The 2026 FIFA World Cup could become the biggest sporting and digital event in history, according to a new report by BofA Global Research, which predicts France's national football team as the favourite to lift the trophy. But on a different note, artificial intelligence (AI) models are also strongly backing Spain's national football team.
In its report titled 'The Beautiful Game: BofA's World Cup 2026 Guide', released on May 6, BofA described the upcoming tournament across the United States, Canada and Mexico as “the largest sporting event ever staged”.
“With 48 teams and 104 matches across 16 host cities, the tournament is projected to engage more than 6 billion people,” the report said, adding that attendance could reach 6.5 million fans.
According to BofA, the global sports industry generated $2.3 trillion in revenue in 2025 and is projected to grow to $3.7 trillion by 2030. Citing a FIFA-WTO study, the report estimated that the 2026 World Cup alone could add around $41 billion to global GDP and support more than 800,000 jobs.
ALSO READ | Adidas Unveils Star-Studded 2026 FIFA World Cup Teaser With Messi, Chalamet, Beckham, Bad Bunny — Watch
The bank also highlighted how the tournament could become a defining showcase for artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure.
“The 2026 World Cup will be the most connected and data-intensive sporting event ever,” BofA said, noting that AI, digital twins, exascale computing, autonomous vehicles and advanced streaming systems would all converge during the tournament.
It added that the final match alone could consume up to 7% of global internet traffic as viewing shifts toward streaming, mobile and social media platforms.
France Leads Human Predictions, AI Adds Spain
BofA's internal World Cup survey, conducted between April 21 and April 23 among 65 respondents across its Global Research division, showed strong backing for France.
About 40% of respondents predicted France would win the World Cup, while nearly 25% expected a France-Spain final.
French forward and captain Kylian Mbappé was tipped by nearly half the respondents to finish as the tournament's top scorer and win the Golden Boot, while Spanish teenage sensation Lamine Yamal received the highest support as the likely Player of the Tournament winner.
“BofA Global Research's 2026 World Cup survey suggests that France will lift the trophy,” the report said. “AI concurs, but adds Spain with equal probability to win the World Cup.”
On 29 April 2026, using a prompt, Copilot's answer was France with Spain as the runner up. The prompt had multiple criteria like -
- Team chemistry, cohesion
- Current injuries, player availability
- Recent form, momentum heading into the tournament
- Goal-scoring form, attacking efficiency
- Defensive strength, consistency
- Squad age profile, experience balance
- Squad depth, bench quality
- Tactical strength, flexibility, and coaching quality
- Historical World Cup and major tournament performance
- Quality of key players, star impact
- Strength of recent opposition faced
- Mental toughness and performance under pressure
- Home-field or regional advantage (if relevant)
- Any other important variables that materially affect a team's chances of winning
BofA further noted that online betting and prediction markets could see unprecedented activity during the tournament.
“The expanded format, growth in online betting, deregulation and prediction markets could make the 2026 tournament the biggest ever for wagers,” the report said.
According to BofA, total betting and trading volumes linked to the tournament in the US alone could rise to $5.9 billion, compared with $1.8 billion during the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Around $2.7 billion of that is expected to come from prediction markets.
The report added that approximately $780 million had already been staked on Polymarket as of April 2026, with France overtaking Spain as the market favourite to win the title.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.