Every four years we are treated to the best tournament in soccer, and this summer’s tournament will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In this article I will take a look at potential first time winners of a World Cup in 2026.
Portugal
The World Cup trophy is the one that has gotten away from Cristiano Ronaldo and his fellow countrymen. Portugal have still yet to reach a World Cup final in their history, while they have reached a semi-final on two occasions. Could this be the year? They certainly have all the talent in the world to do so. In 2022, they were upset by Morocco in the quarter-finals. In 2018, it was a Round of 16 exit to Uruguay. Expect the Portuguese to make it deep into the knockout rounds once again, but the question will remain if they can finally kick down the door and get themselves into a final.
Netherlands
The Dutch have come close before, but the trophy remains elusive. Similar to Portugal, the Netherlands have all the tools to make a deep run in this tournament and make it to the final. They’ve been to the final before, three times to be exact, but have fallen short at the final hurdle on every occasion. In 2022, they lost to the eventual champions Argentina in one of the best games of the tournament on a penalty shootout. In 2018, they shockingly did not qualify for the tournament. They’ve got the quality to make a good run with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Jurrien Timber and Jeremie Frimpong. Let’s see if they can make it count in 2026.
Belgium
Belgium are usually there or thereabouts in the latter stages of the World Cup, but they’ve never made it to a final. In 2022, they were knocked out shockingly early in the group stage. In 2018, they made it to the semi-final, falling to the eventual champions France in a narrow 1-0 defeat. This is an aging squad, and 2026 might be the last chance for this core group of players. The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois are all on the back nine of their respective careers, so this feels like the last dance. Can the Belgians make an unlikely push to get their first World Cup in 2026?
So, will there be a first time winner?
DraftKings Sportsbook is backing a previous winner to get their hands on the trophy again at -280 odds. If you think there will be a new World Cup winner for the first time in their history, those odds are available at +200.
Below is the full list of countries in the 2026 World Cup that have never lifted the trophy and their outright odds to win on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Portugal +1000
Netherlands +2000
Norway +3000
Belgium +3500
Colombia +4000
Morocco +5000
USA +6000
Switzerland +6500
Japan +6500
Ecuador +8000
Croatia +8000
Mexico +8000
Senegal +9000
Turkey +10000
Sweden +10000
Austria +15000
Scotland +20000
Canada +20000
Czech Republic +25000
Ivory Coast +25000
Ghana +30000
Egypt +30000
Paraguay +30000
Algeria +35000
South Korea +40000
Bosnia +50000
Australia +60000
Tunisia +70000
Iran +70000
DR Congo +100000
South Africa +100000
Cape Verde +100000
Saudi Arabia +100000
Panama +100000
Uzbekistan +150000
Qatar +150000
New Zealand +150000
Iraq +150000
Haiti +250000
Curacao +250000
Jordan +250000
