2026 World Cup Winner Odds: Who Is Favourite To Win The World Cup?

Q: Can I bet on World Cup winner antepost?

Betting on World Cup winner is always available months and even years before the World Cup kicks off. You can get early prices for any team, and some bettors are able to back a country at a big price before it shortens closer to the tournament.

Q: Who are the favourites to win the World Cup?

Spain, England and France are some of the World Cup favourites. They are all expected to go well in the tournament and progress to the latter stages. However, the World Cup winner market is wide open, with Brazil and Argentina also contenders for the big prize.

Q: Has a team ever won two World Cups in a row?

Italy won successive World Cups in 1934 and 1938, although the Azzurri have failed to qualify for the past three tournaments. Brazil landed their first-ever success in 1958 and quickly followed this with another triumph in 1962. They were the last back-to-back winners.

Q: Is there a dominant continent in World Cups?

There have only ever been winners from Europe and South America when it comes to World Cups. Argentina’s success in 2022 ended a four-tournament run where European sides had been successful. However, Brazil remain the most decorated nation in World Cup history with five triumphs to their name.

Q: Does the expanded 48-team format change the World Cup winner odds?

Having 48 teams doesn’t really affect the World Cup winner odds. It simply adds more outsiders to the market. Teams who rarely qualify aren’t likely to feature in the latter rounds. With the favourites dominating the betting market, it has a similar look and feel to previous tournaments.

By Mark Fordham

May 6th, 2026 9:14 AM EDT

Fact Checked By Oliver Lines

The 2026 World Cup takes place between 11 June-19 July, with the US, Mexico and Canada staging the biggest ever tournament. An additional 16 teams means that 48 nations will be competing across 12 groups for the first time, with 32 sides then progressing to the knockout stage to battle it out for major honours.

It’s going to be an absolutely huge tournament at football betting sites and many football fans are already speculating over who might win the famous trophy. There are lots of viable contenders and many Bookies.com readers are now looking to wager on the winning team. Each of our recommended betting sites have priced up the outright market, and you can either bet win-only or each-way. These are among a huge number of betting opportunities on multiple markets.

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World Cup Winner Odds

Every betting app has the World Cup Winner market priced up. That means each of the 48 competing teams have odds available for them to win the tournament. Favourites such as Spain, England and France have the shortest prices. Then you have rank outsiders like Curacao, Jordan and Haiti, whose odds go into the thousands, showing it’s generally unfeasible that they can go too far.

Regularly comparing World Cup odds is important, as they can change daily and sometimes multiple times a day at top betting sites based on a number of factors, which is why it is important to keep checking back with Bookies.com as our odds update in real time.

Below are some of the teams worth including in a shortlist of potential winners. Bear in mind that USA might also prosper as one of the co-hosts due to home advantage.

Spain

Spain only have one World Cup to their name, but they were victorious at Euro 2024. La Roja have a winnable group featuring Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde. Manager Luis de la Fuente can call upon plenty of experienced and world-class players.

That includes Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal along with his clubmates Ferran Torres, Pedro, Fermin Lopes and Dani Olmo, comprising a nation of attacking talent. They should go deep and haven’t lost a match since March 2024.

France

Didier Deschamps is the long-serving manager of the French national team and he’s enjoyed plenty of success with Les Bleus. Having won the 1998 World Cup as a player, he guided his country to another trophy in 2018 before steering them to the 2022 final, which they eventually lost on penalties to Argentina in one of the best finals in recent memory.

Having Kylian Mbappe is something of a cheat code but he’s one of several brilliant attacking players who could see them outscore the opposition in every match, such is their squad strength.

England

We’ve been here before. England have the players to win the World Cup, but do they have the nerve? Thomas Tuchel is the latest manager to try to end the major tournament hoodoo that stretches back to 1966. He has made a positive start after the Three Lions qualified with a perfect eight wins from eight without conceding a goal.

Harry Kane leading the line is clearly a huge positive, with Arsenal pair Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka also likely to play key roles. The Three Lions should feature at the business end of the tournament, but getting the job done remains elusive.

