Argentina and France won’t reach the 2026 World Cup final, predicts England legend Wayne Rooney

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off on Thursday with Mexico’s 2-0 victory over South Africa. In the coming days, some of the tournament’s biggest contenders, including France and Argentina, will begin their campaigns. However, England legend Wayne Rooney does not believe either side will make it back to the final.

During an interview with BBC Sport, a group of former soccer stars that included Alan Shearer and Olivier Giroud were asked for their predictions ahead of this summer’s FIFA tournament. Rooney was among them and made his stance on two of the leading contenders clear.

“England and Spain will make the final,” said the former Manchester United striker, who appeared in three World Cups with the Three Lions. He then added his preferred outcome for the title match: “Hopefully England will win it.”

Rooney’s prediction is backed by the recent form of Thomas Tuchel’s side, which have won all of their matches in the European qualifiers and arrive at North America 2026 with their key players in excellent form. “I’m going with Kane to get the Golden Boot,” Wayne added.

Rooney’s potential surprise teams at the 2026 World Cup

In the same conversation, Wayne Rooney was asked which teams could emerge as surprise packages during the tournament. “Norway could do quite well,” he began, referring to the team led by Erling Haaland. He then added another contender: “I like Ecuador too.”

In a separate interview with Daily Mail, Rooney answered a similar set of questions and expanded on several other predictions. For example, when asked about the tournament’s best goalkeeper, he named a Premier League star: “Maybe David Raya, if he plays.” That caveat is significant, as all indications suggest Unai Simon will start in goal for Spain.

Rooney defines what would qualify as a flop at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Finally, when asked which team could be the biggest disappointment of the World Cup, Wayne Rooney was cautious in his response. “It’s hard to flop, to be honest. Any of the big teams if they don’t go past the last 32, then I suppose that’s a flop,” he said.

That assessment is tied to the tournament’s expanded format. In addition to the top two teams from each group, eight of the 12 third-place finishers will also advance to the knockout stages. The new structure increases every team’s chances of progressing, and combined with the addition of 16 more teams than in previous editions, it means several lower-ranked nations are now in the field. Those factors should allow the traditional powerhouses to reach the Round of 32 without major difficulty.