England, Spain, France, Portugal: Guardiola's picks to win the 2026 World Cup
Between his personal support for England and his admiration for a promising Spanish generation, Pep Guardiola has set out the condition he believes is essential for Spain to be crowned 2026 world champions.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has spoken about his favourites to win the 2026 World Cup, while also revealing the condition he believes is essential for Spain — the country where he enjoyed his first major success as a coach — to be crowned world champions.
Personal support for England
Guardiola expressed his personal support for England, the country where he has worked for many years: "Football is fantastic because nobody really knows what will happen. Personally, I would love England to win the World Cup. But if we are honest, it will be very difficult. There are incredible national teams." He added that France, Spain, and Portugal, among others, "have the quality to go all the way."
The condition set for a Spanish title
Asked specifically about Spain's chances, Guardiola praised an outstanding generation of young players, singling out Lamine Yamal: "Spain have an incredible generation of young players. Yamal is a fantastic talent, but he is still very young. We have to protect him from too much pressure and let him continue developing naturally." He concluded: "Spain definitely have a chance to win the World Cup," setting protecting Yamal from excessive pressure as an essential condition for Spain's continued run toward the title.
The context behind the comments
Guardiola's remarks come at a pivotal moment for Spain, who booked their place in the 2026 World Cup final by beating France 2-0 in the semi-final, before facing Argentina on 19 July 2026 at MetLife Stadium, in search of their second world title after 2010.
