FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The draw for the World Cup was made on Friday, with 6 months left until the start of the most important football tournament.
The last World Cup, the one played in Qatar 2022, is considered one of the most extraordinary tournaments, played in some of the most extraordinary conditions. But the 2026 World Cup will be the BIGGEST, with the participation of 48 national teams now divided into 12 groups.
In 2022, the team that triumphed was Argentina, while Lionel Messi finally took possession of the trophy that had been waiting for him.
But who are the favorites to win this competition next year?
A total of 48 teams will take part in next summer's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, following FIFA's expansion of the World Cup.
This has contributed to several nations qualifying for this extraordinary event for the first time, with Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan all set to make their debuts.
Stats experts Opta have revealed their first set of World Cup predictions, outlining the favourites for the tournament and three teams considered to have no chance of lifting the trophy.
According to Opta, Spain are the favourites to win the 2026 World Cup. Coach Luis De La Fuente led his nation to victory at the 2024 UEFA European Championship and there is no doubt that the Spaniards will be eager to build on that.
They won 5 out of 6 possible matches in the qualifying stage, although they drew with Turkey in the last match, knowing they had already qualified.
Opta has given the 2010 winners a 17 percent chance of becoming world champions.
France is the second favorite to win this competition, with a 14.1% chance.
Didier Deschamps has led the team to two consecutive World Cup finals, winning in 2018 and losing in 2022 on penalties, despite a hat-trick from Kylian Mbappe.
Deschamps' team won 5 of their 6 matches in qualifying, but conceding goals to Azerbaijan and drawing against Iceland will all be areas of interest in which Deschamps will be looking to improve.
With the quality of Mbappe, Michael Oliseh and Bradley Barcola in attack, France looks a formidable prospect.
England boasts an 11.8 percent share of the competition's winnings, the third highest of all nations, according to Opta.
Harry Kane will be looking to lead his nation to glory, as his stellar form has seen the star striker score 24 goals in just 20 games for Bayern this season.
Jude Bellingham showed his frustration after being substituted against Albania, and Tuchel has warned the star that attitude is key.
However, there is no doubt that Tuchel will want Bellingham to be fit and fired up this season as he prepares for his first major tour as England manager.
Argentina are not expected to retain their world champion status, with the South Americans given an 8.7 percent chance of lifting the trophy again.
They finished clear winners in the long South American qualifying system. In a summer when Messi turns 39, his age could very well be a factor, and with the MLS season drawing to a close, the lack of football could certainly be a problem in his readiness for the 2026 World Cup.
On the other hand, Opta has given three teams no chance of winning the World Cup. Jordan and Curacao are among them, with both nations making their debuts. Curacao is set to become the smallest nation by population to participate in the World Cup.
Haiti, returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1974, has also been given a zero percent chance of lifting the trophy. Of course, all countries that have qualified for the World Cup have earned the right to be there.
prediction
Spain – 17%
France – 14.1%
England – 11.8%
Argentina – 8.7%
Germany – 7.1%
Portugal – 6.6%
Brazil – 5.6%
Netherlands – 5.2%
Norway – 2.3%
Colombia – 2.0%
Belgium – 1.9%
Uruguay – 1.7%
Mexico – 1.3%
Croatia – 1.1%
Morocco – 1.1%
Ecuador – 1.0%
Japan – 0.9%
USA – 0.9%
Switzerland – 0.7%
Senegal – 0.6%
Austria – 0.6%
Ivory Coast – 0.5%
Canada – 0.4%
Paraguay – 0.4%
Ghana – 0.4%
Egypt – 0.3%
Algeria – 0.3%
South Korea – 0.3%
Scotland – 0.2%
South Africa – 0.2%
Australia – 0.2%
Iran – 0.2%
Tunisia – 0.2%
Uzbekistan – 0.2%
Saudi Arabia – 0.1%
New Zealand – 0.1%
Qatar – 0.1%
Panama – 0.1%
Cape Verde – 0.1%
Jordan – 0.0%
Curacao – 0.0%
Haiti – 0.0%
One of the play-off qualifiers – 3.7%
Lini një Përgjigje