Finally, the greatest event in sports has returned! The 2026 World Cup kicks of Thursday, June 11, as the United States, Mexico and Canada host. Find our soccer expert’s World Cup predictions below, including Golden Ball winners, tournament champion picks, biggest disappointments and dark horse candidates.
2026 World Cup Predictions
Who Will Win the 2026 World Cup?
Griffin Wong: It’s pretty chalky, but I’ve gotta go with France. Les Bleus’ midfield isn’t the strongest in the tournament, but their defense is good enough and their attacking options are just ridiculous. Ousmane Dembélé might win his second straight Ballon d’Or and somehow isn’t the best attacker on his own team! Plus, they’ll be battle-tested from their very first match since they face Senegal (in my opinion, the most well-rounded team in Africa). If they win Group I, their knockout draw is very favorable, as the strongest team in their quadrant of the bracket (on paper) is the Netherlands, which has an aging core and will be without Jurrien Timber. Kylian Mbappé just finds a way to come up clutch for his country, and Didier Deschamps has won the World Cup as both a player and a manager.
Blake Krass: France is my pick to win the World Cup. Didier Deschamps has led France to back-to-back World Cup finals, and won it in 2018. The amount of time and experience he has with this group of players is invaluable at a tournament like this. The attacking group of Kylian Mbappe, Marcus Thuram, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise is by far the best in the tournament. They will be nearly impossible to beat and in a big final, I trust this group over any other.
Ciaran Doyle: Spain. They have not lost a competitive match inside of 90 minutes since March of 2023, when they fell 2-0 to Scotland. Taking aside penalty shootouts, this time is undefeated in over three years.
2026 World Cup Golden Ball Predictions
Griffin Wong: This award is likely going to go to a player on the winning team, so if Les Bleus indeed end up lifting the trophy, it is Mbappé’s to lose. In just two World Cups, he sits sixth with 12 goals, just four shy of passing Germany’s Miroslav Klose. It’s possible that he won’t finish this tournament as the all-time top scorer, depending on how far Lionel Messi (13 goals) can take Argentina, but given that Mbappé has scored at least 0.8 goals per 90 minutes against elite competition in each of his past eight seasons and ran riot through this past Champions League, I wouldn’t put it past him to reach double digits in this tournament alone. He’ll be the primary penalty taker for a side with the competition’s most aggressive attack.
Blake Krass: My pick for player of the tournament is Michael Olise. Anyone who wasn’t familiar with Olise’s game was likely introduced to it during Bayern Munich’s run in the Champions League this season. Olise is an incredible talent who can score wonder-goals, create assists and is simply magical on the pitch. He is the key player on France’s squad that I am picking to win, so he is my pick to win this award.
Ciaran Doyle: Lamine Yamal. We might be looking at a generational talent here like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. This will be his first World Cup, and if it looks anything like his first Euros, Yamal will be the best player on the best team.
Who Will Be the Biggest Disappointment at the 2026 World Cup?
Griffin Wong: Expectations might be as low as ever for Brazil, so I’m not sure if this even counts as a “disappointment”, but I’m just not sold by this current version of the Seleçao. They failed to beat either Argentina or Uruguay in qualifying, scored fewer goals than either the Albiceleste or Colombia, and then decided to leave João Pedro — the lone bright spot amid Chelsea’s miserable season — at home. I’m highly skeptical that Brazil will be able to take all three points against Morocco in its opening match, given that its best player, Vini Jr., will be marked by Achraf Hakimi. Whether the Seleçao win their group or not, the Netherlands or Japan won’t be easy in the Round of 32, and Senegal, Ecuador, or Ivory Coast could await in the Round of 16.
Blake Krass: Cristiano Ronaldo will be the most disappointing player at this tournament. This Portgual team is excellent, with arguably the best midfield in the tournament. However, at the 2022 World Cup and 2024 Euros, it was so evident that Ronaldo was not up to the incredible level he set for himself over so many years. His insistence on being the star of the team, taking free kicks and just consuming so much energy everywhere he goes will be the thing that stops Portugal from winning this World Cup.
Ciaran Doyle: The United States. Although I do think they will advance to the knockout rounds comfortably, that’s when I expect this team to run into some difficulty. The U.S. will hope they don’t run into any European teams, as they have lost nine straight games to European sides.
Which Team Will Make the Most Surprising Run at the 2026 World Cup?
Griffin Wong: Last World Cup, Morocco became the first African nation to make the semifinals, and the Atlas Lions — ranked seventh in the world — can no longer be considered a dark horse. While most discourse surrounding the African teams has focused on Morocco and Senegal, I’m high on the Ivory Coast, which just beat France in a friendly. The Elephants have some talented young wingers, including Manchester United’s Amad Diallo and RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomandé, and scoring 30 goals and conceding none in African qualifying is no fluke. I’m not sold by either Germany’s defensive midfield or its attack, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ivory Coast tops Group E (though I still have it finishing second). It’ll have a tough Round of 16 opponent whether it wins its group (France) or comes second (Brazil/Morocco), but it has the most valuable squad on the continent for a reason.
Blake Krass: Switzerland is my pick to go on a surprise run in this tournament. They are one of the most underrated teams in Europe this century. They have made the Round of 16 in four of the five 21st century World Cups. They are in a very favorable group, and are favorites to win that group. With Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel in goal, Inter Milan’s Manuel Akanji anchoring the back four, their captain Granit Xhaka in midfield and Breel Embolo up top, there is a great spine to this team.
Ciaran Doyle: Norway. This team has no experience in big tournaments, but they are in red-hot form and have two star players in Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard. They’re in a tough group with France and Senegal, but I think they make it to the knockout rounds and can advance their way further into the tournament than most people think.
2026 World Cup Hot Takes
Griffin Wong: One team currently favored to win its group will be eliminated in the group stage, and one team currently expected to finish bottom will end up advancing as a top two team. On paper, this 48-team World Cup looks fairly chalky, as even the weak Pot 1 host nations have -750 or better odds of advancing to the knockouts, but few would’ve expected Germany to be knocked out in the group stage in 2018 or 2022 or Costa Rica to win its group in 2014. Die Nationalelf could be knocked out again, given that Ecuador and Ivory Coast should be strong competition, and Portugal have a sneakily difficult group and play a lone striker formation built for 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo. As for the team currently slated to finish bottom that will end up in the top two, I’ll take Cape Verde. Topping perennial participants Cameroon in qualifying takes a certain level, and Uruguay (nominally the second-best team in the group) has a lot of question marks beyond Federico Valverde.
Blake Krass: My hot take is that Mexico does not make it out of the group stage. Despite being a host nation, things are not good for Mexico at the moment. They did not make it out of the group at the 2022 World Cup and all of the vibes have been off ever since. They are the favorite to win their group this year, but all three teams are tough opponents. South Africa, South Korea and Czechia are all dangerous teams that present their own challenges. If things go wrong for Mexico, the anger and anxiety of the home fans could turn into a disadvantage.
Ciaran Doyle: All three of the host nations are knocked out by the end of the Round of 16. I’m not sure if the U.S., Mexico or Canada have what it takes to compete with teams from Europe and South America. Not having to qualify for the tournament doesn’t help, as the only lead in preparation these teams have had was in friendlies.
More 2026 World Cup Content
Check out our World Cup 2026 landing page for additional content and live, updating group tables as the tournament begins!
