FIFA World Cup 2026 Predictions
Many of the major football league campaigns have now finished and the champions decided. The domestic seasons are over for the vast majority of players. But we will soon all be enjoying arguably the most prestigious event in football, as the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway in Canada, Mexico, and the US.
With an expanded format, this World Cup will be the largest ever, with 48 nations competing to lift the most famous trophy in football. There will be 104 games played during the six weeks of competition, with all the best sportsbooks profiled at www.onlinesportsbetting.net covering every single moment of the action.
With that in mind, we have come up with a few predictions of our own. Anything can happen at a World Cup, of course. But here are four of our predictions for the finals.
Spain Will Struggle
Until recently, Spain was ranked the number one team in the world by FIFA. It is only France’s performances over the last few months that have knocked La Roja off the top spot. Luis de la Fuente’s side is many people’s favorite to go all the way and lift the World Cup in July. But this is a team that may well struggle.
Spain’s squad is undoubtedly packed with some of the finest players on the planet, but winning the World Cup takes something special. That ”something special” at the 2024 European Championship was Lamine Yamal. But a hamstring injury saw him miss the end of the La Liga season, and now it has been confirmed he will play no part in the first two group games this summer. That has to be a concern for Spain, and even though it should still progress, any Yamal absence dents its hopes of winning this summer.
Senegal Will be the Best-Performing African Team
Ask any France fan how concerned they felt when the draw was made for the 2026 World Cup. Les Bleus went into the 2002 finals as holders but crumbled after Senegal shocked the world by winning the tournament’s opening game. At the time, the African side was playing in its first-ever World Cup, but now it is one of the strongest teams in the competition.
As well as the players who compete in all the best leagues in the world, there is a seething sense of injustice that could spur Senegal on to great things this year. After beating Morocco in the AFCON final at the beginning of the year, the result was reversed on appeal, handing the hosts the title instead. Senegal didn’t need any extra incentive to do well in North America, but now this is a team on a mission.
Harry Kane Will Win the Golden Boot
Whether “football comes home” or not this year is still to be seen, but England goes into the finals on the back of an incredible qualifying campaign. Like Norway, the Three Lions won every single game, but went one better by not conceding a single goal in the eight games. At the other end of the pitch, it was a common sight to see Harry Kane scoring the goals that won those games.
England is one of the favorites to go all the way, after improving steadily over the last few years and reaching the final of the last two European Championships and the semifinal of the World Cup in 2018. Kane is the talismanic captain of the side and will be the one who scores the goals if the team does well. Messi, Ronaldo and Haaland will all be worthy challengers, but it could be Kane who goes home with the Golden Boot.
The USMNT Will Fall at the Group Stage
This prediction may be something of a long shot, and one that will not go down well with millions of fans looking forward to the finals returning to their country for the first time in 32 years. But there is a real danger that the USMNT could fall at the very first hurdle and not make it out of the group stage.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino has been criticized for still not knowing his best starting eleven and for a less-than-impressive build up to the finals. Anything but a win in a tricky opening game against Paraguay will set the alarm bells ringing, with tough ties against Australia and Türkiye to follow.