World Cup 2026 betting tips: Lionel Messi to lead Argentina to glory (again)
“USA! USA! USA!”
The time for talking is almost over. All eyes will be on North America over the next month or so as the great and the good of the beautiful game gather for the World Cup and a tournament that will be shared between Canada, Mexico and the USA.
It’s an expanded tournament of course. Each team will play three games in the group stage, as per.
The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stage, as in previous years.
But the expansion of the tournament from 32 teams will create an additional round of knockout matches.
But at least she is right back where she rightfully belongs slap bang in the middle of summer and none of this December b**locks!
There aren’t many bigger punting events than the World Cup so read on for a breakdown of the best outright bets from this summer’s tournament courtesy of Sports News Blitz’s punting laureate - The Bookie Basher.
England’s rough route to glory
A 38-day jamboree of footballing chaos? Ooooh go on then.
England will have their customary army of backers at 7/1 to end what would be 60 years of hurt.
I won’t lie; it is going to be weird watching England without Gareth Southgate on the bench in a major tournament for the first time since 2016
Southgate - who was redefining masculinity one waistcoat at a time during his Three Lions pomp - was brilliantly consistent during the majors but was still unable to convert uber talented squads into trophies.
Over to you, Herr Tuchel.
Truthfully - if you are thinking of backing England - the climate, heat and altitude need to be factored in.
Let’s have it right, it’s going to be hotter than Satan’s kettle out there.
Air con stadiums? Can’t wait to hear Roy Keane’s view on those - but in all seriousness some European teams may struggle if the air feels like soup.
The Three Lions start things off in Group L against Croatia, Ghana and Panama, and if they can’t progress past that little lot then Tuchel needs flogging with a giant schnitzel.
There are tons of permutations from there, but the likeliest if England top the group is that DR Congo would await in the first knockout stage.
Light work surely?
Should England saunter to the last 16, they could then face Meh-hee-ho at the Azteca.
If that wasn’t tough enough with the altitude and the rabid Mexican fans, a win would likely herald a clash less than seven days later against World Cup minnows Brazil in the quarter-finals.
If they beat the Samba Boys, and it’s a big ‘if’, then Argentina or Portugal would likely await in the semis.
It’s a tough road to glory, and 7/1 quotes look a little on the short side.
Can Ancelotti deliver for Brazil?
Brazil and the World Cup is one of the great love stories, and the five-time World Cup winners will always have their backers.
It freaked me out a bit, mind, when I worked out Brazil have not won it for 24 years - 24 f***ing years!
Not since Ronaldo inspired them in 2002 and in recent times the Selecao have had four different coaches, and 84 different players make at least one appearance for them since 2023.
Carlo Ancelotti arrived in June 2025, and the Italian will bring his unique brand of eyebrow raising cool to proceedings.
They should p*ss a group containing Morocco, Scotland and Haiti and will be easy on the eye as ever, but even at odds of 10/1 I can’t pull the trigger on them this summer.
Stars may be aligning for Argentina repeat
Spain were fantastic en route to winning the Euro 2024 crown and Luis de la Fuente has a squad blessed with youth, experience and no little skill.
If France can avoid the customary in-fighting – and get a tune out of Kylian Mbappe – they will also be very dangerous.
However, defending champions Argentina seem to be flying under the bookies radar and look too short at 10/1.
La Albiceleste just went back-to-back at the Copa America and in Lionel Scaloni, they have a boss who is now a borderline saint in his homeland.
They are tactically adaptable and won’t mind the sweltering conditions.
It's also worth noting that in 11 World Cups held outside of Europe, only two were won by European teams (Spain 2010 and Germany 2014).
Diminutive genius Lionel Messi – without the draining schedule of a European domestic campaign – should be bang up for this as well and can lead the Argies to another title.
Suggested bet: Argentina to win the World Cup at 10/1 (Bet Victor)
READ NEXT: World Cup 2026 betting tips: Who gets the Golden Boot? And can Argentina retain their crown?
