Arsene Wenger Names His Favourite to Lift the 2026 World Cup Trophy
· YEN.com.gh News · Join- Arsene Wenger has named France as his favourites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- Wenger believes Kylian Mbappe is set for a “fantastic” tournament despite criticism during his season at Real Madrid
- Didier Deschamps has embraced France’s status as one of the leading contenders for the trophy
Ghana’s top stories, now easier to find. Discover our new search feature!
Ex-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has named France as his favourites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Les Bleus secured their place at this summer’s tournament in impressive fashion, collecting five victories and one draw from six qualifying matches to book their spot in the finals.
France will begin their quest for a third World Cup title — following their triumphs in 1998 and 2018 — against Senegal at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium in less than a week.
With group-stage matches against Iraq and Norway also to come, France’s star-studded squad are widely expected to finish top of Group I and advance comfortably to the knockout stages.
France have appeared in four of the last seven World Cup finals, while head coach Didier Deschamps has been involved in three of those finals — once as a player and twice as a manager.
The 57-year-old is now hoping to lift the trophy for a third time, and Wenger believes France have every chance of achieving that goal.
Stay ahead of the gist. Join YEN’s WhatsApp channel for instant updates!
“I put them above the others,” Wenger told Le Figaro.
“France have so much talent and Deschamps has experience.
“We have so many attacking players that the danger is being a little unbalanced offensively.
“But today, the modern player, even an attacking one, knows how to do his share of the defensive work.
“When you’re 0-0 against France with 20 minutes to go, you lose the match. Power makes the difference.”
Wenger Predicts Strong World Cup for Mbappe
While France are among the favourites, much of the attention will once again be focused on captain Kylian Mbappe.
Despite scoring 42 goals in all competitions, Mbappe endured a challenging second season at Real Madrid, with reports of dressing-room unrest dominating headlines towards the end of the campaign.
The forward, however, finished UEFA qualifying as the third-highest scorer with nine goals and will be eager to prove his critics wrong on football’s biggest stage.
“There’s one man who is at the centre of all expectations: Kylian Mbappe,” Wenger said.
“I’m ready to bet on it, he’s going to have a fantastic World Cup.
“He’s been unfairly criticised often this season. He landed in an average Real Madrid team.
“Real has three or four world-class players. Before, they had ten.
“Football is such that you always need a scapegoat. He’s become that at Real Madrid.”
Wenger also believes that an injury-disrupted season could ultimately work in Mbappe’s favour.
“Kylian has everything it takes to have a great World Cup. He’s physically fresh, he’s not overworked,” he added.
“I’ve seen players with 60 matches under their belts before the World Cup tell me, ‘I’m not making any progress in training and I have nothing left in my legs,’ but he’s not like that.
“There are international players who arrive completely exhausted.
“I haven’t seen many players have a great World Cup after a Champions League final.
“Besides, Kylian has character, a strong personality, and he knows how to rise to the occasion in big moments.
“He’s waiting for his opportunity.
“People tend to forget his exceptional talent.”
Deschamps Embraces France’s Favourite Status
Speaking to The Guardian this week, Deschamps made it clear that France are comfortable being viewed as one of the leading contenders for the trophy.
“We’re among the favourites,” the France manager said.
“It isn’t a taboo word for me.
“If we have this status today, which seems logical and legitimate to me, it’s because of everything that we have done, the results we achieved.”
Deschamps also suggested that France receive more appreciation abroad than they do at home.
“Abroad there is perhaps more recognition,” he explained.
“I know very well, since I also travel a lot abroad, that the feeling abroad is different from the one in France.”
With a squad packed with talent, experience and depth, France will head into the 2026 World Cup carrying the weight of expectation — something both Wenger and Deschamps believe they are fully equipped to handle.
Source: YEN.com.gh