Brazil Nears Qualification, But World Cup Odds Still Behind Portugal

Brazil secured their first victory of the 2026 World Cup last night, with a dominant 3-0 win over Haiti. This result all but guarantees the *Seleção* a spot in the Round of 16. Four points should be enough to advance, at worst, as one of the eight best third-placed teams, especially with their current favorable goal difference.

However, this victory hasn't significantly altered Brazil's odds of winning the World Cup, according to calculations from Opta's supercomputer. This advanced system runs thousands of simulations for the remaining matches. The *Canarinha* still trails Portugal, as illustrated in the gallery below:

Brazil's numbers saw little change because the previous calculations overwhelmingly predicted a win against Haiti.

Following the first matchday, Germany has now surpassed both Portugal and Brazil in the rankings. And at the top, there's a new primary contender for the title, after Spain's draw with Cape Verde.