cup Contenders, Longshots, Sleeper Picks & Predictions
During some World Cups — including the last one the U.S. hosted in 1994, which Brazil won, the 2018 edition in Russia won by France, and the 1974 tournament that West Germany hosted and won — there are one or two clear favorites.
But some World Cups, like the 2026 edition upon us, have multiple favorites to select from, with not much separating them in quality, leaving it to onfield play, avoiding injuries, and a little bit of luck to get a contender onto the winner’s podium at the end of the final.
Here are five favorites headed to North America — all with at least one title to their name — along with an assortment of longshots and sleepers to keep tabs on as the tournament unfolds.
2026 World Cup Top Contenders
France
For the last few tournaments now, Les Blues are best described with a single word — loaded. Top to bottom, their rosters have featured so much talent that their second XI bests most of the world’s top XI. In 2026, France expects to return mainstays like Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Ousmane Dembélé (PSG), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), and even N’Golo Kante (Fenerbahçe) for one last tournament, along with formidable first-timers like Michael Olise (Bayern Munich) and Rayan Cherki (Manchester City).
Spain
Like France, there’s immense talent on this team, but Spain’s fortunes hinge on Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) and his iinjured hamstring. If he heals up prior to the tournament starting, Spain stands to go far, given that Pedri and Rodri are bossing the midfield, but he could miss one or more group stage games with his current recovery timetable.
England
“It’s coming home” looked a possibility in 2022, when a strong squad got to the quarterfinals. The heart of that roster is likely returning, including Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), and Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), with Cole Palmer (Chelsea) among the best of the expected first-timers. They’ll be a favorite to win their first World Cup in 60 years. (Yes, it’s been that long.)
Brazil
The only nation to appear at every World Cup, A Seleção will be talented per usual, with Alisson Becker (Liverpool) likely to be in goal, Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle) and Casemiro (Manchester United) firmly ensconced in the midfield, and Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid), Raphinha (Barcelona), and possibly even a returning Neymar (Santos) providing magic in the attack.
Argentina
It took the reigning champions penalty kicks at the end to get there, but Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) got to check the last remaining big box in his “greatest of all time” checklist. As he goes, so goes the Albiceleste, though club teammate Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Milan), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), and Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan) are all familiar faces looking to defend a title.
Best Bet: France
They’re the most talented, and their coach is a known entity who has taken them to the mountaintop before.
2026 World Cup Top Longshots
Portugal
Remarkably, Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) is 41 but stil set to play in his fourth World Cup. What role he will have is unclear, but getting him a World Cup win will certainly motivate the whole team – includling likely midfield anchors Joao Neves and Vitinha (both at PSG) and Rafael Leao (AC Milan, but possibly getting a big Premier League move inked ahead of the summer tournament).
Netherlands
The three-time finalists, still looking for their first World Cup win, will look to Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) and Memphis Depay (Corinthians) for goals, as they have in past tournaments, with defenders like captain Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), and Matthijs de Ligt (Manchester United) bringing a wealth of experience to play in front of whoever is tapped from a solid set of goalkeeping options.
Norway
In a May 2020 U20 World Cup match, Erling Haaland (Manchester City) put the world on notice by scoring nine goals in a 12-0 rout of Honduras — and then expressed annoyance that he didn’t score with his last kick of the match. That energy has persisted throughout his career, and helps define why the Landslaget has made its first World Cup since 1998.
Germany
Though not the odds-on favorite they’ve been in some iterations of the tournament, Die Mannschaft still comes in with plenty of talent. Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim) is emerging as the first-choice goalkeeper, with Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), and Leroy Sane (Galatasaray) among the top offensive contributors.
Belgium
The Red Devils will look to bounce back from a disappointing 2022 World Cup, in which they failed to advance in what turned out to be a sneaky-good Group of Death, with Morocco and Croatia leaving Belgium and Canada behind. Veterans like Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) and Kevin de Bruyne (Napoli) could be playing their final World Cups, while Jeremy Doku (Manchester City) will get a chance to shine following limited run out in ‘22.
Best Bet: Germany
There’s a reason Germany has four stars above its crest. Consistent talent and a defined system will help Die Mannschaft go far, and a relatively easy group stage with Ecuador, Ivory Coast, and Curaçao to contend with means plenty of Germany’s players should get minutes ahead of the knockout stages.
2026 World Cup Top Sleepers
United States
Despite long odds to win it all, the U.S. has a manageable group stage with home matches in Seattle and L.A. In recent World Cups, they’ve had difficulties getting past the first knockout match, but with fans behind them in familiar stadia, this talented team has the potential to gather momentum and collect wins.
Canada
Like the U.S., Canada comes into its hosting role with its most talented team in a generation enjoying the fruits of friendly settings full of fans. While Alphonso Davies’ hamstring injury could sideline him for initial World Cup matches, they’re still likely to best their 2022 return performance.
Morocco
The Cinderella story of 2022, the Atlas Lions beat Spain and Portugal en route to becoming the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinals before falling to France. Striker Azzedine Ounahi (Girona) and dynamic right back Achraf Hakimi (PSG) are key to at least repeating their success in Qatar.
Uruguay
While in Brazil and Argentina’s shadow, Uruguay could emerge as the CONMEBOL team going farthest in 2026. Darwin Nunez (Al-Hilal), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), and Manuel Ugarte (Manchester United) are among a group of talented upstarts led by manager Marcelo Bielsa, regarded as a genius, mad genius, or just plain mad, depending on who you ask.
Mexico
El Tri’s looking to do better than it has in past World Cups. Though it qualified for eight in a row between 1994 and 2022 before getting the auto-bid as the world’s first three-time host, it failed to make it out of the group stages last time out after eight straight Round of 16 exits. As co-host, it gets home matches in Mexico City and Guadalajara, and a chance to have matches in Mexico City into the quarterfinals if it wins its group.
Best Bet: USA
The United States has its best chance it’s even had of winning the World Cup since getting third place in 1930. That’s not to say that they’ll win, of course, but given how the tournament is designed, they’re the only team in the field with home-field advantage propelling them the entire way.
Photo Credit: AP/Matthias Schrader
