Published 10 June 2026
The World Cup kicks off on Thursday at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium and concludes at MetLife Stadium near New York City on 19 July.
The tournament features 48 teams competing in 104 matches across three nations over 39 days, including co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States, as well as defending champions Argentina.
Who will lift the iconic gold trophy this time? Which other sides are major contenders? And what are the prospects for England and Scotland?
BBC Sport's television and radio football analysts and co-commentators have shared their forecasts for the next five weeks, and we have also solicited predictions from AI and Opta's 'supercomputer'.
Play BBC Sport's new World Cup predictor game
Play BBC Sport's new World Cup predictor game
Who will win the World Cup?
Alan Shearer: France, but there is a caveat attached β only if internal conflicts are avoided. Given the talent in forward positions, two or three big names will be omitted from every match, so it hinges on whether they handle that situation appropriately.
Danny Murphy: It is difficult to overlook France given their attacking firepower, especially when considering extra time in hot conditions against weary opponents.
Players like Rayan Cherki, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue cannot all start, but they can be match-winners if introduced after 70 minutes in 30-degree heat.
Olivier Giroud: In my view, the two strongest teams are France and Spain. The question is whether they meet in the final or earlier, but I obviously hope France emerge victorious.
Wayne Rooney: England and Spain will reach the final, and hopefully England will win it.
Thomas Frank: France are certainly up there, and Spain too because their playing style is very clear. That gives them a significant advantage, though I still have some doubts about them because they depend on Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams as wingers; without them, I am not sure they possess enough individual quality to pull it off.
Along with Brazil, Argentina, England and Portugal, they are the primary contenders. Many people are saying it is France or Spain, but for me it is between Brazil and England... and I am backing England!
Micah Richards: How teams cope with humidity will be a major factor in this tournament, so South American sides will be formidable.
However, I feel it will be a team that excels at ball retention, which points me toward Spain instead. Argentina will come close, though, because of how they work for Lionel Messi. I still think he can produce something special.
Steph Houghton: Hopefully it is England, but looking at other teams, France have immense quality throughout their squad β especially in attacking areas.
Gael Clichy: France, Spain and England are the three I expect to perform well. Spain seem to win everything at every age level, so they are obviously contenders, but being French I am going with them to take the title.
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Joe Hart: England. But I am not overly concerned about being right or wrong. I just like to support my own, and I want England to succeed.
Martin Keown: Looking at the draw, there will be some massive quarter-finals if the favourites win their groups, such as England versus Brazil and Argentina against Portugal β or Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo.
Is this the hardest World Cup ever to win? Possibly. It feels very open. My head says the best team is France, my heart says it could be England.
Paul Robinson: The only thing stopping France from winning is France. They will need a harmonious dressing room.
Pat Nevin: This is a guess, but England have a genuine chance. Along with France, they are my favourites, and it is a toss-up between the two as to who will triumph.
I also would not be surprised if we get an unexpected winner this time, and Morocco stand out to me, because I covered most of their games when they reached the semi-finals in Qatar. From what I hear, they might be even better now than they were then β and they were excellent then. They will also be accustomed to the heat, which is always an advantage.
Ellen White: Obviously I want England to win. That is what I am going with, but if that does not happen, then France have a very strong squad.
Tony Pulis: It is ridiculous that there are 48 teams and 40 more matches than last time. Good luck to all the nations taking part; everyone will enjoy it, but football at this level is now being exploited as a cash cow.
I have Argentina, Brazil, France, England, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Senegal as my quarter-finalists. My pick to win? France.
Chris Sutton: Spain are an outstanding team, but I have chosen France to win the past two World Cups and was not far off. I am not going to change my mind now β they did not fully click at the last Euros, but I look at their frontline and think they will be difficult to stop.
Who will win the 2026 World Cup? Total votes
France (9): Scott Brown, Gael Clichy, Rachel Corsie, Olivier Giroud, Danny Murphy, Paul Robinson, Tony Pulis, Alan Shearer & Chris Sutton
England (7): Thomas Frank, Joe Hart, Steph Houghton, Martin Keown, Wayne Rooney, Sue Smith & Ellen White
Spain (1): Micah Richards
Why are England in the mix?
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Thomas Tuchel on his World Cup squad selections
Thomas Frank: To win the World Cup you need individual quality, and England definitely have that. Their midfield is very strong, and if they can assemble the right defence, it is robust enough.
They have a real chance. The team will be well organised because Thomas Tuchel is a top coach, plus they have tournament experience, and I am confident they will get their cohesion right as they seem to have some fantastic characters and leaders in the squad.
