Spain won the 2026 World Cup while conceding only one goal, the first team to do so. Their two most talked-about young players, Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, are both 19. The rest of the world has four years to find an answer, and this is our view of who is best placed to do it.
Everything below about 2030 is opinion based on 2026 results and the players’ ages, not a prediction we can verify. Squads and coaches will change.
The 2030 World Cup Setting
The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with centenary matches in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. That gives Spain, Portugal and Morocco home advantage, and puts Argentina’s supporters closer to the action than at a neutral tournament.
1. Spain: The Team Everyone Must Beat
Spain have won the 2022-23 Nations League, Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup. By 2030, Lamine Yamal will be 22 and Pau Cubarsi 23. Unai Simon won the Golden Glove and Rodri the Golden Ball in 2026, though Rodri will be 33 or 34 by then.
The risk for Spain is the one that faces every champion: staying hungry while playing a home tournament. They remain the favourites on current evidence.
2. France: A New Coach and Plenty of Talent
France finished fourth in 2026. They lost 2-0 to Spain in the semi-final and 6-4 to England in the third-place match. Didier Deschamps left after 14 years, and Zinedine Zidane was appointed on July 28, 2026 on a four-year contract.
Kylian Mbappe won his second straight Golden Boot with 10 goals and became the all-time leading World Cup scorer with 22. He will be 31 in 2030. If Zidane can turn France’s individual quality into a more settled side, they will be contenders.
3. England: Close Again
England finished third, their best World Cup result since the 1966 title. They beat Mexico 3-2 in the round of 16, and lost the semi-final 2-1 to Argentina after Anthony Gordon put them ahead in the 55th minute. Enzo Fernandez equalised in the 86th minute and Lautaro Martinez headed the winner in the 92nd, from a Messi assist. England then beat France 6-4 in the third-place match, with a Bukayo Saka hat-trick. Jude Bellingham scored seven goals, the most by an England player at a single World Cup, and Harry Kane finished as England’s all-time leading World Cup scorer with 14 goals. See England’s semi-final run for the full story.
By 2030 Bellingham will be 26 or 27, Saka 28 and Gordon 29. Harry Kane will be 36. England also host Euro 2028, which will show how far the squad has come before the next World Cup.
4. Morocco: Home Advantage
Morocco, ranked sixth at the time, beat the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the round of 32, with Ismael Saibari scoring the winning kick. They then beat Canada 3-0 in the round of 16 before losing 2-0 to France in the quarter-finals. It was the Netherlands’ earliest World Cup exit.
Morocco reached the semi-finals in 2022 and the quarter-finals in 2026, and will play 2030 as co-hosts. Achraf Hakimi will be 31.
5. Argentina: A Transition Is Coming
Argentina reached the 2026 final but lost 1-0 after extra time without a shot on target. Enzo Fernandez was sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time. Messi scored against Egypt in the round of 16 and assisted the semi-final winner against England, but his international future beyond 2026 is not something we can predict.
In 2030 Julian Alvarez will be 30, Lautaro Martinez 32 and Enzo Fernandez 29. Argentina also host centenary matches.
6. Norway, Belgium and Portugal: The Outsiders
Norway beat Brazil 2-1 in the round of 16 with two late Erling Haaland goals, who will be 29 in 2030. Belgium beat the United States 4-1 in the same round. Portugal lost 1-0 to Spain in the round of 16 and will play 2030 on home soil.
7. Africa: Cape Verde, Morocco and Beyond
Morocco made the quarter-finals, and Cape Verde, on their World Cup debut, drew all three group games and reached the round of 32. Algeria finished third in Group J with four points, and Ghana reached the round of 32 before losing 1-0 to Colombia. See also Cape Verde’s historic debut.
The Final Word
Four years is a long time. Germany, the 2014 champions, went out in the 2018 group stage. Germany went out in the 2022 group stage again. Argentina, the 2022 champions, lost the 2026 final. Spain have a system and a young core, and everyone else has a target to aim at.
The 2026 World Cup was the first with 48 teams and produced 308 goals in 104 matches, an average of 2.96 per game, the highest since 1970. Read about one of its biggest results in Paraguay’s shock win over Germany.
Sources: Wikipedia: 2026 FIFA World Cup, Wikipedia: 2026 FIFA World Cup final, Wikipedia: knockout stage, Al Jazeera on Zidane, Euronews on the third-place match, AP via KSL on Morocco v Netherlands.