Who are the favorites to win WC 2026?

It is time for some good speculation and prognostication. (You can pick up to two choices.)

strange that everyone rates the world champs so low. okay, messi will not have that role anymore, but they have won all in the last 3 years. 2 copa and a world cup and they are comfortably leading in the conmebol qualifiers. t.b.h. what more could they do? I also believe that a north african team could shine, maybe again Morocco, but Algeria or Egypt also seem capable to reach at least the QF. From Europe, I see Germany, Netherlands and Turkey as the strongest contenders, if they qualify. Do not rate England, Spain and especially France that high.

If Colombia are listed as option for the poll Uruguay should have been there too

Colombia has the same problem as us which is lack of depth. Our "A" teams are pretty strong but that's not enough to win a 8 match tournament. There's a massive drop off in quality between our starters and the bench.

I think Spain is hands down the favorite in my mind. England would be up there with them if it were not for their big question mark at Manager. Maybe once that gets resolved I would have more confidence but as of now I am very hesitant to pick them in top 5 let alone top two.

England were just so bad in the Euros its difficult for me to put them in my top 2. I know some of that was on Southgate but he is probably not as responsible as alot of people say (would replacing Kane with Watkins or Bellingham with some overhyped EPL player really been a game changer?). So, I'll vote Spain and France. They've both shown fairly recently they know how to manage a long int'l tournament. Also, no Italy in the poll? Come on... I know they don't look great atm but how many times have they not looked good 2 years out from a WC and then gone on to win it? Or if not win, look super impressive.

strange that everyone rates the world champs so low. okay, messi will not have that role anymore, but they have won all in the last 3 years. 2 copa and a world cup and they are comfortably leading in the conmebol qualifiers. t.b.h. what more could they do?Argentina has as good a chance as anyone to win this that is for sure. However, it is difficult to win back-to-back World Cups. Add another round of 32 knockouts and it makes it even more difficult. France was so close to doing it though in Qatar so maybe Argentina can make the Final again but their heart and soul was Messi and to a lesser extent Di Maria so it will take a lot for them to win it again.

That was 30 years ago. Teams worldwide have much improved and closed the gap on Europe since then. Let's look at more recent tournaments outside of Europe. Qatar 2022 = 5 uefa teams in quarters Brazil 2014 = 4 uefa teams in quarters South Africa 2010 = 3 uefa teams in quarters I expect similar numbers to these.Yes, i would expect somewhere between 4 and 6 of the quarterfinalists to come from Europe. My point about USA94 was directed at the venue; I doubt North America will be particularly difficult for UEFA teams compared to other locations outside Europe. Also in 1986 there were five UEFA teams in the last 8.

Spain, England are the obvious choices. Maybe France again if Deschamps quits before (not likely). Germany and Netherlands are doing fine right now but they lack quality in a few positions. I don't see a south american team winning.

I think both Messi and Ronaldo will TRY and play to their countries detriment.Not so sure. Messi's numbers were still pretty darn good in the Copa America this summer. Its one thing to say he won't help his country as much as he did in 2022, but its a looooonng way from that to being a detriment. I mean, his experience alone ....

I dont see 14 to 15 uefa teams making the knockouts, even in this new format. That's way too optimistic IMO. 2022 you already had 3 uefa teams finishing last in their groups. Denmark, Serbia, Wales. Denmark and Serbia were particularly strong teams going into that WC, and they still finished last. I definately see more than 1 or 2 uefa teams failing to qualify.Yeah, but remember the groups will be weaker and most third-place teams will advance. If you get 3 points v Jordan or Panama you already have a foot and 3 toes into the knockout stage.

That was 30 years ago. Teams worldwide have much improved and closed the gap on Europe since then. Let's look at more recent tournaments outside of Europe. Qatar 2022 = 5 uefa teams in quarters Brazil 2014 = 4 uefa teams in quarters South Africa 2010 = 3 uefa teams in quarters I expect similar numbers to these.Yeah, UEFA depth is a bit overrated imo. But something to consider is that there will probably be more than 13 UEFA teams in the final 32 (13 being of course the # that qualified in the 32-team WC). So, to predict that only 3-4 out of 14-15 will advance past the first 2 KO rounds might be a stretch, imo. Though, as I wrote above, so much will depend on how the brackets shape up. There are at least 5 UEFA teams that I would fancy getting to the QFs, but of course they could encounter each other before the quarters (or Argentina/Brazil).

Seven of the 8 quarterfinalists were from Europe at USA94. .That was 30 years ago. Teams worldwide have much improved and closed the gap on Europe since then. Let's look at more recent tournaments outside of Europe. Qatar 2022 = 5 uefa teams in quarters Brazil 2014 = 4 uefa teams in quarters South Africa 2010 = 3 uefa teams in quarters I expect similar numbers to these.

I am not as sure he will play. If he does play he surely won't be as effective as 2022.I think both Messi and Ronaldo will TRY and play to their countries detriment.

Seven of the 8 quarterfinalists were from Europe at USA94. Even though there would be a 16-year interval from the last first-time winner, I don't expect a first-time winner this time, including the Netherlands and Portugal. I'd put my money on a UEFA team: England, Germany, Spain or Italy (in that order). I expect it will be Conmebol that doesn't fulfil high pre-tournament expectations.

In some ways I agree. Depends on the position though. Keepers I think are all slightly above average but Mier in Mexico has the highest ceiling. At CB Colombia is pretty stacked and deep compared to most nations but LB and RB not so much. DFM is getting there and should be fine by 2026. Attacking mids should be okay but too reliant on James and he is difficult to replace as of now. Hoping a few young guys step up. Wings I think are okay. At least deep enough to make a run. #9 is a depth problem but the youngster Duran has a lot of potential. Never seen a 20 year old Colombian like him before.