Lionel The captain of Argentina, current world champion, included Brasil, França and Inglaterra among the main candidates for the title. The statement occurred during a promotional event at Miami, where the player plays for Inter Miami.
The Argentine star highlighted the potential of his rivals even after the title won in 2022 at Catar. Ele avoided placing its own team as the only favorite and adopted a cautious stance regarding the next Mundial with 48 teams.
Messi also mentioned the growth of other teams, but focused praise on the three European and South American countries mentioned.
Messi’s statements about rivals
The Argentine player praised the technical level of the selected teams.
“Brazil has incredible players, França reached two finals in a row and Inglaterra has a very strong squad”, said Messi.
He acknowledged that the competition will be even more competitive with the new format of the tournament.
Brasil’s strong cast impresses
Brasil appears as one of the most feared selections by Messi. The team led by Dorival Júnior has Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo and young values like Endrick.
The Brazilian team is looking for sixth place after being eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2022.
The country will host Copa América 2024 in preparation for Mundial.
France maintains 2018 champion base
França reaches Copa from Mundo 2026 with Mbappé as the main reference. The team was runner-up in 2022 and maintains a large part of the squad that won in 2018.
Didier Deschamps has been in technical command since 2012.
The European country has a recent tradition at the end of Copa.
England seeks first world title since 1966
The Inglaterra presents a generation led by Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden. The team reached the final of Eurocopa 2020 and the quarterfinals in 2022.
Gareth Southgate has led the project since 2016.
The English squad combines experience and youth at a high level.
New format of Copa from Mundo 2026
The tournament will have 48 teams for the first time in history. The competition will feature 12 groups of four teams each.
The top two in each group and the eight best third-placed teams advance to the knockout stage.
The final is scheduled for July 19, 2026 at MetLife Stadium, at Nova Jersey.
Preparation of favorite selections
Brazil, França and Inglaterra compete for Eurocopa and Copa América in 2024 as an important test.
- Brazil faces Espanha and Inglaterra in March friendlies
- France debuts at Euro against Áustria in June
- England catches Brasil in Wembley and Bélgica in friendly
The three teams invest in renewing their squad for Mundial.
Recent history of the teams mentioned
Argentina won the 2022 Copa against França on penalties. Brasil was eliminated by Croácia also on penalties in the quarterfinals.
England fell to França in the quarter-finals of the last Mundial.
The four teams achieved the best results in recent years.
Calendar until Copa 2026
The South American qualifiers continue until October 2025. Na Europa, the places are defined in March 2025 via repechage.
Fifa draws groups in December 2025.
The tournament starts on June 11, 2026.
