Who Is Going to Win the 2026 World Cup? The Favorites, the Upsets, and the Team Nobody Saw Coming 🏆⚽🔥

Who Is Going to Win the 2026 World Cup? The Favorites, the Upsets, and the Team Nobody Saw Coming 🏆⚽🔥

World Cup 2026 — Quarterfinals Edition · July 7, 2026
The Quarterfinals Are Set.
Four Teams Will Lift the Trophy.
Here Is Who It Is Going to Be.
Germany is gone. Brazil is gone. Portugal is gone. The Netherlands is gone. The World Cup just got extremely interesting. France leads the odds, Spain hasn’t conceded a single goal, Argentina has Messi at 39 scoring for fun, and Norway — Norway! — just knocked out Brazil. Let’s talk about who is actually going to the Final on July 19. 🏆⚽
8
Teams remaining
July 19
Final at MetLife
+170
France odds to win
0
Goals conceded by Spain

Let’s just acknowledge what has happened at this World Cup before we talk about who is going to win it. Germany — the team that scored seven goals against Curaçao in the group stage — was eliminated on penalties by Paraguay in the Round of 32. The Netherlands — five wins in a row including a 5-1 demolition of Sweden — went out on PKs to Morocco. And Brazil — Neymar and all — lost to Norway in the Round of 16 when Erling Haaland scored twice and Neymar’s consolation goal made it look closer than it was.

This World Cup is completely, gloriously unpredictable. And we are absolutely living for it. 🏆⚽🔥

But somebody is going to lift that trophy at MetLife Stadium on July 19 with 82,500 fans watching and billions more on screens around the world. Eight teams are left. The quarterfinals start Thursday. Here is the full breakdown — the odds, the form, the key players, the path to the Final, and honestly who we think is going all the way.

The Current Odds — Who the World Thinks Will Win 📊

Here are the live outright winner odds as of July 7, 2026, sourced from multiple major sportsbooks. The market has shifted dramatically since the tournament began — especially after Brazil’s shock exit to Norway:

Team
Best odds
Win probability
Status
🇫🇷 France
+170 (7/4)
~37%
Tournament favorite
🇦🇷 Argentina
+425 (9/2)
~19%
2nd favorite
🇪🇸 Spain
+550 (7/2)
~16%
Rising fast
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England
+520 (11/2)
~14%
Surging after Azteca
🇳🇴 Norway
+1700 (17/1)
~5%
Dark horse 🐴
🇧🇪 Belgium
+5000 (50/1)
~3%
Shock contender
🇲🇦 Morocco
Long
~3%
Dream run continues
🇸🇪 Sweden / Others
Eliminated
0%
Out
⚽ Latest World Cup Results — Round of 16 Complete
July 4 · R16
Canada vs Morocco
TBD
Houston · Result pending
July 4 · R16
France vs Paraguay
1 – 0 ✅
Mbappé penalty · France into QFs
July 5 · R16
Norway vs Brazil
2 – 1 😱
Haaland brace! Brazil SHOCK exit!
July 5 · R16
Mexico vs England
2 – 3 🔥
Bellingham x2 · Azteca thriller
July 6 · R16
Portugal vs Spain
0 – 1 ⚡
Merino 90+1 min! Spain unbeaten 35!
July 6 · R16
USA vs Belgium
1 – 4 😢
Belgium dominant · USA exit
July 7 · R16
Argentina vs Egypt
Upcoming
Today · Messi vs Salah
July 7 · R16
Switzerland vs Colombia
Upcoming
Today · For QF spot
July 9 · QF
France vs Morocco
Upcoming
BIG ONE — Paris vs Atlas Lions 🔥
July 10 · QF
Norway vs England
Upcoming
Haaland vs Bellingham ⚡
July 11 · QF
Spain vs Belgium
Upcoming
La Roja still unbeaten
July 11 · QF
Argentina vs Switzerland/Colombia winner
Upcoming
Messi marches on ⭐
⚽ Free World Cup Trip Planner
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The quarterfinals and semis are coming fast. Use the free World Cup Trip Planner to map your trip to any remaining match — from the QFs on July 9-11 to the Final at MetLife on July 19. Free, no signup, works right now.
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The 5 Teams Who Can Actually Win This Thing 🏆

