Piers Morgan has claimed only one nation can stop England in their pursuit of a first World Cup win since 1966, and believes history will be made in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

There are a record 48 teams participating this year, but only a handful of nations are seen as favourites to go all the way and lift the iconic trophy. And with good reason. Only seven of this year’s qualified countries have ever won the World Cup, showing how rare a new winner is.

Cristiano Ronaldo, a well-known friend of Morgan, is looking to deliver Portugal’s first-ever success in the competition. It would mark his place in the history books and further cement his legacy as one of the all-time greats. But Piers doesn’t think CR7 will be getting his hands on the trophy this year.

Piers Morgan Snubs Cristiano Ronaldo in World Cup Prediction

Rodrigo Antunes via Reuters

Instead, the British journalist and media personality believes there are only two teams in with a chance of winning the World Cup. Firstly, he’s backed Thomas Tuchel’s England to be there until the very end, with only one nation capable of pipping the Three Lions to the post.

England start their campaign against Croatia on Wednesday night before facing Panama and Ghana in the remaining group games. The 2018 semi-finalists are viewed as strong contenders, as Tuchel has many incredible players at his disposal.

But Morgan thinks Carlo Ancelotti and Brazil can spoil the party and extend his country’s 60 years of hurt. The 62-year-old gave his bold prediction on X, saying:

He’s right; no manager has ever won the World Cup while managing a country he wasn’t born in. It’s an incredible statistic, but one Ancelotti and Tuchel could break if they go all the way this year.

Brazil ‘Best Suited’ to World Cup Conditions

Mike Segar via Reuters

Morgan did admit he would ‘love’ to see Portugal and Ronaldo finally lift the trophy if England weren’t to go all the way. He said: “If England don’t win then I’d love to see Portugal win it.”

However, he still believes Brazil are ‘dangerous’ and even said they are ‘best suited to the conditions’. He continued: “But Brazil have an amazing squad, a great manager, are best suited to the conditions, and nobody is talking about them much… dangerous!”

The South Americans would be delighted to escape their opening game with a point against Morocco. Vinicius Junior scored a brilliant goal to rescue a 1-1 draw after being put to the sword in the opening 20 minutes. The Selecao still have fixtures against Haiti and Scotland to come.

TV personality and NBA commentator Stephen A. Smith has launched a fresh attack on Donald Trump following the pair’s public spat over the president’s attendance at the New York Knicks’ historic title win this weekend.

A host of celebrities were spotted taking in Mike Brown’s side’s victory over the San Antonio Spurs across the five-game series. Among them were Timothee Chalamet, Ben Stiller and Taylor Swift, who were seen at Madison Square Garden and the Frost Bank Center as they witnessed the Knicks secure their first NBA championship in 53 years.

The triumph was made even sweeter by the manner in which it was achieved, with New York overturning the biggest deficit in NBA Finals history in Game 4 after trailing by 29 points.

Stephen A. Smith Attacks Trump Over NBA Finals Appearance

Needless to say, celebrations in the Big Apple haven’t always been as well-received, with the NYPD still investigating incidents including vandalism, fan violence, theft and viral videos that appeared to show Victor Wembanyama and his teammates having eggs thrown at them. But another point of controversy was a viral video of Trump falling asleep during the hair-raising Game 3.

Smith hammered on the president over the incident that saw Trump appearing with his eyes closed in his seat at Knicks owner James Dolan’s private box at Madison Square Garden, according to The Hill. “He was caught napping, OK? And so … it is what it is. But he is the president. He’s got a lot on his plate. He certainly gets up early enough in the morning, and he certainly has time to post tweets on his Truth Social platform.”

He previously said the 80-year-old should never have attended Game 3, and he should have stayed “his a– at the White House.” He first accused Trump of sleeping at the game on Tuesday, telling the audience of ESPN’s “First Take” on Tuesday that the “brother wasn’t awake.”

“Didn’t you call out former President Joe Biden, ‘Sleepy Joe’?” Smith said on the show. “Well, what should we call you? Because you weren’t awake.”

Latest Spat is a Continuation of Previous Hostilities

Smith added on Sunday that he’s open to debating President Trump amid their feud over the president’s presence at the NBA Finals. He has suggested that the two debate one another over policies and issues. The president, however, has accused the commentator of being a “low IQ individual” who would get “annihilated in a debate.”

“But when he wants to sit up there and question my IQ and talk to me about people that would smoke meat in a debate, well, why don’t you do it yourself?” Smith said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“Why defer to anybody else? Because I’d be more than happy to sit across from the president and debate some of the decisions that he’s made.” Smith added that he’s “not interested in running” for president. “I like my job, like my money, and I’m not giving it up to campaign for higher office,” he said.

“But I would certainly say that if you really, really want to be serious about questioning somebody’s IQ, put me at the same table as you, and we could have a discussion in front of the masters about some decisions you’ve made on behalf, supposedly, of the American people,” Smith reiterated. “And we’ll see where my IQ lands then.”

England open their 2026 World Cup campaign with a clash against Croatia at Dallas Stadium on Wednesday, but Thomas Tuchel won’t be happy to see who the referee is for the 2018 semi-final repeat.

The Three Lions will face Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L as they look to end a 60-year drought when it comes to major silverware. If they are to do so and lift the World Cup, they’d be making history in the process.

No World Cup-winning manager has been foreign to the nation they managed to glory. Tuchel, as a German managing England, would be the first-ever case if he brings football home.

Thomas Tuchel’s Angry History With World Cup Ref

Nathan Ray Seebeck via Reuters

The German tactician has already had a furious run-in with the appointed referee for the World Cup encounter on Wednesday night. French official Clement Turpin even sent the England boss off in a match while he was at Bayern Munich.

During a 2023 Champions League quarter-final loss against Manchester City, Tuchel was livid with the officiating and was sent to the stands after picking up two yellow cards. He then went on a rant about Turpin, who had booked five players in the first half and sent off Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano – a decision that VAR overturned.

The former Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund manager made his feelings about the referee very clear after the game, labelling the 44-year-old ‘terrible’. He even gave him a ‘1/10’ rating, as he fumed (per The Sun):

England’s Results Under ‘1/10’ Referee

Image via Reuters/Nathan Ray Seebeck

Turpin, voted the world’s best referee in 2025, has been in the middle for six England matches in the past. The most notable being a humiliating 4-0 Nations League defeat by Hungary.

He was also the referee in the Three Lions’ goalless draw with Slovenia at Euro 2024. He was there for the 5-0 win against Serbia in late 2025, meaning he’s already encountered Tuchel since their heated meeting in 2023. England won the other three matches Turpin officiated comfortably.

Should there be a controversial incident against Croatia, it may be worth keeping an eye on Tuchel’s reaction. Turpin is generally seen as one of the best referees around, but clearly has history with the England manager.