World Cup Winner Predictions: A surprising 33/1 pick for the 2026 champions

The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup commences on Thursday so this is your warning that you don't have long to place your pre-tournament bets. Of course, the most popular market here at Betfred is the outright winner. Do you think you know who will come out on top in North America this summer? Or are you unsure?

If it's the latter, we at Betfred Insights have offered up our World Cup winner predictions below, leaving what may be a smug or disastrous paper trail.

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New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get £30 in Sports Free Bets & £20 in Bet Builder Free Bets within 24 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. T&Cs Apply.

Conor: France @ 5/1

After winning the World Cup in 2018 and reaching the final four years ago, I find it difficult to sleep on France, especially when they still continue to boast squad depth that sparks envy from their rivals.

Didier Deschamps is still at the helm and he's the longest-serving manager going to the World Cup, having been in charge of Les Bleus since 2012. As is often the case in domestic football, consistency in the dugout can help breed success.

The France national team has been on the same page for a very long time and after two fruitful World Cup campaigns in the last eight years, I'm expecting another big effort from Les Bleus in 2026.

World Cup Predictions

In star man Kylian Mbappe, they have a player who has scored 12 goals in 14 games at the finals, so Miroslav Klose's record of 16 is in reach for the French forward, who netted eight in Qatar.

He's set to have a big influence on this World Cup on the back of 42 goals in 44 appearances for Real Madrid in 2025/26.

But it's not just Mbappe that possesses star quality, there are a few big hitters to bulk out France's attacking roster including 2025 Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, his Paris Saint-Germain teammates Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola, as well as Rayan Cherki and Marcus Thuram.

I don't think any country at the World Cup comes close to matching France's options in the final third. These players are capable of winning games single-handed and in tournament football that is most often what separates champions apart from the rest.

So I think we'll see Les Bleus collecting their third title this summer.

Simon: Portugal @ 8/1

I'm all in on Portugal. They won the Nations League by beating Spain on penalties and Germany in the semis last summer, so they've got experience of beating the elite. They've also got best midfield in the tournament with Joao Neves, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva battling it out for starting spots. Nuno Mendes and Goncalo Ramos also won the Champions League with PSG and Vitinha and Joao Neves should keep the ball well in the heat - making other teams chase them.

There is of course the Cristiano Ronaldo factor. Will he be a help or a hindrance? I just see him as a player who will be fairly decisive in the key moments and unlike Lionel Messi in 2022, he doesn't need to carry this side, the quality is already there.  Ronaldo has already had a red card suspension against Ireland wiped out so he can play in this tournament - which has never happened before so clearly the powers that be want him at this World Cup.

He will have an impact at some point but their route to the semis looks so straightforward. A simple group featuring DR Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia is a chance for them to rack up the goals, then they have a kind run to the semis. Potentially Croatia in the last 32, Colombia in the last 16 and USA or Argentina in the quarter-finals. I think they win the lot, then face England in the semis and Spain in the final. Roberto Martinez is much-maligned but has great experience with Belgium and took them to a WC semi-final. 

This is Portugal's year. And by proxy, Ronaldo will finally get his World Cup.

Nick: Colombia @ 33/1

If you're a tennis fan, like myself, you'll have been charmed by the recently-concluded French Open, where a first-time Grand Slam winner was crowned in the men's singles and women's singles, while the beaten finalists were nowhere near the top contenders at the beginning of the tournament.

I know football can be a pretty brutal sport, with money usually an overriding factor, particularly at club level, but from this century alone, we've still got the triumphant stories of Greece at Euro 2004 and Leicester City in the 2015/16 Premier League season to look back on as inspirations for shock winners.

While I wouldn't put Colombia winning the 2026 World Cup on the same level as the aforementioned two, it would still be a seismic result, with Los Cafeteros having only appeared at six previous editions, achieving their best-ever finish in 2014 when they reached the quarter-finals in Brazil.

I have hope that they can go even further this year, with head coach Nestor Lorenzo achieving great things since taking the helm in 2022, including presiding over a 28-game unbeaten run which was only ended in extra-time of the 2024 Copa America final by the country of his birth, Argentina.

Colombia finished third in the South American qualifiers, ahead of Uruguay and Brazil, and they've only lost two of their last 13 games heading into the World Cup in North America; both were March friendlies to Croatia (1-2) and France (1-3).

The biggest area of concern is probably in defence, with 18 goals conceded the most of any of the six qualified South American nations at the World Cup, but Jhon Lucumi (Bologna), Yerry Mina (Cagliari) and Davinson Sanchez (Galatasaray) is a solid crop of centre-backs, while at right-back, Daniel Munoz has just played an integral role in Crystal Palace winning the UEFA Conference League.

Moving into midfield, there's Munoz's Eagles teammate, Jefferson Lerma, as well as Richard Rios (Benfica), and while his best days are behind him, James Rodriguez (Minnesota United) still has magic left in his boots.

In attack, Luis Diaz has enjoyed a super season with Bayern Munich, scoring 26 goals and registering 19 assists across all competitions, and in the South American section of qualifying, only Argentina's Lionel Messi (eight) trumped his seven-goal tally.

At the point of attack, Lorenzo can choose between Sporting CP's Luis Suarez, who struck 38 times for the Portuguese giants last season and hit four goals in a 6-2 thrashing of Venezuela in a World Cup qualifier last September, and Real Betis' Cucho Hernandez, who scored 15 times himself to help his side achieve UEFA Champions League qualification.

France would be my first pick, but as Conor has already chosen Les Bleus, and seeing the price Colombia are, I'll tip Los Cafeteros to shock the world and lift the World Cup trophy in North America.

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