Archive for category: World Cup 2026: Betting Tips and Predictions

World Cup 2026 is getting close and, at this point, we already know all of the teams that will be participating in the first-ever World Cup with 48 teams.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the key World Cup 2026 information, including the new format of the competition, along with some of the main favourites to lift the trophy.

World Cup 2026 info and format

Dates: June 11 – July 19

Host countries: USA, Canada, and Mexico

Number of venues: 16

Number of teams: 48

World Cup 2026 format

For the first time in the World Cup history, we will have 48 teams participate in the competition. This is a increase of 16 teams compared to previous World Cup tournaments, so it is a truly substantial change to the competition’s format, which will increase the total number of matches played from 64 to 104.

The teams are placed in 12 groups, with four teams in each group. The top two teams from each group, along with eight best third-placed teams, will progress to the knockout stages.

The knockouts will start with the round of 32, with half of the teams being eliminated in each round, all the way to the final game.

World Cup 2026 favourites

Looking at the odds for outright winners of the 2026 World Cup, we can see many familiar names, i.e. teams that have won the World Cup before.

For example, the top six favourites to lift the trophy, according to the bookies, have already done this before (Spain, France, England, Argentina, Brazil, and Germany).

When it comes to teams that the bookies can see going all the way for the first time, Portugal and Netherlands have the lowest odds.

World Cup previous winners

• 5 titles – Brazil
• 4 titles – Germany, Italy
• 3 titles – Argentina
• 2 titles – France, Uruguay
• 1 title – England, Spain

World Cup debutants

With World Cup 2026 having 48 teams, it’s not a surprise that we’ll see some teams on the biggest stage for the first time. All in all, four teams will make their debuts at this World Cup – Cape Verde, Curacao, Uzbekistan, and Jordan.

• Cape Verde is a small archipelago country off the coast of Africa, which secured their place at the World Cup 2026 by topping their qualifying group ahead of Cameroon. They will play in Group H, along with Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay.
• Curacao is the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup. The island nation in the Caribbean has a population of just 156,000 and they’ve taken advantage of the three CONCACAF giants being absent from the qualifiers to punch their ticket to WC 2026. They will play in Group E with Germany, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador.
• Uzbekistan is the first Central Asian nation to qualify for a World Cup. The former Soviet republic has a population of 38 million and their national team remained undefeated in the second qualifying round of Asian qualifiers. They will play in Group K with Portugal, DR Congo, and Colombia.
• Jordan is another country from Asia that will make its debut at the World Cup, along with Uzbekistan. The Arab nation known for Dead Sea and the ancient city Petra clinched their place at the WC 2026 by finishing second in their qualifying group, behind South Korea. They will play in Group J with Argentina, Austria, and Algeria.

Honourable mention: DR Congo will make their debut at a World Cup under this name since their only previous World Cup appearance in 1974 was as Zaire.

Notable absentees

Given the expansion of the World Cup, not that many big names will miss the tournament, but there are still a few notable absentees.

Of course, the biggest of them all is Italy (12th in FIFA rankings), the four-time champions who lost in the playoff final to Bosnia and Hercegovina, after penalties. This will be the third time in a row that the former world champions will miss the final tournament.

Denmark (20th in FIFA rankings) also lost their playoff final after penalties against Czech Republic. A few other European teams that have made the World Cup consistently in recent years are Poland, Serbia, and Hungary.

Nigeria (25th in FIFA rankings) is the biggest absentee from Africa, while Chile, a two-time winners of Copa America in the last decade, is an notable mention, although they did miss the last two World Cups as well.