Andrej Arshavin names favorites for 2026 World Cup

Former attacker Andrej Arshavin, who played for Zenit St. Petersburg and Arsenal in his career, has cast his eye on the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In a recent interview, the former Russian international said that he sees Spain, France and England as the main favorites to win the world title.

“Spain, France, England – those are my favorites,” said Arshavin. When asked who could be disappointing, he did not want to commit himself. He does mention Colombia as a notable outsider in the upcoming tournament.


The world championship will be played from June 11 to July 19, 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The field consists of a record number of 48 countries, divided into 12 groups of four teams. The three host countries (USA, Canada and Mexico) are automatically placed; the other countries qualified via qualifications.

Defending champion is Argentina, which won the world title in Qatar in 2022. Now that the field of participants is larger than ever, the upcoming World Cup promises to be a unique tournament in which not only the traditional superpowers are favorites, but where surprises also lurk.