Every four years, the world stops. Offices empty. Bars fill up at 9 a.m. Nations hold their breath over a piece of leather and 22 men.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is upon us, with a historic 48 teams competing across Canada, Mexico and the United States for one trophy. Every team will dare to dream in the spirit of the tournament, but there are only a select few teams that have a realistic shot of going all the way.
Here are the five sides who actually have a shot at lifting it:
(Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images)
France is the undeniable juggernaut going into the 2026 World Cup. Its manager, Didier Deschamps, is often labeled as pragmatic (which is just a polite word for boring), but heading into 2026, he refined this team into a terrifying tactical machine. France’s game plan is simple: Invite pressure, then punish you for it. The moment an opponent steps too high, Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise — who could finish this club season with a staggering 50-plus goal contributions — are already gone. Those three will pose all sorts of nightmares for opposing defenses.
There’s no weakness in this French team. Its squad depth is so elite that you could make a legitimate case for its “B” team making a deep run in this competition. In a historic 48-team World Cup, Les Bleus’ ability to rotate without dropping quality is their most underrated advantage. They are the absolute favorites for good reason.
(Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Usually there’s a hangover after a team wins the World Cup. Argentina didn’t get the memo.
This is almost certainly Lionel Messi’s final World Cup, and that alone gives Argentina a weight no other team carries into this tournament. But Lionel Scaloni’s side isn’t built around just Messi. It’s a hard, well-drilled unit that knows how to suffer, how to counter and, most importantly, how to win ugly. With Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister entering their prime, the engine room behind Messi is more than capable of carrying the load. Argentina isn’t just playing for a trophy. It’s playing for history.
(Photo by Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
The Southgate years are over. Gone is the cautious, safety-first approach that defined his tenure. In its place, Thomas Tuchel arrived with high demands and the expectation that this squad actually plays to its ability and lifts a trophy in a major tournament.
Tuchel’s system prioritizes control through the middle via Declan Rice’s cerebral play. From there, the idea is to find the talent of Jude Bellingham in the half spaces where he thrives. Then there’s striker Harry Kane, who is having one of the most remarkable individual seasons in the history of European football. With more than 55 goals and assists for Bayern Munich at this point, no striker is arriving at this World Cup in better form.
For a country that has been waiting 60 years, the window has rarely looked this open. Is it finally coming home?!
