2026 World Cup – Mutiu Adepoju backs country he once haunted to lift trophy

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is gradually drawing to a close after nearly a month of top-level football, soccernet.ng/wp/ reports.

​The tournament has reached the quarter-final stage, with only eight teams remaining: Morocco, France, Spain, Belgium, England, Norway, Argentina, and Switzerland.

Having navigated five rounds of games, all eight nations will definitely be hopeful of lifting the trophy after the final on July 19 at the New Jersey Stadium.

​Unfortunately, the Super Eagles failed to qualify. But Morocco remains the only team flying Africa's flag high in the tournament, though they have a mountain to climb when they take on two-time champions France in their quarter-final clash on Thursday.

​Les Bleus have been in excellent form and are expected to defeat the Atlas Lions when the two sides lock horns on Thursday. Nonetheless, Morocco has proven that they can step up against the big boys when push comes to shove, so they will certainly fancy their chances.

​Who Will Win the 2026 World Cup? Mutiu Adepoju Predicts

​As the quarter-finals of the World Cup approach, former Super Eagles midfielder Adepoju has weighed in on who could eventually emerge as champion.

​In an exclusive interview with Soccernet, he revealed that Spain are his favorites to win the trophy in the Americas.

​”We have seen upsets; we have seen Germany, the Netherlands, and Brazil — potential winners — knocked out,” Adepoju said.

​”But Argentina, Spain, and France are still there. My favorites to win would be Spain. That is my personal wish.”

​The 55-year-old’s stance is hardly surprising, given that he spent six years of his career in Spain playing for Real Madrid; naturally, he retains a strong affinity for the nation.

​Interestingly, Adepoju played in three World Cups for Nigeria. In the 1998 edition, he notably scored against Spain in a historic 3-2 victory. To this day, no African team has been able to defeat France at the Mundial.