2026 World Cup Predictions and Betting Odds

Wagering on your 2026 World Cup predictions is the easiest way to feel connected to your favorite team and players ahead of the tournament. Thanks to futures markets, you can wager on the World Cup winner, the Golden Ball winner, and more. 

Keep reading to see the best markets for betting on popular World Cup predictions. I highlight the latest odds for common World Cup markets and give my picks for each market. 

Best 2026 World Cup Predictions:

Lucky Rebel provided the following odds for my 2026 World Cup predictions.  

The most common World Cup predictions to wager on are your picks for the winner and your top sleeper teams. Thanks to the top soccer betting site, you can also wager on your picks for the Golden Ball winner, the Best Young Player, and multiple other awards. 

Spain (+450) and France (+500) are the top favorites to win the 2026 World Cup. Unsurprisingly, players from Spain and France dominate the odd boards for most awards. Spain’s Lamine Yamal, for instance, is the favorite to win the Golden Ball and the Best Young Player award. 

Lucky Rebel has competitive odds for every award and dozens of other World Cup futures. Read this free review of Lucky Rebel to learn more. 

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2026 World Cup Champion Odds

• Spain (+450)
• France (+500)
• England (+750)
• Portugal (+800)
• Argentina (+900)
• Brazil (+900)

Spain (+450) is the top favorite to win the 2026 World Cup. The Spanish team won gold at the 2024 Olympics, and its only World Cup win came in 2010. 

France is a close second at 5-1 odds, followed by England (+750), Portugal (+800), Argentina (+900), and Brazil (+900). Argentina is the defending champion and is attempting to become the first repeat winner since Brazil (1958, 1962). 

It has been a rocky road for France since it won the 2018 World Cup. The French made it back to the Finals in 2022 but lost to Argentina. They also made the gold medal game at the 2024 Olympics, where they lost to Spain. 

They have come up short lately, but France’s consistency in international competition makes it the best bet to win the 2026 World Cup at 5-1 odds.

2026 World Cup Champion Dark Horse Pick

The 2026 World Cup will be the first to use the expanded 48-team field. Thanks to the expanded field, there are plenty of dark horse teams to bet on for this year’s tournament. 

My top World Cup sleeper is Morocco, which finished fourth in the 2022 World Cup. After a top-five finish in Qatar, Morocco had another great showing at the 2024 Olympics. They lost to Spain in the Semi-finals but defeated Egypt 6-0 in the third-place game.

It is listed at 55-1 odds to win the World Cup, but Morocco is a +200 favorite to be the top African team in the tournament. 

Morocco’s Olympic success was powered by Soufiane Rahimi, who led all goal scorers with eight goals. 

It would be unfair to expect Rahimi to score that much again, but he is one of the best offensive players in the tournament. Another strong showing from Rahimi could help Morocco become the first African country to win the World Cup.

World Cup Early Exit Predictions

The expanded field will allow more countries than ever to compete for the World Cup, but it also lowers the talent level of the competition. Betting on bad teams to exit early is another fun way to put your soccer knowledge to the test. 

Lucky Rebel does not have a specific market for teams exiting early, but there are other ways to wager on teams losing in the group stage. 

For instance, you can bet on which team will have the lowest number of goals in the tournament. After all, it is hard to win games if you cannot get the ball into the net. 

Curaçao is one of four countries making its World Cup debut. The Curaçao team is a +450 favorite to be the lowest-scoring team in the 2026 tournament. It is not the most inspiring pick but wagering that Curaçao will have an early World Cup exit is a safe bet.

2026 Golden Ball Winner

• Lamine Yamal (ESP) (+750)
• Harry Kane (ENG) (+1000)
• Kylian Mbappé (FRA) (+1000)
• Michael Olise (FRA) (+1000)
• Lionel Messi (ARG) (+1100)

The Golden Ball is awarded to the best player in the World Cup tournament. Lionel Messi won it in 2022 after leading Argentina to its first win since 1986. 

Spain’s Lamine Yamal is the +750 favorite to win the Golden Ball. England’s Harry Kane is tied with France’s Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise for the third-best odds at +1000. Messi, a two-time winner, rounds out the top five at 11-1 odds. 

You do not need to win the World Cup to claim the Golden Ball, but a deep tournament run helps. Mbappé and the French team have consistently made deep runs, and the reigning Golden Boot winner is my pick to win the Golden Ball in 2026.

2026 Golden Glove Winner

• Emiliano Martinez (ARG) (+450)
• Unai Simón (ESP) (+450)
• Alisson Becker (BRA) (+600)
• Mike Maignan (FRA) (+600)
• Jordan Pickford (ENG) (+700)

Emiliano Martinez is the reigning Golden Glove winner, and Argentina’s goalkeeper is the +450 co-favorite to win it again this year. Spain’s Unai Simón is also listed at +450 odds, followed by Alisson Becker (BRA) and Mike Maignan (FRA) at 6-1 odds each. 

Maignan assumed the role of France’s top goalkeeper following Hugo Lloris’s retirement in 2023. He missed the 2022 World Cup with a calf injury, but Maignan has put together an impressive resume in international play. His reputation as an imposing goalkeeper with elite reflexes makes Maignan a top bet to win the Golden Gloves in his World Cup debut.

2026 Golden Boot Winner

• Kylian Mbappé (FRA) (+550)
• Harry Kane (ENG) (+650)
• Mikel Oyarzabal (ESP) (+1100)
• Erling Haaland (NOR) (+1600)

Mbappé’s hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup Final helped him lead the tournament with eight total goals. He is a +550 favorite to win the Golden Boot again in 2026. 

England’s Harry Kane is a close second at +650, followed by Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal (+1100) and Norway’s Erling Haaland (+1600). 

Norway is making its first World Cup appearance since 1998, and is in Group I with France, Senegal, and Iraq. Haaland led the EPL in goals last season with 27 and also racked up eight UEFA goals in 10 games. If Norway survives past the group stage, Haaland is a great bet to win the Golden Boot.

2026 Best Young Player Award

• Lamine Yamal (ESP) (+150)
  
• Désiré Doué (FRA) (+275)
  
• Warren Zaïre-Emery (FRA) (+750)
  
• Lennart Karl (GER) (+800)
  
• Nico O’Reilly (ENG) (+1000)

Lamine Yamal is the +150 betting favorite to win the Best Young Player Award at the 2026 World Cup. Drawing comparisons to Messi and Neymar, Yamal has already helped Spain in international competition. 

Yamal’s biggest contributions came during the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League, where he racked up four assists in the tournament and scored two vital goals against France in the semi-finals. 

France has two great young players in this market, Désiré Doué (+275) and Warren Zaïre-Emery (+750). As great as they are, Doué and Zaïre-Emery could cannibalize each other’s votes while playing for the same team. 

The Best Young Player has only been on the winning team three times, but it has happened in back-to-back tournaments. I think the latter trend will end, with Yamal winning the award despite Spain falling short of winning the World Cup.

Where to Bet on Your 2026 World Cup Predictions

Lucky Rebel has a great track record for soccer props and futures, making it the best place to wager on your World Cup predictions. You can bet on the tournament winner and on multiple World Cup award markets. 

Create a free Lucky Rebel account today to wager on all of your World Cup predictions. New members can use the sportsbook’s welcome bonus to gain up to $1,250 in bonus funds for betting on the World Cup.