11 Writers Pick France and Spain as 2026 World Cup Favorites Days Before June 12 Kickoff
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 8
11 Writers Pick France and Spain as 2026 World Cup Favorites Days Before June 12 Kickoff
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 8
Summary
France and Spain dominated an 11-writer prediction panel ahead of the 2026 men’s World Cup, with France drawing the most title picks and Spain close behind as the tournament nears its Mexico City opener.
Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Michael Olise emerged as the standout individual names — Mbappe was the most common Golden Boot choice, while Yamal and Olise led Golden Ball and breakthrough-player discussions.
Mexico was the most frequent pick among the three co-hosts to make the deepest run, with several writers citing Estadio Azteca, altitude and home support as advantages; others backed the U.S. for its deeper squad.
Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Norway and Mexico were popular dark-horse selections, while Argentina, Brazil and England were repeatedly flagged as teams most likely to underperform expectations.
The predictions underline a wide-open 48-team tournament, with writers split on whether established powers will prevail or whether home conditions, expanded format and emerging young talent will reshape the field.