MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – JUNE 11: Alessandro Del Piero poses with the 2026 World Cup trophy during the unveiling of the 2026 FIFA World Cup One Year Ahead Countdown Clock at General Purim on June 11, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Christopher Rogel Blanke/Getty Images)
With the 2026 World Cup just around the corner and Italy not taking part, Football Italia takes a look at which Serie A stars are favorites to win the trophy.
With Italy once again missing out on qualifying for the World Cup, Serie A fans can only enjoy the stars of Italy’s top flight at this summer’s tournament.
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Spain and France look like the best-placed countries, but as always, the World Cup will be full of surprises and underdogs.
Spain won the Euros just two years ago, beating England in the final, while France reached the World Cup final for the second year in a row. They won the trophy for the first time in 2018, but lost it to Argentina on penalties four years later.
There is no Spanish representative in Serie A who will be participating in the World Cup, but four players from Italy’s top team are on the French team: Marcus Thuram (Inter), Milan’s Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot, and Roma’s Manu Kone.
England are also among the favorites to win the title, but no Serie A players will represent the Three Lions this summer.
Meanwhile, Juventus’ Grayson Bremer and Roma’s Wesley will try to help Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil win a sixth World Cup.
Inter captain Lautaro Martinez, Serie A’s top scorer for the 2025/26 season, and Como’s Nico Paz will defend their title as Argentina champions.
Sixty-six Serie A players will take part in the World Cup, many of whom are likely to lead weaker nations, including Scotland led by Scott McTominay and Louis Ferguson, and Norway led by Christian Thorstvedt, Marcus Pedersen, Thorbjorn Hegem and Leo Østigård.
The World Cup will feature even more familiar faces for Italian fans. In addition to Brazilian coach Ancelotti, former Azzurri star Vincenzo Montella will manage the Turkish national team, while 2006 Italian World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro will lead Uzbekistan from the touchline.
Former Roma and Napoli manager Rudi Garcia has called up four Serie A players to his squad for the World Cup in Belgium: Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, Alexis Saeremakers and Koni de Winter.
“We are no longer the country that led the FIFA rankings for six years,” Garcia recently told Gazzetta.
“We’re outsiders, but that’s okay. These are situations that I’m used to as a coach.”
Garcia said the favorites were France, Spain, Argentina and “maybe even England or Brazil”, adding that the Belgian side would aim to “remain in the race until the final in New York”.
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