Home of football statistics and historyThe 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada will be the most expansive international football tournament ever staged.
FIFA’s decision to increase the number of teams to 48 has opened the door for even more fans to engage with the prestigious competition.
It is safe to say that football betting activity will be off the scale, outstripping any previous edition of the World Cup by a significant margin.
With that in mind, read on as we provide you with a preview of what promises to be a truly memorable showcase of international football.
World Cup 2026 – Schedule
The 2026 World Cup schedule is as follows:
- June 11-27 – Group stage
- June 28 – July 3 – Round of 32
- July 4-7 – Round of 16
- July 9-11 – Quarter-finals
- July 14-15 – Semi-finals
- July 18 – Third-place play-off
- July 19 – Final
World Cup 2026 – Teams
FIFA has allocated the 48 places at the 2026 World Cup as follows:
- UEFA (Europe) – 16 teams
- CAF (Africa) – 9 teams
- AFC (Asian) – 8 teams
- CONMEBOL (South America) – 6 teams
- CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean) – 6 teams
- OFC (Oceania) – 1 team
World Cup 2026 – Outright Betting
Here are the latest outright odds for the 2026 World Cup:
- Spain – 7.00
- France – 7.00
- Brazil – 7.00
- England – 8.00
- Argentina – 11.00
- Germany – 11.00
- Portugal – 17.00
- Netherlands – 21.00
- Italy – 21.00
- Uruguay – 34.00
- Belgium – 34.00
- Colombia – 41.00
- United States – 51.00
- Mexico – 67.00
- Croatia – 67.00
- Denmark – 67.00
- Norway – 67.00
- Bar – 101.00
World Cup 2026 – Broadcasters
Numerous outlets have the rights to broadcast 2026 World Cup matches. These include:
- Argentina – Telefe, TyC Sports
- Albania – TV Klan
- Australia – SBS
- Austria – ORF
- Brazil – Grupo Globo, Grupo Bandeirantes, TBA
- Bulgaria – BNT, NOVA
- Bosnia and Herzegovina – Arena Sport
- Canada – Bell Media
- Chile – Chilevision
- Colombia – Caracol Television, Canal RCN
- Croatia – HRT
- Czech Republic – CT, TV Nova
- Denmark – DR, TV2
- Ecuador – Teleamazonas
- Europe – EBU
- Finland – YLE, MTV
- France – M6
- Guatemala – Chapin TV
- Hungary – MTVA
- Israel – KAN
- Latin America – DSports
- Mexico – TelevisaUnivision, TV Azteca
- Montenegro – Arena Sport
- Netherlands – NOS
- North Macedonia – Arena Sport
- Norway – NRK, TV2
- Peru – America Television
- Russia – Match TV
- Romania – Antena 1
- Serbia – Arena Sport
- Slovakia – TV JOJ
- Slovenia – Arena Sport
- Sweden – SVT, TV4
- South Korea – JTBC
- Suriname – SCCN TV
- United Kingdom – BBC, ITV
- United States – Fox, Telemundo
World Cup 2026 – Preview
Brazil (5), Germany (4), Italy (4), Argentina (3), Uruguay (2), France (2), England (1) and Spain (1) are the only nations who have previously won the World Cup.
On that basis, bettors planning to wager on the World Cup would be well-advised to focus on those eight teams when considering who will emerge victorious in 2026.
Italy, Uruguay and England should be good enough to reach the knockout stage, but they each lack the quality needed to lift the prestigious trophy.
Reigning champions Argentina will be a popular pick with punters to defend the title, but no team has achieved that feat since Brazil (1958 & 1962).
Brazil are bidding to win the title for the sixth time, but several under-par performances during qualifying place a question mark against their chances.
Germany looked much improved at the 2024 European Championship and look a good bet to make the semi-finals next year.
All of that leaves Spain and France as the most likely winners and preference is for the former following their superb performances at Euro 2024.
La Roja have continued their excellent form since then and will be extremely tough to beat. Odds of 7.00 to win the tournament look tempting.
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