If you are playing a football predictor game for the World Cup this summer, which country are you backing to go all the way? European teams are always amongst the favourites but it doesn’t always work out that they win. With the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico this summer, it’s another chance to win away from Europe. Will a European country win and banish the worries of ‘playing away’?
What’s the history of European teams at the World Cup?
Despite European countries winning 12 of the 22 World Cups that have taken place, the bulk of this success has taken place on European soil. Only twice has a European team won the World Cup outside of Europe. Spain in South Africa in 2010 and Germany in Brazil in 2014. Before that, it had never been achieved. Why have European countries struggled to win outside of their own continent in the past? Will the upcoming World Cup continue the bucking of the trend with a third European winner outside of Europe in the last 5 tournaments?
Who are the European contenders and will they win?
The usual contenders are here from Europe. Spain are the reigning European Champions and must be considered one of the favourites for the World Cup. England have consistently reached the latter stages of the last few international tournaments without quite making it over the finishing line as champions, and France have reached the last two World Cup finals with an attacking array of talents that make up a star-studded squad. You should never discount Germany either. What might make this World Cup challenging for European teams is the long distance travel and extreme temperatures that South American and North American countries are more used to.
What about the other big hitters?
Argentina are the defending champions; they are on a great run of form and have won not only the last World Cup but also the last two editions of the Copa America. Lionel Messi may be four years older but he’s playing in the MLS, which gives him home advantage, right? He still hasn’t confirmed if he will play, but we’d be surprised if he wasn’t. With or without Messi, it’s hard to look beyond Argentina at least getting to the final once again.
Brazil is the other traditional big team from South America, but the five-times winners are not in the best of shape. No disrespect to Igor Thiago (he’s having a great season), but even 10 years ago if you’d said Brazil’s number 9 played for Brentford you’d have been laughed out of the room. What gives them a chance is the cool and calm of head coach Carlo Ancelotti. He’s been there and done it at the top of the club game for decades, can he translate this to the international stage? Could an African country go one step further after Morocco made the semi-finals at Qatar 2022?
Picking a team to back during your football predictor game
When the time comes for World Cup 2026 to begin, you’ll have already locked in your predictions for the tournament winner, top goal scorer, assist-maker, and maybe all the group stage results and specific scores. It comes down to your personal choice. You can have all the knowledge in the world about every country participating at the World Cup, the greatest players in the game, and the history of the sport. Historically, it’s been difficult for a European team to win the tournament outside of Europe, but with the way the modern game has homogenised, there are few surprises anymore. The big hitters from Europe will stand a great chance of winning. If you go for Spain, England, France, or Germany, there’s a chance you could be successful in your football predictor game. However, don’t be surprised if Argentina win back-to-back tournaments, or Brazil find their joga bonito once again.