2026 World Cup Bracket Predictions: Alexi Lalas' Picks

The 2026 World Cup group stage has come to an end, and as I said to Zlatan on air: this is the end of the chapter, not the end of the book. We still have a lot of the book to read, but this was a robust chapter — historically robust, with lots of football, but also lots of great moments off the field. But it's at the end of this chapter and the transition that things get really serious. The bracket is set and now all 32 teams can start dreaming of their way to the final.

In that spirit, I went ahead and filled out my key. Will the USA advance to the round of 16? Will we have a reunion between France and Argentina in the final? Let's check it out:

The Key The talent in the top left quadrant made picking a winner nearly impossible, but we got there with France and Colombia. I've been talking about Colombia since before the tournament, so I feel like I have to support them. And after their result against Portugal, I feel a lot more confident, but it would still be incredible for that to happen.

But even I can't say with confidence that Colombia will beat France, the most impressive team in the group stage, in a finals scenario. First, Kylian Mbappé was the star. Then, Ousmane Dembélé was the star. They're deep, everyone's scoring, they're changing and there's just a wealth of talent to choose from.

How Far Will the US Go? As I said before the tournament: we must win the stage of 32. You win the group and now you are in the stage of 32 against a team that you must beat, which is exactly what is happening here. Then you enter the round of 16, where we have always been, and we will face a team that is at our level or that some think is better than us. And whether it's Senegal or Belgium, now you'll really have to stand out.

Then you're in rarefied air. If it ends up being Spain in the quarterfinals... wow. This would be a historic moment for American football if they were able to beat a team like Spain in the quarterfinals. It's a different proposition, entering the round of 16 against Belgium, compared to entering a quarterfinal game against Spain.


If it happens to be Portugal, I would accept that with ease. I would feel more confident in the USA advancing to the semi-finals in that scenario than against someone like Spain.

World Cup Bracket Predictions Phase of 32 - Germany over Paraguay - France over Sweden - Canada over South Africa - Netherlands over Morocco - Portugal over Croatia - Spain over Austria - US on Bosnia and Herzegovina - Senegal over Belgium - Brazil over Japan - Norway over Ivory Coast - Mexico over Ecuador - England over DR Congo - Argentina over Cape Verde - Egypt over Australia - Switzerland over Algeria - Colombia over Ghana

Round of 16 - France over Germany - Netherlands over Canada - Spain over Portugal - USA over Senegal - Brazil over Norway - Mexico over England - Argentina over Egypt - Colombia over Switzerland

Quarter Finals - France over Netherlands - Spain over USA - Brazil over Mexico - Colombia over Argentina

Semifinals - France over Spain - Colombia over Brazil

End - France over Colombia

Champion: France

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