Gary Lineker names his World Cup winners - and it isn't England

Martin Macdonald

• 30 Mar 2026 06:30 CDT
• 5 min read

News

Gary Lineker doesn't believe England are favourites to win the World Cup but reckons they are in the top five best teams heading into the tournament.

The 2026 edition of the competition will be the biggest World Cup in history, with 48 teams set to compete across the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.

England haven't won the World Cup since 1966 as their second title has eluded them for over half a century. Still, with the abundance of talent in the squad, Thomas Tuchel's men will likely be a force to be reckoned with in North America.

Lineker thinks that Spain are the favourites, however.

"The World Cup is getting very close now. I know Spain are actually the bookies’ favourites, closely followed by England, France, Argentina and Brazil. I think they’re the big five," he said on the Rest is Football podcast.

"France have got a hell of a squad, haven’t they? They have an amazing squad, but I’m going to go with Spain. I think they could do a repeat of what they did a decade or so ago and win consecutive tournaments. I mean, they’ve got some players, Spain.

"I think Spain have to be the team to beat, Obviously, we’d all love England to win. Portugal could be a decent outside bet as well. They will have to control the narrative around [Cristiano] Ronaldo and manage his minutes and see if he accepts that. That will be important for them. But they have got some cracking players.

"I think it’s a good outside bet, Portugal. Also, don’t rule out Argentina and even Brazil. But I’m going with Spain. England are definitely one of the frontrunners but I think Spain have to be favourites ahead of us, personally I think France too.

"I think in recent tournaments, the English team has progressed sufficiently to have a chance of winning it. But I can’t remember any of us actually predicting England to win a tournament for a while."

Spain head into the tournament as reigning European Championship winners, having claimed that title in 2024 after defeating England in the final.

Argentina won the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

World Cup power rankings

We recently compiled a power ranking of every team that has qualified for the tournament so far, which you can read HERE.

Here's what we said about the five favourites Lineker mentioned:

Brazil

A World Cup would not be a World Cup without Brazil. The competition’s most successful team, they have lifted the trophy on four different continents, including two of the three times it was held in North America.

The current crop of Selecao stars is not as flashy or star-studded as Pele’s panel who won in Mexico in 1970 or Romario’s roster from USA 1994, but the five-time winners can never be counted out.

All of their attackers are household names and head coach Carlo Ancelotti will have headaches choosing who to start from a list that includes players like Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Raphinha, Joao Pedro, Matheus Cunha, Antony, Richarlison and wonderkids Estevao and Endrick.

Argentina

The brilliance of Lionel Messi dragged Argentina to success at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but the legendary superstar will be 39 years old by the time the 2026 World Cup final comes around. It is simply too much to ask for a repeat of the previous tournament and, indeed, the Inter Miami star hasn’t even confirmed he’ll be at the next World Cup yet.

Argentina, of course, have other superstars in their ranks and the likes of Julian Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, Nico Paz and Lautaro Martinez are more than capable of taking this team far into the knockout stages.

Having Messi around in some capacity, even if he doesn’t play every game, will boost this squad.

Truth be told, it’s been so long since we saw Argentina without Messi, it’s tough to say what the team will look like without him.

England

England head into the 2026 World Cup as one of the firm favourites for victory after back-to-back second-place finishes at the European Championships and a flawless qualifying process.

Thomas Tuchel masterminded eight victories in eight matches without conceding a single goal in World Cup qualifying and given the talent in the Three Lions squad, it would be a huge upset if they are unable to progress into the latter stages of knockouts.

However, their lack of preparation against top nations is a slight concern and there is a lingering feeling that France and Spain may both be better equipped to get over the finishing line.

France

Two-time champions France approach the World Cup finals knowing that this will be Didier Deschamps’ last hurrah. The coach has performed wonders over his 14-year spell, building a team where once there had only been individuals.

Deschamps knows how to manage these tournaments. France might not always play the most attractive game, but they are a wily and versatile unit, capable of winning matches in many different ways.

Crucially, there is also star quality throughout the squad, with Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe expected to be the team leader as he seeks to cement his status with a second World Cup, which would give him a strong shot at the Ballon d’Or.

Spain

Reigning European champions Spain will be the team to beat at the 2026 World Cup. Ranked first in the world, Luis de la Fuente's men have been a pretty much unstoppable machine since the Euros in Germany.

La Roja enjoyed an almost spotless qualifying phase, with only the final game - a 2-2 draw with Turkey - sullying what was otherwise a perfect run of matches.

With a goal difference of +19 in six matches, Spain showed that they are irresistible when they are in full flow and a clear favourite to not only reach but to win the final at MetLife Stadium in July 2026.

Most of the talk will be about Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Nico Williams, but don't sleep on the unsung heroes in De la Fuente's side: Mikel Merino, Mikel Oyarzabal and Marc Cucurella.