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The most anticipated FIFA World Cup ever is less than a year away. In 2026, a record-breaking 48 teams will face off in the biggest and best FIFA World Cup to date. Three host nations, the United States of America, Mexico, and Canada, will foster games for the most prestigious soccer tournament in the world.
A lot still needs to be determined before the international championship event gets underway considering only 13 teams have qualified thus far, but here are some bold predictions for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
England will walk away victorious
Argentina is the defending World Cup champion. Lionel Messi completed the one thing he hadn't done in his illustrious career when he helped Argentina win their third title overall and first since 1986. Argentina, which was the runner-up back in 2014, defeated France to win the 2022 World Cup.
In 2026, England will be the team that earns the gold. England only has one World Cup Finals appearance, an iconic championship in 1966 on their home field at Wembley Stadium. England seems poised to break out and win it all once again, though. At +700, England has the fourth-lowest odds to win the 2026 World Cup.
The team is so close to breaking through as they finished second in the European Championships in 2021 and 2024. Considering they won the World Cup in storybook fashion in 1966, it only makes sense that they'd have luck on the 60th anniversary of winning it all. Jude Bellingham is one of the rising stars in the world of soccer, and Harry Kane is a legendary player with great goal-scoring ability.
The United States will medal
While the United States women's national soccer team has found success over the years, the men's team hasn't been quite so fortunate. The U.S. only has one top-three World Cup finish. They took third way back in 1930, which was the first year of the tournament's existence.
Team USA was upset in the Round of 16 in 2022, but they are poised to finally break out again for the first time in nearly a century. There isn't as much big-name talent on the roster as usual, but the United States have a complete and deep team, and they could make noise while playing with a home-field advantage.
Sergino Dest, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, and Miles Robinson are the projected defensive starters, and Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie are the expected midfielders. Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic are the forwards with Ricardo Pepi lined up to be the striker.
The biggest question marks for Team USA are about the goalie situation. Matt Turner has the advantage on the starting goalie position, but he still needs to prove himself. A deep Team USA World Cup run would shock the world, but it isn't unrealistic.
Kylian Mbappé will become the all-time goals leader
Kylian Mbappé is arguably the best soccer player in the world. His skills were fully on display during the 2018 and 2022 World Cups as he has scored 12 goals in his career in the prestigious tournament. That is good enough for a tie with Pele for the sixth most ever.
Pele, arguably the best soccer player ever, also happens to be the only player who scored in the World Cup at a younger age than Mbappé. The French star has the most recent World Cup hat trick, and he only trails Miroslav Klose, Ronaldo, Gerd Müller, Messi, and Just Fontaine on the all-time scoring list.
Mbappé, who is only 26 years old, needs just four more goals to tie Klose for first place and five more to overtake him for the lead. With the ease in which Mbappé is able to put the ball in the back of the net, it shouldn't take him long to win the all-time scoring title.
