Europe's elite leagues have taken a back seat for the final time this season as the international scene takes center stage. UEFA's qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have finally gotten underway, some months after the rest of the world began their respective campaigns. Now, all eyes are on next summer and the flights to North America.

The upcoming installment of the grandest show on earth is going to be a marquee one for plenty of reasons, but perhaps the biggest of them is the tournament's massive expansion. The US, Canada, and Mexico-hosted showpiece will see the number of teams competing increased from 32 to 48, resulting in almost double the amount of games before the finale at MetLife Stadium in July. As such, plenty of the planet's unheralded nations have their eyes on a successful qualification campaign, but what of lifting the trophy outright?

Well, websites providing betting on sports already have their frontrunners priced up, even with the spectacle still well over a year away. If you've been betting on sports with Thunderpick, then you'll have noticed that back-to-back European Championship finalists England were a 1.18 favorite to get their qualification campaign underway with a victory against Albania. The bookies think that could be the first match en route to the famous gold trophy, pricing them as a 7/1 contender, narrowly behind frontrunners France, Brazil, and Spain, all of whom are priced at 6/1. 

But in the betting charts, there are plenty of heavy hitters that have far longer odds than one might anticipate. Here are our value longshot bets to win the World Cup next summer.

Croatia

Croatia has been the surprise package at each of the last two FIFA World Cups. Back in 2018, they stunned everybody as they reached the final, taking advantage of being in the perceived weaker half of the draw to devastating effect. They beat Denmark and hosts Russia on penalties before downing England in extra time thanks to Mario Mandzukic's late winner. In the final, they took the fight to France but ultimately came up empty-handed, losing 4-2. 

Most recently in Qatar, they were up to their old tricks once again. They finished second in their group behind history-making Morocco, and both sides would go on to reach the semifinals, with the Croats stunning tournament favorites Brazil on penalties in the quarterfinals. This time around, their run would end at the final-four stage at the hands of Lionel Messi's fated Argentina, but they would end up winning the bronze medal by defeating the Atlas Lions in the third-place playoff. 

As such then, you'd think that they would be amongst the contenders to win the World Cup next summer considering their recent pedigree. Think again. Croatia are considered mighty 80/1 outsiders to lift the trophy next summer, below the likes of the co-hosting USA and Uruguay.

Much of that pricing stems from the fact that a number of their top stars have recently retired, with 2018 hero Mandzukic, Dejan Lovren, and Domgaoj Vida all hanging up their boots. As well as that, talismanic midfielder and captain Luka Modric will turn 41 less than two months after next summer's final, and it remains to be seen how much he has left in the tank on the international stage. 

But if anyone thought this Croatian side was slowing down, they should think again. Goals from Ante Budimir and 36-year-old Ivan Perisic recently downed France in the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals. That shows that they still have plenty of fight left and that they will certainly feel that they can have one final crack at the gold next summer before a period of rebuilding sets in.

Belgium

Belgium was the surprise exit at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with a stunning defeat to Morocco as well as a draw with Croatia sending them packing in the group stages. That seemingly has bookmakers unconvinced, and they are considered 50/1 longshots, level with the aforementioned Americans and Uruguayans. Similar to Croatia, the Red Devils are also on the brink of a new era, and one that is far less talented than the outgoing Golden Generation. 

Only Kevin de Bruyne, record scorer Romelu Lukaku, and the recently returning Thibaut Courtois remain from the best crop of Belgian players that the nation has ever seen. The likes of Eden Hazard, Jan Vertonghen, and Vincent Kompany, have all called it a day, leaving those three musketeers as the last ones standing. However, there is plenty of talent coming through that aims to bridge the gap. 

Young Manchester City star Jeremie Doku is one of the most electrifying wingers on the planet on his day while attacking midfielder Charles De Ketalaere has been the leading light in Atalanta's surprising Serie A Scudetto bid. Youri Tielemans remains the deep-lying playmaker that makes everything tick, and if they combine in North America next summer, the Belgians could turn a few heads.