2026 World Cup: Who will win this summer's tournament?

The 2026 World Cup will officially begin on June 11, with co-hosts Mexico opening the tournament against South Africa in Mexico City.

It is shaping up to be a fascinating carnival of football, with 48 teams bidding for glory, but there can only be one winner from the final on July 19.

Here, Sports Mole picks out five contenders for the trophy before revealing which team we believe will go on to win the tournament.

France (champions in 1998, 2018)

Widely regarded as the favourites to triumph this summer, France were World Cup champions in 2018 and boast arguably the most talented squad at the tournament.

Head coach Didier Deschamps can call upon truly elite attacking talents such as Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise, while Desire Doue is also seemingly in line for a strong tournament considering his form for Paris Saint-Germain.

Arsenal's William Saliba was one of the best centre-backs in world football during the 2025-26 campaign, while Barcelona's Jules Kounde, Bayern Munich's Dayot Upamecano and Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni are also among their world-class players.

Mbappe is the favourite to win the Golden Ball this summer, but the Blues have been drawn into what could potentially be a tricky Group I alongside Senegal, Norway and Iraq.

France were losing finalists in 2022 to Lionel Messi's Argentina.

Spain (champions in 2010)

European champions Spain have only won the World Cup on one previous occasion, triumphing in 2010, but there is no question that they are among the favourites considering the strength and quality in their squad, and their recent body of work.

Indeed, Spain triumphed at the last European Championship, beating England in the final, but it would be fair to say that they have struggled in recent World Cups.

Since lifting the famous trophy in 2010, Spain have failed to make it past the round of 16 at the tournament, including a group-stage exit in 2014.

Lamine Yamal's fitness has been a major talking point, with the generational talent missing the end of Barcelona's 2025-26 campaign through injury, but he will be involved this summer and could potentially help La Roja secure a famous win.

England (champions in 1966)

Thomas Tuchel has been brought in by England to win the World Cup, but a lot of the build-up from a Three Lions point of view has centred around the squad selection, which was incredibly controversial.

Whether there is enough 'talent' in the squad to win the World Cup remains to be seen, but there will be a degree of expectation on the Three Lions, who famously won this competition in 1966.

England reached the semi-finals in 2018 and quarter-finals in 2022, while they have been runners-up in the last two European Championship finals.

How the England players deal with the conditions will have a big say in whether the national team are genuine challengers for the trophy, but Harry Kane - arguably currently the best player in the world - could lead the Three Lions to glory.

Argentina (champions in 1978, 1986, 2022)

Could it be back-to-back World Cups for a certain Lionel Messi?

Argentina are the reigning world champions following their success in 2022, and they are bidding to win a fourth World Cup in 2026.

There had been some doubt whether Messi would feature at the competition, but the 38-year-old has been selected and will be aiming to add to his 117 goals for the national team.

Whether there is enough quality elsewhere remains to be seen, but the conditions could favour the non-European nations, and Argentina simply cannot be discounted.

Brazil (champions in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)

It was between Brazil and Portugal for the fifth team on this particular list, and we just settled on the five-time world champions, who now have a truly elite manager at the helm in the shape of serial winner Carlo Ancelotti.

Selecao last won the World Cup in 2002, but they have since fallen four times in the quarter-finals and also reached the semi-finals on home soil in 2014.

Brazil have quality all over the pitch, with Gabriel, Marquinhos, Casemiro, Vinicius Junior and Raphinha all expected to play big roles for the national team this summer.

Selecao will need a lot of luck along the way in order to lift a sixth World Cup, but they simply have to be placed in the argument due to their immense history in the tournament.

Sports Mole's pick: France

We are struggling to see past France this summer. The Blues have a sensational squad packed full of serious talent, and we are expecting the national side to lift the World Cup for a third time next month.