Every four years we are treated to the best tournament in soccer, and this summer’s tournament will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In this article I will take a look at potential first time winners of a World Cup in 2026.

Portugal

The World Cup trophy is the one that has gotten away from Cristiano Ronaldo and his fellow countrymen. Portugal have still yet to reach a World Cup final in their history, while they have reached a semi-final on two occasions. Could this be the year? They certainly have all the talent in the world to do so. In 2022, they were upset by Morocco in the quarter-finals. In 2018, it was a Round of 16 exit to Uruguay. Expect the Portuguese to make it deep into the knockout rounds once again, but the question will remain if they can finally kick down the door and get themselves into a final.

Netherlands

The Dutch have come close before, but the trophy remains elusive. Similar to Portugal, the Netherlands have all the tools to make a deep run in this tournament and make it to the final. They’ve been to the final before, three times to be exact, but have fallen short at the final hurdle on every occasion. In 2022, they lost to the eventual champions Argentina in one of the best games of the tournament on a penalty shootout. In 2018, they shockingly did not qualify for the tournament. They’ve got the quality to make a good run with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Jurrien Timber and Jeremie Frimpong. Let’s see if they can make it count in 2026.

Belgium

Belgium are usually there or thereabouts in the latter stages of the World Cup, but they’ve never made it to a final. In 2022, they were knocked out shockingly early in the group stage. In 2018, they made it to the semi-final, falling to the eventual champions France in a narrow 1-0 defeat. This is an aging squad, and 2026 might be the last chance for this core group of players. The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois are all on the back nine of their respective careers, so this feels like the last dance. Can the Belgians make an unlikely push to get their first World Cup in 2026?

So, will there be a first time winner?

DraftKings Sportsbook is backing a previous winner to get their hands on the trophy again at -280 odds. If you think there will be a new World Cup winner for the first time in their history, those odds are available at +200.

Below is the full list of countries in the 2026 World Cup that have never lifted the trophy and their outright odds to win on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Portugal +1000

Netherlands +2000

Norway +3000

Belgium +3500

Colombia +4000

Morocco +5000

USA +6000

Switzerland +6500

Japan +6500

Ecuador +8000

Croatia +8000

Mexico +8000

Senegal +9000

Turkey +10000

Sweden +10000

Austria +15000

Scotland +20000

Canada +20000

Czech Republic +25000

Ivory Coast +25000

Ghana +30000

Egypt +30000

Paraguay +30000

Algeria +35000

South Korea +40000

Bosnia +50000

Australia +60000

Tunisia +70000

Iran +70000

DR Congo +100000

South Africa +100000

Cape Verde +100000

Saudi Arabia +100000

Panama +100000

Uzbekistan +150000

Qatar +150000

New Zealand +150000

Iraq +150000

Haiti +250000

Curacao +250000

Jordan +250000