{"id":5380,"date":"2026-06-02T22:05:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T22:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/usmnt-legend-tim-howard-predicts-the-world-cup-winner\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T22:05:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T22:05:01","slug":"usmnt-legend-tim-howard-predicts-the-world-cup-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/usmnt-legend-tim-howard-predicts-the-world-cup-winner\/","title":{"rendered":"USMNT Legend Tim Howard Predicts the World Cup Winner"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11 and USMNT legend Tim Howard has made known his favorite to win the tournament.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/yaxel-lendeborg-and-3-other-2026-nba-draft-prospect-sleepers-for-fantasy-basketball\/\">Yaxel Lendeborg And 3 Other 2026 NBA Draft Prospect Sleepers For Fantasy Basketball<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Much of the focus remains naturally on the USMNT and its chances on home soil, but the biggest question in international soccer right now is: which country will go home with the trophy?<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Howard, the most capped goalkeeper in US men&#8217;s soccer history, recently shared his thoughts on that debate in an interview with Athlon Sports. <\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>Tim Howard Names Spain as His World Cup Favorite<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>When asked to pick his World Cup favorites, he pointed to two familiar powers, but gave the edge to the reigning European champions.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I have Spain and France against the field,&#8221; Howard told Athlon Sports. &#8220;If I had to pick one, it would be Spain.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The former Manchester United and Everton goalkeeper knows a thing or two about World Cups. Howard made 121 appearances for the USMNT during his international career and started for the United States at both the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/malik-willis-dolphins-get-new-wide-receiver-on-tuesday\/\">Malik Willis, Dolphins Get New Wide Receiver on Tuesday<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>MORE: Tim Howard Reacts to Diego Luna Roster Snub: &#8216;Wow&#8217;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Spain does come into the 2026 tournament as one of the favorites following its UEFA Euro 2024 title win and the undeniable emergence of a talented young core that are already considered today as the best players in the world. To name a few: Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, and Gavi. <\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>France is also seen as a contender for the title after winning the 2018 edition and reaching the 2022 World Cup final and maintaining one of the deepest squads in football.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Howard also shared optimism about the United States&#8217; chances, saying &#8220;I sort of have them going into the quarterfinals, which is I think, ambitious, but the breakdown of the group stages, and if you finish first and you then get a third-place team. I think the road or the journey there is feasible.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: Landon Donovan Didn&#8217;t Hesitate When Naming His Pick for World Cup Champion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: Tim Howard Addresses Christian Pulisic&#8217;s Concerning Trend Before World Cup<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/steven-kwan-returns-to-guardians\/\">Steven Kwan Returns to Guardians<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><i>Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved<\/i><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><\/p>\n<p>This story was originally published <span>June 2, 2026 at 2:20 PM<span>.<\/span><\/span><!-- --><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The former US men&#39;s goalkeeper highlighted his two clear favorites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>USMNT Legend Tim Howard Predicts the World Cup Winner - San Diego Relocation News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/usmnt-legend-tim-howard-predicts-the-world-cup-winner\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"USMNT Legend Tim Howard Predicts the World Cup Winner - 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