Last week, we covered the favorite three teams to take home the 2026 World Cup Trophy, and for this week’s watchlist, we will look at the teams that have the next best odds to upset these favorites and take it for themselves. Some could argue they are relatively interchangeable with the top three.
England
Today, England is ranked as the No. 4 country in the world and is in Group L, taking on Croatia, Panama, and Ghana. The Three Lions are predicted to move on from their group and advance to the knockout stage as another higher seeded team, but with No. 11 Croatia in their pool, their journey might not be as straightforward as some would think.
England has a hard history with the World Cup, although they are one of the eight nations to ever win it. They have appeared in 17 World Cups, with their inaugural tournament taking place in 1950, missing the first three due to not being a member of FIFA at the time. They won their first and only World Cup in 1966 as the host nation, and have been chanting “it’s coming home” ever since.
The team has had a heartbreaking run at the last two World Cups, especially as one of the favorites. They got fourth place in 2018, and were knocked out in the quarter finals in 2022. Both of these times England had a good shot to win it all. With a culture so engrained in football and a fanbase as passionate as the English, losing it when you get that close hits the country’s fans hard.
The English fans are known not only for their, but also for their chants, and this tournament, the team is giving them something to chant about.
The team has veteran captain and all-time leading goal scorer for England at 78 total international goals, Harry Kane. He has been present for the lows in 2018 and 2022 as well as losing the Euros to Italy in 2021, but he is a prolific scorer for the team winning multiple scoring titles and Premier League Golden Boots for Tottenham. Kane will be the main target for the offense, and he is surrounded by multiple talented teammates.
Young 22 year old superstar Jude Bellingham is one of those teammates, coming in third place for the 2024 Ballon d’Or voting as well as being a key player in winning the Champions League with Real Madrid and being named La Liga Player of the Season that same year. Bellingham will be controlling the midfield for the English heading into the tournament, but he won’t be alone.
Declan Rice has become a household name for England in the central midfield, playing a big part in England’s success these past few years even if they haven’t fully converted. He too is decorated with awards, winning Player of the Season for the UEFA Europa Conference League as well as many “Hammer awards” for West Ham United, his club.
Other notable players are Jordan Pickford who will be in goal once again for the English, Phil Foden in the midfield, and John Stones on the backline. England has what is considered a very deep roster making them a very adaptable team.
The manager for England is Thomas Tuchel, who replaced Gareth Southgate after a finals loss in the 2024 Euros. This will be his first time as head coach for England in a major tournament, but he has had a lot of success as a club manager. He won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, and has won domestic titles in Germany and France. We will see if Tuchel will bring in home for the English for the first time in 60 years, if he can, he will be a legend in English football.
England will have a chance to set the tone on June 17 at 1:00 PM when they play their first match against Croatia, and I believe this will set the stage for the rest of their campaign England could pull it off, but they will need to stay out of their own heads and not let the nerves take over as they get close, especially since there is so much pressure for them to finally win again from their fans.
Brazil
Brazil comes in today ranked No. 5 in the World and will be in group C playing against Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland. Brazil is the country that has had the most success at the World Cup, notching a total of 5 titles, more than any other country, winning in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002. Not only that, Brazil has been to the World Cup every single tournament, appearing in all 23.
Brazil is consistently considered a team that you cannot count out when it comes to winning the World Cup, especially given their five championships and only being taken out in the group stages twice. The team is consistently finishing in the single digits in the World Cup, being the runners-up twice and having a fair share of 4th and 5th place finishes, only finishing outside the top ten twice in their long history.
Brazil has made it to the quarter-finals every single tournament following their championship in 2002, with the exception of getting 4th place in when they hosted the tournament in 2014, and they will be looking to break that streak and extend their lead of most World-Cups won by a country to two this year.
The team is very strong when it comes to their offense, having multiple talents at their disposal, one of which is Vinícius Júnior. Vinícius is considered one of the best active players in the World, and the winger will play a crucial role in leading Brazil through the World Cup. He has performed under pressure multiple times being at Real Madrid, winning two Champions League titles with the club in his career with them.
Vinícius is joined by his rival at F.C. Barcelona Raphinha, which will give Brazil a devastating winger duo. Raphinha not only is a talented scorer totalling 34 goals last season for Barcelona, but he is one of the speedier players on the pitch as well. He will be expected to play a big role this year especially given the major Brazilian question mark that is Neymar Júnior.
Neymar suffered back-to-back major injuries and has finally worked his way back into action in February, and Brazil would love to have their all-time leading scorer back if he will be healthy enough to play.
Neymar has scored 79 goals for the country, and adding him back into an already stacked Brazilian offense may help propel them into contention for winning the World Cup this year. However, he would need to be in great condition to compete at the quality that many remember him for, so it will be interesting to see if he makes his way back onto the roster.
Other major key players in Brazil’s squad are the veteran keeper Alisson Becker who is widely considered one of the best goalies in his class, and midfielders Rodrygo and Bruno Guimarães.
Carlo Ancelotti, a man who needs no introduction will be at the helm for Brazil. He has coached at many of the major clubs around Europe, and has won titles with all of them as well as Five Champions Leagues. For a man with so many trophies and honors, he has never coached at the international level, and this will be the perfect way to cement himself even more as one of the greatest football headcoaches in sports history.
Brazil has a great shot at taking it all the way, and we will know exactly how strong this squad is when they face off against No. 8 in the world Morocco in the group stages on June 13 at 3:00 PM to kick off their 2026 Campaign.
Portugal
Portugal is No. 6 in the World and will be in Group K competing against Uzbekistan, Colombia, and the winner of FIFA playoff 1 which is between Jamaica, New Caledonia, and DR Congo which will be decided on March 31.
Portugal’s history with the World Cup is relatively not as long as the other heavy weight teams. They’ve appeared in just eight total World Cups with their inaugural one being in 1966 where they had their best finish of third place. They didn’t qualify again until 1986, and after that, 2002, where they have been at every single one since.
Portugal has made their presence known recently, with their last finish at the World Cup being a quarter-finals exit in 2022, but they also won the 2025 UEFA Nations League, demonstrating that they are a formidable squad.
The team will combine veteran experience with youth to make up the roster, and the veteran leader of this squad is widely considered one of the best to ever do it: Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is Portugal’s all-time leader in goals and appearances, appearing in five FIFA World Cups, and scoring 143 goals for them. Ronaldo fans all around the World are hoping that he will make his presence felt in what should be his final World Cup.
Ronaldo is not alone and has a lot of support around him such as midfielders Vitinha, João Félix, and the creative Bruno Fernandes as well as a strong backline featuring Ruben Dias, Nuno Mendes, and goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
The team is led by Roberto Martinez, who has been manager since 2023. He previously was the Belgian head coach where he had relative success. Portugal is comfortable with him as the head coach, especially given his finish at the UEFA Nations League where they defeated Spain who is currently No. 1 in the World.
Portugal fans have never felt as confident as they do for this World Cup, especially following their UEFA Nations League Championship in 2025 where they defeated No. 1 Spain. Ronaldo and his fans certainly want him to win the World Cup after his long time rival Lionel Messi secured his in 2022. It would certainly be poetic to see both Ronaldo and Messi end with one World Cup a piece, and everyone wants to see the two legends face off one last time at the 2026 World Cup.
Each of these teams have a very good shot even though they may not be the top three favorites, they certainly all have the talent to make their very own runs, and with each of these teams being as hungry as they are, it will be interesting to see which of these teams feasts on the World stage, and which ones will go hungry.