Last week, we covered the three host countries for the 2026 World Cup, and for this week’s watchlist, we will be taking a deep dive into the favorites to take home the historic trophy.
Three stand out from the 48-team pack to go all the way. They’re the top dogs on the world stage: Spain, Argentina, and France. Let’s have a closer look at these teams and why it seems likely one of them will be the next World Cup champion.
Spain
As of today, Spain is ranked as the No. 1 country in the world and will be playing in Group H against Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. They are the clear favorite to win their group and move on to the knockout stage as a higher seed, putting them in prime position for making a championship run.
Spain has a rich history with the World Cup, being one of only eight countries to ever claim the trophy, winning it in 2010 against the Netherlands. Spain has been in the tournament 17 times, attending every single one since 1978.
The team was knocked out in the round of 16 in the past two World Cups, losing in penalties to Morocco in the most recent one. The team is considered strong in every aspect of the game and has proved that point, going undefeated in all 27 games played in 2025. The team focuses on a technical, high paced passing philosophy and maintains possession at a high rate, not to mention a star studded line up.
The team features 18-year-old phenom Lamine Yamal alongside Pedri. who Spain head coach Luis De La Fuente believes to be the best midfielder in the world, the consistent Fabián Ruiz, offensive threat Dani Olmo and brick wall goalkeeper David Raya as well as plenty of other talented players.
Rodri will be a big question mark leading into the tournament, as he is still in the recovery process from a serious ACL tear in late 2024. However,if he can play for Spain at a pre-injury level, that would be a huge added benefit to an already stacked roster.
De La Fuente has been at the helm since December 2022, and he has had pretty much instant success with the team. So much so that he took Spain to promised land in the UEFA Nations League in 2023, and then again at the 2024 UEFA Euros, and of course the 27 game winning streak in 2025 has the team and fans confidence levels at an all time high.
The roster’s average age is around 27, allowing for a mix of young emergent talent as well as experienced veterans to keep them cool and collected.
Spain is certainly the big favorite in many fans’ eyes, and with everything going right for them in recent tournaments and international games, they are the clear choice to win the 2026 World Cup. Will they become overconfident and lose a game they shouldn’t?
I believe there is no way Spain does not walk straight into the knockout rounds and make a deep run. I am slightly skeptical when everything seems to be going right for a team, as their lack of adversity could leave them ill-prepared for the World Cup’s volatility. Everybody plays their heart out for the entire 90, but for Spain, if they play the game the way they have been playing, effort may not be enough and we may likely see “La Roja” hoist yet another major trophy.
Argentina
The 2022 World Cup Champions are looking to repeat in 2026, coming into the tournament ranked No. 2. Argentina is the front-runner for Group J, facing off against Algeria, Austria and Jordan. This will be their 14th consecutive tournament, appearing every time since 1974.
Argentina’s history with the World Cup is one of relative success, playing in the world’s tournament 18 times, and having won it 3 times — in 1978, in 1986 and of course, in 2022.
Not to mention, the team has finished second three times as well, being the runner-up in the first ever World Cup in 1930, as well as finishing second in 1990 and 2014. The country holds the 4th most World Cup titles and will be looking to join the two-way tie between Italy and Germany at four this year.
Being one of the World Cup powerhouse nations as well as the reigning champions, there are a lot of expectations for Argentina. The team has a strong roster, and similar to Spain, they have an average age of 28 years old including proven champions as well as younger rising talent.
The team will be led by a man who is widely considered one of the best to ever play the beautiful game, Lionel Messi. Messi is joined by a strong attacking duo of Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez, Rodrigo De Paul in the midfield and goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez who will be looking to repeat his performance from the last World Cup. Argentina retained the core from 2022 and added youth around it, making it one of the strongest teams in the tournament.
Lionel Scaloni will be looking to make magic happen again, fighting for his spot in the history books attempting to become the second coach all time to win multiple World Cups.
Interestingly enough, we will have a preview of how things might shake out this World Cup via the Finalissima on March 27 at 11:00 a.m PST. This is a one game cup played between the CONMEBOL Copa América winner and the UEFA European Champion, which is Argentina and Spain.
Argentina could definitely repeat, and it would be a major historical moment for the country, Lionel Scaloni, and an amazing send off for Lionel Messi. With a telling game coming up, we may have a clear picture on who could win it all, but Argentina is definitely a solid favorite to repeat.
France
France comes into this tournament with a bitter taste in their mouth, looking for revenge. In an all out World Cup Final for the ages, they fell short to the reigning champion Argentina despite mounting an impressive comeback to take it to penalties.
They are currently No. 3 in the World entering the tournament in Group I which also contains Norway, Senegal, and the inter-confederation playoff winner between Bolivia, Iraq, or Suriname. France is a heavy favorite to come out on top of the group, and it would be shocking to see them not make it out.
France has a strong history in the World Cup, especially as of late. The team has won the title twice, once in 2018, once in 1998, and got second in 2022 and 2006. They have appeared in 16 World Cups, and have been in every one since 1998.
The French have been dominant, and this year is no different. The team roster features multiple stars, one of which is considered one of the best players currently around the world: Kylian Mbappé. Mbappé made history in 2022 becoming the second player to ever score a hat trick in a World Cup Final and will be on a mission to perform at that quality again this year. He has earned multiple awards both individual and team, and is looking to make even more history as he needs five more goals to have the most goals in a World Cup for a single player in their career, needing 17 or more to beat the current record at 16.
Having Mbappé seems like it would be enough, but France also has the talented winger Ousmane Dembélé, strong defender William Saliba, as well as young talents Michael Olise and Désiré Doué and plenty of other pieces alongside them.
Didier Deschamps will be running the show for Les Bleus and has been since 2012. He is one of the longest standing coaches in international soccer, and has been riding a hot streak since 2018 where they won the title, then made the finals in 2022. He made it happen once and has the same level of talent if not better since then, there is no reason why he won’t be able to do it again this year.
France faithfuls are confident, and as I said already, the team wants revenge, revenge against Argentina from stopping their back to back World Cup titles, and they will have their chance. That’s right, all three of these powerhouses are on the same side of the bracket, and France will have to face Argentina as they are on the same half with the winner most likely playing Spain.
This will be a showdown of the ages to see which juggernaut will prevail to the World Cup finals, or potentially, which underdog is waiting in the shadows for their chance to shock the world, I guess we will just have to see.