The FIFA World Cup 2026 draw was last Friday for the first-ever 48-team tournament. The action in the US, Mexico, and Canada is now less than six months away. So, it’s never too early to take a closer look at the FIFA World Cup 2026 Futures and share our current best bet for next summer’s tournament.
There are still a few teams left to qualify, but not exactly many teams that could make a deep run. Italy is perhaps the biggest exception to that, but there’s no guarantee they even qualify. After all, the Azzurri have missed out on each of the last two World Cups.
So, all of the main contenders’ groups are already set, and we’ll run through all of the teams you need to pay attention to. Stick around for the best FIFA World Cup 2026 Futures bet at the end.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Futures: Favorites
After last summer’s triumph at Euro 2024, it’s no surprise that Spain are +400 favorites to win the World Cup. La Furia Roja haven’t lost in a 90-minute match since March 2024. They also have one of the brightest talents in the world, Lamine Yamal.
Yamal and fellow winger Nico Williams tortured defenders at Euro 2024 and will do more of the same this summer. However, teams may be able to catch Spain on the break, and they lack a traditional number nine.
England have reached back-to-back Euro finals. Now, with Thomas Tuchel at the helm, England have a real shot to win their first World Cup since 1966.
The Three Lions are at +600 odds to do so. They were the only team not to concede a goal in UEFA World Cup qualifiers and went 8-0. With one of the most balanced teams in the world, there’s no reason England shouldn’t go far in this tournament.
Midfielder Declan Rice has emerged as one of the best in his position in the world. With other talents like Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Morgan Rogers, and Eberechi Eze, England have quite a lot of depth in midfield and attacking areas.
It’s only natural that the FIFA World Cup 2026 Futures list France as one of the top contenders. Les Bleus have reached the final in back-to-back tournaments. Any team with Kylian Mbappe is going to be able to do some serious damage. Plus, they also have current Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele and a livewire winger, Desire Doue.
I worry about France’s creativity in midfield, which was also a problem at Euro 2024. Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga are good players, but I think France will miss Antoine Griezmann a lot.
Strong Contenders
Brazil have been wildly inconsistent over the last few years. Fans will be hoping Carlo Ancelotti can get the best out of his former Real Madrid players Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo. However, they’ve never been at their best for the national team. Just like France, Brazil also lack creativity in midfield.
I’d stay away from Brazil’s +800 odds. The group stage match against Morocco will be a good barometer for where this team is.
Defending World Cup champions Argentina (+800) will be four years older and more beatable than they were in 2022. They lost four games in World Cup qualifiers, and Lionel Messi, while an incredible player, is now 38.
Sure, Argentina are in a relatively easy group, with Algeria, Austria, and Jordan. Still, I think they’ll struggle when they come up against Europe’s elite teams.
Speaking of Europe’s elite sides, Portugal (+1100) have the best midfield options in the world. PSG duo Vitinha and Joao Neves will play key roles, with Bruno Fernandes providing the creative spark. The elephant in the room is soon to be 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo is obviously a legend, but he’s well past his best. He was subpar in last year’s Euros, got sent off in Portugal’s shock 2-0 loss to Ireland, and can’t press effectively enough to help Portugal. He’ll score a goal or two, though.
It is tough to know what to expect from Germany (+1200). There’s a wide range of outcomes I could talk myself into, ranging from a Round of 32 exit to Finalists. The composition of the team has changed over the past few years, making it difficult to predict.
Germany will be a tough out, but teams like Spain, England, France, and Portugal project to be much stronger.
Dark Horses
The Netherlands (+1600) reached the Euro 2024 Semifinal and gave Argentina a run for their money in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Quarter-final.
This Dutch defense is solid, but Virgil van Dijk hasn’t been in great form for Liverpool. Van Dijk’s Liverpool teammate Cody Gakpo always seems to step up in international tournaments, though.
Norway is one of the most interesting teams in the field. This is their first World Cup since 1998, but their +2500 FIFA World Cup 2026 Futures imply the ninth-best chance to win the tournament. Having Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard will do that.
In qualifiers, Norway went 8-0 and posted a +32 goal difference, better than any other team’s. The Norwegians are in a tough group, alongside France and Senegal, but can beat just about anyone in a one-off match.
Italy‘s +3300 odds will shorten if the Azzurri qualify for their first World Cup since 2014. To do so, they’ll have to beat Northern Ireland (very likely) and one of Wales or Bosnia (also likely).
If Italy qualify, they may even be the favorites to win Group B. Still, two three-goal losses to Norway in the span of a few months don’t inspire confidence.
The expectations for Belgium (+3300) have dropped enough that they’re now slightly underrated. They’ll still have Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Jeremy Doku. I don’t think they’ll get anywhere close to winning, though.
