Our writers’ World Cup 2026 predictions

Winners? Breakthrough player? Best host nation? Shocks?

 

There are just a few days to go until the 2026 World Cup kicks off in Mexico City. We’ve been through team analysis, stadium guides and player profiles, and now it’s time for our writers to give us their predictions for the six-week extravaganza of soccer.

The men to watch, the games not to miss, the surprises, the shocks, and how the three host nations — the United States, Mexico and Canada — will get on. Eleven of our writers have their say.

  By Oliver Kay, Carl Anka, Elias Burke, Tamerra Griffin, Henry Bushnell, Joshua Kloke, Melanie Anzidei, Paul Tenorio, Felipe Cardenas, Jack Lang and James Horncastle