1
+170
🇫🇷 France · Tournament Favorite
Les Bleus — The Team to Beat
Clear #1 Favorite
France is playing the most dominant football in the tournament and it honestly isn’t that close. They have yet to concede a goal in the knockout stage after beating Sweden 3-0 and then clinically defeating Paraguay 1-0 with a Mbappé penalty in the Round of 16. Kylian Mbappé now has nine goal involvements at this tournament alone and 19 World Cup goals overall. He is playing the football of his life. The early exits of Germany and the Netherlands have cleared France’s side of the bracket dramatically — the path to the Final is suddenly looking very manageable. All that stands between them and the semis right now is Morocco, which is genuinely spicy, but France are massive favourites.
9Mbappé goal involvements
0Goals conceded in knockouts
9ptsPerfect group stage
+170Best odds to win
Path to the Final
QF July 9 — vs Morocco (heavy favorites)
SF July 14-15 — vs Norway/England winner (challenging)
Final July 19 — MetLife Stadium, New Jersey 🏆
The Mbappé factor: He is now at 19 World Cup goals and counting. If France make the Final, he will almost certainly become the all-time World Cup top scorer. The best player in the world at his absolute peak. France are not losing this tournament unless something extraordinary happens.
2
+425
🇦🇷 Argentina · Reigning Champions
La Albiceleste — Messi’s Last Dance
2nd Favorite
Lionel Messi is 39 years old and has scored seven goals at this tournament. Seven. He has 20 World Cup goals total making him the outright all-time record holder. He is playing with a joy and freedom that looks like a man who knows this is his last World Cup and absolutely refuses to go home early. Argentina are the defending champions. They have won every match with authority. They have a balanced team, ferocious defensive organisation, and the greatest player who has ever lived operating at a level that defies his age. If France are #1, Argentina are the only team that feels like they could beat them.
7Messi goals this tournament
20Messi all-time WC goals (record)
39Messi’s age · Defying belief
+425Odds to win
Path to the Final
R16 July 7 — vs Egypt (heavy favorites · Messi vs Salah)
QF July 11 — vs Switzerland or Colombia winner
SF July 14-15 — potential rematch with France or Spain
The GOAT watch: If Messi wins this, he would have back-to-back World Cup titles at the age of 39 — the greatest individual football story ever told. The whole world that isn’t French or Spanish is quietly rooting for it. ⭐
3
+550
🇪🇸 Spain · Zero Goals Conceded
La Roja — The Quietly Terrifying One
Rising Fast — Unbeaten 35
Spain beat Portugal 1-0 with a Mikel Merino goal in the 90th minute on Monday. They have still not conceded a single goal in this entire tournament. They are on an unbeaten run of 35 games — tying the longest in their history. Their possession-based tiki-taka style, combined with an elite midfield of Pedri, Gavi, and Rodri, is suffocating opponents. Nobody has figured out how to score against them. They drew 0-0 with Cape Verde in a hiccup early in the group stage but since then have been relentless. If Spain keep that clean sheet run going into the Final they are going to be extremely difficult to beat.
0Goals conceded all tournament
35Unbeaten run (games)
1-0Knocked out Portugal (90+1)
+550Odds to win
Path to the Final
QF July 11 — vs Belgium (who just beat USA 4-1)
SF July 14-15 — potentially vs Argentina or France
Final July 19 — Their first Final since 2010 if they get there
The stat that matters: No goals conceded. Not one. At a World Cup with 48 teams and 104 matches. La Roja are playing defensive football that is a work of art while their attack scores when it needs to. The dangerous kind of team. 🔥
4
+520
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England · The Azteca Conquerors
The Three Lions — Bellingham’s Moment
Surging After Azteca Win
England did something last night that almost no team in history has done — they won at the Estadio Azteca. With ten men. Jude Bellingham scored two first-half goals and Harry Kane added a penalty as England beat Mexico 3-2 in a match that went completely wild. Bellingham is playing the tournament of his life. England improved dramatically in the odds after that win, jumping to third favorites. Their challenge now is Norway in the quarterfinals — Erling Haaland, who already scored twice against Brazil, is going to be the test of whether England’s backline can hold. This is the most interesting quarterfinal of the round.
2Bellingham goals vs Mexico
10Men after red card vs Mexico
WonAt the Azteca — historic
+520Odds to win
Path to the Final
QF July 10 — vs Norway (Haaland is the threat)
SF July 14-15 — vs France winner if they get there
Final July 19 — England’s first Final since 1966
Why England could do it: Bellingham at 22 is operating at a level beyond his years. Kane is scoring. The defense has character. And they just proved they can win ugly when they need to. If they stop Haaland on Thursday, watch out. 🦁

