He’s Nigerian, he plays for Fulham, and he’s going to make a lot of English people very happy Alex Iwobi wants the World Cup to come home, and England’s opening night gave him every reason to believe it might.
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Super Eagles and Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi has named England as his pick to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, pointing to the Three Lions’ extraordinary squad depth and their emphatic 4-2 opening victory over Croatia as the basis for his prediction, as reported by FootballInNigeria.com.ng. Speaking on Sky Sports, Iwobi expressed genuine belief in England’s chances while also acknowledging France as a second credible threat, pointedly passing over Spain, Portugal and Argentina in his assessment.
England’s opening match delivered exactly the kind of statement performance that shifts the conversation around a tournament. Harry Kane was at his commanding best, scoring twice to take his international tally into the sixties and providing the focal point around which Thomas Tuchel’s system was built. Jude Bellingham supplied the creativity in midfield, while Marcus Rashford’s pace caused Croatia problems throughout. The 4-2 scoreline flatters neither side nor diminishes it, it was a result that confirmed England’s tournament credentials in the most direct way possible.
Why Iwobi Chose England Over the Traditional Powers
Iwobi’s case for England centred less on the starting eleven and more on what sits behind it. He expressed his view that England’s substitutes alone carry enough quality to hurt opposition sides, a point reinforced by Tuchel’s willingness to make bold squad choices leaving out high-profile names like Phil Foden and Cole Palmer entirely to prioritise a system built around pace and tactical discipline. That depth, in Iwobi’s reading, is what separates England from most of their rivals at this tournament.
He was also careful to acknowledge France’s attacking threat as genuinely frightening, a nod of respect to a side that opened their own campaign with a 3-1 win over Senegal. His final prediction framed England’s title win as his personal hope as much as his analytical conclusion, linking it lightheartedly to Arsenal’s Premier League triumph and suggesting the time for English football to collect major trophies might be running back to back.
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A Tournament Taking Shape Fast
Iwobi’s prediction is being made in the context of a World Cup group stage that has already delivered a remarkable amount of information about who is and isn’t a genuine title threat. Germany have been the most impressive side so far, winning their opening two matches with a combined score of 9-2 and confirming their knockout stage place with a game to spare. Argentina’s opening win was powered by a Lionel Messi hat-trick against Algeria, France dispatched Senegal 3-1, while Spain, one of the sides Iwobi pointedly overlooked, managed only a goalless draw against Cape Verde before thrashing Saudi Arabia 4-0 to right their ship.
Portugal, another nation absent from Iwobi’s prediction, were held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo, a result that raised questions about their reliability in close matches despite the individual quality Cristiano Ronaldo continues to bring. Brazil drew with Morocco before recovering with a 3-0 win over Haiti. Among the stories drawing particular attention, Canada’s historic 6-1 win over Qatar, featuring Nigerian-born substitute Tani Oluwaseyi among the goal contributors, delivered the first World Cup win in that country’s history.
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England’s Next Test: Ghana in Group L
England’s second group match comes against Ghana on 23 June at Gillette Stadium, a fixture that carries its own West African subplot. Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has publicly backed Ghana to put up a genuine fight against the Three Lions, citing their organised defensive shape and the impact of substitute threat players like Brandon Thomas-Asante and Abdul Fatawu in their opening win over Panama.
Iwobi’s prediction of an England title run will face its first meaningful test in that match. A win would seal England’s knockout stage progression with a game to spare. Anything less keeps the group tight, and with Croatia and Ghana both still alive in the standings, Tuchel’s side cannot afford to take either of their remaining group matches lightly regardless of how good their opening night looked.
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📌 Did You Know?
- England’s 4-2 win over Croatia was their first World Cup victory over a FIFA top-15 ranked nation since their famous 1-0 defeat of Argentina at the 2002 tournament in Japan and South Korea.
- Harry Kane arrived at the 2026 World Cup having scored 58 goals for Bayern Munich during the club season, making him one of the most prolific centre-forwards heading into any major international tournament in recent history.
- Thomas Tuchel surprised much of the football world by leaving both Phil Foden and Cole Palmer out of his England World Cup squad, preferring a system that prioritises pace and direct attacking movement over technical creativity in deeper positions.
- Alex Iwobi’s connection to Arsenal, where he came through the academy before leaving for Everton in 2019, makes his indirect reference to the club’s Premier League title win a particularly personal piece of commentary.
- England’s only previous FIFA World Cup title came at the 1966 tournament on home soil, hosted at Wembley Stadium, where Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick in the final against West Germany secured a 4-2 victory in extra time.
- Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong, who lives in Dallas and is watching this World Cup from the United States, has publicly backed Ghana in the England vs Ghana group match on 23 June putting him at odds with Iwobi’s prediction.
- Tani Oluwaseyi, the Nigerian-born Canadian striker who featured in Canada’s 6-1 historic win over Qatar, plays his club football at Villarreal in La Liga, making him one of several Nigerian heritage players at prominent clubs whose World Cup participation has given Nigerian fans someone to follow despite the Super Eagles’ absence.