Colombia were one of our best value bets to win the tournament in April. Their odds have shortened from +4000 to +3300 and they’re on a nine-game unbeaten streak. Don’t sleep on the 2024 Copa America finalists.
You can sleep on Uruguay (+4000), though, which lost 5-1 to the USA and drew 0-0 with Mexico last month.
Host Nation Advantage
Surprise, surprise. The tournament seems perfectly set up for the first of the three host nations, the USA (+5000), to make a deep run. If the US wins their group, they’d play a third-place team and then the winner of a weak Group G (Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand) in the Round of 16.
It seems unlikely the US will win five knockout stage games in a row, but a Semifinal berth wouldn’t be completely shocking. Christian Pulisic and Co. could do a lot for soccer in the US by making a deep run, though.
Mexico also sit at +5000 FIFA World Cup 2026 futures. However, they haven’t won any of their six matches since winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July. That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in El Tri, and there are no matches in Mexico remaining after the Round of 16.
Even with crazy ticket prices, matches in certain US cities will still undoubtedly have the feel of home games for Mexico, who also have a favorable group. El Tri will take on South Africa, South Korea, and one of the Czech Republic/Ireland/Denmark/North Macedonia. The US should go further than Mexico, though.
Canada (+15000) are still looking for their first point at the World Cup. They lost all three games in both of their previous appearances in 2022 and 1986. This is their best chance to amend that, as they’ll take on Qatar in the group stage and certainly have a chance of going through to the Round of 32.
Jesse Marsch’s men are a more intriguing bet to win Group B (+350) than to win the World Cup.
Longshots
We should all have learned not to discount Croatia (+6600) by this point. Finalists in 2018 and third-place in 2022, Croatia have pulled off plenty of upsets in this tournament recently. Head coach Zlatko Dalic is back for another tournament, along with legendary midfielder Luka Modric.
This is a veteran-led team that may not be flashy, but will be difficult to beat. Even if they lose to England in the Group Stage opener, Croatia should have no problems advancing to the knockout stage.
Ecuador is another team that could shake things up a bit. Moises Caicedo is one of the better midfielders in the tournament, while Willian Pacho and Piero Hincapie lead a strong defense. They are currently on a 15-game unbeaten run and sit at +6600 FIFA World Cup 2026 Futures odds.
2022 Semifinalists Morocco (+6600) knocked out both Spain and Portugal in the last World Cup. They are still dangerous, especially with the addition of Real Madrid’s Spanish-born winger Brahim Diaz. There’s a path for them to make another deep run, and I think they’re better-positioned than Croatia and Ecuador to do so.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Futures: Longshots Part Two
It took penalties for England to defeat Switzerland (+8000) in the Euro 2024 Quarter-final. They have also reached the Round of 16 in three straight tournaments, but can’t seem to get over that hump. They went unbeaten in 2025, though, with two wins over Sweden and a win apiece over the USA and Mexico.
Granit Xhaka remains one of the most underrated midfielders in the world, and Switzerland will go as far as he takes them.
Japan (+8000) managed to defeat both Germany and Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2022 group stage. They went out on penalties to eventual Semifinalists Croatia, and recently picked up a 3-2 win over Brazil. They have lost to the USA and Australia this year and likely won’t be consistent enough for a deep run.
England closed out 2025 with a 9-1 record. The only team to defeat the Three Lions was Senegal (+10000), who seldom lose. Senegal could give France and Norway some problems in Group I and should advance to the knockout stage, even if it’s as a third-place team.
Like Morocco in 2022, Senegal could be the surprise package of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Futures: Best Bet
As much as it pains me to say this, I think England should be the favorites to win the World Cup. The Three Lions finally have an accomplished coach to go along with the most talented squad in the world. I actually think Thomas Tuchel’s recent reluctance to play Jude Bellingham will end up helping the team in the long run.
A motivated Bellingham could be a scary sight, and the box-to-box midfielder already bailed out England a couple of times at Euro 2024. Harry Kane might still be in the squad in four years’ time, but there’s no doubt that this is his best chance at international silverware.
England’s defense has been ridiculously solid, and that is a feature of Tuchel teams. They already showed an ability to grind out results even when playing nowhere near their best at Euro 2020 and 2024. Tactically, England looked completely lost at Euro 2024, and that’s something that has been fixed under Tuchel.
Their attacking options include Kane, Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Noni Madueke, Ollie Watkins, Phil Foden, and a suddenly rejuvenated Marcus Rashford.
Such is the depth of England’s squad that you could easily forget Cole Palmer, who scored in the Euro 2024 final, plays for them.
I’ll be hoping they don’t win, but the best bet is for England to win their first World Cup since 1966 on American soil. Take England’s +600 FIFA World Cup 2026 futures odds.
Best Bet: England (+600)
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