With Neymar expected to play a limited role, Vinicius Junior will carry the primary responsibility of leading Brazil‘s attack at the 2026 World Cup. Ahead of the tournament, the Real Madrid star has shared his personal ranking of the five nations he believes are best positioned to lift the trophy, a list that includes Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Portugal and Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
Speaking on Caze TV, Vinicius was asked to name his top five World Cup contenders. He started with Brazil before turning his attention to Spain, praising the likes of Pedri and Lamine Yamal in particular, going as far as saying Yamal has the individual ability to win a World Cup on his own and is the kind of player supporters buy a ticket specifically to watch.
From there, Vinicius moved on to Portugal: “Our father (idol) Cristiano Ronaldo is there, right? Always important. Vitinha, Joao Neves, who are also among the best right now. I’d love… Nuno Mendes, Rafael Leao who is my partner, Joao Félix too… Facing Cristiano Ronaldo in a knockout match could happen, but then he’s going to have to lose, right? He’s our idol, but he’ll understand.“
After saluting Portugal, Vinicius turned to France, pointing to their back-to-back World Cup final appearances as a testament to their quality. He singled out Real Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappe as the central figure and also offered strong praise for Ousmane Dembele, describing him as “a monster over the last two seasons.“
Vinicius Junior of Brazil reacts during the international friendly match between Brazil and France.
When asked whether Jude Bellingham’s England might crack his top five, Vinicius went a different way, choosing Argentina to round out his list. “There’s England with Bellingham, but I’m going to put Argentina because they were the last champions, they have confidence, and they have Messi, who is always something different,” he concluded his top 5.
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Whether driven by history, current form or both, Vinicius settled on Brazil, Spain, Portugal, France and Argentina as his five strongest contenders for the 2026 World Cup. As it turns out, his instincts are broadly in line with where the official FIFA rankings currently stand.
With the next ranking update expected between May 31 and June 11, just before the World Cup begins, France currently sits first, followed by Spain, Argentina, England and Portugal rounding out the top five. Brazil, for what it is worth, sits just outside at sixth.
That said, ranking position is no guarantee of a deep run. Heading into the 2022 World Cup, the top five consisted of Brazil in first, followed by Belgium, Argentina, France and England.
Thierry Henry, Assistant Coach of Belgium consoles Toby Alderweireld after 2022 World Cup elimination.
Of those five, only Argentina and France reached the final, while Brazil and England were eliminated in the quarterfinals and Belgium crashed out in the group stage. Croatia, ranked 12th, and Morocco, ranked 22nd, both reached the semifinals, a reminder that the bracket can humble even the most decorated nations.
