Lionel Messi, Argentina Favourites to Win FIFA World Cup 2026; France's Kylian Mbappe Predicts

FIFA World Cup 2026: There is no doubt that Lionel Messi-led Argentina are one of the clear favourites to win the ongoing tournament and France's Kylian Mbappe does not think otherwise. Mbappe was recently asked about who he think are the favourites. Mbappe reckoned for whichever team Messi is playing would be favourites. That is a big statement coming from Mbappe. 

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‘Argentina are the clear favorites’

"As long as a player like Lionel Messi is playing in a tournament, the team he represents will always be the favorite. Argentina are the clear favorites to win the World Cup this time. In my opinion, there is no player greater than Lionel Messi. He is one of the all-time greats," Mbappe told reporters. 

The Argentine icon is owning this World Cup. Messi began with a hat-trick vs Algeria, added a brace against Austria, then scored once vs Jordan. Playing aggressive, inspirational football, he’s in prime position for the Golden Boot — but Argentina must go deep for that to happen. He’s never won it before.

As per FIFA's latest Power Rankings, Messi is the No. 2 player with a score of 8.34 in attacking, 6.43 in creativity, and 5.14 in defending.

A stunning stat shows how Argentina do well weith Messi and sans him everything changes. Argentina have won 83% of their games with Messi and 83% without him. They score more goals when he is on the pitch than when he isn't -- 58 to 35 -- and Messi has scored 25 goals and registered nine assists in his 30 appearances since 2022, making up for 27% of Argentina's goals.