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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
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Tom Gott

Supercomputer Predicts 2026 World Cup Winner After Group Stage Concludes

The group stage of the 2026 World Cup has come to a close and it’s full steam ahead into the round of 32.

We started this summer with 48 teams but are now down to 32. We’ve lost big names like Uruguay, Scotland and Türkiye, but all the pre-tournament favorites are still alive and kicking in pursuit of glory across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

As the round of 32 prepares to get underway on Sunday, the cogs of the Opta supercomputer have been whirring to rate every team’s chances of glory.


Supercomputer Predicts World Cup Round of 32

Lionel Messi
Argentina is among the favorites. | Stefan Koops/EYE4IMAGES/NurPhoto/Getty Images

No team has greater odds of reaching the round of 16 than Argentina. Standing in its way is underdog Cabo Verde, whose spirited journey is expected to come to an emphatic end in the coming days.

Spain is backed to make light work of Austria, as is England in its meeting with DR Congo. Both sides arrived at this summer’s tournament expecting to reach the later stages and the supercomputer does not predict any early obstacles.

Behind those two is France. Sweden promises to be tricky opposition but much will depend on which version of Graham Potter’s side turns up: the one that beat Tunisia 5–1 or lost to the Netherlands by the same scoreline.

Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT is also given great odds of making it through to the next round, sitting at 78.46%. Canada and Mexico, the other two co-hosts, are both expected to advance comfortably as well.

Fixture Most Likely Winner
South Africa vs. Canada Canada (68.29%)
Brazil vs. Japan Brazil (68.94%)
Germany vs. Paraguay Germany (78.58%)
Netherlands vs. Morocco Netherlands (61.17%)
Côte d’Ivoire vs. Norway Norway (67.81%)
France vs. Sweden France (81.46%)
Mexico vs. Ecuador Mexico (61.35%)
England vs. DR Congo England (84.04%)
Belgium vs. Senegal Belgium (56.91%)
USMNT vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina USMNT (78.46%)
Spain vs. Austria Spain (85.22%)
Portugal vs. Croatia Portugal (67.42%)
Switzerland vs. Algeria Switzerland (65.21%)
Australia vs. Egypt Egypt (53.56%)
Argentina vs. Cabo Verde Argentina (89.24%)
Colombia vs. Ghana Colombia (71.91%)

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Supercomputer Predicts 2026 World Cup Winner

Ousmane Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé
France remains the favorite. | Maddie Meyer/FIFA/Getty Images

Looking ahead all the way to the final, two teams stand out from the crowd.

Leading the way is France with a chance of 18.66%, putting Les Bleus marginally ahead of Argentina’s 16.26%.

There’s a small jump down to third, where Spain sits with odds of 13.47%, while England sits on an island of its own at 9.68%.

Brazil (6.47%) and the Netherlands (5.11%) are seen as outside hopefuls at this stage in the competition.

Team Chances of Winning the World Cup
France 18.66%
Argentina 16.26%
Spain 13.47%
England 9.68%
Brazil 6.47%
Netherlands 5.11%
Portugal 4.74%
Germany 4.36%
Colombia 3.19%
Norway 2.95%
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