While Ireland, in heartbreaking fashion, have narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2026 World Cup tournament, it’s safe to say that betting fans in Ireland are still more than excited for the tournament to kick off.
While they won’t be cheering on their home nation this time, it’s still an awesome spectacle as a neutral, especially if you have a few Euros on the line. Now, rather than suffering the agony of watching your team crash out of a penalty shootout, or worse still, being eliminated by one of your fiercest rivals, punters get to add an extra element of excitement to the tournament by placing a few bets, and hopefully winning some money in the process.
Bookmakers across Ireland will have a busy few months on their hands, but what do the industry experts and the so-called “super computers” think? Will Spain add another World Cup to their tally, will Mbappe fire France to another trophy, or can Thomas Tuchel’s England finally bring football home?
Here’s who the Irish bookies are backing for the 2026 World Cup.
Spain
While the bookies have alternated between Spain and France as favourites over the last few months, currently, most bookies in Ireland, and beyond for that matter, are tipping Spain to lift the trophy.
Currently, Spain are 5/1 favourites with Ladbrokes, and 9/2 with Boyle Sports, and based upon how the team, and the individual players in the squad have performed in recent months, it’s easy to see why that is.
Barcelona teen sensation Lamine Yamal will certainly be one to watch this tournament. This will be his second major tournament after debuting in the 2024 Euros, and since then, he’s gone from strength to strength. Playing for one of the world’s biggest clubs, against some of the best players in the world will also have helped, plus as he’s still a teenager he’ll have pace on his side.
France
For a long while, France were being tipped as favourites to win the World Cup in 2026, and while Spain are currently favourites by a narrow margin, they’re still in with a very real chance of adding another trophy to their cabinet.
France last won the trophy less than a decade ago in 2018, so they’ll have the momentum on their side. They also have one of the most threatening strike forces in modern football in the form of PSG’s Ousmane Dembele, and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe is just 6 goals shy of becoming the all-time leading scorer at the World Cup, and Dembele could very well be on a high of potentially winning the Champion’s League as he fired PSG into the final to face Arsenal. If there’s two things strikers thrive upon, it’s confidence, and chasing records.
Currently, France are 9/2 with Ladbrokes, and 5/1 with Boyle Sports.
England
While some Irish punters will not exactly relish the prospect of the Three Lions lifting the World Cup, those backing Thomas Tuchel’s men will probably be willing to turn the other cheek if England can finally win a second World Cup trophy, sixty years later.
England are currently tipped to top Group L, and are widely expected to cruise to the knockout stages. With Saka looking as reliable as ever for Arsenal, and Harry Kane no doubt chasing yet another Golden Boot, this is, realistically, the best chance England have had at winning the World Cup for a long, long time.
Ladbrokes are currently offering 13/2 odds on England, while Boyle Sports have the Three Lions at 6/1.
Brazil
Finally, we have Brazil.
Now, Brazil may not look as dominating as they did in the 90s and 2000s, but they are still a quality side, and they could still cause somewhat of an upset at a major tournament.
Brazil possess major star quality in the form of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jnr, who currently sits on 15 La Liga goals this season, as well as the likes of departing Man Utd defender Casemiro, so they’re solid both up front, and at the back.
According to Ladbrokes, AI has actually predicted Brazil as favourites to win the World Cup this year, but as we all know, AI isn’t exactly the most reliable. It’s likely going on past players and performances, and, considering it doesn’t know how many r’s are in the word strawberry, or the average number of fingers people have on each hand, you should probably take that with a very liberal pinch of salt.
Despite this, though, you certainly shouldn’t count them out. Brazil currently have 8/1 odds of being crowned as outright winners, by both Boyle Sports and Ladbrokes.