Who will win the upcoming 2026 World Cup?

By David Gil

As we start the new year of 2026, football fans worldwide are gearing up for the 2026 World Cup, with over 5 billion viewers expected to tune in. With many nations playing phenomenally, several are considered strong favorites to win the upcoming tournament.

Currently, the top contenders include Spain, England, Argentina, and France. Spain, fresh off their Euro 2024 victory, boasted a nearly perfect qualification record for this World Cup. England was arguably even more impressive, qualifying with a perfect record and—remarkably—without conceding a single goal. Argentina enters as the defending 2022 World Cup champions and remains the dominant force in South America. Finally, France, the 2018 winners and 2022 runners-up, possess a squad stacked with superstars. Their roster features big names throughout the starting XI and even on the bench, led by the latest Ballon d’Or winner, Ousmane Dembélé, playing up top.

In this tournament, I predict that France will be the best team and will ultimately lift the trophy. They have been a top-two team in both of the last two World Cups and possess a lineup full of world-class talent in every area of the pitch. They easily have the best attack in the tournament, with options like Dembélé, Hugo Ekitike, Michael Olise, Kylian Mbappé, Rayan Cherki, Bradley Barcola, and Désiré Doué.

Their defense and midfield are equally formidable. The midfield is anchored by powerhouses like Khéphren Thuram, Warren Zaïre-Emery, and Aurélien Tchouaméni, while the backline features elite defenders such as William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Koundé, Malo Gusto, Théo Hernandez, and Ibrahima Konaté.

If manager Didier Deschamps can effectively manage these superstars and implement the right tactics, I believe nothing will stop this French super-team from winning the 2026 Worl