John Barnes: France are my World Cup favourites; Mbappe and Dembele could make the difference

John Barnes represented England at two World Cup tournaments, reaching the quarter-finals in 1986 and semi-finals in 1990.

The former Three Lions winger discuss his country’s prospects under Thomas Tuchel and which players he expects to shine this summer.

I’m sure there will be plenty of razzmatazz at this summer’s World Cup, but what it’s all about is the football and the fans. No matter where previous tournaments have been held, you can never say that they are a disappointment because once the football starts and the fans bring their colours to the games, it’s always special. Knowing what it means to play in a World Cup, I know this will be another great tournament.

Argentina can win the World Cup again, absolutely. But I make France the favourites. They are powerful and physical and have the right balance of players who are also technical and very quick. France look strong throughout their team. 

I don’t expect you will see much from Cristiano Ronaldo at this tournament. He may score a few goals for Portugal but he won’t be as involved as he has been at previous World Cup tournaments. Lionel Messi will still be central to Argentina’s chances because he’s such a fantastic player. For France, you’d be looking at Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele as the two to make the difference. And for Spain, I’m looking forward to seeing Lamine Yamal.

But as Paris Saint-Germain have shown in the last two Champions League seasons, having let Messi, Mbappe and Neymar go, modern football is not about having the best individuals, it’s about having the best team. And the top managers recognise that.

Argentina, France, England, Spain and Germany are my leading contenders. Those are the usual suspects, but I can’t see things necessarily changing too much this time around. And then you will have dark horses too, like Morocco at the 2022 World Cup, who made the semi-finals.

I’m hoping England can go further than they did in Qatar and I think they will. I can see them maximising their potential and getting through to the latter stages and even win it.

Thomas Tuchel is a very different manager to Gareth Southgate. Tuchel is more combative, and the thing to look out for will be the reaction of his players. Oftentimes, and we’ve seen this year in the Premier League, the big players are stronger than their managers. In many ways, Southgate massaged the egos of his players and allowed them to do as they pleased. Tuchel is a more confrontational manager and may take hard decisions in this tournament to either substitute some of the big names like Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, or leave them out of the starting XI altogether. Then it’s a question of how those players respond. It’s ok to be a strong manager when you are winning games, but when things go against you, the press and the players may turn against you too.

I’m a big fan of Tuchel. He knows how he wants his team to play and if the likes of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden don’t fit into that system, Tuchel was right not to select them. But if things don’t go well, those decisions could backfire on him, as Palmer and Foden are the types of player that the press and the fans love.

For England to win the World Cup, they will need to defend well. And when they come up against the top teams, they need to be strong so it will be those defensive-minded players like Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice that will be most important. And then of course, when opportunities to score do come along, those chances must be taken, which is where Harry Kane will be pivotal.

Get ready for the 2026 World Cup by looking back at England’s most iconic football moments and the history that shaped them — captured exactly as they were reported at the time:

– The Football History of England Book
– The Football History of the England Women’s Team Book