The stadium is hosting Brazil vs Morocco at the 2026 World Cup (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The World Cup is here, and even though its ticket prices are in full swing, real football is about to take over. So, which teams might you see if you had to raise enough money to secure your spot at MetLife Stadium on July 19?
However, online betting sites have had their favorite rate go up for months, and it’s the usual suspects that find themselves at the top of the odds list. The latest World Cup betting at Bovada the odds currently have Spain leading at 9/2, with France trailing at 5/1. Then there’s England at 7/1, third favourites. But what might each path to the biggest game in world football look like? Let’s take a look at their possible path to glory.
Spain
Spain is famous for its high qualityh European championship crown in Germany two years ago. Now, their talented youth squad is trying to take their talents from the continental stage to the international stage. Lamine Yamal he was just 16 years old at that tournament in Germany in 2024. Now 18 years old, he has grown into the best player in the world, and supported by his faithful Barcelona players, such as Pedri, Gavi, Dani Olmo, and Pau Cubarsí, he is now tasked with bringing back the famous gold trophy for the second time in Spain.
His side have been given the perfect squad to do just that. Luis de la Fuente’s men will face Cape Verde in their first game in Atlanta on June 15, before facing Saudi Arabia at the same stadium five days later. The two games are likely to produce six points and a flurry of goals, before a clash with Uruguay in Guadalajara on June 26 ends their commitment to the group stage.
The bookies make Spain 1/5 favorites at the top of Group H, and if they don’t, it would be a huge shock. Assuming they do, then La Roja could face either Austria or Algeria at the stunning SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on July 2 in another must-win game. They won that, and they have a round of 16 match against Croatia or Colombia to look forward to, and a tournament they will do well to win.
Spain could get out of the quarterfinals without breaking a sweat. There, the USA, Turkey, and Belgium were considered as their rivals, arguably weaker than any of the tournament’s favorites at the time. In the semi-finals, second favorite France may lie in wait.
France
France have reached the finals of the last two World Cups, and this summer, they are aiming for a record-equalling third consecutive place. They beat Croatia in the first of those two shows in Moscow earlier losing a thriller on penalties to Argentina in Qatar four years later. However, if they are to dominate this summer, they will have to do so without two men who have held the team together for over a decade: Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud.
Even without those two things, Les Bleus still have quality all over the pitch, but in attack they are really lethal. Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, and Desire Doue undoubtedly form a fearsome attacking quartet throughout the tournament, and will strike fear into every defense they face. But even so, they have a much tougher run to the final than the leading Spaniards.
Didier Deschamps’ team has been drawn in the toughest group of the competition along with Norway and Senegal. However, the bookies make them a clear 2/5 favorite to top Group I, and if they do, they will head to MetLife Stadium on June 30 to clash with one of the top three ranked teams.
From there, they will head to Philadelphia where they will meet fellow heavyweights Germany, before entering the quarterfinals against the Netherlands in Boston on July 9. After running the gauntlet, a well-rested Spanish team will be waiting for the semis, July 14 in Dallas the day of that monster tournament.
In England
Hypocrites or competitors? That is the question every time about England. Their run to the last two European Championship finals suggests they are the latter as opposed to the former, and the appointment of proven winner Thomas Tuchel only helps their case. Add to that Harry Kane’s bubble typehis 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern Munich this season have made him the favorite to win the Ballon d’Or, and it’s clear the Three Lions could roar.
England’s woes remain in the big leagues…
+700 to bring home the World Cup for the first time since 1966 ?????? pic.twitter.com/oO0cPRYomD
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) June 4, 2026
They have to navigate a never-ending banana skin in Croatia in their opening match, before facing Ghana and Panama in Group L, the quartet of 1/4 favorites to top. They will also face one of the third-placed teams in Atlanta on July 1, before preparing for a possible clash with tournament hosts Mexico in front of thousands of Mexicans at the famous Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
The task will not be easy in the quarterfinals as the Three Lions could be set to challenge Brazil in a repeat of the 2002 quarterfinal. They will then face one of their two modern rivals in the semi-finals, Argentina or Portugal, those two will face each other in the quarter-finals and the winner will face England in the semi-finals.