Ellen White: We have an unbelievable squad, and I feel Tuchel will create a good blend in our team. We also have great players with strong momentum β like Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, who just won the Premier League with Arsenal.
Steph Houghton: Alongside experience, we have some quality young players emerging. My only concern is a lack of game time for some players in our defensive unit, such as John Stones or Reece James.
Alan Shearer: I do not think we will win it, but we can reach the semi-finals because of the talent we have, plus we have a manager who will not be afraid to make bold decisions and leave certain players out. I am not sure that has always been the case.
Hopefully he can get the best out of Harry Kane, as Bayern Munich have done this season with players running beyond him. My guess is that Morgan Rogers, Saka and Marcus Rashford will play, and there are more goals in England β they have all scored goals all season.
Wayne Rooney: I am backing Kane to win the Golden Boot.
Chris Sutton: I worry a bit about England's defence, but when you go through their team, they do not have too many weaknesses.
Sue Smith: England have an elite manager who knows how to win. The team is built on togetherness and balance, but still has the star quality to succeed.
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Danny Murphy: It would be a disappointment not to reach the semi-finals given the quality we have. I think we are a bit too dependent on Kane. Many great teams rely on one goalscorer, but when you look at the other players in the squad, none have been prolific or even consistent for England.
At the back, I would not rate us as highly as France or Spain either. But being weaker defensively than offensively does not mean we are incapable of winning, if luck goes our way.
Martin Keown: England potentially face the toughest last-16 tie if we end up playing Mexico at the Azteca Stadium [if both teams win their groups and beat third-placed teams in the last 32]. Talk about an advantage for Mexico, considering altitude and climate and what that might take out of the England team. Then we probably have Argentina or Portugal in the semi-finals if they progress as expected too.
But, whatever happens with the draw, I feel the chemistry and balance of the group will be the key factor. Winning the World Cup often comes down to a moment of brilliance, and Tuchel has left out one or two maverick players capable of that due to his focus on the group, but that does not mean we cannot still win it.
England are very much in this fight. We are heading to a World Cup that is probably the most open in living memory, because of the quality on display, and we have a team now that dominates possession.
Micah Richards: For England to win, everyone will need to be at their best, and it feels like other countries have players in better form right now. I actually think we are best placed to win the next Euros in 2028. All our top players will be in their prime then, apart from Kane, who will likely have retired.
Paul Robinson: There are players in this England team now who have featured in these big games before, so that might just be the missing ingredient that gets us over the line this time.
We say it every time we go to a tournament β that on our day we can beat anyone, but something has been missing. Now? That big-game mentality is there.
Joe Hart: England are absolutely in the conversation. They are a top team and have made good progress β hopefully this tournament will be the one.
How will Scotland do?
Pat Nevin: The concern for Scotland is that two of the favourites, in my view, Brazil and Morocco, are in their group. That means their entire plan depends on beating Haiti in their first game. Everyone in Scotland knows it, and the manager does too. So, they cannot start cautiously β they have to hit the ground running at full speed.
Can they do it? Well, they have had a good build-up, and the main reason I am very hopeful is that when we played Germany in the opening game of the 2024 European Championship, we looked exhausted, and some of our best players were not fully fit.
That is not the case this time. John McGinn is flying. I have watched Scott McTominay, and he is in extraordinary form for Napoli right now, and Lawrence Shankland is scoring goals.
OK, we have lost Billy Gilmour to injury, but in reality, Scotland look to me as if they are the strongest they have been since Steve Clarke took over in 2019, and that is down to injuries or players being rested. Andy Robertson looks in brilliant shape because he has only played half a season at Liverpool. It is the same with McGinn, who was out for a few weeks at the start of the year.
Chris Sutton: Scotland will beat Haiti β it is just about how Steve Clarke approaches it and whether he goes with two up front, which I think is worth the risk in this game.
Ben Gannon-Doak will be important for them β he did not start a Premier League game for Bournemouth last season, but he provides that dynamism when everyone will be focused on McTominay in midfield and McGinn.
Most people think Brazil and Morocco are certainties to finish in the top two of Group C, but I actually think Scotland could snatch a point off one of them too. It might sound far-fetched, but they could finish higher than third.
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Alan Shearer: If you win one group game, you are likely to make the last 32, and Scotland's chance is against Haiti. With their fans behind them β they will have a huge following as usual from the Tartan Army β they can do it.
Tony Pulis: Scotland have a habit of doing things they should not at World Cups, but they cannot fail against Haiti... surely?
Scott Brown: We will get three points and advance from our group. The first game against Haiti would be a good one to secure that, but it will not be as easy as everyone thinks.
