Wayne Rooney picks his three ‘favourites’ to win the World Cup
- Wayne Rooney believes England, France and Spain are the leading contenders for the 2026 World Cup
- Former players backed England’s squad and highlighted their attacking quality under Thomas Tuchel
- African nations including Ghana, Senegal and Ivory Coast were tipped as possible surprise teams
Ex-Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney believes England have a genuine chance of winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup, naming the Three Lions among his three favourites to lift the trophy.
England head into the tournament as one of the leading contenders after years of strong performances under former manager Gareth Southgate, despite falling short in several major competitions.
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Southgate guided England to back-to-back European Championship finals, with the team losing to Italy on penalties in 2021 before suffering a narrow defeat against Spain in the 2024 final.
The Three Lions also enjoyed deep runs at the World Cup during his time in charge, reaching the semi-finals in 2018 and making it to the quarter-finals at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
With Thomas Tuchel now leading the team, many believe England have the opportunity to finally end a 60-year wait for a World Cup title.
Rooney Picks England, France and Spain as Top Contenders
Rooney believes England belong among the tournament favourites but also highlighted France and Spain as the other two teams he expects to challenge strongly in North America.
France reached the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar before losing to Argentina on penalties, while Spain enter the 2026 tournament as reigning European champions after defeating England in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Rooney said:
“I think you have to look at Spain, France and England. I think they’re probably favourites for this World Cup.
“I think England and Spain will make the final, and hopefully England win it.”
Former England defender Conor Coady also believes Tuchel’s side can make a deep run and says the team has the quality to compete for the biggest prize in football.
“I truly believe England have a real chance,” Coady said.
“We have the best striker in the world in my opinion, a player of his calibre with the confidence he has and the bit between his teeth to win something with England is a scary thought for other countries.”
Coady Names Germany and Senegal as Teams to Watch
Coady also identified Germany as another team capable of reaching the later stages of the tournament, praising manager Julian Nagelsmann.
“My other team is Germany, I think they have a very good manager in Julian Nagelsmann and can always see them getting to the latter stages.”
He also selected Senegal as his dark horse for the competition, pointing to their performances at recent international tournaments.
“My dark horse is Senegal. I know the AFCON ended up in difficult circumstances but the way they played in Qatar and then at AFCON really impressed me, they have some top quality players and are used to winning.”
However, former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud does not believe England are among the two strongest teams heading into the World Cup.
Giroud, who will work as a BBC Sport pundit during the tournament, believes France and Spain are the leading contenders.
“For me the two strongest teams are France and Spain,” Giroud said.
“But will they meet each other in the final or before? That will be the question.”
The former France striker also believes an African team could emerge as the surprise package, mentioning Ivory Coast, Senegal and Ghana as potential threats.
“One of the African teams can be the surprise team. Maybe Ivory Coast, Senegal or Ghana – they are all dangerous teams on their day.”
England will begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia on Wednesday night before facing Ghana and Panama in their remaining group matches.
Argentina enter the tournament as defending champions after defeating France on penalties in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.
Source: YEN.com.gh