Brazil

Brazil always get talked up as potential winners, but the plain fact is that they haven’t won since 2002. There’s also a feeling that the current national team isn’t as strong as previous versions. Vinicius Junior is a world-class talent, and Barcelona’s Raphinha can also offer a big threat from the other side of the pitch.

However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side weren’t convincing in qualifying, finishing fifth and they only won eight of their 18 games. Ancelotti's presence brings with it fresh optimism.

Argentina

Argentina finished top of CONMEBOL qualifying, boasting lots of goals and a strong defence. This tournament will surely be Lionel Messi’s swansong and we shouldn’t forget that La Albiceleste are the reigning champions.

They’ve been handed a favourable group alongside Austria, Algeria and Jordan, which means the star players can be kept fresh for the later rounds. Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez can play supporting roles to Messi, but retaining the crown is a big ask. Regardless, they are among the favourites to win the World Cup again at top fast withdrawal betting sites.

World Cup Betting Sites

The team at Bookies.com judge World Cup betting sites using specific criteria. The first port of call is to make sure our readers can claim a generous new customer betting offer. This should be available in the form of free bets or alternatively a matched deposit. If there’s enhanced odds instead, that will also do the trick.

For the World Cup, we want to see daily odds boosts available. Customers want to get some value on their selections. You should expect to see daily trebles given the boost treatment along with the chance to get extra winnings on multiple bets. An acca boost is fairly common and means a percentage of bonus can be added if you manage to win, or sites might offer acca insurance instead.

It’s important that customers get plenty of choice with their markets. Beyond outright winner and top goalscorer, we also want to see lots of ante post options, specifically focusing on the 12 groups and each individual team. You can back a side to win their section along with how far they will go in the World Cup. There should also be the chance to bet on top team scorer.

The in-play coverage should be spot on and that means hundreds of betting options when a match kicks off at top in-play betting sites. These markets should tie in nicely with cash out, which is something that’s important to our readers. We also want to see quick and fast payment methods on hand to facilitate deposits and withdrawals. Top-drawer customer service is a must.

World Cup Free Bets

The best World Cup free bets are when customers get plenty of free bets or bonuses without having to stake too much of their own cash. Something like “bet £10, get £30 in free bets” is an ideal way of getting started, and a number of recommended World Cup bookies are running with this welcome offer.

It’s always good to get a meaty bonus and ideally you can break this down into several free bets. There shouldn’t be a wagering requirement so customers can keep any winnings made from the bonuses. We also like it if you don’t have to specifically use a free bet on a market and can basically choose whichever World Cup selection grabs your fancy.

Watch out for other terms and conditions such as payment method eligibility and time limit. If you can use a free bet to place multiples, that’s a big tick. It’s also good if there’s no maximum win amount that can be landed with a bonus.

How Does World Cup Winner Each Way Betting Work?

You’ve got a nice big list of teams featured in the World Cup Winner market. You can either place a win-only bet on a nation or alternatively go each-way. If you bet £10 each-way on England at 6/1, you are essentially staking £10 on England to win and £10 on England to place.

The £10 England win bet would pay out £70 (£60 profit + £10 stake). The £10 England place part would pay out if they reached the final. That’s because the each-way terms cover the first two in the betting. You would typically get a quarter of the odds for your £10 bet which would be a return of £25 (£15 profit + £10 stake).

The reason why punters bet each-way on World Cup winner is because they have some insurance if a team reaches the final and loses. You may find that some bookies increase the place terms to three or four as we get nearer the start.

A team such as USA could use home advantage and a favourable draw to great effect to go into the business end of the World Cup. A quarter of 66/1 is just over 16/1, so an each-way bet would clearly be more beneficial here. Switzerland did really well in qualifying and 80/1 is an eye-catching price if you think they’ll continue their strong form.

Norway, with the likes of Erling Haaland in tow, and Morocco, 2022's semi-finalists, look like dark-horses to consider. That's not to forget Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, who are seen as the best of the rest by many.

