Jun 10, 2026 By Jonathan Guth 7 min read

The picks are in and the consensus among the local soccer community leans towards France as the favorite to win the World Cup.

The French, who won their second championship in 2018, was the runner-up to Argentina in 2022.

While the World Cup is contested once every four years, the world’s most popular sport is viewed from every corner of the globe, and even in the most impoverished nations, athletes of all shapes and sizes are passionate when it comes to “the beautiful game.”

On the home front, the United States hasn’t made an impact in the world’s largest championship on the men’s side, as the highest finish for the The Stars and Stripes in the World Cup was third place in 1930, which was the first time Team USA competed in the tournament.

The Americans had a stretch from 1954-1986 where it didn’t qualify for the World Cup, but the creation of Major League Soccer (MLS) coupled with hosting the event in 1994 brought the sport back to relevance. Team USA advanced out of the group stage to the knockout rounds when it hosted, but failed to qualify for the round of 16 four years later.

With the emergence of Landon Donovan, who would tie Clint Dempsey with the most goals for the United States in international competition with 57, The Yanks advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup. Germany, who finished as runner-up to Brazil, ended Team USA’s hopes for a championship with a 1-0 victory.

The Americans earned a 2-0 clean sheet over rival Mexico in the round of 16.

Those within the United States thought the squad was turning a corner, but it wasn’t able to advance past the group stage in 2006. Team USA lost in the round of 16 in 2010 and 2014 before failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

Christian Pulisic, who grew up in Hershey, helped the Americans to the knockout stage in the last World Cup, but “Captain America” and his teammates weren’t able to reach the elite eight.

Pulisic, 27, is fifth among United States scorers in international play with 33 goals in 86 caps. He would tie Eric Wynalda with one goal, but needs to score nine to catch Jozy Altidore for third place on the list.

It’s doubtful Pulisic would catch Altidore, but if he did, chances are the United States would be playing deep in the tournament, as France’s Just Fontaine scored 13 goals over six matches in 1958. Hungary’s Sándor Kocsis tallied 11 in 1954. Gerd Müller of West Germany totaled 10 in 1970.

The United States is the sentimental favorite among local coaches and players, but they also understand the abilities of France, Spain, Brazil and Argentina.

The Americans will open play on Friday against Paraguay at 9 p.m. in Inglewood, Calif., at SoFi Stadium.

Mexico and South Africa will play in the tournament’s first match today at 3 p.m.

Uniontown boys soccer head coach Jamie Holland will be donning his red, white and blue on Friday, but he understands the daunting task of winning the championship.

“As an American, I want to see Team USA take the whole tournament,” but being a logical fan of soccer, that may not happen,” Holland said. “France is a proven powerhouse and has a star-skilled starting 11. The sleepers, Japan, Netherlands and Portugal, are looking to cause some upsets after the first-round groups.

“While talking to the Uniontown High School boys soccer members, there is a mix of teams they would like to see win, with the teams mentioned above, there is Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. Let’s Go USA!!!!!”

Laurel Highlands girls soccer head coach Simon Mulindwa also believes France will be a tough out, but doesn’t see why Team USA can’t make it to the quarterfinals for the first time in 24 years.

“My prediction for this year is France winning the World Cup,” Mulindwa said. “They have a lot of world-class players, and their depth on the bench is stronger than the rest of the teams. I would put Spain in second place and Brazil in third, depending on who they play in the losers’ match. I definitely feel like the USA and Portugal are the top-two dark horses, and most-likely Morocco.

“If key players in Matt Turner, Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, the midfield boss, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Folarin Balogun and ‘Captain America’ Christian Pulisic all come to play ball, there’s no reason why Team USA won’t get to the quarterfinals. I hope they make it higher than that, but realistically, they should make the last eight for sure.”

Laurel Highlands boys soccer head coach Alexander Guie follows the trend of France winning, but he also believes playing as the host nation will add some extra incentive for Team USA. Guie also pointed out the extra knockout round, as the top 32 teams will advance out of group play, as opposed to 16, which had been the norm for the modern version of the tournament.

“When looking at the USMNT’s prospects for this World Cup, I think they have a winnable group,” Guie said. “Worst-case scenario, they should be able to get out of the group, even if they end up finishing behind Turkey or Paraguay. Preferably, they would make a run to the quarterfinals, and I would see that as a high level of success, especially playing at home.

“It will be interesting to see how the knockout stages go, as with more teams in this World Cup, there is an extra round at play, so that is an added wrinkle I see. Overall, I think the winners will be France, and I could see a dark-horse team like Morocco or Norway making some noise in the tournament.”

Recent Laurel Highlands graduate Adrianna Walker, who will continue her academic and soccer careers in college at Point Park University, has four favorites, and believes Team USA should be able to advance to the knockout stage.

“I think it’s awesome that the 2026 FIFA World Cup is being played right here in North America this year,” Walker said. “This also means that the U.S. is playing on home soil, which usually helps, however, they’re not one of the favorites to win this year. Players like Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Folarin Balogun bring a lot of talent to the team. This should definitely help them make it through their group stage.

“The stronger nations like Spain, France, Argentina and England are expected to make a good run this year. I am rooting for Spain. They have some really good, young talent, like Lamine Yamal, who brings a new energy to the game.”

Brownsville sophomore Gloria Kovscek, who was named the Player of the Year on the Herald-Standard All-Area Girls Soccer Team, believes France will win its third World Cup, and star Kylian Mbappé will be awarded the Golden Ball as the best player in the tournament.

Kovscek, who led the WPIAL in scoring last year with 36 goals in the regular season, has a feeling, like the other prognosticators, that the United States has an uphill challenge.

“The men’s USA soccer team is going into the World Cup as underdogs, so it is going to be tough for them to work their way to the top,” Kovscek said. “Their strongest player, Christian Pulisic, creates a lot of scoring opportunities, so he will be a big threat to opposing teams.”