World Cup Longshot Predictions & Sleeper Teams

European champions Spain are favorites to win the World Cup for a third time this summer, with continental rivals France and England second and third in the outright betting.

Five-time World Cup winners Brazil and Portugal come in next, just ahead of defending champions Argentina.

However, with a record 48 nations taking part in the competition, the leading teams are far from the only interest for bettors and fans alike.

Several teams are making their maiden appearances in the World Cup, while the three co-hosts, USA, Mexico and Canada, will be looking to make full use of their home advantage.

World Cup Longshot Predictions

Norway to win (+2500)

Taking part in their first World Cup since 1998 and their first major tournament since Euro 2000, few sides can boast the star quality in Norway's attacking ranks.

Erling Haaland was the leading goalscorer in World Cup qualifying with 16 goals and is already his country's all-time leading goalscorer.

He scored 38 goals for Manchester City this season and has 17 in his last 10 appearances for his country and he is supported by Arsenal's Martin Odegaard and Atletico Madrid forward Alexander Sorloth.

This trio is capable of breaking down any defensive unit in the world and, providing Stale Solbakken gets the rest of the team balanced correctly, you wouldn’t rule them out of any game.

Mexico to reach the quarter-finals (+400)

Mexico have not made it past the round of 16 stage in a World Cup since they hosted the 1986 edition. That was a match for their 1970 hosting of the World Cup and they may be able to repeat that feat as co-hosts in 2026.

El Tri are +400 to reach the final eight and logistics and stadium conditions could make all the difference.

Javier Aguirre's side have the smallest overall distance to travel in the group stages and all three of their games are played in the high-altitude conditions of Zapopan and Mexico City.

Should they win Group A, they will also play their round-of-32 and round-of-16 games in Mexico City.

Almost half of their squad ply their trade domestically and this familiarity to such conditions may turn out to be a significant advantage.

Ecuador to reach the quarter-finals (+500)

Ecuador conceded only five goals in 18 games during their World Cup qualifying campaign, finishing second only to defending world champions Argentina - this defensive resilience could prove key to their best-ever finish in the tournament.

La Tri have had some excellent results at youth level in recent years, making the semi-finals of four of the last six Under-20 World Cups,and this talent has been slowly funnelled into the senior side.

They have some genuinely world-class talent in Moises Caicedo, Piero Hincapie and William Pacho and head into the tournament unbeaten in 18 games, including positive results against Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and USA.

Defensive resilience is often a key component of winning sides in major tournaments and that could push Ecuador to new heights.

Morocco to reach the semi-finals (+900)

Morocco may lack the star quality of some of their rivals, but their squad as a whole is very well balanced and they can draw confidence from a stunning performance in the 2022 World Cup.

They reached the semi-finals in Qatar to achieve their best-ever World Cup result and they begin the competition unbeaten in 27 games.

The Atlas Lions have conceded just 11 goals in this sequence, boasting a defensive record they can draw confidence from against the more star-studded opponents they may face.

With the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazraoui, Nayef Aguerd, Sofyan Amrabat, Bilal El Khannouss, Brahim Diaz, and Ayoub El Kaabi, they have experience and quality all over the pitch and plenty of unity among their ranks.

Croatia to reach the semi-finals (+1100)

Croatia may have suffered a disappointing group-stage exit at Euro 2024, but their World Cup record over the past decade is excellent and they may be able to go relatively far in Luka Modric's last hurrah.

The 41-year-old AC Milan midfielder, who is the captain of the Vatreni, led his nation to a first-ever World Cup final in 2018 and they followed it up with a semi-final showing in Qatar four years ago.

With Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Mario Pasalic, Andrej Kramaric, Ante Budimir and Ivan Perisic all over the age of 30, this is likely to be the last tournament with this group of Croatia legends intact.

They have all the experience necessary to manage games and quality in abundance, so another deep run could be on the cards.

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World Cup outright odds

Spain	+450
France	+500
England	+650
Brazil	+800
Portugal	+800
Argentina	+900

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.