Favourites Usually Teams To Follow In World Cup Winner Odds

Modern World Cups have nearly always involved one of the favourites winning. Argentina were the 11/2 market leaders before triumphing in 2022. Four years previously, France were sent off as 6/1 third-favourites before landing a second World Cup trophy. It was a similar story when the 2014 World Cup was contested in Brazil, with Germany obliging as the 13/2 third-favourites.

Italy were the last country to win at double figure odds when scoring on home soil at a tasty 18/1, but that was back in 2006. Since then, it’s been a spate of shorter-priced winners and there’s clearly a gulf in class when the teams line up for each renewal. However, Croatia were 33/1 when getting to the 2018 World Cup final, and Uruguay were a massive 100/1 in 2010 before getting as far as the semi-final stage.

If you’re looking to try to side with World Cup outsiders at football free bet sites, then it might be worth looking beyond the winner market. It’s not certain that the favourites will win each of the 12 groups. After all, no team recorded three wins at the group stage of the 2022 tournament. There were some notable shocks, too, and none bigger than Saudi Arabia’s 2-1 win against eventual winners Argentina.

England were also held to a draw by the United States in that tournament, and Spain were usurped at the top of their group by Japan. La Roja followed a 7-0 win over Costa Rica with a 1-1 draw against Germany before losing 2-1 to the Japanese. It’s therefore worth looking closely at outsiders for the group stage, with Morocco winning their 2022 World Cup group ahead of Croatia and Belgium.

World Cup Winner Betting Tip

The 2026 World Cup comes hard on the heels of a long domestic season. We know that favourites at £5 deposit betting sites have a good record in the tournament.

Perhaps this is the time for USA to shine brightly. They’re a massive price to win, and we’re expecting them to give a really good account of themselves. For starters, they boast home advantage. This has to count for something, and they’ll have the goodwill of a very patriotic nation. They’re also coached by Mauricio Pochettino, who enjoyed a strong record with Tottenham Hotspur, including guiding the London team to a Champions League final against the odds.

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Although the squad doesn’t boast lots of world-class players, they have plenty of experience in their ranks, and Christian Pulisic is someone who can light up the big stage. They’ve been handed a winnable group with Turkey, Australia and Paraguay all beatable. Warm-up matches against Senegal and Germany will tell us more about their potential prospects.

Previous World Cup Winners

Year	Host	Winner	Runner-Up
1930	Uruguay	Uruguay	Argentina
1934	Italy	Italy	Czechoslovakia
1938	France	Italy	Hungary
1950	Brazil	Uruguay	Brazil
1954	Switzerland	West Germany	Hungary
1958	Sweden	Brazil	Sweden
1962	Chile	Brazil	Czechoslovakia
1966	England	England	West Germany
1970	Mexico	Brazil	Italy
1974	West Germany	West Germany	Netherlands
1978	Argentina	Argentina	Netherlands
1982	Spain	Italy	West Germany
1986	Mexico	Argentina	West Germany
1990	Italy	West Germany	Argentina
1994	USA	Brazil	Italy
1998	France	France	Brazil
2002	Japan & South Korea	Brazil	Germany
2006	Germany	Italy	France
2010	South Africa	Spain	Netherlands
2014	Brazil	Germany	Argentina
2018	Russia	France	Croatia
2022	Qatar	Argentina	France

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World Cup Winner Odds FAQs

What are World Cup winner odds?

World Cup winner odds enable you to bet on the team that wins the tournament. The best odds reflect their chances of success in the 2026 tournament. Your stake is combined with the betting price to create a potential payout. The odds change as the competition continues.

Can I bet on World Cup winner antepost?

Who are the favourites to win the World Cup?

Has a team ever won two World Cups in a row?

Is there a dominant continent in World Cups?

Does the expanded 48-team format change the World Cup winner odds?

About the Author

Mark Fordham

More About Mark

Mark spent over a decade as a sports reporter and editor with Goal.com and Bleacher Report. He is now a Content Manager at Bookies.com covering all manner of sports from the Premier League and cricket to the NBA and NFL. Mark also has years of experience working in the online casino industry and knows how to rate a good one over a bad one.