Updated 2026 FIFA World Cup championship odds ahead of USA-Belgium

The USMNT will be one of the last 16 teams alive for World Cup glory. Wednesday night’s thoroughly convincing 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovia stands as one of the high points for in American soccer history and sets the stage for another memorable night in Seattle on Monday. Belgium will present a serious test for Mauricio Pochettino’s side. But to illustrate just how far this team has come in such a short span, the American hosts are actually a slight favorite against the more established European side.

That reflects a growing belief that Team USA has the talent, mettle and vibes necessary to make a deep World Cup run. It will take four more victories to win it all, and the odds remain quite long, yet they are creeping closer and closer to the realm of possibility.

Updated World Cup odds

The USMNT was 50-1 to walk away with the hardware when group play began. A rout over Paraguay moved the number down to 40-1 and a win over Australia dropped it further to 30-1. So things are moving in the right direction for those still wanting to believe in miracles.

Twenty-two countries are still alive in the tournament and the United States actually has the seventh-best odds to capture the crown. It’s very likely that Colombia and Portugal will leapfrog them if they survive initial knockout tests.

Now, there’s no reason to raise any “had the seventh-best odds to win World Cup at one point” banner. Pochettino’s goals are much loftier than that. Yet belonging, which has been the Americans’ goal for decades, only happens after many incremental steps. This is one of them.