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As a native New Yorker, my sports focus has mainly been on my beloved Knicks during their Final run against the Dallas Spurs.Alongside all the madness and pageantry that come with the NBA Finals, there’s another major sporting event that’s equally set to deliver plenty of excitement. The time is nigh for this year’s FIFA World Cup, which is set to begin on June 11 and come to a close on July 19. The previous World Cup, which took place in 2022, saw Argentina come out on top against France. Now that we’re set for the latest foray into the world’s most hype-inducing fútbol tournament, all eyes are on the teams set to compete for the number one spot.Just like my previous sports tournament prediction pieces with this year’s Super Bowl and March Madness, I went to ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity to see which team they predict will come out as the champions of the 2026 World Cup.And wouldn’t you know, they all chose one team and made it clear that the odds are most definitely in their favor.ChatGPT’s top pick
(Image credit: Shutterstock)After taking note of my simple request (“Which team do you think will win the FIFA World Cup 2026 and why?”), ChatGPT zeroed in on Spain as the team it favors the most as the ultimate victor.Then it gave me four valid reasons as to why it arrived at that lofty prediction:They have the best balance of youth and experience: Players like Lamine Yamal, Pedri, and Rodri give them elite creativity, control, and tactical intelligence.Their recent tournament performances have been outstanding: Spain's rise since winning the European Championship has convinced many analysts and betting markets that they're currently the strongest team in international football.They don't rely on one superstar: Their system creates chances from all over the pitch, which tends to be valuable in knockout tournaments.The data backs up the hype: Multiple forecasting models and sportsbooks have Spain as the pre-tournament favorite, ahead of France, Brazil, England, and Argentina.One of the more interesting follow-up notes the chatbot put out after its main prediction mentioned a second pick that may shock us all and leave with the World Cup trophy: If Spain doesn't win, my next pick would be France. France arguably has the deepest squad in the tournament, led by Kylian Mbappé. Some simulations actually place France slightly ahead of everyone else, while others have Spain first and France second.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.Gemini’s top pick
