World Cup 2026 predictions: Golden Ball, Golden Boot, biggest disappointments, championship picks and more

The wait is almost over. The 2026 World Cup will begin in earnest on Thursday with Mexico taking on South Africa in the opener and continue Friday with the U.S. and Paraguay before group play really starts cranking up on Saturday. But before the biggest FIFA tournament ever kicks off, some predictions are in order. Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournament Will Lionel Messi and Argentina pull off a repeat and send off the legend with one last prize? Will Norway's Erling Haaland show out in his first World Cup appearance and make a run at the Golden Ball? Will England finally deliver on the promise of "it's coming home"? The Yahoo Sports soccer team has its picks for Golden Ball, Golden Boot, Golden Glove biggest disappointments and more. We're sure we won't be 100% right, but neither will you. See all of our predictions and explanations for them below. Yahoo Sports World Cup predictions (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) Steven Goff Only eight nations have hoisted the World Cup, and it's an almost sure bet this summer's champion will come from that elite group. Well, unless the Netherlands and its orange-splashed carnival finally claims the trophy after decades of crushing disappointment. One look at the French roster — and the array of talent that didn't even make this squad — should convince you of Les Bleus ' lofty place in the global order. Though one of the heavyweights is all but certain to accept the weird little blob of a prize from Gianni Infantino, expect the unexpected in the semifinals. No one figured Croatia's advancement at each of the past two competitions and Morocco in 2022 becoming the first African side to make the final four. France's Kylian Mbappé has already won the title once and, in defeat in 2022, he netted a hat trick. Another championship appearance would earn his place in soccer lore. If any striker could upstage Mbappé, Harry Kane has a strong case. To say the 32-year-old Englishman was in top form this season at Bayern Munich is like saying Rory McIlroy did OK at Augusta again. Kane scored 61 goals in 51 matches across all competitions. Fourteen years Kane's junior is Spanish wing Lamine Yamal, who has fast become the sport's most thrilling performer. Let us pray to the soccer gods his hamstring has healed. This is a World Cup entering uncharted territory — with a record 48 teams playing a record 104 matches across a record 39 days in a record three countries, with fans furious at FIFA for countless reasons and with political tensions heightened by the primary host at war with a participant. What could possibly go wrong? Sean Leahy If only Randal Kolo Muani had taken a better shot or seen a wide open Kylian Mbappé late in the second half of extra time of the 2022 final, we could be talking about France going for a three-peat. Despite the disappointing end in Qatar, Didier Deschamps decided on only a few changes for the 2026 squad. They are older, more experienced and deeper this time around, as evidenced by the rise of Michael Olise and Désiré Doué, among others. Argentina can go as far as a healthy Lionel Messi can take them. If they can manage to keep his knocks to a minimum, there is no doubt they can threaten to become the first back-to-back winners since Pelé's Brazil in 1958 and 1962. Kari Anderson Historically speaking , the top scoring player in the tournament doesn't end up winning the title. That was true in 2022, as Kylian Mbappé's hat trick in the final gave him the Golden Boot, but wasn't enough for the trophy he really wanted. The image of Mbappé sadly walking up to claim his Golden Boot trophy (and trying very hard not to look at the World Cup trophy as he passed it) is a memorable one. This tournament, then, offers the perfect chance for the young French superstar to erase that image, and create a new one. On the flip side, I think it'll be Harry Kane's turn to make that sad walk across the stage at the end of the tournament. Kane has the most goals of anyone in Europe this season, but is leading an England team that, while talented, feels just short of a true championship roster. Disappointment-wise, I've got to look to Spain, which enters this tournament with a lot of potential. Led by 18-year-old superstar Lamine Yamal, Spain is statistically one of the best teams in the tournament, if not the best. Spain's odds as a World Cup favorite seem single-handedly dependent on Yamal's health, but the young midfielder's ongoing injury woes raise some concerns, especially since Spain doesn't really have another superstar to fall back on. It seems likely that Yamal will thrive in his first time on the global stage, but you can't put everything on a teenager's shoulders. In the end, a rematch between France and Argentina seems to be the most likely ending point for this World Cup, based on the way that the draw sits. As someone who is all for chaos, I would love to be wrong. Still, if these two teams do end up in a rematch, I think Les Bleus come out on top this time. Nick Bromberg What is success for the United States at the World Cup? That's the question I've struggled to answer in the build-up to the tournament. The USMNT has never gotten past the quarterfinals in the modern era and it's clearly not one of the best eight teams in the world in 2026. But given the U.S. will play all of its games on home soil, shouldn't that be the goal? Simply making the knockout rounds isn't good enough this year, especially since 32 teams now make the elimination stage and not 16 like in previous years. Anything short of matching the U.S. team's 2002 quarterfinal run can be considered a disappointment this summer. Elsewhere, I am bullish on Carlo Ancelotti's ability to take what seems to be a Brazil squad with a thin midfield on a deep World Cup run, and wonder if South American teams are going to have a climate advantage over their European counterparts. Even though I think France will miss Antoine Griezmann's presence more than we may realize, it's still the team to beat. And don't be surprised if Kylian Mbappé is overshadowed by both Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise, either. Jay Busbee Four years ago, we saw perhaps the greatest World Cup final of all time , when Messi's Argentina defeated Mbappé's France on penalties. Age and wisdom triumphed over youth and energy. This time around, I predict the reverse: Lamine Yamal, who will turn 19 six days before the World Cup final, will lead Spain to victory over Argentina. It's going to be a fantastic final to cap a magnificent World Cup, which we're really going to need to overcome all the political, logistical, financial and FIFA-induced controversy that's headed our way. World Cups are always fraught with bigger-meaning drama, but social media will amplify every insult to atrocity level. It's going to be exhausting. But in the end, the game will save the game. Once the World Cup begins, and once we can all focus on the pitch, the magic will take hold. The USMNT will go farther than expected — a bit, anyway — and will actually bring us together for 90 minutes or so every few days. It's going to be epic. I can't wait. Paul Carr Michael Olise was the Bundesliga Player of the Season and tallied a hat trick in France's final warmup game against Northern Ireland. Kylian Mbappé may get more goals, but Olise is primed to have the better all-around tournament. Mikel Oyarzabal shared the team lead with six goals in qualifying, and he took two of Spain's three penalties. Spain gets two group games versus relatively weak opposition (Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde) and should make a deep run in the knockout stage. The Golden Glove is always a bit of a crapshoot but I'm taking David Raya, a guy whose team should go far but isn't overly defensive. Raya was about average for Arsenal this season, but anything can happen in a small sample size. As for the young star, give me chalk: With Lamine Yamal's reputation, injuries are his biggest threat, and he may not even need to be his usual brilliant self to win this. Brazil could disappoint. The attacking talent is there as always, and the defense is solid. I can't get over a midfield that will likely rely on 34-year-old Casemiro and maybe 32-year-old Fabinho to get them through four or more games in the U.S. heat. Championship matchup/winner: France over England. France can win any way, either by unleashing the best collection of attacking talent in the world, or with defense as Didier Deschamps has repeatedly shown. Spain may have more upside, but France has the highest floor at the tournament.