With the 2026 World Cup fast approaching, we rank the ten nations most likely to lift the trophy in North America next summer.
10) Belgium
Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ has been and gone, and that might be no bad thing.
The likes of De Bruyne, Lukaku and Courtois are now supported by a new wave – Onana, De Ketelaere and Doku – who are forming a more balanced, less ego-driven team of individuals.
Results have been strong in a soft qualifying group, but with limited real tests, it’s hard to gauge where Belgium truly stand.
They’ll travel as outsiders, but one capable of troubling anyone on their day.
9) Uruguay
Marcelo Bielsa has injected belief and intensity back into Uruguay.
Led by Federico Valverde, the squad blends experience and youth, with Araújo, Ugarte and Núñez all key players. Uruguay press aggressively and play with a fearlessness that defines a Bielsa side.
They may lack the depth to match Europe’s elite, but few teams will relish facing them in a knockout tie.
8) Netherlands
Unbeaten in qualifying and boasting one of the strongest defensive units in world football, the Netherlands look solid if not spectacular.
Koeman’s side features quality throughout – Van Dijk, De Jong, Gakpo and Malen – yet consistency remains an issue. Their Euro 2024 semi-final run came without ever truly convincing.
Capable of going all the way or collapsing early, the Dutch remain one of football’s great unpredictables.
7) Germany
Germany’s tournament pedigree means they can never be dismissed, even if recent form doesn’t inspire total confidence.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side mixes the flair of Musiala and Wirtz, goalscoring of Woltemade with the experience provided by the likes of Kimmich and Gündogan, but performances remain uneven.
A surprise defeat to Slovakia and narrow wins in qualifying suggest they’re not the force of times gone by – yet Germany have a habit of peaking when it counts.
6) Portugal
Is this Cristiano Ronaldo’s final World Cup? Almost certainly.
Portugal exited Euro 2024 early but followed it up by beating Spain on penalties to win the Nations League.
The squad depth is frightening: Rúben Dias, Vitinha, João Neves, Leão, Nuno Mendes, Bernardo Silva.
They’re not favourites, but they’ve shown before that underestimating them is a mistake.
5) Brazil
Carlo Ancelotti is the perfect manager for this iteration of the Brazil squad.
Given the wealth of talent at their disposal, they’ve looked tame for a while. In 18 World Cup qualifiers, they only won eight and lost six, including an embarrassing 4-1 drubbing at the hands of old rivals Argentina.
The recent 3-2 defeat to Japan shows the mammoth task Ancelotti has on his hands.
But if he can get them to click, they remain capable of a deep run.
4) Argentina
Argentina’s biggest question heading into 2026 is whether Lionel Messi will feature. He was instrumental during the qualifiers, but a long MLS winter break could disrupt his preparedness.
Argentina are not reliant on Messi, evidenced by the rout of Brazil in March without him. Established names like Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez and Alexis Mac Allister form part of a well-rounded Argentine side who will back themselves to retain the trophy they lifted in Qatar.
3) England
Can Thomas Tuchel go one step further than Gareth Southgate and deliver England a long overdue second World Cup?
Throughout the qualifiers they’ve been a difficult side to break down; they are yet to concede a competitive goal under Thomas Tuchel.
Bellingham, Rice, Foden, Saka and Kane headline a golden generation in their prime, but the challenge remains ensuring balance: Tuchel must resist the temptation to try and cram every star into the XI.
2) France
The French attacking depth is frightening. Mbappé is the best player in the world, Ousmane Dembélé won the Ballon d’Or and Michael Olise has hit new heights in the Bundesliga. Throw in Ekitike, Barcola, Doué, Cherki and Thuram and you’d think France would be blowing teams away during the qualifiers.
This hasn’t quite been the case – Iceland held them to a 2-2 draw that prevented France from confirming their place at the 2026 World Cup, although it would take a major collapse for Les Bleus to not qualify.
June’s Nations League semi-final 5-4 defeat to Spain sums up why they are entering next year’s tournament as second favourites. No matter how good France can be on their day, Spain are just one step ahead.
1) Spain
The undoubted favourites for the 2026 World Cup, Spain are dominating international football right now and it doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon. While many teams are faltering through the qualifiers, Spain have consistently blown teams away.
The Nations League defeat to Portugal has shown that they are not invincible, but no squad is as balanced or as strong as the Spanish.
Mikel Merino continues to regularly get on the scoresheet, which is helping to alleviate the lack of a world-class conventional number nine.
Yamal’s injury struggles with pubalgia are well-documented, and the Spaniards will be hoping it won’t affect his World Cup preparations. While they have the squad depth to cover his absence, Yamal’s frightening Euros performances show why they will be keen for him to be entering the tournament in full form and fitness.
