The latest 'computational' predictions for the World Cup winner have placed the defending champion outside the top contenders, while giving another national team the edge in the race for the title ahead of the semi-finals.

Despite winning the previous edition in Qatar 2022, Argentina came in fourth place in the list of favorites to win the 2026 World Cup currently being held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, according to predictions from the supercomputer.

According to the global network 'Opta', specializing in collecting and analyzing sports statistics, France tops the list of candidates to win the title with 34.05%, followed by Spain in second place with 23.45%.

England ranked third in the forecast order with 21.94%, while Argentina came fourth with 20.55%, making it the least favored among the golden square teams.

France is scheduled to face Spain in the semi-final on Tuesday, while Argentina will take on England on Wednesday in the second match.

Opta also revealed the probabilities of reaching the final: France, led by Didier Deschamps, has a 50.70% chance of overcoming Spain, compared to 42.30% for 'La Roja'.

As for the Argentina vs. England clash, it looks very close: 50.94% in favor of Thomas Tuchel's squad, versus 49.06% for Lionel Scaloni's team.

Lionel Messi's teammates reached the semi-finals amid widespread refereeing controversy, following contentious incidents in the match against Egypt in the round of 16, against Switzerland in the quarter-finals, in addition to the match against Algeria in the group stage.