Former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger has declared France the favourites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting that only Spain possess the qualities to stop Didier Deschamps' side from lifting the trophy.
France's Dominant Run
France have been impressive throughout the tournament, winning all their group-stage matches before defeating Sweden and Paraguay to reach the quarter-finals. They will face Morocco for a place in the semi-finals. Spain, meanwhile, advanced to the last eight after overcoming Austria and Portugal and are set to face Belgium.
Wenger's Verdict
Wenger believes France have been the standout team but highlighted Spain's technical quality and collective style as their biggest threat. "France will win the World Cup. I know you will say, 'Of course you say that, you're French,'" Wenger told Sky Sports.
Explaining his reasoning, the former Arsenal boss said the intensity of the tournament has separated the strongest teams from the rest. "When you analyse the World Cup, the train goes at a certain pace and you have to be capable of getting on the train." He pointed to the elimination of several Asian nations as evidence of the physical and technical demands. "The Asian teams have gone out because they could not cope with the intensity and the pace of the games. They did not have enough to technically compete."
Spain as the Only Threat
Despite backing France, Wenger believes Spain are the only team capable of challenging them. "The real question for me is Spain. If one team is capable now of beating France I would say it is Spain because their technical level is better than France. They have quality and a culture of collective football that nobody else in the world has at that level. That could be the decider between these two, but of course France is stronger physically."
Other Quarter-Final Matchups
Elsewhere in the quarter-finals, England will face Norway after their dramatic victory over Mexico, while defending champions Argentina remain on course for another deep run as they await the winner of the Colombia versus Switzerland tie. If both progress, England and France would only be able to meet in the World Cup final.
