Who should you root for now that the United States is out of the World Cup?

The United States is out. So who should you, as a soccer fan, jump on the bandwagon for in the FIFA World Cup?

Jul 9, 2026, 7:56 AM Updated: 12:19 pm

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Your team of choice has been knocked out of the World Cup. You want to keep watching, but you need a rooting interest to stay invested.

The idea of supporting any team but your own may be unfathomable to some, but we’re not going to call you a fair-weather fan. In fact, we’re here to help, with a handy guide to the quarterfinalists.

We’ve included the odds of each team winning the final, based on the consensus of various U.S. sportsbooks as of Wednesday, and even thrown in the chants you need to fit right in. Here are your eight options, in alphabetical order.

Argentina

ODDS OF LIFTING THE TROPHY: +400 (bet $10, win $40)

STAR PLAYER: Have you heard of this man called Lionel Messi?

WHAT TO KNOW: The Argentines are looking to become the first nation to retain the men’s World Cup title since Brazil in 1962. Messi — yes, him — is the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer with 21 goals and has a tournament-topping eight goals this year.

CHANT OF CHOICE: “Vamos, vamos Argentina” (“Let’s go, Argentina”)

CHOOSE THIS TEAM IF YOU LIKE: Safe bets, flavorful steak, supremely talented No. 10s.

Belgium

ODDS OF LIFTING THE TROPHY: 30-1 (bet $10, win $300)

STAR PLAYERS: Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois

WHAT TO KNOW: The Belgians eliminated the United States in the round of 16 — and many around the world felt justice was served following President Donald Trump’s intervention to get Folarin Balogun back in the U.S. team lineup for the match. There were low pre-tournament expectations around Belgium, with so few of its longtime stalwarts remaining in the squad.

CHANT OF CHOICE: “Waar is dat feestje” (Where is the party”) or “Tous ensemble” (“All together”)

CHOOSE THIS TEAM IF YOU LIKE: Waffles, chocolate, topical dance celebrations, long-lasting yet underperforming golden generations.

England

ODDS OF LIFTING THE TROPHY: +450 (bet $10, win $45)

STAR PLAYERS: Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham

WHAT TO KNOW: It hasn’t been spoken about much … but England’s men’s team hasn’t won a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup. The English invented soccer but have rarely been the best at it.

CHANT OF CHOICE: “It’s coming home”

CHOOSE THIS TEAM IF YOU LIKE: Oasis, lions, fish and chips, decades of pain.

France

ODDS OF LIFTING THE TROPHY: +180 (bet $10, win $18)

STAR PLAYERS: Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise

WHAT TO KNOW: France was the champion in 2018, the runner-up in 2022 and many people’s favorite this year. France’s departing coach, Didier Deschamps, is already a World Cup great, having won the title as France’s captain in 1998 and led the team to the trophy 20 years later.

CHANT OF CHOICE: “Allez les bleus” (“Go Blues”)

CHOOSE THIS TEAM IF YOU LIKE: Baguettes, big towers, Champagne, fearsome attacks.

Morocco

ODDS OF LIFTING THE TROPHY: 27-1 (bet $10, win $270)

STAR PLAYERS: Achraf Hakimi, Yassine Bounou

WHAT TO KNOW: In 2022, Morocco became the first African or Arab nation to reach the World Cup semifinals in a seminal moment for the sport. The Moroccans can do it again four years later — but they’ll need to beat the same team, France, that eliminated them in the semis four years ago.

CHANT OF CHOICE: “Dima Maghrib” (“Morocco Forever”)

CHOOSE THIS TEAM IF YOU LIKE: Deserts, souks, underdogs.

Norway

ODDS OF LIFTING THE TROPHY: 14-1 (bet $10, win $140)

STAR PLAYERS: Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard

WHAT TO KNOW: The Norwegians are playing at their first men’s World Cup since 1998 and have never gotten this far. Both in stadiums and back home, their fans have become synonymous with their Viking Row performances.

CHANT OF CHOICE: “Ro! Ro!” (“Row! Row!”)

CHOOSE THIS TEAM IF YOU LIKE: Rowing, Snapchat, big blond strikers, beating Brazil.

Spain

ODDS OF LIFTING THE TROPHY: +360 (bet $10, win $36)

STAR PLAYERS: Lamine Yamal, Rodri

WHAT TO KNOW: Spain hasn’t conceded a goal this tournament — yep, not even one in five games. And in Yamal, the team has a winger who was a 16-year-old revelation on its way to winning the European Championship in 2024. It’s his birthday on Monday, when he’ll be the veteran age of 19.

CHANT OF CHOICE: “Lolololo”

CHOOSE THIS TEAM IF YOU LIKE: Tapas, shutouts, possession soccer, precocious wingers.

Switzerland

ODDS OF LIFTING THE TROPHY: The Swiss are the longest shot on the board in many sportsbooks. They are 30-1 or more depending on the location.

STAR PLAYERS: Granit Xhaka, Johan Manzambi

WHAT TO KNOW: The Swiss are consistently good at the European Championship tournament and are now finally breaking through at World Cup, reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in 72 years. They are tough to beat in 90 minutes.

CHANT OF CHOICE: “Hopp Schwiiz” or “Hop Suisse” (“Go Switzerland”)

CHOOSE THIS TEAM IF YOU LIKE: Roger Federer, multiple national languages, more cowbell, immigration, good public transport.

Associated Press

Comments

2 Comments

D C 3 weeks ago

The simple fact is that the Belgium coach/ team completely outcoached Mauricio Pochettino, which pretty much determined the outcome before the match started.

The US problem is the Mauricio Pochettino offensive attack is almost 100% dependent upon small and otherwise fragile players all of whom play in Europe, so are well known to them. That familiarity meant that there was an proven methodology on the best way to play them: Be as physical as possible. Using those smallish and fragile players is the only effective strategy Mauricio Pochettino has developed during his time as HC. Nothing else has worked. The Belgium Game play also included attacking 38 year old Tim Ream. While Ream is an excellent offensive play, he really struggles defensively, something that again, is well known in Europe. Belgium successfully used bigger, stronger players vs Ream get their first 2 goals.

Belgium is a very experienced team who has been playing at the highest levels and so their team naturally has developed several strategies/ lineups to use, depending upon whom their opponent is, and which referee FIFA assigns. Versus the US, Beligium didn't start 2 of their best offensive players, Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku. Doku, sat, because he is smallish, and has battled a persistent respiratory infection and breathing issues. Doku sat because they didn't want the US to beat him up. De Bruyne likely didn't start because he's old, he's been injured and they didn't want to risk further injury anticipating the USA would retaliate vs Doku and De Bruyne once they saw how physical Belgium was going to be with the smallish, more fragile US Players. It was a smart move, great coaching.

Cyrus The Virus 3 weeks ago

The US was never a contender. The USMNT hasn't won against anyone good for years!

A lot of hype but nothing else.