It's official: Tuesday marks just 48 hours until the 2026 World Cup kicks off in earnest, when Mexico host South Africa in Mexico City on June 11.
As we did at the 100-day and 30-day mark, we're looking at how our global reporters feel about the tournament from a contenders vs. pretenders perspective with just two days until kickoff. We asked our panel of 20 reporters to rank their top 15 favorites from No. 1 (meaning "the trophy is theirs") to No. 15 ("the cool outsider's pick for a tournament shock") and compiled their ballots into the collective ranking below.
Our voting panel includes Bill Connelly, James Olley, Julien Laurens, Sam Marsden, Rob Dawson, Mariano Mancuso, Armando Neria, Alain van Hilten, Mark Ogden, Lizzy Becherano, Beth Lindop, Ed Dove, Tom Hamilton, Leonardo Bertozzi, Alex Kirkland, Gabe Tan, Joey Lynch, Jeff Carlisle, Gab Marcotti and Cesar Hernandez.
Consider this your shorthand guide to the favorites next month, with some adjustments noted based on form, injuries and other intangibles.
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ESPN FC's World Cup Power Rankings, 2 days out
1. SPAIN
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 2
- Group H games: vs. Cape Verde (June 15, Atlanta); vs. Saudi Arabia (June 21, Atlanta); vs. Uruguay (June 26, Guadalajara)
Our reporters and editors still have the most confidence in La Roja when it comes to who they favor in the expanded, 48-team field -- Spain picked up three more first-place votes than they managed at the 30-day mark -- which is impressive considering they do have a number of question marks around the squad.
The biggest of those is, of course, the fitness of teenage superstar Lamine Yamal, who missed the last month of the 2025-26 club season with a torn hamstring and whose road back to match readiness is being carefully managed. Spain boss Luis de la Fuente left Yamal (along with winger Nico Williams and reserve forward Víctor Muñoz) behind at La Roja's base camp in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to continue rehabbing while the remainder of the squad headed to Puebla, Mexico, for the final World Cup tuneup game against Peru. De la Fuente is confident Yamal will be ready for their tournament opener, but it is likely to be a big TBD until matchday.
Beyond Yamal, Spain must show that such turbulence hasn't impacted their preparations, with decisions to be made over who starts in goal (Unai Simón is the incumbent, albeit a wobbly one), who leads the attack (Mikel Oyarzabal or Ferran Torres?) and the competency of their central defenders, with none of the group (Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Eric García) looking especially impressive. It also remains to be seen how sharp key midfielder Rodri is following an up-and-down season with injuries, but Spain retain the top spot in our Power Rankings until someone else takes it.
Last week's 1-1 draw with Egypt was concerning -- Spain generated just four scoring chances despite two-thirds of the ball, while Egypt scored with one of two shots on target -- but opening group play with their easiest game (on paper, anyway) should allow them to ease into the tournament.
2. FRANCE
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 3
- Group I games: vs. Senegal (June 16, New York/New Jersey); vs. Iraq (June 22, Philadelphia); vs. Norway (June 26, Boston)
After Les Bleus' painful runners-up finish in 2022, despite Kylian Mbappé's hat trick against Argentina, our reporters reckon France are well-positioned to mount another strong challenge this time around, awarding them six first-place votes.
The tournament is manager Didier Deschamps' swansong as manager, and a talented squad will be keen to send him off with a third World Cup win, his second as a coach. Star forward -- and No. 1 in Ryan O'Hanlon's ranking of the Top 50 players at the World Cup -- Ousmane Dembélé spoke of wanting to give Deschamps a happy conclusion to an impressive 14-year tenure, and you'd back him to deliver.
An injury scare around center back William Saliba has come and gone, with team doctors declaring him match fit despite a long-standing (and only recently reported) back injury, and the form of stars like Michael Olise, Désiré Doué and Dembélé will strike fear into their Group I opponents, but they'll need to start strong against Senegal to show that some uneven warmup form (including a 2-1 defeat to Ivory Coast) is nothing to fear.
3. ARGENTINA
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 1
- Group J games: vs. Algeria (June 16, Kansas City); vs. Austria (June 22, Dallas); vs. Jordan (June 27, Dallas)
Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the World Cup in Qatar after nearly two decades of trying ... but can he do it again? Becoming the first team since Brazil (1958, 1962) to repeat as World Cup champions won't be easy, and while the Seleção had Pelé in their lineup when they did it in the black-and-white TV era, Messi comes close in terms of impact.
However, this is a squad that has gotten older and arguably worse while Messi has improved with age (and careful load management at Inter Miami), and some lingering injuries/bad form to key players are a worry. Defender Cristian Romero has been racing to get fit after a late-season knee injury sustained in the thick of Tottenham's relegation fight, midfielder Alexis Mac Allister had a poor season by his standards with Liverpool, and forward Julián Álvarez has just three goals for club/country since the beginning of April.
