It’s my turn to make my 2026 World Cup prediction and, before anything else, this is an opinion meant to explore the less rational side of things, because if I always picked the strongest team, there would be no fun in it.
I’ll go through it by categories, pick the team/player, and give a brief explanation.
Breakout Player: Nusa 🇳🇴
I don’t think Norway will go that far in the World Cup, but they have an incredible attack. On the left, you’ll have Nusa who, from what I saw in a friendly against Sweden, looks completely unstoppable. I think Nusa will be more important than Bobb because one is a starter and the other isn’t, but I also like the idea of Oscar Bobb on Norway’s right side.
Top Goalscorer: Kane 🇬🇧
An incredible season, the best of his career, and he has to show up in these big moments for the national team. The last World Cup wasn’t good, but expectations are now higher than ever and, if England want to go far, Kane has to be a key piece because he has the talent for it.
Surprise Team: Senegal 🇸🇳
I think they’ll finish second in their group and, based on the way my simulation turned out, they’ll face Brazil in the Round of 16 and I think they’ll eliminate them. Going further than that starts to feel a bit excessive, but I do believe they’ll make a deep run.
Disappointment Team: I have 3
1st -> Netherlands 🇳🇱
I don’t think they finish chances well enough compared to the opportunities they create. The striker role isn’t properly settled. They’re strong defensively, but offensively that’s where the problem lies. I think they’ll finish 3rd in their group and then immediately lose to France. If they weren’t facing France, they could probably go further, but if what I predicted happens, it’s a fair punishment.
2nd -> Argentina 🇦🇷
I think they’ll be eliminated before the much-anticipated Cristiano vs Messi match because I feel Argentina are one of the most vulnerable teams in the world when defending counter-attacks. It’s practically the same team as 2022, just four years older, and that has to mean something. If it’s not Uruguay that knocks them out, it’ll be someone else, because I genuinely see a lot of vulnerability there.
3rd -> Brazil 🇧🇷
They enter the World Cup without really knowing what the best tactical setup for the team is. There is a lot of vulnerability in the full-back positions and they’ve lost several right-back options. There are more doubts than certainties or positive feelings. As I said, I don’t think they’ll even reach the quarter-finals.
Best Player: Bruno Fernandes 🇵🇹
I expect this World Cup to feature a lot of positional football and, if that’s the case, Portugal should go far thanks to goals coming from crosses or line-breaking passes. For that to happen, and because I think Portugal will go very far, someone has to be that factor. Beyond the passing, his current form is incredible, a perfect season, and he also has world-class finishing if needed.
Final: 🇫🇷 France vs Portugal 🇵🇹
I think this will be the final based on the way I made my prediction. Honestly, I think they are the two best national teams in the world, not just individually or collectively, but as a complete package.
Champion: Portugal 🇵🇹
If Portugal reach the final, they have to take a step ahead of the team with the most individual talent. It will be extremely difficult, but history has to happen. Cristiano has to win the World Cup to complete this chapter with the national team. Even if he wins it, I don’t think he’ll retire before reaching 1000 goals and, genuinely, I think football deserves this. Messi won it in 2022, now it has to be Ronaldo. It has to be.
Here is my knockout stage bracket:
Conclusion
My prediction is meant to be risky and we don’t need to offend anyone to give our opinion. I’ve summarized my points, but I did evaluate the teams before reaching these conclusions. Football is unpredictable and I’ll get most of it wrong, obviously.