Brazil appears among the top 5 candidates for the title; tournament will be the biggest in history, with 48 teams and 104 games
8 days before the start of the 2026 World Cup, Spain appears as the favorite for the title at the main bookmakers. The odds point to the team ahead of France and England, while Brazil is consistently among the top 5 candidates to lift the cup.
In , Spain leads with odds of 5.20. In and , it appears with 5.50, while in , it shares the lead with France, both with 5.50. In , the Spanish team has 5.49.
France appears next, with odds ranging from 5.50 to 6.20, depending on the platform. England appears as the 3rd force, with odds of 6.98 to 8.00.
Brazil remains among the main candidates for the title in all the houses analyzed, with odds ranging from 9.00 to 9.50. Argentina and Portugal complete the group of highest-rated teams, while Germany, the Netherlands and Norway appear next. Belgium and Colombia appear in more distant positions, depending on the platform.
2026 Cup
The 2026 edition will be the biggest in the history of the competition. For the first time, FIFA will bring together 48 teams, with 104 matches played over 39 days, from June 11th to July 19th. The tournament will be hosted in 16 cities across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The opening is scheduled for June 11th, with the duel between Mexico and South Africa. Mexico will become the first country to host 3 editions of the World Cup.
The final will be played at MetLife Stadium, in New Jersey/New York. Given the expansion of the format, FIFA is already discussing the possibility of expanding the tournament to 64 teams from 2030, the year of the competition’s centenary.
Brazil debut
The Brazilian team will make its debut on June 13, at 7 pm (Brasília time), against Morocco, at MetLife Stadium. Brazil reaches its 23rd participation in World Cups, being the only one to have played in all editions since 1930.
The country holds the record of 76 victories in the history of the tournament and the best overall record, with 67% of victories. In the current edition, he is looking for his 6th world title to end a 24-year drought, since winning it in 2002.
Among the historical highlights, Brazil won the 1970 edition in Mexico with a perfect campaign, led by Pelé, Jairzinho, Tostão and Rivellino, and won definitive possession of the Jules Rimet Cup. The team also had a notable participation in 1930, when it scored its first goals in the history of the competition with Preguinho.
