Three Teams to Avoid Betting on the 2026 FIFA World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup might still be well over a year away, but it won’t be long before anticipation begins to ramp up for the North American showdown. Only co-hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States have secured their spot at the tournament thus far, but that will change in the coming months once the qualification campaigns across the planet kick into gear. And with 48 teams set to feature, next summer’s spectacle promises to be bigger than ever.

Despite the length of time between now and the tournament getting underway, the bookies already have their favorites to lift the trophy in MetLife Stadium next July priced up. Websites such as the popular crypto outlet https://thunderpick.io/sports make two-time champions France the 13/2, with back-to-back European Championship finalists England narrowly behind them at 7/1. But which teams should punters avoid next summer?

The bookies are already getting excited for the FIFA World Cup, and inviting others to join them in their enthusiasm!  

Nobody has won the World Cup more times than Brazil. Their almighty haul of five crowns saw them become the apple of the eye of football supporters worldwide, making icons such as Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Pele beloved names within the realm of the beautiful game. However, in the near quarter century since their most recent triumph, the Selecao have known nothing but disappointment.  

Of course, that most recent victory came back in 2002, when a brace from the aforementioned R9 downed Germany in Yokohama. Since then, though, the Brazilians have made it past the quarter-finals just once, and that ended in a brutal 7-1 humbling on home turf against Die Mannschaft, who got their redemption for that final defeat 12 years later.  

In both 2018 and 2022, Brazil was considered the tournament favorite. But despite their top billing, attacking superstars such as Neymar and Philippe Coutinho were unable to deliver on the grandest stage, and on both occasions, the Selecao were eliminated in the quarter-finals. Now, though, things have gone from bad to worse.  

At last summer’s Copa America, Brazil were once again eliminated in the quarter-finals, this time by an unheralded Colombia. In the ongoing CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers, they have suffered embarrassing defeats to the likes of Paraguay and Uruguay, as well as drawing both home and away against Venezuela. Their recent 4-1 drubbing away against arch-rivals Argentina was considered a worse result than that 7-1 defeat to the Germans in 2014, and Brazil will be lucky to make it to the World Cup at all at this rate.  

Despite their current woes, the bookies remain confident in that traditional Brazilian flair, pricing the five-time champions as a 7/1 contender. But despite their top billing, we would avoid betting on Brazil. Their squad isn’t the one it used to be. The talismanic Neymar is now 32 and injury-prone, while it remains to be seen whether teenage striker Endrick can lead the line. Vinicius Junior remains a superstar, but it could be too big of an ask for him to put his country on his back and drag them toward a deep tournament run.  

At the peak of their Golden Generation, Belgium became everybody’s dark horse. They famously beat Brazil to reach the semifinals in 2018 thanks to Kevin De Bruyne’s stunning winner, but that was the best that the greatest crop of talent in Belgian football history could manage. Eight years on from their finest hour, the likes of Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, and Radja Nainggolan are no more, and the players that do remain are all on the wrong side of 30.  

The aforementioned De Bruyne is still a key figure, but at 33 years of age, it remains to be seen how much of a force he can be on the grandest stage. Romelu Lukaku’s 88 international goals are the sixth most in football history, and he still leads the line, while Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is arguably the best in the world. But outside of that trio, quality is sorely lacking.  

Midfielders Charles De Ketelaere and Alexis Saelemaekers are perhaps the pick of the bunch from the new crop of talent, while Manchester City winger Jeremie Doku can light up a game on his day. But as we saw in 2022, that is some way from being enough quality to mount a challenge. The Red Devils were dumped out in the group stage back in Qatar after a humbling defeat against eventual semifinalists Morocco, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar performance next summer.  

With the 2026 World Cup being held on American soil for the first time since 1994, the Stars and Stripes were hoping to have a coming-out party of sorts. The likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Timothy Weah had USMNT supporters thinking they were about to bulldoze their way into a golden generation of their own, perhaps mounting a deep run like tournament hosts such as Russia in 2018 and South Korea in 2002.

However, their preparation for their own party couldn’t be going any worse. Panama has quickly become their bogey team, eliminating the US from last summer’s Copa America – in the group stage no less – the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and most recently in the Nations League. If the Stars and Stripes have another dismal time of it in this summer’s Gold Cup, then new manager Mauricio Pochettino could well face the axe already.