Inauspicious World Cup preparations aren't always reliable predictors of tournament performance, but it'll take every bit of manager Lionel Scaloni's savvy and trust in his established squad to battle through the knockouts. He might also find himself missing the magic of winger Ángel Di María, who retired from international duty following Argentina's Copa America win in 2023. Lucky for them, a gentle group draw gives them plenty of time to work things out.
4. ENGLAND
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 4
- Group L games: vs. Croatia (June 17, Dallas); vs. Ghana (June 23, Boston); vs. Panama (June 27, New York/New Jersey)
Is soccer coming home this summer? Our voters don't think so, with the Three Lions garnering zero first-place votes in our ballot, and that sense of uncertainty is further amplified by Thomas Tuchel's decision-making with the final roster.
Among the names left out: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Harry Maguire and Adam Wharton, all of whom had expected inclusion. Surprise calls for Ivan Toney, John Stones and Jordan Henderson might raise eyebrows, but Tuchel is a tactician who never played favorites, and this England squad is no different. (For those keen-eyed among you: 20 of his 26 selections were called into his very first England camp last year, which is the epitome of "he showed you how the magic trick works and you just missed it.")
Ultimately, this is striker Harry Kane's team, and England fans will be hoping he carries his transcendent club form with Bayern Munich -- 64 goals in 56 games across all competitions in the 2025-26 season -- and dynamism into the World Cup. Surrounding him are a cadre of skilled, speedy players with clearly defined roles and expectations: Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke will offer pace and delivery from wide positions, Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers will vie for the No. 10 attacking midfield role behind Kane, and box-to-box midfielder Declan Rice will knit defense and attack despite a grueling club season (55 appearances) with Arsenal.
It's clear, that win or lose, England are going to do things Tuchel's way, which is arguably why they hired him as manager in 2025 to replace the outgoing Gareth Southgate. (The other reason: He is second-to-none with in-game adjustments, and those fine margins could make the difference in the heat of the American summer.)
5. BRAZIL
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 6
- Group C games: vs. Morocco (June 13, New York/New Jersey); vs. Haiti (June 19, Philadelphia); vs. Scotland (June 24, Miami)
The Seleção won it all the last time the U.S. hosted the men's tournament in 1994, but Brazil will need more than past precedent to assert themselves this summer. The hiring of Carlo Ancelotti as manager could prove masterful given his finesse with superstar egos at his previous jobs at Real Madrid, Chelsea, Milan, PSG and Bayern, and one senses that this team might be the most vibes-based favorite in a crowded field of contenders.
Young winger Estêvão has been ruled out due to injury and the squad lacks an established No. 9 striker, but Ancelotti's gambit might be a 4-2-4 formation that provides attacking fireworks and defensive chaos in equal measure. Key to it all will be defensive midfielder Casemiro (who enjoyed a late-season renaissance at Manchester United) and Bruno Guimarães doing the dirty work that allows the likes of Vinicius Jr., Raphinha, Igor Thiago (22 Premier League goals for Brentford this season) and Matheus Cunha to thrive in the attacking third.
Also essential will be the center back pair of Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhães, who are as calm as can be under the kind of pressure this four-forward formation could invite. A lack of credible fullbacks might allow opponents to pin Brazil back and force others to break through, but there is potential here for a deep run. Warmup wins over Panama (6-2, with six different scorers) and Egypt (2-1) could be the start of something good.
6. PORTUGAL
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 5
- Group K games: vs. DR Congo (June 17, Houston); vs. Uzbekistan (June 23, Houston); vs. Colombia (June 27, Miami)
As goes Cristiano Ronaldo, so goes Portugal. As has been the case for several years, Portugal's biggest star -- and one of the game's all-time greats -- could also be their biggest flaw if the 41-year-old forward can't learn to play well with a deeply talented roster and let them shine around him. The World Cup is the last trinket he has yet to secure and motivation will be sky-high after his biggest rival, Messi, did it in 2022.
It's clear from recent months that Portugal need to revolve around midfielder Bruno Fernandes, not CR7, and finessing that direction will be Roberto Martinez's biggest challenge as manager. Aligned with Fernandes and Ronaldo are a cadre of world-class veterans (defender Rúben Dias, midfielders Bernardo Silva and Rúben Neves), plus fast-rising young stars (fullback Nuno Mendes, midfielders Vitinha and João Gomes), and a healthy dose of unpredictability and industry from supporting cast members Pedro Neto and Rafael Leão.
The group stage should prove manageable, but how will Martinez navigate rising expectations and any lingering frustration from Ronaldo should his own personal World Cup not get off to a great start?
