Spain and Argentina Dominate 2026 World Cup Odds While Norway Emerges as Stunning Dark Horse Contender
Get ready, football enthusiasts—the 2026 World Cup is rapidly approaching.
Scheduled to begin on June 11, the sport's most prestigious global tournament is now just months away. Anticipation has grown since December's group-stage draw, and with 42 of the 48 spots in the expanded competition already secured—six more to be determined through playoffs in March—the field is nearly set.
For the qualified nations, the final preparations have truly commenced. Managers are completing their rosters, perfecting tactics and arranging last warm-up fixtures, all with one objective: reaching peak form when the world watches. On this platform, past achievements matter little—every competitor, favorite or underdog, has an opportunity to create history.
So which teams appear best positioned to dominate North America? Here, Sports Illustrated presents its 2026 World Cup Power Rankings, analyzing the 20 top contenders based on qualifying performance, current form, roster quality and various other factors.
20. Uruguay
Uruguay had an impressive qualification run for the 2026 World Cup, easily earning automatic qualification while finishing level on points with Colombia, Brazil—from whom they claimed four points during qualifying—and Paraguay.
Under manager Marcelo Bielsa's guidance, however, they have faltered in exhibition matches since, notably suffering a crushing 5-1 loss to the USMNT in November.
La Celeste remain a capable team, but with some of their legendary players—Luis Suárez, Edinson Cavani, and Diego Godín—having retired from international football since 2022, they're navigating a rebuilding phase.
19. Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast have returned to the World Cup after being absent from the previous two tournaments, earning their spot through an exceptional qualifying run.
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations champions remained undefeated in CAF Group F, remarkably maintaining clean sheets in all 10 fixtures while claiming eight victories.
Their impenetrable defense, built around emerging talents Ousmane Diomandé, Odilon Kossounou and Guéla Doué, creates a backline that will prove difficult to penetrate on the global stage. In attack, RB Leipzig's Yan Diomandé has developed into the squad's primary offensive weapon, capable of changing matches in the Elephants' favor.
18. Switzerland
Switzerland consistently deliver at the World Cup.
In four of the previous five tournaments, they've advanced to the Round of 16—often without possessing a truly world-class squad on paper. A combination of dispersed individual talent and strong team chemistry has repeatedly proven sufficient to navigate the group phase.
There's minimal reason to expect this summer will differ. Their qualifying journey was dependable rather than dazzling, but successful nonetheless. Placed in a relatively favorable group with Qatar, Canada, and one undetermined opponent, the route to the knockout rounds exists.
With seasoned leaders like Manuel Akanji, Granit Xhaka, and Breel Embolo anchoring the squad, Switzerland again appear well-prepared for another consistent campaign. However, they'll miss longtime star Xherdan Shaqiri, who retired from international duty in 2024—a significant loss for a team that has frequently depended on his crucial contributions.
17. Japan
Japan dominated their qualifying campaign, securing 13 victories from 16 matches, suffering just one defeat, netting 54 goals while allowing only three.
Naturally, expectations for a maiden quarterfinal berth in 2026 are elevated. Hajime Moriyasu's squad is well-rounded, combining veteran experience with emerging talent, and features genuine game-changing ability in players like Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo and Feyenoord striker Ayase Ueda, who has been in exceptional form this season.
Concerns about squad depth remain, and a group including Portugal, Tunisia and the UEFA play-off B winner will challenge them—but a friendly triumph over Brazil in October demonstrated they can match the elite teams.
16. Belgium
Unfortunately for Belgium, their golden era—starring players like Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne, Dries Mertens, Jan Vertonghen, Thibaut Courtois and Mousa Dembélé—arrived and departed without ever completely realizing its enormous potential.
Survivors from that period, particularly De Bruyne and Lukaku, continue and are still competing at elite level, but this is clearly a transitional phase for Rudi Garcia's team.
There is ability, certainly—Jérémy Doku, Charles De Ketelaere, Malick Fofana and Zeno Debast are promising young prospects to monitor—but a somewhat disappointing qualifying campaign, despite remaining unbeaten, sparked worries. Three stalemates in eight matches, including two against North Macedonia, hardly indicated a team prepared to surpass their frustrating group-stage elimination in Qatar.
15. Ecuador
With Paris Saint-Germain's Willian Pacho and Arsenal's Piero Hincapié organizing the defensive line and Chelsea's Moisés Caicedo protecting the backline just in front, Ecuador established themselves as the most difficult team to score against in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying.
La Tri placed second in the final standings behind defending champions Argentina, allowing just five goals across 18 fixtures and experiencing only two losses—the lowest of any nation.
Their offensive output, however, was considerably less impressive, managing only 14 goals in qualifying. That shortage of scoring punch has been evident in recent exhibitions and may present difficulties this summer. Nevertheless, captain and record goalscorer Enner Valencia has a talent for rising to major occasions, ensuring Ecuador can never be dismissed completely.