Argentina leads the ranking of favorites for the 2026 World Cup, Brazil in fifth behind Spain, France and England By Thiago Lemos
3 min read
 |
The British newspaper The Athletic published this Thursday, December 4, 2025, the definitive ranking with the 64 teams ordered by probability of winning the Copa of the Mundo of 2026. The current champion Argentina occupies the first position, benefiting from the titles of the Copa of the 2021 and 2024. Brasil appears in fifth place, ahead of Portugal (7th) and Alemanha (8th), but behind three European teams.
The list considers recent performance, technical continuity, quality of the squad and history in knockouts. With 42 teams already classified and the group draw scheduled for this Saturday in Washington D.C., the ranking serves as a reference for the expanded Mundial with 48 participants.
- Total games in Copa 2026: 104 matches
- Tournament Dates: June 11 – July 19, 2026
- Main headquarters: Estados Unidos, México and Canadá
It’s nearly time… ⏳
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup)December 4, 2025
Visithttps://t.co/zJTWWlvUsito find out where you can watch the Draw in your territory.
Complete ranking of Top 30 seconds
Check out the official list released by the British vehicle below:
- Argentina
- Spain
- France
- England
- Brazil
- Countries Baixos
- Portugal
- Germany
- Morocco
- Colombia
- Croatia
- Uruguay
- Belgium
- Egypt
- Senegal
- Ecuador
- Korea Sul
- Norway
- Costa do Marfim
- Japan
- Mexico
- Italy
- Switzerland
- Ghana
- States Unidos
- Australia
- Austria
- Algeria
- Denmark
- Iran
Why Argentina remains the main favorite
The team led by Lionel Scaloni kept almost the entire 2022 champion squad. The achievement of Copa América 2024 reinforced recent South American hegemony.
The vehicle highlights technical stability as a differentiator. Scaloni has been in the position since 2018 and has already accumulated three consecutive international titles with the adult team.
Europe dominates the podium with Espanha, França and Inglaterra
Espanha occupies second place thanks to the generation of Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Gavi, champion of Euro 2024. Inglaterra closes the top 4 with a deep squad and an undefeated campaign in the qualifiers.
These three European teams appear ahead of Brasil, which has not beaten an Copa from Mundo since 2002.
Brazil in fifth seeks the hexa with Ancelotti
Seleção Brasileira was placed in fifth place, surpassing Países Baixos, Portugal and Alemanha. The main positive factor is the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti as coach from 2025, bringing experience of five Champions League.
Vinícius Júnior is in the top 10 of the best players projected for the tournament, alongside Rodrygo, Endrick and Apesar of individual talent, early eliminations in 2018 and 2022 weigh on the score.
African and Asian surprises in the top 20
Morocco maintains ninth place after the historic semifinal in 2022. Egito (14th) and Senegal (15th) appear as the main African forces, followed by Costa of Marfim (19th).
In Ásia, Coreia of Sul (17th) and Japão (20th) lead the continent, ahead of México (21st) and Estados Unidos (25th), one of the hosts.
New format favors zebras and balance
The Copa 2026 will be the first Copa with 48 teams and 12 groups of four teams each. The top two in each group and the eight best third-placed teams advance to the round of 32.
This model increases the chances of surprises and gives more rounds to emerging teams. The final is scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium, at Nova Jersey, at 3pm local time.
