It's crunch time for the beautiful game! With the 2026 World Cup reaching its thrilling conclusion, legendary football pundit Chris Sutton has weighed in with his definitive predictions – and they're making waves. Sutton, renowned for his fearless analysis, is tipping Spain to lift the coveted trophy, while he expects a French victory over England in the third-place play-off, a result that will leave fans of both nations feeling less than elated.
Sutton's take on Argentina's journey to the final is a candid one. "I've seen this Argentinian team numerous times at the tournament and, compared to their teams of the past, I'm afraid they're not outstanding," he declared bluntly. However, he praised their unwavering spirit: "You have to admire their fight and aggression – they'll stop at nothing to stay in games and win any way they can." And then there's Lionel Messi – a constant threat that no team wants to face.
But it's Spain who Sutton truly rates highly, particularly after their masterful semi-final performance against France. The Spanish outfit has been unbeaten throughout the tournament, not once finding themselves behind in any of their seven matches. Sutton was blown away by their ability to nullify France's potent attack while dismantling them at the other end. "That was a near-perfect performance – can they do it again?" he pondered thoughtfully before backing Spain to take the trophy.
Turning his attention to the bronze final, a fixture often viewed as a mere formality by both nations, Sutton acknowledged the likely subdued atmosphere. "The truth is, no-one really cares about this game," he stated bluntly, anticipating that both teams would rather be heading home. He predicts a France reserves versus England reserves match, but if both fielded their strongest sides, he'd expect Didier Deschamps' France to emerge victorious in what is widely expected to be his final game as manager after 14 years at the helm.
Sutton's predictions are still reeling from England's devastating 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina. He cited Thomas Tuchel's tactical decisions after going 1-0 ahead as a major factor, leaving fans wondering what could have been. Sutton's specific predictions see France beating England 2-1 in the bronze final, which kicks off at 22:00 BST on Saturday, 18 July, in Miami. For the World Cup final, scheduled for 20:00 on Sunday, 19 July, in New York, he has backed Spain to emerge victorious against Argentina. These predictions come as part of the BBC's predictor game, where Sutton's accuracy stands at 64%, slightly behind AI's 65% and the users' leading 71%.