Former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger has tipped France to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, saying Spain are the only team he believes can stop Didier Deschamps’ side from lifting the trophy.
France have been one of the tournament’s standout performers, winning all their group-stage matches before eliminating Sweden and Paraguay to book a place in the quarter-finals, where they will take on Morocco.
Spain have also impressed, defeating Austria and Portugal to reach the last eight, with Belgium standing between them and a place in the semi-finals.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Wenger expressed confidence that France have what it takes to go all the way.
“France will win the World Cup. I know you will say, ‘Of course you say that, you’re French,'” he said.
The veteran coach explained that the tournament’s demanding pace has exposed the gap between the strongest teams and the rest of the field.
“When you analyse the World Cup, the train goes at a certain pace and you have to be capable of getting on the train,” Wenger said.
He cited the elimination of several Asian nations as an example of the competition’s physical and technical demands.
“The Asian teams have gone out because they could not cope with the intensity and the pace of the games. They did not have enough to technically compete.”
Despite backing his home country to claim the title, Wenger believes Spain have the quality to derail France’s campaign.
“The real question for me is Spain. If one team is capable now of beating France, I would say it is Spain because their technical level is better than France. They have quality and a culture of collective football that nobody else in the world has at that level. That could be the decider between these two, but of course France is stronger physically.”
Elsewhere in the quarter-finals, England will take on Norway after their dramatic victory over Mexico, while defending champions Argentina will face the winner of the Colombia versus Switzerland clash as they continue their bid to retain the World Cup title.
Should both France and England advance through their respective sides of the draw, the two nations would only be able to meet in the World Cup final.
