Who will win the 2026 FIFA World Cup? France and Spain are usually the top nations that immediately come to mind — and for good reason. If all goes to plan, those two should definitely be in the mix to win it all. Any other result would be slightly disappointing depending on the context. But Les Bleus and La Roja will have several challengers in an open 48-team tournament, ranging from powerhouses to dark horses and everything in between. Let’s analyze some of the top squads at the tournament in no particular order: 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer Mar 3 Everything to know about the 2026 FIFA World Cup: Teams, how to watch and more 2026 World Cup Dec 6, 2025 Full 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule: See the key dates, kickoff times and venues 2026 World Cup Dec 3, 2025 How will the 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup work? New format explained France Les Bleus have usually been at the forefront of international football, especially since winning the World Cup in 2018. That’s when Kylian Mbappe made his mark on the world stage, nearly doing so again in the final loss in 2022. Mbappe is in need of a strong performance to boost his currently shaky reputation, while he’ll have starpower help in Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Desire Doue in attack. William Saliba headlines the defense, though the midfield choices feel a bit outdated. Still, it should be enough to contend. Spain The tiki-taka leaders enter the tournament with some health issues involving star winger Lamine Yamal. The 18-year-old’s health will determine the team’s true ceiling, just like the 2024 Euros. The midfield features Rodri, Pedri, Fabian Ruiz and Martin Zubimendi, while Mikel Merino and Mikel Oyarzabal are reliable veterans who contribute with goals and link-up play. David Raya and Unai Simon will be an intriguing goalie debate, though the defense is where the question marks lie. Marc Pubill should be a regular starter to optimize the unit. Portugal Portugal comes into the World Cup with the best midfield. Vitinha and Joao Neves will continue their partnership from club level, while Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva are also versatile options. Diogo Costa is the clear No. 1 in net, while Matheus Nunes’ emergence at right-back helps solve that question mark. The ironic issue now is Cristiano Ronaldo. Still the face of the team, he’s no longer at his peak and it can hurt the team if he plays excess minutes. It’ll be interesting to see how that’s managed by Roberto Martinez — or it could be costly. Argentina Lionel Messi is the clear headliner for a nation hoping to repeat as World Cup winners. He’ll need Julian Alvarez, Nico Paz and Enzo Fernandez to be clear difference makers up the pitch, with Emi Martinez set to continue at No. 1. The question mark involves an aging defense that doesn’t offer much freshness compared to 2022. It should be manageable if the offense is clicking, but that area is where opponents can find some joy. Valentin Barco could play an underrated role with his technicality. Netherlands After being viewed as dark horses thanks to some recent up-and-down tournament performances, it feels like now’s the time for the Netherlands to go on a serious run. The team is pretty intriguing despite star right-back Jurrien Timber being a late injury cut. Bart Verbruggen could be the next big goalie, while Virgil van Dijk headlines a defense loaded with Premier League-proven talents. That continues in midfield with Ryan Gravenberch, Justin Kluivert and Tijjani Reijnders, while Frenkie De Jong is fit and flowing again. The attack has had issues in the past, but Donyell Malen is in terrific form alongside fresh options in Crysencio Summerville and Brian Brobbey. ...read more read less