The 2026 FIFA World Cup is less than three months away, and this summer’s tournament will be a monumental one for several reasons. The upcoming showdown will be the biggest edition of the competition ever, as 48 teams embark upon three North American cohosts, resulting in almost twice as many games as we saw back in Qatar four years ago. This summer will also mark the final time that all-time greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo venture onto the global storied stage, with the former turning 39 during the tournament and the latter already 41 years of age.
Messi’s Final Stand
Messi, of course, heads to North America as part of an Argentina team looking to become the first side since their rivals Brazil 64 years ago to successfully defend the trophy. The Albiceleste famously reigned supreme in the Arabian Gulf in 2022, with their talismanic captain front and center, being named as the player of the tournament at the ripe old age of 36 after a series of stunning displays, including two goals in the final victory against France. This summer, three years older, the question remains as to whether the greatest player that’s ever lived still possesses the quality required to lead his side to glory once again.
Online betting sites are currently unconvinced. The latest soccer World Cup betting at Bovada odds list the defending champions as an 8/1 shot to leave MetLife Stadium with the famous gold trophy in tow on July 19th, with Spain, England, France, and Brazil all considered more likely. But at this point, punters know better than to write off the little magician, even with his advancing years.
This summer, some teams will have more difficult paths to a potential final than others. But which of them has the toughest route to the biggest game the beautiful game has to offer? Let’s take a look.
England
If England are to end 60 years of hurt this summer, they will have to do it the hard way. The Three Lions know all about that.
Gareth Southgate led the English to back-to-back European Championship finals in 2021 and 2024. He also helped them to the World Cup semifinals for the first time in 28 years in 2018. All three of those games ended in defeat.
Now, Chelsea’s former Champions League-winning boss Thomas Tuchel is at the helm, and he led England through a stellar qualifying campaign consisting of a perfect eight wins from eight without conceding a single goal. He will need to ensure that his side continues in that kind of form in North America because anything less than perfection could result in yet another heartbreak.
England will face off against nemesis Croatia in the group stage, the team that beat them in that World Cup semi-final in Russia eight years ago, and also the one that stopped them from qualifying from Euro 2008 altogether all those years ago. But even if the Three Lions come through that test, then the knockout stage could offer up a murderer’s row of opponents en route to the final.
While it’s too difficult to predict their round of 32 opponents due to the elongated format, the Round of 16 is somewhat simpler, and a clash with co-hosts Mexico at the huge Estadio Azteca in Mexico City is a prospect that no one wants to face, although England likely must. If that wasn’t bad enough, they will then likely square off with Brazil in the quarterfinals in a rematch of their clash from 2002, a contest won by Ronaldinho’s stunning 40-yard free kick.
There’s no such thing as an easy World Cup semifinal, and that certainly rings true for England this summer. They will likely face off against Messi’s Argentina or Ronaldo’s Portugal in the final-four, with those two icons poised to square off in a mouth-watering quarterfinal of their own. 11/2 odds say that Tuchel’s men emerge from their trial by fire with the famous gold trophy for the first time since famously lifting it on home turf in 1966.
France
France have reached each of the last two World Cup finals. They outlasted Croatia on a rainy Moscow afternoon in 2018, with Kylian Mbappe shining in a 4-2 triumph. In Qatar, their talismanic striker was on song once again, netting a stunning hat trick against Argentina… but it wasn’t enough. Now, they aim to make it three straight, but they, too, will have to run the gauntlet if they are to make that dream a reality.
Les Bleus have been drawn into arguably the toughest group of any of the contenders as they must face off with reigning African champions Senegal and Erling Haaland’s in-form Norway. Like England, their round of 32 clash is tough to predict, but fellow European heavyweights Germany will likely await in the Round of 16. They will be favored to beat the Netherlands in the quarterfinals before embarking on a crunch semifinal against tournament favorites Spain. That run is certainly not for the faint of heart.