The World Cup is the largest football tournament that involves the best national teams in the world. The FIFA World Cup first began in 1930 with 13 teams and has since expanded to include the best 32 teams which is being increased again to 48 for the 2026 edition and onwards.
Brazil is the most successful country having won it 5 times and Argentina are the current champions after beating France on penalties in the 2022 final. Every 4 years a different nation hosts the tournament and in 2026 it will be played in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Who Are the 2026 World Cup Favourites?
Of 22 World Cup tournaments from 1930 to 2022, only 8 different teams have won it including Brazil 5 times, Germany and Italy 4 times, Argentina 3 times, France and Uruguay twice and England and Spain once.
Although there is still the 2024 Euros to be played in the summer which can affect the odds depending on how the European teams perform, the betting sites at Irishbettingsites.ie currently have France as their favourites.
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France
After their most recent success in 2018 and with players including Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Greizman and Kingsley Coman, France are certainly looking like the team to beat in all competitions. They had a few key players injured in the 2022 edition but still made it to the final so it makes you wonder how the team will perform when fully fit.
Mbappe scored a hat trick in the 2022 final against Argentina but it wasn’t enough as the match finished 3-3 and Argentina went on to win 4-2 on penalties.
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Brazil
Brazil are another favourite to win the tournament even though they haven’t come close in recent years after falling short at the quarter finals in both 2018 and 2022. Due to injury losses in 2014, 2018 and 2022, Brazil will want to come back fighting with a strong team that includes the likes of Neymar, Vinicius and Richarlison.
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Argentina
The current champions of the World Cup in 2022, not only does Argentina have arguably one of the best players in the world in Messi, they also have younger players who are making a name for themselves including Enzo Fernandez, Alejandro Garnacho and Julian Alvarez. However, Messi will be 39 in the 2026 edition so we will have to wait and see if he is in that squad as his impact is unmatched.
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England
England did manage to make it to the Euros Final in 2020 but in the 2022 World Cup they lost to France in the quarter finals. They haven’t won a major international tournament since the 1966 World Cup but they seem to be getting closer every year.
Are There Other Contenders?
Germany
As always, Germany is a strong national team that has been near the top in tournaments with their last World Cup win in 2014 but haven’t been so successful in recent years. In the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Germany didn’t even manage to make it out of the group stages which caused a shock for millions of fans.
Spain
Spain is another European team that has plenty of talent in its ranks including Rodri, Laporte and Morata. Spain did have a good run of 3 major tournament titles in a row when they won two Euros back to back in 2008 and 2012 and the World Cup in 2010 but have also fallen short in the last few tournaments.
Italy
Italy won the World Cup in 2006 and won the 2020 Euros but after this huge international success, they didn’t even qualify for the 2022 World Cup which shows how easy it can be to rise and fall in the world of football and the international tournaments. It is a very big ask for Italy to come out on top for the 2026 but anything can happen.
Overall, France are the most talked about team that is currently the favourites for the 2026 World Cup at many bookmakers. There are a few other potential contenders alongside the French but this can all change depending on what happens at the 2024 Euros this summer.
