A global survey conducted by Bank of America indicates that football fans widely favor France to win the 2026 World Cup. However, the bank's artificial intelligence model forecasts that the championship will most likely be claimed by a different national team. The upcoming tournament is expected to be the largest in history, with an estimated 6.5 million spectators attending matches in person.
According to the survey, France is the top pick to win the title in the North American-hosted World Cup, yet Microsoft's Copilot AI model supports another team for the ultimate victory. In the survey, approximately 40% of fans backed France to secure the trophy again this summer, while also showing strong confidence in French and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé to win the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer. In contrast, the AI prediction suggests Spain also has a high probability of lifting the World Cup trophy.
Co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the event is set to break records in scale. A total of 16 host cities will stage 104 matches, with an anticipated live audience of 6.5 million. A joint study by FIFA and the World Trade Organization estimates that this global sporting spectacle will generate over $80 billion in global economic activity, contribute nearly $41 billion to global GDP, and support more than 800,000 jobs.
The tournament kicks off on June 11 and will feature 48 teams, including first-time qualifiers Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan. FIFA announced last week that the total prize pool for the competition will reach $871 million, guaranteeing each participating team at least $12.5 million. The increased allocation includes higher preparation and qualification grants, covering expenses such as travel and training camps, which is particularly beneficial for less affluent teams. Team preparation grants have risen to $2.5 million from $1.5 million in the 2022 World Cup, while qualification participation grants increased to $10 million from $9 million.
Simultaneously, FIFA's new dynamic ticket pricing system has sparked significant controversy. As previously reported, ticket prices show an extreme range: category two tickets for the group stage match between Curaçao and Ivory Coast in Philadelphia start at $380, while top-category seats for the USA vs. Paraguay game in Los Angeles cost up to $4,105. On FIFA's official resale platform, a single ticket has even been listed for $11.5 million. FIFA President Gianni Infantino previously disclosed that while only 7 million tickets are available for the entire tournament, purchase requests globally have reached 508 million.
Ricardo Fort, founder of a sports consulting firm, commented, "Pricing for these mega-events is always highly sensitive. A segment of fans will inevitably be priced out, especially for the marquee matches."