Former England international and Real Oviedo striker, Stan Collymore, sat down with Get Spanish Football News to discuss the reigning European champions’ chances in the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Would you agree that Spain entered this tournament as the standout favourites?
Any nation that are European champions deserves that respect. However, I would say that France have the better squad. I think the reason why Spain are favourites is their tournament record over a number of years, and the way that they develop players and the way that they play – calm, considered, and then they’ve got the little bells and whistles: Lamine Yamal, et cetera, et cetera. Whereas you look at France and go, my goodness me, that squad is absolutely insane. But without reverting to national stereotypes, the French have had problems with big names in dressing rooms in the past.
I think Spain are the standout favourites. I think they went into it obviously wanting to go to the next level and be world champions. And I think they are young and hungry enough, to not necessarily dominate international football, but to go on to win several other editions of the Euros or World Cup. If you’re picking a dream squad, France aren’t a million miles away from it. I think England are in the conversation, but as always with England, it comes with the context of 60 years since winning a major tournament. Argentina aren’t getting any younger. The big hump they needed to get over was trying to win Lionel Messi something, which obviously they did [winning the 2022 World Cup]. So yeah, I’d agree Spain are the favourites to win this edition.
There were concerns in Spain that they don’t have an out-and-out goalscoring centre-forward in the mould of David Villa. Could that be their Achilles’ heel?
Could be, but I think they’ll always create chances. I think the way Spain play its about the collective, not the individual. You only have to go back to Pep Guardiola’s time in Spanish football, with false nines and no nines. There’s a flexibility. Yes, ideally, you want one. But I was at the Euro final, and the thing that was impressive about Spain was they kept on doing what they wanted in terms of their team shape, and as long as you’re getting the ball into the box, and two or three players are arriving [you’ll create chances]. Spain have got some fantastic technicians that can do something absolutely world-class. If you haven’t got a style of play that creates chances, that’s the biggest worry. If you create lots of chances, and you don’t have a world-class goalscorer, maybe in the quarters onwards it might hurt you. The issue that Spain shouldn’t worry about is their ability to create chances, their ability to hit you with rapier-like pace on the counterattack, and they still keep the ball very well. The sum of its parts is better than the individual goalscorer. What I think is we should temper are judgement before we get to the knockout stages, because this extended format for a nation like Spain is going to be managing minutes, avoiding injuries, and just navigating the groups. By the knockouts, I imagine they’ll have a lot of momentum to do what we know that Spain can do.
Lamine Yamal was second in the Ballon d’Or voting last season. Do you think this World Cup could be his coronation?
Could be, but I think when we’re looking at Ballon d’Ors, the World Cup only comes around every four years. [The Ballon d’Or] is heavily weighted to what a player does in his club football. Harry Kane will be in with a shout. 60-odd goals with Bayern Munich is a great season. I’m not absolutely convinced that if Harry Kane were to win the World Cup with England, he’d necessarily be a shoo-in for the Ballon d’Or. I still think that with the Ballon d’Or voting, if you’re a player who posts numbers and performances, but has that little bit of magic dust in your feet, you’re more likely to win it than a player who has a very, very good season, but is seen more as a club man. So yes, Yamal having a very good World Cup would take a big step towards that. But I actually think the main driver of the Ballon d’Or is winning the Champions League. When you judge a footballer, you look at it and say: have they done it in Europe, have they done it in the Champions League semi-final/final? I think the voting is heavily weighted towards that particular competition, as we’ve seen with Messi and Ronaldo over the years.
What are your predictions for England?
My flight from Miami goes home on the 12th of July, which is the day after the quarter-final in Miami [laughs]. I think England could go all the way, which is why I think Thomas Tuchel has been talking about brotherhood and 26 players, we’ve all got to be here together – Ollie Watkins is going to be as important as Harry Kane, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke are going to be as important as Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford. He’s very much selling it as a 26-player experience, if England are going to win it. I think if they get past the hurdle of the quarter-finals, then it’ll be anyone’s guess. They’ll be motivated after losing in the Euros final, but I think it’ll be quarter-finals or semis. I just have a sneaky feeling that a final in this tournament with the unique set of conditions, and the Premier League as a grind, rather than being able to rest players like in Ligue 1, for example, would be a bit of a bridge too far. Too much heat. Too much travelling. Long Premier League season for the vast majority of players. So that’s why I think Spain or France are more likely to win it.
Stan Collymore was speaking exclusively to Get Spanish Football News on behalf of BetWright football betting.
GSFN | Nick Hartland