The 2026 World Cup will spark into life this week with the full line-up of 48 nations all dreaming of glory.The Three Lions punched their ticket for the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States with a 5-0 thrashing of Latvia last October.England crashed out of the 2022 World Cup to eventual runners-up FranceGettyThe Three Lions became the first European side to qualify for the 2026 World CupGettyThomas Tuchel‘s side won all eight of their qualifying matches in Group K and did so without conceding a single goal.As a result, England have booked their place at an eighth successive World Cup – with their last absence ironically being on American soil in 1994.The three host nations this summer – the United States, Canada and Mexico – automatically guaranteed their spots.Japan then became the first non-host team to qualify for the expanded FIFA showpiece, and other nations have quickly followed them.Defending champions Argentina and five-time winners Brazil will be there, while Jordan, Cape Verde and Uzbekistan will make their World Cup debuts.Who has qualified for the 2026 World Cup?HostsCanadaMexicoUnited States of AmericaAFCAustraliaIranIraqJapanJordanQatarSaudi ArabiaSouth KoreaUzbekistanCAFAlgeriaCape VerdeDR CongoEgyptGhanaIvory CoastMoroccoSenegalSouth AfricaTunisiaCONCACAFPanamaCuracaoHaitiCONMEBOLArgentinaBrazilColombiaEcuadorParaguayUruguayOFCNew ZealandUEFAGermanySwitzerlandScotlandFranceSpainPortugalNetherlandsAustriaNorwayBelgiumEnglandCroatiaSwedenTurkeyCzech RepublicBosnia and HerzegovinaJapan have reached their eighth consecutive World CupGettyWorld Cup 2026 winner oddsVia talkSPORT Bet, correct as of time of writingSpain – 9/2France – 9/2England – 6/1Portugal – 8/1Brazil – 9/1Argentina – 10/1Germany – 14/1Netherlands – 16/1Norway – 33/1Belgium – 40/1So, who are among the main contenders to win the 2026 World Cup?Here, talkSPORT.com keeps an eye on England and Tuchel’s chief rivals for the trophy via our power rankings.The rankings are collated based on a team’s outright winner odds, provided by talkSPORT Bet, for the 2026 World Cup.5th – ArgentinatalkSPORT BET Odds: 10/1The reigning champions being so lowly may seem a surprise – until fans are reminded how rare it is for a country to go back-to-back.Only Italy (1934/1938) and a Pele-inspired Brazil (1958-1962) have successfully defended the World Cup.Ironically, Argentina’s triumph in Qatar denied 2018 winners France the opportunity to join the elite club.La Albiceleste, themselves, also reached the final during their last World Cup as the holders but finished runners-up at Italy 1990.Lionel Messi will now hope to do what Diego Maradona never could in what will be his last ever appearance in FIFA’s elite tournament.The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has the added benefit of playing his club football at Inter Miami in the USA.4th – BraziltalkSPORT BET Odds: 9/1The World Cup’s most successful side can never be counted out – but Carlo Ancelotti has his work cut out to restore Selecao to the top.The former Real Madrid manager is the first foreign boss to take charge of Brazil’s national team in competitive games since 1925.The Italian has overseen a mixed record of four wins, two draws and two defeats thus far as he gets to grips with the international game.No country has ever won the World Cup with a foreign head coach, but Ancelotti’s unrivalled CV gives Brazil as good a chance as any.The 66-year-old has won the Champions League a record five times as a manager, with knockout tournament football his speciality.Ancelotti is one of the most decorated coaches in club football historyGetty3rd – EnglandtalkSPORT BET Odds: 6/1Like Brazil, the Three Lions have turned to a foreign manager with the clear and simple remit – win the World Cup.If it’s anything like qualifying, Tuchel will have no problem – with England guaranteeing a place in North America with utter ease.Unfortunately, fans are all too familiar with the fact that it’s the business end of tournaments where Harry Kane and co falter.England head into the 2026 World Cup having reached two finals, one semi-final and a quarter-final in the last four major tournaments.Such experience is one factor that fans have cause for optimism that a first major men’s trophy since 1966 is finally within reach.Another is Tuchel’s record in knockout competitions, with the German winning over 70 per cent of such matches en route to guiding two teams to the Champions League final, lifting the trophy once with Chelsea in 2021.England have been thriving under Tuchel’s leadershipGetty2nd – FrancetalkSPORT BET Odds: 9/2Les Bleus have reached the final in four of the last seven World Cups, and were a penalty shootout away from going back-to-back in Qatar.Kylian Mbappe – who scored a hat-trick in that epic clash – is now France captain and at the peak of his powers with Real Madrid.An all-star supporting cast of Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele means Didier Deschamps has arguably the best team on paper.However, it is yet to be seen what effect Deschamps’ impending exit will have on the squad, having been in the post since 2012.The Frenchman has already confirmed that he will leave after the World Cup, with defensive concerns also an issue for his side.France conceded five goals against Spain in the Nations League in June, and were recently held to a 2-2 draw with Iceland.France’s attacking quality puts them among the favourites to win any major tournamentGetty1st – SpaintalkSPORT BET Odds: 4/1The team that beat England in the Euro 2024 final currently hold the title of World Cup favourites to repeat their success from 2008-2010.Even before downing the Three Lions, Spain had already beaten Italy, hosts Germany, and France en route to glory in Berlin.The European champions then reached the final of the Nations League this year, albeit before losing on penalties to Portugal.A scarier prospect for Spain’s rivals is that so much of their recent success is based on young stars such as Pedri and Lamine Yamal, who will have only matured and developed further by next summer.Luis de la Fuente also has an incredible squad depth at his disposal, with none of Yamal, Rodri, Nico Williams, David Raya, Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Balde, Gavi, Dani Carvajal, Dani Olmo, Marcos Llorente, or Fabián Ruiz even playing a single minute of the 4-0 win over Bulgaria in October through either injury or selection.Morata captained Spain to glory at Euro 2024GettyThere will be major changes from the World Cup in QatarWorld Cup groupsGroup A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czech RepublicGroup B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, SwitzerlandGroup C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, ScotlandGroup D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, TurkeyGroup E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, EcuadorGroup F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, TunisiaGroup G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New ZealandGroup H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, UruguayGroup I: France, Senegal, Iraq, NorwayGroup J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, JordanGroup K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, ColombiaGroup L: England, Croatia, Ghana, PanamaHow to follow 2026 World CupThe 2026 World Cup gets underway on Thursday, June 11, and run until the final on Sunday, July 19.There will be 12 groups of four, with the top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams progressing to the Round of 32.There will be games every day from June 11 to July 7, with a rest day on July 8 prior to the quarter-finals.June 24 to June 27 will see six games held each day.The semi-finals will be held on July 14 and July 15, and there will be a bronze medal match on July 18, the day before the final.talkSPORT will have live commentary of every game this summer.Tune in to talkSPORT through the website via the live stream or find us on DAB digital radio through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.Download and listen to all our live commentaries via the talkSPORT app.Visit talkSPORT BET for all the latest odds and bet boosts for every big event.Subscribe to our talkSPORT YouTube channel for news, views and analysis plus our regular goals show and for more, follow us on talkSPORT Facebook and talkSPORT X.Stay up to date with all the latest World Cup tips & predictions, World Cup Top Goalscorer Odds, World Cup Group Winner Odds and all the best World Cup Betting Offers and Free Bets in our dedicated betting hub