Our team of writers pick out their best bets for 2026, including a big-priced Grand National fancy, a Golden Boot longshot, and more.
Lecky Watson to win Randox Grand National
- Best odds: 40/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair)
By Matt Brocklebank
Loads of Grand National types have started their campaigns in the John Durkan in recent years and I don’t think it’s earth-shattering to suggest we might have witnessed one or two in this season’s Punchestown race as well.
Last year’s Aintree third Grangeclare West should have blown the summer cobwebs away with his first start of the campaign, over what is clearly an inadequate trip these days, but he won’t be missed by the handicapper and I’m more interested in Willie Mullins stablemate LECKY WATSON at this stage.
As a Brown Advisory winner, he’s likely to remain in top-class staying company for most of the season in Ireland but he’s not quite up to the same standard as Fact To File, Gaelic Warrior, Galopin Des Champs or Fastorslow.
Instead, the major handicaps deeper in the year look like more realistic assignments for him and there’s every chance he’ll be trained with the big one in April firmly in mind.
His jumping can still be a bit sketchy but he’s got time on his side after only a handful of chase starts to date and it almost goes without saying that the Grand National fences really aren’t what they used to be.
If he gets into the race with a mark in the mid-150s I reckon it could be a case of job done as he’s a stout stayer, who is often at his best when racing prominently, and I would argue he very much fits the mould of a modern-day Aintree contender.
Argentina to win the World Cup
- Best odds: 8/1 (General)
By Jake Osgathorpe
The 2026 World Cup will be unlike any other. Not only is it going to be the first in history that takes place across three host countries, but it will also be the biggest ever, with 48 teams involved.
That could leave egg on FIFA’s face should we see some serious shellackings – I’m looking at you Germany vs Curacao and Brazil vs Haiti – in the group stage and potentially a lot of empty seats for some low-quality games with incredibly high ticket prices.
From a betting perspective, FIFA have ruined things there too. Gone are the days of a predictable bracket, where you could roughly gauge a nation's path.
With the extra 12 teams, we get third place finishers qualifying from the group stage in a random order, and as a result, another knockout round before the last 16.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see more shocks than usual as a result of that extra one-off knockout game, but it would be hugely surprising to see anyone from outside the top seven in the betting lift the trophy.
Spain are the 5/1 favourites followed by England (13/2), the two sides who met in the Euro 2024 final, with Brazil (8/1) third ahead of reigning champions ARGENTINA and France (17/2).
This will likely be Lionel Messi’s swansong for his country, but I think at the prices we should back him to go back-to-back at the World Cup, just like Pele did with Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
Lionel Scaloni’s side continue to be extremely tough to beat, playing 35 games since last lifting the trophy and losing on just four occasions. In that time they’ve also won another Copa America which was in fact held in the USA at the exact time of year the World Cup will be staged in 2026, showing they can handle the much talk about elements.
They have guile, knowhow, quality, and a real knack of winning trophies, with Scaloni winning every major tournament he’s coached in (two Copas and one World Cup). They're the value call to give Messi a dream ending.
Amelia Earhart to win the Betfred Oaks
- Best odds: 33/1 (General)
By Ben Linfoot
If John & Thady Gosden can’t find an Oaks filly it will likely be Aidan O’Brien’s Classic for a 12th time next June at a revamped Epsom meeting featuring the Coolmore Coronation Cup.
The Ballydoyle operation continue to dominate the British and Irish Classics, particularly over a mile and a half where those stout pedigrees come to the fore, although it’s not always with the obvious ones following the two-year-old campaign.
Diamond Necklace is the obvious one this time around after her juvenile season ended with Group 1 victory in the Prix Marcel Boussac, the bookmakers making her Oaks favourite with her odds ranging from 5/1 to 8/1.
She’s a half-sister to Magic Wand and Chicquita so you would think 1m4f will be within her range, but given she’s by St Mark’s Basilica and has already won a Group 1 in France it wouldn’t be a massive surprise if she ended up in the Prix de Diane.
Either way there’s usually some value in identifying an O’Brien slow burner who is bred to thrive once she goes out in trip at three and AMELIA EARHART certainly has such a profile.
By Camelot, a strong influence for stamina who has produced his best progeny in recent years thanks to Bluestocking, Los Angeles and Luxembourg, Amelia Earhart was born to race over middle distances being out of a 1m4f winner (Irish Oaks runner-up, Venus De Milo), while she’s a full sister to a Chester Cup winner, Cleveland, as well.
She racked up the experience over seven furlongs at two in defeat, not in dissimilar fashion to Snowfall, but improved markedly up in trip to a mile in maiden company on her final start at two at Leopardstown.
That was the same maiden last season’s Oaks winner Minnie Hauk won and Amelia Earhart romped home by seven lengths, giving every indication she’s going to thrive over a trip in 2026.
Beaten a neck in the same Doncaster maiden Whirl had won the year before, and not beaten far in a Group 3 Weld Park Stakes when sent off favourite after that, she has been given an education typical of an O’Brien Oaks contender and it will be no surprise if she takes off when stepped up in trip in the spring.
Ayase Ueda to be top World Cup goalscorer
- Best odds: 125/1 (General)
By Tom Carnduff
I couldn’t do a 2026 antepost selection without focusing on the World Cup.
Targeting the player markets does carry some risk but then there’s every chance this forward ends up in the Premier League in January and the price is no more. So, with that in mind, I’m happy to go with it.
Japan may end up with a tricky run but they possess real individual quality throughout Europe’s top leagues and the 125/1 for AYASE UEDA TO BE TOP GOALSCORER is certainly of interest.
