More than any other continent, Europe is the most successful at the FIFA World Cup.

Europe boasts of different winners, which have won the tournament a combined 12 times, three more than South America, where Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay are the only past three champions.

With 16 slots in the World Cup in North America, Europe will surely want the World Cup trophy returned to the continent by the time the final match is played later in July, after Argentina dethroned France at the last edition in Qatar.

Europe arguably has the most teams capable of winning the World Cup among the continents participating in the tournament, with some already identified by football commentators as pre-tournament favourites to lift the trophy in the United States.

Spain

The reigning European champions are undoubtedly one of the favourites to win the World Cup. Spain are currently ranked among the top teams in the world by FIFA, so it is natural for any football fan to tip them to go as far as winning the tournament.

With a wealth of talent such as Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Pedri, Ferran Torres, Gavi, and other top players at their disposal, Spain has the squad to go head-to-head with the best from Europe and other continents.

Spain also has a rich World Cup history that can play to their psychological advantage in the push for a second title after the country won the tournament for the first time at the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

Other runs at the tournament include two semi-final finishes and six quarter-final finishes. Unfortunately, Spain has failed to progress past the round of 16 since 2010, but can turn the tide around this time.

France

Having won the World Cup in 2022 and reached the final of the last edition in Qatar, it is no surprise that they are again in the conversation of being one of the teams that can finish the job in North America.

Les Bleus boast of star power such as Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga, in-form Michael Olise and others in their squad, making them one of the most lethal teams in the world.

France has lifted the World Cup twice. They’ve also finished second and third two times each.

England

Despite being without a major tournament title since their World Cup triumph in 1966, England have remained one of the teams many believe can pull off surprises at international tournaments.

England has come close to ending the drought in recent years but lost in back-to-back UEFA European Champions finals against Italy in 2020 and Spain in 2024.

The Three Lions finished fourth at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and quarterfinals in the last edition, but many football fans are optimistic that the team can finally win the biggest silverware, especially with the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as head coach.

Portugal

There’s nothing that Cristiano Ronaldo fans would want to witness more than the former Manchester United forward lifting the World Cup after his arch-rival Lionel Messi achieved the feat at the last tournament.

Portugal has a minimal history at the World Cup compared to the three aforementioned countries, but the team has improved significantly in recent years, making the Seleção das Quinas one of the teams some football fans are picking to win the tournament.

The country’s best achievement at the World Cup was the third-place finish at the 1966 edition in England. The farthest they have managed to come since then was fourth place at the 2006 tournament in Germany.

Portugal currently has players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Bernardo Silva, and João Neves, who are capable of making history at the World Cup, in their own right.