Steph Houghton: It is a tough group for them, but I think they will get out of it, and they will believe they can achieve something special. They have genuine individual quality in a few positions, and as a group, they know their identity and play to their strengths.
Rachel Corsie: We will get out of our group, and I think we will win one more match after that. Then, who knows?
Sue Smith: They can reach the last 16.
Ellen White: If they can deliver a big performance against Haiti and build momentum and confidence, that can carry them into the knockout rounds.
Who might spring a surprise?
Thomas Frank: I am going for Norway. They have well-known Premier League players like Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, but they also have others who can change games β Alexander Sorloth of Atletico Madrid, Antonio Nusa at RB Leipzig, and Oscar Bobb of Fulham, who is a really top talent.
It is their first World Cup since 1998, so they will come with drive and hunger too. I know everyone will bring that to this tournament, but it is different when you have been absent for so long. Scotland will have that enthusiasm as well, but they do not have the same individual quality.
Paul Robinson: Saudi Arabia will surprise a lot of people. I cover the Saudi Pro League every week and know their players inside out. We saw what Al-Hilal did at last year's Club World Cup, beating Manchester City and drawing with Real Madrid, and I can see Saudi Arabia bringing that to this tournament.
Turkey will be tough to beat, and while I know Belgium and the Netherlands are not exactly outsiders, they are not among the favourites either. No one is really talking about them, but both have a mix of experience and younger players, and they will be happy flying under the radar at the moment.
Ellen White: I am looking forward to watching Norway, and Japan did well when they beat England in March.
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Norway dress up as Vikings for World Cup
Rachel Corsie: Turkey could be tricky for some, and I do not know if this is really a surprise, but I think Japan could go beyond what their world ranking of 18 suggests.
Steph Houghton: Japan. I really liked the way they played at Wembley.
Olivier Giroud: One of the African teams. Maybe Ivory Coast, Senegal or Ghana β all dangerous on their day.
Alan Shearer: Morocco could upset some of the big teams, as they did when they beat Spain and Portugal to reach the semi-finals in 2022, but my concern for this World Cup is that the number of teams could dilute the quality in the early stages. There could be a lot of dull matches until we get to knockout football.
Danny Murphy: The underdogs who perform well are usually built on a strong defence, like Morocco were last time. Ecuador have players like Chelsea's Moises Caicedo, Willian Pacho of Paris St-Germain and Arsenal's Piero Hincapie, and they had an incredible defensive record in qualification, plus they will be used to playing in humidity.
Wayne Rooney: Norway could do quite well, and I like Ecuador too.
Martin Keown: Ecuador will be difficult to beat. When I have watched them, they always keep things very tight.
Chris Sutton: I am not sure Ecuador will score enough goals with 36-year-old Enner Valencia leading their line, but they are one of my picks, along with Japan.
I became a bit of a celebrity in Japan when I correctly backed them to beat Germany at the last World Cup, or at least I appeared on TV over there to talk about it. They have some excellent technical players and will be dangerous against anyone.
Joe Hart: I am not really a fan of dark horses. In any match, I always want the main team to win, and it will be a similar feeling when I watch this tournament. I want everyone to go out and express themselves, have a great time... but ultimately I do not want anyone to get in England's way!
Gael Clichy: Switzerland are a very dynamic group of young players, and their team and federation have progressed a lot over the past eight years or so. I have played there, so I have been following them, and I would like them to be the surprise of this tournament.
Sue Smith: I am going for the US as hosts to go further than people think.
Tony Pulis: Japan might have a good run, and Norway, Morocco and Senegal are my other outsiders to watch.
What do the machines think, and do you agree?
You have read what our expert humans think, but what about the machines?
Opta's 'supercomputer' can tell you your team's exact chances of winning any competition at any given time.
It is actually a complex algorithm that uses a model based on betting-market odds and the sports analytics company's own 'Power Rankings', which are calculated using past results.
For this World Cup, it has simulated the tournament's outcome 25,000 times β and has calculated that Spain are the most likely winners (in 16.1% of the simulations).
France (13%), England (11.2%) and Argentina (10.4%) are also given strong chances of glory. Scotland? Not so much.
Clarke's side are down the list in 33rd place, with only a 0.2% chance of winning the World Cup according to Opta, but on the upside, in the same simulations they advanced from Group C two-thirds (66.1%) of the time.
AI has also had its say. Its prediction was generated using Microsoft Copilot Chat β we simply asked the tool 'who will win the World Cup and how will England and Scotland do?'
Copilot Chat says Spain will win it, England will reach the semi-finals, and Scotland will go out in the group stage, despite finishing third in their group.
Do you disagree with our experts? Think algorithms are for boffins, not for football? You can pick your winners below.
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