With the 2022 World Cup finished, so much is expected from World Cup favorites in 2026. USA, Canada and Mexico will be hosting the World Cup 2026.
| Team | Odds for the 2026 World Cup |
|---|---|
| Brazil | +500 |
| France | +550 |
| England | +600 |
| Spain | +750 |
| Germany | +1000 |
| Argentina | +1100 |
| Senegal | +6500 |
| Morocco | +20000 |
Top World Cup Favorites in 2026
These are the top favorites for the 2026 World Cup. Many of them have the best World Cup goalscorers as well.
- Brazil
- France
- Germany
- England
- Spain
- Argentina
- Senegal
- Morocco
Top Underdog Teams
These are the top underdogs:
- USA
- Ukraine
- Croatia
- Ghana
World Cup Favorite Teams
Let’s take a look at the favorite teams for the 2026 World Cup and the potential World Cup winners.
Brazil
Brazil was seen as the number-one favourite for the majority of the 2022 tournament. But in the end, they failed to capture their sixth trophy and exited the competition after a penalty shootout versus Croatia.
Brazil were the superior team in almost all of their matches. They were even the better team in the quarterfinals match versus Croatia until Bruno Petkovic scored a stunner to send the game into penalties.
Nevertheless, Celecao is still going to be the top team to fear in 2026. With stars like Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, and Rodrygo coming to their own by then, Brazil still has lots of hopes for the future.
France
The French team were very close to accomplishing back-to-back trophies. But they lost in one of the most spectacular finals of World Cup history against Argentina.
Kylian Mbappe showed that he is the true leader of this team at only 24. He will be 28 in 2026 and will undoubtedly be even better.
Mbappe scored 12 goals in two tournaments, so we expect him to perhaps even overtake Miroslav Klose on the all-time scoring list in 2026.
France will say goodbye to the likes of Karim Benzema and Olivier Giroud. But they still have young talents in Aurelien Tchouameni, William Saliba, and Randal Kolo Muani, who should become top players by then.
Germany
Germany has won four tournaments but has also gone through an embarrassing exit in the last two competitions, in which they finished in the group stage. This has never happened to the German side, and they now have to face the truth and rebuild for the coming competition.
The good thing is that Hansi Flick will continue to lead the team from the bench. The bad news is that by 2026 legendary players like Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller will certainly have retired.
But hopes lie in the youngsters like Jamal Musiala and Youssoufa Moukoko, who will probably be the stars of the show in 2026.
England
Once again, it did not come home for England in 2022. The Three Lions were eliminated in the quarterfinals against France after Harry Kane missed a penalty that could have drawn the game level.
Yet, this tournament did not leave a sour taste in Gareth Southgate’s mouth, and he will continue to lead the English setup in the qualification for the 2026 competition.
England will definitely be the favourites in the next tournament. Harry Kane will probably be fit enough to lead the squad for what could be his last tournament.
On the other hand, England has a bright future ahead of them with Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka in the attack.
But their biggest advantage will be in the midfield as Jude Bellingham is expected to emerge as the leader of a new generation of England players.
Spain
Not only did Spain lose in the Round of 16m, but they also lost their head coach Luis Enrique. They are in the rebuilding process now but have enough time to fit all the pieces of the puzzle that is the national team.
Somehow, Spain is always able to do it, and that is why they remain one of the favourites in the lead-up to the 2026 tournament.
Players like Jordi Alaba and captain Sergio Busquets will no longer feature for La Furia Roja. But a lot is expected from the youngsters Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati, and especially the midfield duo Gavi and Rodri.
If they find a stable attacker by then, Spain should be in the mix to lift the title once again.
Argentina
It took Argentina 40 years to get to their third title and a lifetime for Lionel Messi to capture his first. Messi finally led the national team to a World Cup title, stamping a mark on one of the most successful careers in football history.
He scored twice in that faithful final against France and converted a penalty in the final shootout.
Messi also scored seven goals and assisted three times, capturing the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament. But it is not likely that we are going to see him in 2026 as by then, he will be 39.
Without him, Argentina is not the same team, but they have enough time to prepare. The performances of Julian Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez certainly show that La Albiceleste is the team to watch in 2026.
Senegal
Senegal has played at only three tournaments so far. In all three, they were able to get out of the group stage. In 2022, they were one of the surprising teams and captivated the viewers with their courageous style of play even without their captain and star player, Sadio Mane.
Senegal finished the competition in the Round of 16 after being defeated by England by 3:0.
With Mane back in the squad, the Lions of Teranga are a much different team. If Ismaïla Sarr and Pape Gueye continue to develop as they have, they could prove to be one of the surprises favourites in 2026.
Morocco
After becoming the first African nation to get out of the Group Stages at a World Cup in 1970, the Atlas Lions also became the first African team to reach the semifinals of the competition in 2022.
No one gave Walid Regragui and his men a chance to make it to the elimination round. But somehow, they went all the way to fourth overall.
The latest tournament saw stars like Hakim Ziyech, Sofyan Amrabat, Yassine Bounou, and Azzedine Ounahi being born. Some of them will still be able to compete in 2026, giving the Moroccans a very good chance to once again light the football world on fire.
Underdogs
The most probable underdogs for the 2026 tournament are some very interesting teams.
USA
The USA will be among the host nations in 2026. What makes them an underdog but a team that might surprise everyone is that the US team play significantly better when they play at home.
This has always been the case during Northern American qualifiers and Gold Cup competitions, so we expect them to transfer the same form then.
The Yanks currently have one of the most talented squads they had in years. Captained by Tyler Adams in the midfield and led by Christian Pulisic and Giovanni Reyna up front, the US team is expected to be one of the biggest surprises in 2026.
Croatia
Every time Croatia competes at a major tournament, people expect them to fail. And each time, the Blazers prove people wrong by playing the best brand of football that they possibly can.
They have two third-place finishes and a single finals appearance in their history. So, the question is why this team are still considered underdogs when they deserve a spot in the favourites category.
However, the appearance of Luka Modric is questionable for 2026, as he will be 41 at that time. But the emergence of Josko Gvardiol, Borna Sosa, Josip Stanisic, and Lovro Majer shows that Croatian football still has a lot to offer.
Ghana
Ghana showed grit at the 2022 tournament. Even though they finished the competition in the group stage, they showed that they have what it took to compete even against the strongest teams.
They almost made it this time, but they slipped against Uruguay once more, leaving the 2026 competition as the best time to show what they were truly made of.
The Black Stars will marvel at young prospects like Mohammed Kudus and Tariq Lamptey, who will definitely be the cornerstone of the team by the time the 2026 competition arrives.
World Cup Favorites FAQs
We will answer some frequent questions in this section.
Brazil will be yet again among the number-one favourites to win the title. They are joined by the likes of France and England.
The French team are among some of the heavy favourites to lift their new title in 2026.
Ghana is not the favourite, but they can be considered as underdogs or a team that might surprise a lot of people.
Yes, with so many favorites on the line, bookmakers have very good odds if you are lucky to pick the winner for the World Cup event. You can place your bets with trusted sportsbooks like 1xBet, Betway, or BetWinner.
There’s a +500 odds that Brazil wins this the World Cup. However, with France being the 2018 winner and England holding the 2021 cup, most bookmakers have them at +550. Spain is given +750, while Argentina gets +1100 if they make the top five.