The Dark Horse You Cannot Ignore 🐴

🇳🇴
Norway — 17/1 and nobody is laughing anymore
Norway just knocked out Brazil. Erling Haaland scored twice against Neymar’s team in the Round of 16 and sent Norway into the quarterfinals for the first time in their history. The odds moved from 45/1 to 17/1 overnight. Their next match is against England — Haaland vs Bellingham, one of the most exciting individual matchups left in the tournament. If Norway beat England, they would be in the semi-finals. At that point, this becomes one of the great World Cup stories ever told. Don’t rule it out for a single second. ⚡
🇲🇦
Morocco — The team that eliminated the Netherlands on penalties
Morocco knocked out the Netherlands on penalties in the Round of 32 — their second consecutive deep World Cup run after reaching the semi-finals in Qatar 2022. Now they face France in the quarterfinals. The Atlas Lions are organised, passionate, defensively brilliant, and have shown in the last two World Cups that they absolutely do not care who they’re playing. France are heavy favourites but Morocco beat heavy favourites before. A Morocco vs Argentina semi-final is not impossible. 🦁
🇧🇪
Belgium — Who just beat the USA 4-1 to reach the quarterfinals
Belgium dominated the United States 4-1 in the Round of 16 and now face Spain in the quarterfinals. Nobody gave them much of a chance against La Roja — Spain haven’t conceded a goal all tournament. But Belgium have De Bruyne, Lukaku, and the tournament experience of four semi-finals in the last four editions of the World Cup. If De Bruyne has one of those days, anything is possible. 🇧🇪

🚨 The big story nobody expected: Brazil are out. Germany are out. The Netherlands are out. Portugal are out. The USA are out. This is genuinely the most wide-open World Cup since 1950. Four of the pre-tournament top six favourites have already been eliminated — and three of the final eight teams (Norway, Morocco, Belgium) were not expected to be here at all.

Our Final Prediction 🔮🏆

Alright. Here is the honest take. France are the best team at this tournament by a clear margin and Mbappé is the best player. Spain are the scariest defensive team in the draw and haven’t given up a single goal. Argentina have Messi performing miracles at 39. And England just beat Mexico at the Azteca with ten men.

The Final we are calling? France vs Argentina. A rematch of Qatar 2022 — one of the greatest World Cup Finals in history. This time in New York. July 19. MetLife Stadium. 82,500 fans. The whole world watching. And this time, France are going to win it. Mbappé finishes what he started in 2022 when he scored a hat-trick in the final and still lost. This is his World Cup. 🇫🇷🏆

“France vs Argentina. New York. July 19. The rematch the world has been waiting for. And this time? Les Bleus finish the job.”

🗓️ Plan Your Quarterfinal Trip Now
QF · SF · The Final.
Your Summer Isn’t Over Yet.
Quarterfinals start July 9. Semis July 14-15. The Final July 19 at MetLife. Use the free World Cup Trip Planner to map your trip to whichever remaining matches you can get to — and plan the Final watch party for whoever can’t make it to New Jersey.
🏟️ QF schedule all cities 🗽 MetLife Final July 19 🌆 Host city guides ✅ Free — no signup
🏆 Plan My World Cup Final Trip →
⚠️ Disclaimer: Odds quoted are for entertainment and informational purposes only. Always gamble responsibly. Odds sourced from FanDuel, ESPN, bet365, and Covers.com as of July 7, 2026 — subject to change. This post is not affiliated with any sportsbook. The World Cup Trip Planner (worldcuptripplan.base44.app) is a free tool — not a paid placement. Match results accurate as of July 7, 2026.

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