The 27-year-old has really caught the eye in the Netherlands. A regular for Feyenoord, Ueda had netted 18 goals in 17 Eredivisie outings at the time of writing – a strong position as he competes for the domestic Golden Boot on offer.
It’s a career season for the centre forward and form can be crucial going into a major tournament.
Not only has he performed for his club but the record with his country certainly catches the eye as well. In 36 caps for Japan, Ueda’s struck 16 times, with his most recent goal coming in a friendly victory over Brazil in October.
In a side which has established itself as a knockout stage contender in recent tournaments, Ueda has demonstrated his own potential to compete in what could be a very open Group F. He could give us a really nice run at a price.
Tommy Fleetwood to win the US Open
- Best odds: 28/1 (General)
By Ben Coley
Prior to August, TOMMY FLEETWOOD had become known as golf's nearly-man, his capitulation on the final hole of the Travelers, and over the final holes of the St Jude Championship, confirmation that he was destined never to win on the PGA Tour. Majors? No chance.
Not everyone bought into this narrative, knowing that Fleetwood had already hit the winning shot in a Ryder Cup and downed some of the best players of this generation to win titles outside of American, but there's no denying that Fleetwood was beginning to run out of excuses.
Then he won the TOUR Championship and FedExCup (one and the same these days, but let's not go there), went on to dominate a strong tournament in India, and ended the year going off about the same odds as Rory McIlroy for big DP World Tour events.
Also the top scorer in the Ryder Cup, Fleetwood emphatically changed the narrative and I won't be alone in dreaming of even bigger things in 2026, particularly as he has what looks a dream set of major venues to go at.
Fleetwood has cracked Augusta in recent years and he'll end majors season at Royal Birkdale, minutes from his childhood home, but we can take bigger prices about the two majors in the middle and to be honest I'd encourage readers to take both options.
But the US Open is the major that perhaps slightly more favours experience, something we saw when JJ Spaun caused a surprise after almost a decade of relative PGA Tour anonymity, and the likes of Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose, Webb Simpson, Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland had all firmly established themselves before capturing this title.
So had Matt Fitzpatrick, Wyndham Clark was a recent winner on the PGA Tour approaching his 30th birthday, and whereas the PGA sometimes goes to an explosive young talent, the US Open asks more demanding questions. These are the kind Fleetwood is best placed to answer and the added emphasis on grinding out pars is in his favour.
As for the course, Shinnecock is where Fleetwood stormed home in 2018, posting a clubhouse lead which only Brooks Koepka could beat. We know it suits and right now he's no worse than the third best player in the sport. If that remains anything close to true come June, he must be under 20/1. And he can absolutely win it, too.
Chelsea to win the FA Cup
- Best odds: 17/2 (Paddy Power)
By Joe Townsend
Oliver Glasner led Crystal Palace to their first major trophy with a Wembley victory over Manchester City last season; highly unusual and highly unlikely to be repeated.
The Manchester clubs, CHELSEA, Arsenal and Liverpool have dominated the FA Cup since 1991, with Palace becoming just the fifth team in 34 years – joining Everton, Portsmouth, Wigan and Leicester – to lift the trophy.
Unsurprisingly, then, the established elite lead the betting, save for Newcastle squeezing ahead of Manchester United as fifth favourites.
CHELSEA can be backed at 9/1 with EACH-WAY terms paying 9/2 if they reach the final. The Blues go to Sky Bet Championship strugglers Charlton in the third round, a match they of course should win. It's not completely straightforward, as should Nathan Jones get his team fired up it will be uncomfortable, but at the prices the jeopardy is worthwhile.
It's a huge bonus for the Premier League side that at the end of what will have been a very busy festive period they will only have to travel from west to east London for this fixture. Of all top-flight clubs perhaps only Arsenal can match Chelsea for squad depth, so they have no excuse for failing to fight on all fronts.
Ultimately this is about price. Given the third-round draw it makes no sense for there to be such an enormous jump from second/third favourites Liverpool/Arsenal to the Blues, and makes even less sense for Chelsea to effectively be bracketed alongside Newcastle despite the Magpies facing Bournemouth.
Maresca won the Club World Cup and Conference League in his first season at Stamford Bridge and this is without doubt another big opportunity for more silverware this season. With Arsenal to come over two legs of a Carabao Cup semi-final, it could soon become their best.
South Africa to win the T20 World Cup
- Best odds: 11/2 (General)
By Richard Mann
SOUTH AFRICA came within a couple of hits of winning the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, and the Proteas can go one better in March.
It was another devastating loss for South Africa in an ICC event, Jasprit Bumrah’s late hand proving the difference on this occasion in a final that, for the most part, his team were second best.
Nonetheless, it was yet more evidence that South African cricket was going places, and they finally had their day in the sun when beating Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s last summer.
It felt very much like a defining moment for this great cricketing nation, and with that monkey off their back, there may be no stopping the Proteas from now on.
Aiden Markram was South Africa’s hero at Lord’s, a brilliant hundred pulling off a magnificent run chase, and this cool customer is proving himself a wonderful captain in the shortest format.
Markram’s batting is always a joy to watch, and he could open with Quinton de Kock whose retirement U-turn has coincided with some of the best form of his career.
When you throw the likes of Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs and superstar Dewald Brevis into the mix, the batting looks strong and particularly destructive.
There are high-class all-rounders in the shape of Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch, while the bowling has a nice mix of pace and spin – so crucial for a World Cup played in India and Sri Lanka.
Talking of India, they will start as hot favourites to go back-to-back on their home turf, but the Proteas might just have too much power in their punch this time around.
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