From our correspondent in the probable future: the 2026 FIFA World Cup, sprawling across the vast stadiums of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, appears destined for a finish that no single nation can claim as foregone. Polymarket, the prediction exchange, prices the leading contender at a mere 15 per cent — a figure that, in the annals of sporting speculation, constitutes anything but a coronation.

The stakes are considerable. Sixty-four nations will contest the expanded 48-team tournament, the largest in the competition's storied history, with the final scheduled before October's deadline for market resolution. Prediction markets place no team in commanding territory, distributing the remaining 85 per cent of probability across a field hungry for glory. Brazil, France, England, and Argentina are understood to command the next tiers of market consensus, yet none inspire the confident wagering of a true favourite.

A single injury to a generational talent, or one extraordinary underdog run through the knockout bracket, could redraw the market map entirely before a ball is struck in anger.