Strong squads like France, Spain, and Argentina enter with exceptional depth and recent unbeaten runs, including Spain's 33-match streak, supporting trader consensus that a champion will avoid defeat across the seven-match path. Historical precedent reinforces this view, as 17 of 22 prior World Cup winners completed the tournament unbeaten, a pattern repeated by Argentina in 2022 and France in 2018. The expanded 48-team format introduces more group-stage fixtures and potential early upsets from debutants, yet top contenders' defensive organization and squad rotation options mitigate those risks in the round of 32 and beyond. Current FIFA rankings and qualifying dominance through March further embed expectations of a wire-to-wire titleholder.