Who are the World Cup favorites?
By Esteban Campanela, CNN
(CNN) — Predictions about who will be the next World Cup champion often miss the mark. The pressure at this tournament is as intense as it gets for any player, and the margins are so fine that even a powerhouse can be knocked out.
Still, only eight countries in history have ever won the Beautiful Game’s most coveted trophy.
With a week to go before the World Cup begins, six national teams top analysts’ lists and the betting markets: Spain, France, Argentina, England, Portugal and Brazil.
Spain
Spain is one of the top two favorites. In the four years since Qatar 2022, Spain has won the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League, Euro 2024 and the men’s soccer tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympics. In European qualifying, it advanced comfortably, finishing unbeaten atop its group. La Roja is ranked No. 2 in the global FIFA standings.
Spain is a high-scoring, attack-minded team. It has added speed and directness to the possession-based style that led it to the 2010 title. La Selección now plays faster and more aggressively. Its strengths are one-on-one ability out wide and relentless pressing after losing the ball. Its weaknesses? A squad that is perhaps too young and an attacking emphasis that can leave it exposed at the back.
Its standout star is Lamine Yamal, an 18-year-old phenomenon who, on the strength of his record-breaking rise and his Barcelona ties, is already beginning to be seen as the great Lionel Messi’s heir. Yamal, though, faces a race to recover from injury to be ready in time for the first group game.
There is also Nico Williams, a winger whose speed lights up the left flank, and Pedri, the conductor of Spain’s midfield. Spain also has a deep squad with options across the field – though Barça star Fermín López is set to miss the World Cup with a foot fracture suffered on May 17.
Coach Luis de la Fuente has gotten the most out of the individual talent in this new golden generation.
France
The 2022 World Cup runner-up arrives as the other leading contender. Les Bleus have reached the past two finals, beating Croatia at Russia 2018 and losing to Argentina in a penalty shootout at Qatar 2022. A third straight final would mark something not seen since Korea/Japan 2002, when Brazil won the title after finishing runner-up in 1998 and champion in 1994. West Germany also did it, reaching the finals in 1982, 1986 and 1990.
France has one of the most fearsome attacks in the tournament. There is so much talent that it can sometimes afford to leave Ousmane Dembélé, the current men’s Ballon d’Or, on the bench. Kylian Mbappé is untouchable: He has been France’s leading star since Russia 2018. Mbappé scored a hattrick in the final at Qatar 2022 and is one of Real Madrid’s top players.
Dembélé won the 2025 UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain and is back in the final again, and while injuries in the second half of 2025 kept him out of European qualifying, he appears to have regained form. Michael Olise is Bayern Munich’s right winger and one of France’s most dangerous options, though he often plays in a central attacking role behind Mbappé with the national team.
France is not exclusively dependent on possession and is often comfortable playing on the counterattack, taking advantage of the blistering speed of its forwards. It also has a dynamic midfield and a top-level defense.
Its squad combines something very difficult to find, and crucial for teams hoping to build a dynasty: experience and youth. Having played all 14 matches across the past two World Cups gives it an edge when the knockout rounds begin. This is a team that knows how to handle pressure.
Coach Didier Deschamps captained France to the 1998 title, led it to the championship as coach in 2018 and to a runner-up finish in 2022. He has already announced this will be his final tournament in charge.
Argentina
The defending world champion is another top contender. Argentina will try to accomplish something only Italy (1934-1938) and Brazil (1958-1962) have done: win back-to-back World Cups.
In the years since lifting the trophy in Qatar, the Albiceleste has shown it is still hungry for more. It won the 2024 Copa América – also played in the United States – and dominated South American qualifying from start to finish.
The team still has the all-over-the-pitch intensity that defines it. It presses after losing the ball and plays forward quickly when it wins it back. Argentina’s greatest strength may be something unusual: Its players often perform even better with the national team than they do for their clubs.
The team’s leading star is still Lionel Messi. The Argentine No. 10, considered by many the greatest player in history, has repeatedly answered any doubts about his age whenever he puts on his national jersey. The 38-year-old is coming off another Copa América title and finished as the top scorer in qualifying.
The spine of the team is very solid: Goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez is a safe pair of hands, the center-backs consistently perform at a high level – especially Cristian Romero – the midfield retains its identity even as names change, and either Julián Álvarez or Lautaro Martínez can provide additional goals up top.
