The FIFA World Cup 2026 has kicked off in some style as Mexico defeated South Africa in the tournament opener before South Korea registered a come-from-behind win over the Czech Republic to close out the opening day. The action will continue on the second day as the second of the three co-hosts, Canada, will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first of the Day 2 games, with the USA to follow their Group D game against Paraguay.
The tournament is in very early stages as of now, but some teams enter holding an advantage and with the title of being strong contenders. Spain and France are definitely two of them.
Why are Spain strong contenders?
Spain have a brilliant team and individual brilliance on the roster. Rodri leads the Spanish attack as he is one of the best midfielders in the world currently. He has support from Martín Zubimendi, Gavi, Pedri and Fabian Ruiz in the midfield. The forward line is a star-studded one headlined by Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Nico Williams and Ferran Torres, among others.
Yamal is coming into the tournament after an injury break. He suffered a hamstring injury in Barcelona's last La Liga match. He is likely to be out of Spain's opening game against Cape Verde on June 15. However, the Spanish side presents the strongest challenge.
Why are France title contenders?
France are also contenders to win their third FIFA World Cup. They have played in four of the last seven finals, including the last two ones. The Didier Deschamps squad won the 2018 World Cup and lost in the final in 2022 on penalties to Argentina.
However, their squad is a pretty strong one, which could propel them to another title. There is a Kylian Mbappe, the current Ballon d’Or holder, Ousmane Dembele, Rayan Cherki, Désiré Doué and Michael Olise. Then there are N'Golo Kante, Aurelien Tchouameni, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Hernandez giving plenty of options to the French side.
Are there other favourites too?
There are other title contenders as well, but these two seemingly hold the edge over the rest. Apart from Spain and France, Argentina, Brazil, England and Germany are also contenders.
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