World Cup diary: France bookmakers’ favourite to win title, Spain second
Reigning champions Argentina enjoy higher odds at 9-1; co-hosts US a surprise entry among top 10
Kylian Mbappe’s France has emerged as the bookmakers’ favourite to win the FIFA World Cup 2026 as the jigsaw pieces fall into place for the round of 32. As the French take on Norway in their last group game past midnight today, 26 June, the odds now range from 7-2 to 4-1 in their favour, according to major betting sites in the US.
Spain, the pre-tournament favourite, slid down the ratings after a goalless start against Cape Verde. However, it has now recovered to reach second place in the odds tracker at 5-1 on Fan Duel and 11-2 on DraftKings and BetMGM, respectively, while England and reigning champions Argentina follow on the leaderboard.
The English had a dull goalless draw against Ghana in their last game but are still on four points thanks to an impressive 4-2 win against Croatia in their opener, and a meeting with an eliminated Panama coming up. Harry Kane’s team is hence ahead of Argentina on FanDuel but the two are tied on DraftKings (13-to-2) and BetMGM (6-to-1).
Despite entering the tournament as defending champions, Argentina entered the tournament at 9-1 behind four or five other teams. However, its stock is up after Lionel Messi scored five goals in the first two games, and the icon is currently sitting pretty as the favourite to win the Golden Boot for the top-scorer.
Where does that leave Brazil, the team with the most World Cups (five) and looking for a sixth? US media says after sliding a bit thanks to a 1-1 draw with Morocco in the opener, the Selecao have recovered with two identical 3-0 wins, but their odds range only from 10-1 to 15-1 and they stand a lowly eighth on the board at DraftKings, below Germany and the Netherlands.
Hosts USA, meanwhile, have been the biggest movers in the top 10. They won their first matches by multiple goals, something only France and Argentina could emulate, and looked good despite going down 3-2 in the last game against Turkey but still progressing to the knockouts. They are long shots to win the tournament at 28-to-1 on BetMGM and 33-to-1 on DraftKings and FanDuel, but it’s a big shift nevertheless to see the team ranked among the top 10.