Looking Ahead to the 2026 World Cup: Bookies’ Odds
The World Cup 2026 is firmly in view for football fans, bringing several firsts as it is co-hosted by three countries and features a record-breaking 48 teams. As qualification tournaments among the six global confederations draw to a close, you may be starting to think about betting and the bookies’ odds on who will win the World Cup 2026, so here is everything you need to know.
The Bookies’ Early Odds:
Making their way as the bookies' early favourite to secure the victory are 2010 World Cup winners and Euro 2024 winners Spain, with ladbrokes having them at 4/1 . Following closely behind as the second favourites are their Euro 2024 final counterparts, England, who will have all eyes on them following the appointment of their new manager, Thomas Tuchel. They are hot on the tail of Spain, with odds from Ladbrokes at 6/1. After calculating, the difference in implied probability is approximately 4 percentage points, meaning the odds are very close, and it will likely be a race to the top between these teams if early predictions are anything to go by. Rounding off the top favourites for the bookies are France, who have sailed through with almost a full win record in the qualifying stages.
Outsiders and Their Impact:
As always in football, the qualifying stages have come with some shock advances and outsiders making their mark. Scotland beat Denmark 4-2, securing their spot in the World Cup for the first time since 1998. Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are yet to secure their place in the cup, but will have their chance as they advance to the play-offs.
The Republic of Ireland will play either Poland, Wales, the Czech Republic, or Slovakia, and if they win, they will progress to the final against the winner of the Pot 1 and Pot 4 semi-final. Alternatively, Northern Ireland will face either Italy, Denmark, Turkey, or Ukraine. If we look at the odds for these teams respectively, we see Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland with very similar odds. With bookies’ odds for Northern Ireland being vast, including odds of 200/1, 500/1, 750/1, 1000/1, and even up to 1500/1. This is expected, with Northern Ireland only qualifying for the play-offs due to their winning of their UEFA Nations League Group. However, the Republic of Ireland isn’t too far ahead, with the odds currently around 500/1, with some bookies’ odds being 300/1 and 200/1.
Scotland still has a minimal chance of success, looking at their average odds of 250/1, but they will certainly still be considered relatively decent odds by fans who have waited 28 years to see them play in the knockout stages again.
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