Excitement for the 2026 FIFA World Cup—the biggest stage in world football—is rising rapidly. With the official draw and complete schedule now announced, global anticipation has intensified. Amid this growing hype, Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic has stirred conversation with a sensational World Cup prediction.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion is currently in Abu Dhabi for the Formula 1 Grand Prix, where he spoke to Jordanian content creator Mohamed Adnan. When asked which nation he believes will win the World Cup, Djokovic delivered a bold answer:
“𝑰’𝒎 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆. 𝑷𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑪𝒖𝒑, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑴𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒄𝒐 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍.”
While Portugal being crowned champions may sound reasonable given their strength, placing Mexico in the final has left many fans stunned.
Djokovic Explains His ‘Courageous’ Prediction
Surprised by the unusual prediction, the interviewer asked Djokovic to elaborate. But the Serbian maestro stood firm:
“𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆. 𝑷𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑴𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒄𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑷𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔.”
Mexico, one of the host nations alongside the USA and Canada, has been placed in Group A with South Africa, South Korea, and the winner of the UEFA Play-off D (Czech Republic/Ireland/Denmark/North Macedonia). They will kick off the entire tournament against South Africa on June 11 at the iconic Azteca Stadium.
On the other hand, Portugal, coached by Roberto Martinez, faces a challenging group. Drawn in Group K, they will compete against Uzbekistan, Colombia, and the winner of FIFA Play-Off 1 (Congo/Jamaica/New Caledonia). Cristiano Ronaldo’s team begins their journey on June 17 in Houston.
Given their squad depth—with stars like Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, Vitinha, Ruben Dias, and Joao Neves—Portugal enters the tournament as one of the top favourites.
A Bigger, Tougher World Cup Ahead
The 2026 World Cup will feature 48 teams for the first time, hosting 104 matches across 16 venues in three countries. From the group stage, 32 teams will qualify directly for the Round of 36, while the 8 best third-placed teams will also join them.
After that, the tournament will progress through the Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the grand final on July 19.
If Djokovic’s prediction comes true, it would be one of the most surprising and dramatic World Cup storylines in recent memory.
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