Updated 13 June 2026. With the group stage now under way, here is how the race to lift the trophy looks.
The first 48-team World Cup arrives with an unusually deep field of genuine contenders. Spreading the matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico means more games, more travel and more chances for the form book to be torn up. Before you open the interactive bracket, here is how we rank the sides most likely to be standing in New Jersey on 19 July.
The front-runners
Spain head most assessments of the field, and it is easy to see why. La Roja followed their Euro 2024 triumph with a settled, technically dominant core: Rodri shielding the back four, Pedri dictating tempo, and a forward line built around movement rather than one talisman. The one cloud is the fitness of teenage winger Lamine Yamal, who picked up a hamstring problem in the build-up - a reminder that even the strongest squad can be undone by a treatment table. Depth in midfield, though, gives Luis de la Fuente more answers than almost anyone.
Argentina remain serious contenders as the reigning champions. Lionel Scaloni has kept the spine of 2022 intact while blending in younger legs, and the team's tournament temperament is unmatched. Lionel Messi's farewell narrative adds emotional weight, but the real strength is balance: a miserly defence around Cristian Romero, a relentless engine room, and the goals of Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez. You can read our projected Argentina XI for how it may line up.
France are chasing a third consecutive final and have arguably the most frightening attacking talent pool on the planet. Yet there are warning signs: a tricky group and a stuttering warm-up schedule, underlined by a friendly defeat to Ivory Coast on 4 June. When France click they beat anyone; the question is consistency over seven matches.
England may have their strongest squad in decades, with Harry Kane leading the line and Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice anchoring a powerful midfield. The talent has never been the issue - converting it into a first major trophy since 1966 is. A favourable-looking path could finally help.
The next tier
Defending finalists and serial over-performers fill out the picture. Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti carry the usual flair plus, for once, a pragmatic streak. Portugal still lean on Cristiano Ronaldo but have a midfield - Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Bernardo Silva - good enough to win it. Germany, rebuilding around Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, are dangerous if the young core peaks together. Keep an eye, too, on the sides in our underdogs guide, because the expanded format gives outsiders more room than ever.
Our friendly, no-stakes prediction
This is a fun call with nothing riding on it. Weighing squad depth, tournament know-how and the draw, our pick to lift the trophy is Spain - provided Yamal recovers - with Argentina the side we would least like to meet in a knockout decided by nerve. If you disagree, the beauty of a 48-team tournament is that the margins are razor-thin. Build your own run to the final in our bracket and see who you would back.
Sources
- ESPN, "World Cup 2026 Power Rankings, 30 days out" - https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48677225/fifa-world-cup-power-rankings-spain-brazil-germany-england-argentina
- FOX Sports, "2026 World Cup Power Rankings" - https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/2026-world-cup-power-rankings-alexi-lalas
- Al Jazeera, "Ivory Coast beat France in World Cup warning to one of the favourites" - https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/6/4/ivory-coast-beat-france-in-world-cup-warning-to-one-of-the-favourites
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