7. GERMANY
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 10
- Group E games: vs. Curacao (June 14, Houston); vs. Ivory Coast (June 20, Toronto); vs. Ecuador (June 25, New York/New Jersey)
To crudely paraphrase Forrest Gump, Germany are like a box of chocolates ... in that you truly don't know what you're going to get from them. After being bounced out of the 2022 World Cup in the group stage because of (among many things) 10 bad minutes against Japan in their opener, Die Mannschaft must get off to a good start.
But to do that, manager Julian Nagelsmann must show that he has answers to their biggest questions. Is Kai Havertz good enough at the No. 9 position? Is Jamal Musiala back to his best in attacking midfield? Will the Florian Wirtz that shone in Bayer Leverkusen's midfield show up, or will it be the subdued version that muddled through his first season with Liverpool?
Is their defense good enough around Nico Schlotterbeck? And will goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (who turned 40 in March) be an asset or a problem between the posts having missed half the season with injury before unretiring from the national team just three weeks ago?
8. NETHERLANDS
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 8
- Group F games: vs. Japan (June 14, Dallas); vs. Sweden (June 20, Houston); vs. Tunisia (June 25, Kansas City)
Speaking of question marks, the Dutch rank highly among our voters due to their apparent inevitability in major tournaments. No matter how much they're ruled out by pundits and voters alike, they always seem to find another gear in the spotlight: Argentina needed penalties to finish them off in 2022 en route to winning the title, while England needed an injury-time goal to beat them in the Euro 2024 semifinal.
Even with that pesky pedigree, this team look tired and in need of a refresh after this summer. Manager Ronald Koeman's contract expires after the World Cup and there has been little talk of a renewal, while talismanic 34-year-old defender Virgil van Dijk is coming off a tough season with Liverpool in which he played every single minute of their 38-game Premier League campaign.
There's no dominant scorer among the forwards -- Memphis Depay, Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey are far from automatic in front of goal -- and it remains to be seen whether midfielder Frenkie de Jong and right back Denzel Dumfries can provide the added quality after up-and-down domestic seasons. Arsenal defender Jurriën Timber was scratched from the Oranje squad with injury, and goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen will be a fitness concern after landing awkwardly in their final warmup game.
All that said, if Netherlands can escape a tricky group stage, you wouldn't bet against them to reach the quarterfinals or more depending on the draw, because few teams are as collectively committed to one another.
9. MOROCCO
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 7
- Group C games: vs. Brazil (June 13, New York/New Jersey); vs. Scotland (June 19, Boston); vs. Haiti (June 24, Atlanta)
If world-class fullback Achraf Hakimi is fully fit after missing several big games down the stretch for club team Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco will be feeling a lot better about their chances of building on their 2022 semifinal run and 2025 Africa Cup of Nations performance. However, so much has changed in recent months beside Hakimi's fitness -- namely the man on the sideline.
Out went Walid Regragui in March, replaced hastily by the former under-20s boss Mohamed Ouahbi. He at least knows what this squad is capable of, having coached many of them in the past, and he also has tournament experience having won the U20 World Cup title in 2025. His team won't concede much thanks to a robust 4-1-4-1 formation that dares teams to try to play through the defensive lines, but Hakimi will need to connect early and often with playmakers Brahim Díaz, Bilal El Khannouss and Ismael Saibari if the team is to score enough goals to truly threaten.
10. NORWAY
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 31
- Group H games: vs. Iraq (June 16, Boston); vs. Senegal (June 22, New York/New Jersey); vs. France (June 26, Boston)
Norway have bounced around at the lower end of our top 15 since the 100 days out mark, and it's clear that our voters fancy them as a chaotic outsider pick thanks to the twin threat of maestro Martin Ødegaard in midfield and goal machine Erling Haaland up front. Bolstered by a strong supporting class boasting tons of experience in Europe's top domestic leagues, Norway have the talent to make a decent run beyond the group stage if they can find the right defensive balance.
Having muddled through qualifying and thus qualifying for 2026 via March's precarious playoff paths, Stale Solbakken's side promptly thumped Italy 4-1 (after conceding first) to book its place, albeit getting stuck in a difficult group. Warmup games against Sweden (a 3-1 win) and Morocco (1-1 draw) showed Norway can hang with opponents up and down the FIFA rankings, too, though neither side comes close to what awaits them in Group I.
If the supporting cast -- Sander Berge at the base of midfield, Oscar Bobb and Antonio Nusa out wide -- is as good as the stars, then anything's possible. Also look for the inevitable Alexander Sørloth as another bruising forward option to support Haaland if they are chasing the game.
11. BELGIUM
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 9
- Group G games: vs. Egypt (June 15, Seattle); vs. Iran (June 21, Los Angeles); vs. New Zealand (June 26, Vancouver)
Our voters weren't super bullish on the Belgians, and with good reason as their golden generation of stars is now looking rather rusty and unpredictable.
