It's nearly time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to kick off across America. Action gets underway in Mexico on Thursday, while games arrive in Canada and the United States on Friday in the newly expanded 48-team field featuring more games, more players and even more action.
Ahead of the clashes, our experts have made their predictions for who will win the groups, who will finish at runners-up, who will take home top awards and more.
Here's how we think things will play out:
Group stage picks
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group A winners | Mexico | Mexico | Mexico | Mexico | Mexico | Mexico | Mexico | South Korea |
| Group A runners-up | South Korea | South Korea | South Korea | South Korea | South Korea | South Korea | South Korea | Mexico |
| Group B winners | Switzerland | Switzerland | Switzerland | Switzerland | Switzerland | Switzerland | Switzerland | Switzerland |
| Group B runners-up | Bosnia | Bosnia | Canada | Bosnia | Bosnia | Canada | Canada | Bosnia |
| Group C winners | Brazil | Brazil | Brazil | Morocco | Brazil | Brazil | Brazil | Brazil |
| Group C runners-up | Morocco | Morocco | Morocco | Brazil | Morocco | Morcco | Morocco | Morocco |
| Group D winners | USA | Turkiye | United States | Turkiye | Turkiye | United States | United States | Turkiye |
| Group D runners-up | Turkiye | United States | Turkyie | USA | United States | Turkiye | Australia | United States |
| Group E winners | Ecuador | Ivory Coast | Germany | Germany | Germany | Germany | Ecuador | Germany |
| Group E runners-up | Germany | Germany | Ivory Coast | Ecuador | Ivory Coast | Ecuador | Germany | Ecuador |
| Group F winners | Japan | Netherlands | Netherlands | Japan | Netherlands | Netherlands | Japan | Netherlands |
| Group F runners-up | Netherlands | Japan | Japan | Netherlands | Japan | Japan | Netherlands | Japan |
| Group G winners | Belgium | Belgium | Belgium | Belgium | Belgium | Belgium | Belgium | Belgium |
| Group G runners-up | Egypt | Iran | Egypt | Iran | Iran | Egypt | Egypt | Iran |
| Group H winners | Spain | Spain | Spain | Spain | Spain | Spain | Spain | Spain |
| Group H runners-up | Uruguay | Uruguay | Uruguay | Uruguay | Uruguay | Uruguay | Uruguay | Uruguay |
| Group I winners | France | France | France | France | France | France | France | France |
| Group I runners-up | Senegal | Norway | Senegal | Norway | Senegal | Norway | Senegal | Norway |
| Group J winners | Argentina | Argentina | Argentina | Argentina | Argentina | Argentina | Argentina | Argentina |
| Group J runners-up | Austria | Austria | Algeria | Austria | Algeria | Austria | Algeria | Austria |
| Group K winners | Portugal | Portugal | Portugal | Portugal | Colombia | Portugal | Colombia | Colombia |
| Group K runners-up | Colombia | Colombia | Colombia | Colombia | Portugal | Colombia | Portugal | Portugal |
| Group L winners | England | England | England | England | England | England | England | England |
| Group L runners-up | Ghana | Croatia | Croatia | Croatia | Ghana | Croatia | Croatia | Ghana |
Knockout stage picks
| | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last 8 | France, Japan, Spain, Norway, Brazil, England, Argentina, Portugal | France, Netherlands, Spain, Turkiye, Brazil, England, Argentina, Portugal | France, Morocco, Spain, Belgium, England, Senegal, Portugal, Argentina | France, Japan, France, Belgim, Morocco, England, Argentina, Portugal | France, Morocco, Spain, Turkiye, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia | France, Japan, Spain, Norway, Brazil, England, Argentina, Portugal | France, Japan, Portugal, Norway, Brazil, England, Uruguay, Colombia | France, Netherlands, Spain, Turkiye, Norway, England, Argentina, Colombia |
| Fourth | Spain | Brazil | Portugal | Morocco | Spain | Portugal | Colombia | Spain |
| Third | Portgal | France | France | Spain | Argentina | Spain | Portugal | Argentina |
| Second | England | Portugal | England | Argentina | Brazil | France | France | England |
| Champion | France | Spain | Spain | France | France | England | Brazil | France |
Player awards
| Golden Ball (Best player) |  |  | | | |  |  |  |
| Golden Boot (Top scorer) | | | | | | |  | |
| Golden Glove (Top keeper) |  |  |  | | | |  | |
| Best young player |  |  | | | | | | |
| Final MOTM | | | | | | |  | |
Golazo 48 Nations: Follow the World Cup all summer long
Golazo 48 Nations is your all-access destination for the World Cup, with wall-to-wall coverage across the CBS Sports Golazo Network. From the first whistle to the final recap, the entire Golazo crew will guide fans through every moment of the tournament.
Each day begins with Morning Footy, setting the stage with the latest news, storylines, and previews ahead of kickoff. From there, Golazo Matchday and Golazo Matchnight deliver real-time reaction and analysis as the action unfolds. Fans can also tune in for live watchalongs of USMNT matches with the Call It What You Want team, as well as watchalongs for other marquee matchups. The day wraps with Scoreline, a comprehensive nightly recap of every result, moment, and storyline from across the tournament. Altogether, the Golazo Network will deliver up to 12 hours of live programming each matchday, available across the Golazo Network and its YouTube channel.
