The 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium on Thursday, with the final scheduled for 19 July at the MetLife Stadium near New York City.
Forty-eight nations will compete across 104 matches over 39 days, spread across co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States, with holders Argentina also among the contenders.
BBC Sport’s pundits have shared their predictions, with France emerging as the most popular pick among the panel of experts asked to assess the tournament’s likely winner.
Alan Shearer has backed France, but with a caveat: “France, but there’s a caveat that comes with it – only if there is no in-house fighting. With the ability they have in forward positions, two or three big players are going to be left out every game.”
Danny Murphy echoed that view, citing the physical demands of the tournament: “It’s hard to look past France with the firepower they have, when you think about extra time in hot weather against tired legs.”
France collected nine votes in total, with England picking up seven and Spain receiving one, from Micah Richards, who pointed to their ability to control possession as the decisive factor.
Thomas Frank went against the grain, backing England to lift the trophy, while also acknowledging the threat posed by Brazil, France, Spain, Argentina and Portugal as genuine contenders for the title.
Wayne Rooney was direct in his assessment, predicting an England versus Spain final and backing Harry Kane to win the Golden Boot once the tournament reaches its conclusion.
Martin Keown described this edition as potentially “the hardest World Cup there has ever been to win,” with his head pointing to France but his heart pulling him towards an England triumph.
Chris Sutton backed France for the third consecutive World Cup cycle, explaining: “I’ve gone for France to win the past two World Cups and I wasn’t far wrong. I am not going to change my mind now.”
Tony Pulis used the opportunity to voice broader concerns about the expanded format, stating: “It’s ridiculous that there are 48 teams, and 40 more games than last time. Football at this level is now being used as a cash cow.”
On Scotland’s prospects, Pat Nevin stressed the importance of beating Haiti in their opening game, noting that John McGinn, Scott McTominay and Lawrence Shankland are all in strong form heading into the tournament.
Chris Sutton backed Scotland to progress from Group C, saying he believed they could “nick a point off one of them too,” referring to Brazil and Morocco, adding that it “might sound far-fetched but they could finish higher than third.”
Among potential surprise packages, Norway received multiple mentions thanks to the presence of Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, while Ecuador, Japan and Morocco were also highlighted as teams capable of causing upsets.
Opta’s supercomputer, which simulated the tournament 25,000 times, gives Spain the best chance of winning at 16.1%, ahead of France at 13%, England at 11.2% and Argentina at 10.4%, while Scotland were placed 33rd with just a 0.2% chance of overall glory.
