The race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup title is beginning to take shape, but former Super Eagles midfielder Ogenyi Onazi believes it is still far too early to identify the team most likely to lift the trophy, Soccernet.ng reports.
Several traditional powerhouses have enjoyed strong starts to the expanded 48-team tournament, while others have already faced unexpected challenges.
Germany became one of the first nations to secure a place in the Round of 32 after crushing Curaçao 7-1 before coming from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1. Defending champions Argentina also made a statement with a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria, inspired by a Lionel Messi hat-trick.
France opened their campaign with a 3-1 win over Senegal, while England defeated Croatia 4-2 in Dallas. The Netherlands recovered from a draw against Japan by thrashing Sweden 5-1, and co-hosts the United States and Mexico have already booked their places in the knockout rounds with maximum points from two matches.
World Cup 2026: Onazi refuses to pick favourites
Despite the impressive performances from some of football's biggest nations, Onazi insists the competition remains too unpredictable to single out a favourite.
The former Lazio midfielder, who has been impressed by Messi's timeless displays, pointed to the difficult starts experienced by Portugal and Spain as evidence that early results can be misleading. Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo in their opening Group K match, while Spain suffered a shock goalless draw against World Cup debutants Cape Verde before responding with a comfortable 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia.
“Well, the World Cup is still just getting started,” the former Lazio ace said as per the Punch. “We can’t say anything about favourites now. It’s too early. Looking at different countries with terrible first games, like Portugal, even Spain and they’ve played well in their next game.
“So let’s see how the second matches come up till the round of 32, then we will see how the sharp teams will look like,” Onazi said.
Argentina, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Brazil have won the last six editions of the World Cup in that order.
