⚽ 2026 World Cup Favorite Odds, Predictions: What Favorites Make Best World Cup Bets & Why

As we explore together the 2026 World Cup favorite odds and I offer my predictions, there are a couple of things to keep in mind: 

What favorites make the best World Cup 2026 bets, and how often does the outright favorite win? I have nothing against backing long shots, but there are decades' worth of evidence supporting favorites for your World Cup futures bets. Come along for the ride as I discuss the best betting favorites to put your faith in and your money behind as we enter the summer's 48-nation event. 

🎯 What favorites make best World Cup 2026 bets?

Spain, England, and France have been the three World Cup betting favorites at the best sports betting sites since odds were released. 

🇪🇸 Spain (+450) 

The pool of talent never runs dry for La Roja, which won three of the previous five European Championships, including in 2024. Spain, the World Cup 2026 odds favorite, hasn't made it past the Round of 16 since winning the 2010 World Cup, but this team has more talent than Ireland has Guinness. 

And it has wunderkind Lamine Yamal, who was instrumental in propelling Spain to the 2024 European Championship. Spain will qualify easily from Group H, with Uruguay the only team standing between Luis de la Fuente's side and finishing in first place. 

Spain lost to Portugal in penalties at the 2025 Nations League final, its only loss in the previous 26 matches. 

Confidence: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England (+600) 

Over the years, England has been a glutton for punishment for sports bettors and fans. They are, however, my best bet to win for the first time in 60 years, the reasons for which I explain in my World Cup predictions. 

The Three Lions have been among the world's best for eight years, when they advanced to the 2018 World Cup semifinal before losing to Croatia. After losing in consecutive European Championship finals, England is ready, finally. No team is more battle-tested, has a superior roster, or enjoyed a better qualifying campaign.

You can also add that no team has a striker who is more potent and well-rounded than captain Harry Kane. 

Confidence: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🇫🇷 France (+650) 

Perennial betting favorites, France rarely fails to advance to the latter stages of international competitions. Since Didier Deschamps took the helm in 2012, France has reached the final in three of six European Championships and World Cup finals. 

Le Bleus won World Cup 2018 and finished second at the 2022 World Cup, losing to Argentina in arguably the greatest final of all time.

It always has one of the best rosters, and the 2026 tournament won't be any different. Golden Boot front-runner Kylian Mbappe will lead the line, spearheading a team that is bursting with elite talent at every position. 

Confidence: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🇩🇪 Germany (+1400) 

After winning the 2014 World Cup, Germany crashed out at the group stage in the previous two. Things should be different this time, though.  

Germany was excellent at Euro 2024 before meeting Spain in the quarterfinal, where it lost 2-1 in extra time. Julian Nagelsmann, who took the head coaching job in 2023, has fresh ideas and is highly touted for his tactical approach. The team is top-tier talent at most positions, which can pose a problem for any opponent. 

Confidence: ⭐⭐⭐

🤔 How often does the favorite win the World Cup? 

The favorite has won only four of the 21 World Cups: Uruguay in 1930, Brazil in 1962, Brazil in 1994, and Spain in 2010. 

However, Spain won the World Cup (South Africa 2010) the last time it entered the tournament as the favorite. It was also the last time the pre-tournament favorite won. 

🔢 Previous World Cup champions pre-tournament odds 

Only one team won the World Cup with odds longer than +800: Italy in 1982, the year betting odds started being used and tracked on the global event. 

In terms of implied probability, figured out by using our odds calculator, Italy is the only nation to win a World Cup with less than a 11% chance. It had a 5.26% probability before the 1982 World Cup kicked off.  

Keep that in mind when choosing the best long shots to bet on World Cup 2026. 

The below pre-tournament odds are provided by Sports Odds History. 

❓Why should you bet the World Cup favorite?

Italy is the only true betting underdog to win a World Cup. Morocco came close in 2022, advancing to the semifinals after defeating Portugal and Spain before falling to France. 

Greece's win at Euro 2004 is the best example of a substantial underdog taking a major international soccer competition. That, however, was a miracle, and we all know how often those come about. Leicester is the other miracle that comes to mind, but that's another kettle of fish entirely. 

While a one-off elimination game is conducive to underdogs winning, they rarely string four straight upsets together.

Four elimination matches will increase to five at World Cup 2026 with the addition of the Round of 32, thanks to the tournament expanding from 32 to 48 teams. You can take a look at the key dates and full schedule to get a better understanding of the tournament's layout. 

That brings me back to England. Thomas Tuchel's men are not the favorite, which, given how often the outright favorite has won, is a good thing. Yet, they are receiving the second-shortest odds, placing them firmly among the pack of betting favorites. 

📊 FIFA World Cup 2026 odds for betting favorites 

Odds provided by FanDuel.