Kevin De Bruyne has lost a step or two as their primary creator from midfield, while Romelu Lukaku isn't the dominant No. 9 he once was -- with just seven games all season at Napoli thanks to myriad injuries, it's unknown if he'll even start -- and their defense looks like a genuine work-in-progress in front of stalwart shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois. (Their qualifying campaign, with just five wins from eight games against Wales, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia and Liechtenstein, also flattered to deceive.)
If Belgium are to make a dent at this 48-team footy fiesta, they'll need others to fill in the gaps: don't look past wingers Jérémy Doku (fresh off a super season for Man City) and Leandro Trossard (a Premier League title winner with Arsenal) in that regard. There are opportunities for midfield duo Youri Tielemans and Charles De Ketelaere to make their mark as the stars of Belgium's next wave, too.
12. COLOMBIA
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 13
- Group K games: vs. Uzbekistan (June 17, Mexico City); vs. DR Congo (June 23, Guadalajara); vs. Portugal (June 27, Miami)
After missing the 2022 World Cup entirely, Colombia are back at the top table and should make waves in Group K despite still being a little underestimated by our voting panel. The incandescent club form of Bayern winger Luis Díaz means he will be expected to drive their attack, while attacking midfielder James Rodríguez will be keen to prove he still has plenty left in the tank at 34 years old.
Coach Nestor Lorenzo has a strong, cohesive squad at his disposal -- 14 of the 26 have 30 caps or more, with Rodríguez and goalkeeper David Ospina boasting over 125 each -- and such harmony could be essential. Question marks remain over their defense -- first-choice central defensive pairing Jhon Lucumí and Davinson Sánchez will struggle if left isolated by their attack-minded fullbacks -- but Lorenzo will back his team to beat both the heat and Uzbekistan in the opener, setting the stage for what could be a fruitful competition.
13. SENEGAL
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 15
- Group I games: vs. France (June 16, New York/New Jersey); vs. Norway (June 22, New York/New Jersey); vs. Iraq (June 26, Toronto)
Arguably the strongest African team in the World Cup, Senegal are still on the fringes of our voters' minds thanks to a difficult group with a world superpower (France) and star-heavy outsiders (Norway). However, that could well be no great drama for Pape Thiaw & Co., who ride into the U.S. with depth and talent in just about every position.
With the leadership of defender Kalidou Koulibaly, aggressive midfield play and the unpredictable magic of Sadio Mané and Ismaïla Sarr in attack, this team can easily outwork most of the 48-team field. However, Senegal must score goals if they are to make a genuine impact, and it remains to be seen if Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson -- fresh off an 11-goal loan season with Bayern Munich -- can be the talismanic No. 9 they'll need him to be.
The ease with which the U.S. carved through Senegal's press in a 3-2 friendly defeat last week will also weigh heavily on a squad that has big ambitions.
14. CROATIA
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 11
- Group L games: vs. England (June 17, Dallas); vs. Panama (June 23, Toronto); vs. Ghana (June 27, Philadelphia)
As the saying goes, three things in life are inevitable: death, taxes, and Croatia's wily bunch of veterans making a deep run at a major tournament. Much of this team has fought side-by-side for over a decade, with Luka Modric (40), Ivan Perisic (37), Andrej Kramaric (34) and Mateo Kovacic (31) at the heart of back-to-back semifinal runs at the past two World Cups. (Manager Zlatko Dalic, appointed in 2017, is also a mainstay and model of consistency for this group.)
Drawn in a tricky group, Dalic will need to hope that this experience is a genuine difference-maker, though newer arrivals such as versatile defender/midfielders Josko Gvardiol and Josip Stanisic can do the running for their elders. Look out for young Tottenham center back Luka Vuskovic (who impressed on loan with Hamburg in the Bundesliga) and midfielder Martin Baturina (fresh off a breakthrough campaign with Como) to inject youth and unpredictability to one of the most known quantities at this level.
15. JAPAN
- FIFA Rank (unofficial) as of June 7: 18
- Group F games: vs. Netherlands (June 14, Dallas); vs. Tunisia (June 20, Monterrey, Mexico); vs. Sweden (June 25, Dallas)
Last but not least in our ranking is Japan, who are still rating among our electorate despite two of their most established stars -- winger Kaoru Mitoma and playmaker Takumi Minamino -- ruled out with injury, and holding midfielder Wataru Endo limping back into the squad after fighting a foot issue for much of the season.
However, there's much to still admire about manager Hajime Moriyasu and his 3-4-2-1 formation, built to maximize the impact of winger Takefusa Kubo in the attacking third and wingback Keito Nakamura, who was the star in Japan's recent warmup win over England. Few sides will outwork Japan this summer, but the loss of key depth will require them to put in more effort just to stay ahead.