Lionel Scaloni has managed to keep a group that has won everything motivated, and he has been smart about integrating new players into the world champion squad. He has given Argentina a trait that is relatively rare among elite teams: It can change shape depending on the opponent and still maintain its level. He reads matches extremely well before kickoff and during the 90 minutes, and his substitutions often raise the team’s level.
Portugal
Soccer owes Portugal a major debt. It is one of the nations that has produced the most talent in the world, and this World Cup in North America may be its chance to finally cash in. The Seleção has found a highly polished style of play that carried it to the 2025 UEFA Nations League title. It qualified for the World Cup comfortably atop its European group and has one of the most complete squads in the tournament.
It is impossible not to mention Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the team’s key figures, even if he is no longer at his peak. CR7 still has the talent and competitive fire to be decisive, and there is little doubt he will empty the tank at age 41 in pursuit of the one major trophy missing from his résumé. His continued relevance was clear in the UEFA Nations League final, when he scored a crucial goal against Spain.
Bruno Fernandes pulls the strings in the final third with the precision of his right foot, Paris Saint-Germain star Vitinha is essential in speeding up circulation in midfield and maintaining possession, and Bernardo Silva is decisive from the right wing, often popping up in unexpected spaces.
Another PSG player is crucial to this team: Nuno Mendes. The left back is arguably the best in the world at his position, with such speed and precision that comparisons to soccer legend Roberto Carlos are hard to avoid at times. His partnership with Rafael Leão likely gives Portugal the fastest left flank in the world. At the back, Rúben Dias is the leader who organizes the defense.
Coach Roberto Martínez has imposed a style based on possession and control of the tempo. Portugal wants to press high, recover the ball in the opponent’s half and then spread play wide, where it has game-breaking talent.
England
The country that invented the Beautiful Game wants to end a frustrating 60-year title drought. England is always mentioned as a contender before a World Cup, but it rarely manages to translate the individual talent of its players into a dominant collective identity. It enters this World Cup with eye-catching numbers from European qualifying: eight wins in eight matches and not a single goal conceded.
The Three Lions’ main star is Harry Kane, the captain and the team’s all-time leading scorer. The Bayern Munich striker finally ended his long-running “curse” of not winning a major title last year when the Bavarians won the 2024-25 Bundesliga – and they just repeated that feat. At 32, he enters this tournament in excellent form; his touch, vision and especially his extensive finishing repertoire make him lethal. Bukayo Saka is another key piece on the right wing and comes in on a roll after his goal sent Arsenal into the UEFA Champions League final. Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham is one of the midfield’s main weapons, bringing energy and an eye for goal.
England also has a secret weapon it uses to great effect: aerial play. Whether from set pieces or open play, its accurate delivery pairs effectively with high-level headers of the ball.
Coach Thomas Tuchel has built a settled team around Kane. England’s problem may be its dependence on its star and the need to find alternatives if he is unavailable or neutralized.
Brazil
A step below those teams is Brazil, which finished fifth in South American qualifying, a highly unusual occurrence for the historically great soccer nation.
Since the end of Qatar 2022, Brazil has had four coaches: two interim managers – including one who lasted a little more than a year – and then came the surprise appointment of Carlo Ancelotti. The serial winner with Real Madrid is the first foreign coach in history to lead the Seleção. Having had four coaches in four years helps explain the identity crisis around Brazil.
This is an unusual Brazil team. It does not have as many stars as past eras and has more options in central defense than in attack. Vinícius Júnior is unquestionably Brazil’s main star and hope. Real Madrid’s No. 7 brings one-on-one ability, assists and goals from the left wing. Barça star Raphinha contributes from the opposite side, though Brazil still has not found an undisputed center forward – though the call-up of young prodigy Endrick could be the answer. The midfield is combative and has tried to become more organized to avoid suffering defensively. Ancelotti has prioritized structure first, then attack.
Brazil icon Neymar’s role is the biggest question mark, as he remains far from his best form. The Italian coach has repeatedly stressed that Neymar must improve his condition if he seriously wants to contribute to success in North America, but the 34-year-old has been named in the squad.
Even without the overwhelming talent of past generations, who would dare rule out the five-time world champion?
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
