2026 World Cup: Which Teams Head to North America Under the Most Pressure to Deliver

As the calendar turned to a new year, the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup gathered speed. We now have less than six months to wait until North America opens its doors to the world, with co-hosts Mexico officially raising the curtain in a mouth-watering clash against South Africa in Mexico City on June 11th, in a repeat of the 2010 opener. As the tournament draws ever closer, anticipation builds, as does the list of potential champions.

But despite the list of heavyweight all gunning for glory, online betting sites have one clear favorite in mind. The latest odds from the popular Lucky Rebel Sportsbook currently list Spain as the clear 9/2 frontrunners to win their second World Cup crown at MetLife Stadium on July 19th, 16 years on from their maiden triumph in South Africa. After their scintillating displays led by teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal en route to becoming record four-time European champions at UEFA Euro 2024, it's clear to see why La Roja has top billing.

But it's that success in Germany 18 months ago that means Spain heads across the Atlantic under somewhat less pressure than others, having already banked some silverware. These three, however, have no such luxury, and they make the trip to North America in dire need of delivering the goods.

England

For the vast majority of the last 60 years, England had toiled in international purgatory. Quarterfinal curses, penalty shootout heartbreak, controversial red cards - everything had conspired to deliver maximum heartbreak to the Three Lions, much to the delight of the rest of the world. Then, Gareth Southgate arrived.

Under the proud Englishman, England reached a first World Cup semifinal in 28 years in 2018. They would follow that up with back-to-back European championship finals, underscoring their return to the top table of international football. But for all the improvements, one constant remained: heartbreak... albeit of a different kind.

Southgate managed to break curses throughout his seven years in charge, leading England past the quarterfinals in three of the four tournaments he managed, as well as helping his side to two penalty shootout victories. But despite the vast improvements across the board, the Three Lions were still left heartbroken, falling victim to their own success. That semifinal in 2018? That ended in defeat to Croatia. The two Euro finals? Both lost, firstly to Italy on penalties and then again to Spain in Berlin.

With expectations ramping up and a fan base turning toxic, Southgate opted to walk away. In his place, former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has taken over, and he immediately has England looking like world beaters. Under the German boss, the Three Lions won all of their World Cup qualifiers without conceding a single goal. But make no mistake, England head to North America with a win-or-bust mentality.

Tuchel was brought to Wembley with one task: winning the World Cup and ending 60 years of hurt. Anything less will be considered a failure. Pressure doesn't get much harsher.

USA

Any serious football fan knows that the United States isn't a genuine World Cup contender, despite hosting the vast majority of the tournament. However, as we all know, the Americans aren't what you'd call "serious football fans." This is a country that has inhabitants who genuinely believe Christian Pulisic is the "LeBron James of soccer" after all.

But it is exactly that delusion that ramps up pressure on the Stars and Stripes, even though their team is a million miles away from world-beater level. Don't get us wrong, the US has plenty of quality, with the aforementioned Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Timothy Weah all capable match winners on their day. But they will have their work cut out against the likes of Spain and England, all while their supporters demand victory.

For the Americans, reaching the quarterfinals of the expanded tournament is simultaneously the bare minimum and an incredible achievement. Exiting any earlier will result in a witch hunt of the USMNT and soccer in the States as a whole. Any more will have the rest of the world rolling its collective eyes, having borne witness to America becoming one of the world's best in yet another sport.

Germany

Back in 2014, Germany enjoyed its finest hour, winning the FIFA World Cup for the first time as a unified nation. The 12 years that have followed have been some of the lowest in German sporting history.

Die Mannschaft has suffered back-to-back group stage exits on football's grandest stage, falling victims to the champion's curse in 2018 before suffering a stunning upset defeat to Japan four years later. Things haven't been much better continentally either, losing to England in the second round of Euro 2016 before being controversially dumped out of Euro 2024 at the quarter-final stage by eventual champions Spain.

This summer, the Germans must mount a serious tournament run. A third straight group stage exit is simply unimaginable, and if that is ultimately what transpires, expect a major overhaul of football in Germany, much like the post-mortem that followed their disastrous Euro 2004 campaign.