Thomas Tuchel’s England are joint-second favourites for 2026 World Cup
The World Cup is looming on the horizon for 2026 and the early favourites are Spain, though England are somehow just behind them.
10) Uruguay
Poor since finishing third at Copa America, not helped by the retiring Luis Suarez aiming barbs at coach Marcelo Bielsa and his intense methods. “As for how the situation affected me, I don’t ignore what happened, and I know that my authority was affected in some way,” said Bielsa.
A difficult patch reached a new low with a shock defeat to Peru. But they are still among the favourites for this World Cup, edging out Belgium and co-hosts USA and Mexico.
9) Italy
They have claimed the scalp of France since Euro 2024 but this is still an Italy side lacking a bit of star quality, as evidenced by their limp exit to Switzerland. It’s hard to make a compelling case for Italy winning the World Cup beyond ‘well, it’s Italy’. They have at least acquired a backbone, with Luciano Spalletti saying: “The team is working hard, sweating for the shirt, sacrificing themselves.”
But there are finally signs that something is coming together, with Mateo Retegui in the kind of goalscoring form that could make him an Italian hero.
8) Netherlands
Probably high up this list by virtue of reaching the Euros semi-finals but playing Joshua Zirkzee or Bryan Brobbey up front hardly screams ‘options’, while they have been defensively very questionable. Virgil van Dijk – sent off in the Nations League in October 2024 – will be almost 35 when the tournament kicks off.
They had one shot on target in 90 minutes v Germany in October.
7) Portugal
Ronaldo will be a ludicrous 41 when the World Cup rolls around, but you absolutely know he will be there. They really should have plummeted down this list as soon as they drew 0-0 to Scotland.
6=) Germany
“We’ve got the ambition to keep going. There’s a supercharged atmosphere in the dressing room – they want to win,” said Julian Nagelsmann after a 1-0 mauling of the Netherlands despite a whole host of first-choice players being injured. Nagelsmann described the first half as the best that Germany had played all year, and we get the feeling that things are only likely to get better. Something special may be brewing.
6=) Argentina
They’re the World Cup holders, the Copa America holders and top the South American table for World Cup qualifying, so why are they considered less likely than England to win the 2026 World Cup? Defeat to Colombia and a draw v Venezuela fuelled doubts that an ageing squad will struggle to go again in 2026. But then they smashed six past Bolivia.
2=) England
They reached the Euro 2024 final though it’s still unclear how. Thomas Tuchel takes over the worst of European finalists and the worst right-wing press. There has been a pretty unedifying Nations League defeat to Greece but England start every major tournament as one of the favourites, despite this particular one marking 60 years of hurt.
2=) France
Randal Kolo Muani is finding some form (for France at least) as Belgium have twice been despatched, largely in the absence of Kylian Mbappe. France have reached the last two World Cup finals so are always going to be short odds to reach another, especially with the continuity of Didier Deschamps.
2=) Brazil
Underwhelming at Copa America and lost to Paraguay in September, and it will be 24 years since they have even reached a World Cup final by the time the tournament comes around. And yet it’s Brazil, people bloody love them, and they do have a plethora of young attacking players.
1) Spain
They have just won Euro 2024 and they recently battered Switzerland with 10 men for more than an hour. They’re quite good.