2026 FIFA World Cup: France, Argentina Overtake Spain As Favourites Ahead of Round of 32
- Opta’s supercomputer has updated its prediction for the World Cup winner ahead of the knockout stages
- Spain which arrived at the tournament as favourites have dropped further down the list of potential winners
- 2022 finalists Argentina and France are now the top two favourites to win and could meet in the final again
Spain arrived at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the leading favourites, but things have changed as the Round of 32 enters full gear in the tournament.
La Roja played a shocking draw against debutant Cape Verde in their opening match, but bounced back with wins over Saudi Arabia and Uruguay to finish top of the group.
Only three countries finished the group stage with a perfect record of three wins: co-hosts Mexico, Argentina and France, with only El Tri not conceding.
Argentina and France could potentially play in a second consecutive final after both teams fall on different sides of the knockout chart after the group stage.
Spain and France will meet in the semi-final if both of them reach that stage, meaning that both of them cannot play in the final this year.
Brazil and England are in the same bracket and will meet in the quarter-final if they reach that stage, with the possibility of facing Argentina in the semi-final if they make it that far.
Portugal have a difficult task at hand early in the knockout stage with Spain and France their potential Round of 16 and quarter-final opponents. There will not be a Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo at the World Cup unless they both reach the final.
Legit.ng looks at the top five favourites to win the World Cup as Round of 32 kicks off fully, as predicted by Opta's supercomputer.
Top 5 World Cup favourites
France
Two-time champions France have become clear favourites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup after their impressive showing during the group stage led by Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise Les Bleus now have 22.47% chance of winning the tournament.
Argentina
Defending champions Argentina also had an impressive outing during the group stage led by captain Lionel Messi who scored six goals in three matches. La Albiceleste now have a 15.90% chance of retaining their title.
Spain
La Roja went into the tournament as the leading favourites to win the tournament, but an opening-match draw against debutant Cape Verde allowed France and Argentina to overtake them. Luis de la Fuente side now has 13.2% chance of winning their second world title.
England
Thomas Tuchel's side would have had a flawless group stage campaign if not for a shocking 0-0 draw against the Black Stars of Ghana. They remain one of the favourites to win the tournament with a 9.32% chance of winning.
Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo’s side were not all that brilliant in the group stage. A 5-0 win over debutant Uzbekistan in between draws against the Democratic Republic of Congo and Colombia meant they finished second. They have a 4.98% chance of winning.
Morocco
2022 semi-finalists Morocco are already in the Round of 16 after eliminating the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties after an intense battle in 120 minutes. They have 10.98% chance of surpassing their semi-final reach in 2022 and a 4.45% chance of winning.
Source: Legit.ng
