Can Argentina win its second World Cup in a row? Will France reclaim the cup after losing to Argentina on penalty kicks? Can Spain finally get past the round of 16? Maybe England or Brazil capitalizes on their raw talent. Who will bring home the cup?
As of now, Argentina is the reigning champion. Most of the squad for the last World Cup will be back. Even though Leonel Messi and Nicolas Otamendi have aged, the rest of the World Cup-winning lineup is in their prime. The attack and midfield are the strong suits of the team. Nico Paz has exploded onto the scene this season. He will be expected to help Messi with creativity in the final 3rd. Julian Alvarez has developed nicely under Simeone in La Liga; he will be competing with the Serie A top scorer, Lautaro Martinez. Enzo Fernandez and Alexis McAllister were an amazing duo in midfield. Both had up-and-down seasons, but every time they play together, they are unstoppable.
The problem with this team is the defensive line. Outside of the goalie Martinez, the rest of the back line hasn’t played very much this year, whether it’s due to injury or not being good enough to play regularly at the club level. Otemendi had his 38th birthday in February, and his center-back partner, Christian Romero, has been injured and will miss the tournament. The full-backs aren’t much better. The starting right back, Molina, has only started 13 of a possible 38 games all season for his club team. The left back, Taglifigo, has only started 14 of a possible 38 games. The only bright spot of the defense is goalkeeping. Martinez is the reigning World Cup Golden Glove recipient.
France is the consensus favorite going into the tournament. There really isn’t a weakness in the roster. Every position has elite talent and depth. The strongest part of the team is the attack. Michel Olise, Ousmane Dembele, and Kylian Mbappe are all going to be finalists for the Ballon d’Or. Other attackers representing France are Rayan Cherki and Bradley Barcola. Any combination of those 5 will be detrimental to any team they face.
The midfield isn’t as strong, but it is still good enough to potentially win a World Cup. Aurelien Tchouameni and Angolo Kante are both proven defensive midfielders, and their back-ups, Kepheran Thuram and Adrian Rabiot, are also very quality players. The midfield is lacking offensive creation, but that may be for the best because of the attackers that France has at their disposal.
The defence has improved from the last World Cup. The center back position is stacked. Max Lacroix, Daut Upumacano, Ibrahima Kanote, and Willian Saliba are all starter quality. Salba will most likely start next to Upamacono, but any combination will be solid. The full-backs are also strong. Theo Hernandez and Jules Kounde are good, and the goaltender, Mike Magnan, is decent, but the center-backs will cover most of the defensive responsibilities.
Spain, coming off winning the European Championship, and their Ballon d’Or winner, Rodri, are back from injury. Spain feels like it can beat any team on the planet. Lamine Yamal has had an amazing season, but it was cut short by injury. Spain will need an in-form Yamal if they want to make a run in the World Cup. Spain will rely heavily on Yamal to score and create goals.
The best part of the team is the midfield. A double pivot of Rodri and Pedri is deadly. The third midfielder could be Martin Zubemendi, Dani Olmo, Fremin Lopez, or Fabian Ruiz. Depending on the matchup, I could see any of the four starting with Pedri and Rodri.
Defensive players, veteran Aymeric Laporte and the teenager Pau Cubarsi, have a lot of experience, as they played and started most games together throughout the qualification games. The right-back will probably be Marcos Llorente, and the left-back will be Marc Cucarrella. Both are reliable, but nothing special.
The aforementioned Yamal leads the forwards, but he’s not the only attacker of note. Nico Williams has had a rough season due to injuries, but he’s a very dynamic winger and has good chemistry with Yamal. Mikel Oyozabal, the starting striker, is a proven goalscorer at the club and international levels, with 157 goals in total. The offence isn’t as good as France’s, but Spain should be fine with their goal scoring.
This year’s World Cup hosts some amazing teams, but just being good on paper or having a good record going into the tournament isn’t enough to win; you have to get out of your group and then win 4 consecutive games. Also, there is always room for dark horses to come out of nowhere. The two dark horses in this tournament are Brazil and England. Both countries have struggled to win games, even though they have comparable talent to the 3 previous teams.
England has a star-studded roster, but their self-centered players and extreme pressure from their country have held them back from winning any tournament of this century. This may be the year they finally put it together. Brazil has similar problems with England—a skilled group of players that can’t get out of their own way. The only difference is how weak the full-back position is. For them to make any real noise this summer, the coach will have to change the formation to better protect the fullbacks. They recently signed one of the best coaches on the planet, Carlo Ancelotti. If anyone can figure out the Brazil puzzle, it’s him.
France will win the 2026 edition of the World Cup. The attack may be the best attack to ever head to a World Cup. The rest of the team isn’t anything to scoff at. The amount of world-class players in one national team is very rare, and I believe that nobody can beat them.
