The 2026 FIFA World Cup is already underway, and discussions about the tournament's favorites, potential champions and standout players are dominating the sports world.
According to İdman.Biz, the tournament has also attracted the attention of some of Azerbaijan's most successful athletes, who shared their predictions, favorite teams and football stars ahead of the competition.
Olympic judo champions Zelim Kotsoyev and Hidayat Heydarov are also closely following the World Cup. Kotsoyev named Spain as his favorite team and highlighted Lamine Yamal as his favorite footballer.
Heydarov, meanwhile, is backing Portugal and continues to support Cristiano Ronaldo.
Olympic wrestling medalist Maria Stadnik revealed that she will be supporting Brazil throughout the tournament.
“I supported Brazil at the previous World Cup as well. I like the team's style of play and technical quality. I think Spain and Argentina will reach the final because they are currently the strongest teams. In my opinion, Spain will become world champions, and Lamine Yamal will most likely be named the tournament's best player,” Stadnik said.
Young wrestling world champion Turan Bayramov also selected Spain as his favorite and predicted that either Lamine Yamal or Ousmane Dembele could emerge as the tournament's best player.
European karate champion Madina Sadiqova said she would be supporting Portugal and also hopes to see Türkiye perform well. Her dream final would be Portugal against Argentina, allowing football fans to witness another World Cup showdown between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Karate world and European medalist Asiman Gurbanli named Brazil as his preferred team but admitted that France also has a strong chance of lifting the trophy. He included Yamal, Michael Olise, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland among his candidates for the tournament's best player.
Trampoline gymnastics medalist Tofiq Aliyev is supporting both Portugal and Türkiye. He believes Portugal can win the World Cup and predicts a final against Spain, while naming Bruno Fernandes as his choice for the tournament's standout performer.
Azerbaijan basketball national team captain Amil Hamzayev also hopes for strong campaigns from Türkiye and Uzbekistan but is ultimately supporting Portugal. He said he would like to see Ronaldo finally complete his collection of major trophies by winning the World Cup.
As the tournament gathers momentum, Azerbaijan's sporting stars are joining millions of fans around the globe in following the race for football's most prestigious prize.
