England 2026 World Cup Elimination Odds: How Will Three Lions Perform?
England have finally discovered their opponents for the 2026 World Cup after a highly successful qualifying campaign.
The Three Lions were handed a tough draw against Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L, but with the top three potentially heading into the knockout stage, a place in the last 32 should not be a problem.
Thomas Tuchel’s men won all eight qualifiers without conceding a goal and are 13/2 second favourites behind Spain (5/1) on one of the betting sites to win the tournament in North America.
England could reach the semi-finals without having to face Spain, champions Argentina or France, but all four nations would have to win their groups for that scenario to happen.
Will this be the year that England finally get their hands on the trophy, 60 years after they won it on home soil?
We take a look at the latest odds on how far England will go at the 2026 World Cup and the top goalscorer markets for the newly-expanded 48-team tournament which takes place between June 11 and July 19 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England World Cup Elimination Odds
Although England could have been handed a far easier draw in Washington DC, they are the 4/9 favourites with Ladbrokes to finish top of the group, with Croatia next at 7/2. Ghana and Panama are 10/1 and 5/1 respectively.
The Three Lions finished top of their group with seven points in Qatar, but were second in Russia four years earlier following a 1-0 defeat to Belgium.
Incidentally, Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in England’s 6-1 rout of Panama in the second group game in 2018 when they went on to reach the last four.
Check out some of the best World Cup betting offers and free bets for next summer
England have only once failed to qualify for the World Cup since 1978, ironically in the USA in 1994, but their record has generally been pretty good despite never reaching the final in the last 44 years.
In the last 10 tournaments when the Three Lions have qualified, they have fallen at the quarter-final stage on four occasions (1986, 2002, 2006 and 2022).
England are available at 7/2 to be knocked out in the last eight, but who could they face at that stage?
England World Cup Elimination Odds:
Stage | Odds | Betting Site |
Round of 16 | 10/3 | |
Quarter-Finals | 7/2 | |
Round of 32 | 4/1 | |
Semi-Finals | 9/2 | |
Winner | 13/2 | |
Runners-Up | 13/2 | |
Group | 20/1 |
*Odds correct at time of publication, 1.30pm, 8/12/2025
According to the seedings, Tuchel’s troops would face five-time champions Brazil if the tournament follows the rankings.
In 2002, Ronaldinho’s free-kick deceived goalkeeper David Seaman to give the 10-man South Americans a 2-1 victory in Shizuoka, Japan.
In six friendlies since then, England have won just once, but it should not be forgotten that Brazil had a terrible World Cup qualifying campaign, losing six of their 18 matches to finish fifth in the table.
England 2026 World Cup Elimination Odds: Round Of 16
Surprisingly, England are most likely to be dumped out in the round of 16 when they could face tournament co-hosts Mexico.
Bet365 goes 10/3 they will be eliminated at the second knockout stage and 4/1 they will fall in the round of 32, when they are scheduled to meet a team finishing third in either Group E, H, I, J or K.
Of course, England must win their group for that scenario to occur, but if they finish runners-up, they are likely to face the second-placed team in Group K, probably Colombia.
If the seedings go to plan, England would meet Argentina in the semis and Spain in the final if they get past the defending champions.
The Three Lions have twice made it to the semi-finals (1990 and 2018) and can be backed at 9/2 to just miss out on a place in the showpiece at the MetLife Stadium.
England can be backed at 20/1 on one of the football betting sites to crash out at the group stage as they did so miserably in Brazil under Roy Hodgson.
Harry Kane Golden Boot Odds
England captain Harry Kane scored six goals to win the Golden Boot in Russia and is the 7/1 joint-favourite with Kylian Mbappe to top the charts once again.
France forward Mbappe scored a hat-trick in the 2022 final to win the Golden Boot with eight.
Kane scored eight goals for the Three Lions in qualifying, the second most behind Norway striker Erling Haaland, who netted an incredible 18 times.
Bayern Munich star Kane is second favourite in the Ballon d’Or odds and is already the runaway leader in the Bundesliga goalscoring charts, so he is bang in form and looks a contender to shine across the Atlantic.
How far will England go at the 2026 World Cup? Cast your vote in our poll or leave your comments below!
