France and Argentina’s formidable form during the 2026 World Cup group stage has seen them replace stuttering Spain as the leading contenders to win this summer's tournament.
England have also moved level with the Spanish in the BOYLE Sports World Cup outright odds , with Thomas Tuchel’s side not yet firing on all cylinders either but doing enough to avoid a more perilous pathway.
France
France @ 10/3
Les Bleus could hardly have got off to a better start in their bid to reach a third successive World Cup final. The 2018 champions won all three of their Group I matches with room to spare, sweeping aside Senegal 3-1, Iraq 3-0 and Norway 4-1 , and many of their star names have already made a significant impact.
Captain Kylian Mbappe and fellow forward Ousmane Dembele have notched four goals each while Michael Olise has carried on his superb club form with Bayern Munich. France have a potentially tricky route through the knockout stages, though, facing Sweden first up and then a possible last-16 showdown with Germany , so Didier Deschamps will be hoping his side haven’t peaked too early.
Argentina
Argentina @ 4/1
Argentina beat France in a thrilling 2022 final and a repeat this year could well be on the cards if early indications are anything to go by. The holders, who were 8/1 prior to the tournament , also cruised through their group stage and in talismanic captain Lionel Messi have a player whose sights look fixed on making his last World Cup an unforgettable one.
The 39-year-old has scored six of Argentina’s eight goals so far, netting a hat-trick against Algeria , both goals in the 2-0 win over Austria before climbing off the bench to add a late clincher in the 3-1 triumph over Jordan . Those victories saw the Albiceleste finish a massive five points clear at the top of Group J and they now look to have one of the easier last-32 ties after being paired with debutants Cape Verde.
England
England @ 13/2
England are third favourites after topping Group L and will be expected to beat DR Congo in their opening knockout tie on Wednesday but, like Spain and several other fancied nations, they have hardly set the world alight in North America .
A good second half in their opening 4-2 win over Croatia hinted at good times to come but their subsequent struggles against Ghana and Panama , combined with injury issues, have tempered expectations surrounding the Three Lions . They should get past DR Congo but could well find themselves facing in-form co-hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca - over 2,000m above sea level - in the last 16, while Brazil and Argentina are also in their side of the draw.
Spain
Spain @ 13/2
Spain had been 9/2 outright favourites less than a month ago but their odds have drifted out to 13/2 following a far from convincing group campaign. The reigning European champions and 2010 world champions still topped Group H with seven points and have yet to concede a goal, but were held 0-0 by Cape Verde in their opening match in what will go down as one of the biggest surprises in World Cup history.
Spain responded with a 4-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia but they only just squeezed past Uruguay 1-0 in their final group match, and must now face a tricky last-32 clash with fellow Europeans Austria , followed by a potential showdown with Iberian rivals Portugal .
Portugal
Portugal @ 10/1
Just behind the top four are Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal but they are another nation yet to hit top gear and failures to beat DR Congo (1-1) and Colombia (0-0) could end up costing them.
Those results meant Roberto Martinez’s men had to settle for runners-up spot in Group K behind Colombia and must now face Croatia , semi-finalists in 2018 and 2022 , with a titanic showdown with Spain potentially on the horizon.
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