Who David Beckham says is the hidden sleeper for 2026 FIFA World Cup, plus his favorite memory as a player
Soccer fever is in the air as the 2026 FIFA World Cup nears its North American kickoff, particularly for English legend David Beckham.
The former soccer star, who notched three World Cup appearances himself in 1998, 2002, and 2006, shared his top predictions, favorite memories from the pitch, and discussed a new ad campaign alongside some fellow all-time soccer greats in a new interview with ABC News.
"As far as I can remember back as a young kid, I've always been excited about World Cups," Beckham told ABC News, recalling "hanging the English flag outside of the house in East London."
"Then obviously watching your heroes," he added, which for a young Becks meant watching England No. 7 Bryan Robson play against France in 1982.
Beckham specifically recounted watching Robson score what he described as "one of the quickest goals in the World Cup" before Robson dislocated his shoulder "in a game a few days after."
As for Beckham's personal favorite memory from his three World Cup runs, he said it was "scoring my first goal for England on my mum's birthday," referring to his 30-yard free kick in the 29th minute that helped England secure a 2-0 victory over Colombia and advance to the knockout round of '98 tournament in France.
"Also, I'd have to say -- walking out as a captain of your country in a World Cup, you know, that's my biggest and best memory," he said. "The responsibility is incredible. I just was proud to be in that position."
The 51-year-old, who retired in 2013 after 21 years on the pitch, has continued his football legacy in the U.S. as an owner of the Major League Soccer team Inter Miami CF and said he plans to catch most of this year's World Cup action from his home turf host city in Florida.
When asked who he hopes to see win this year's tournament, Beckham said, "I'm always going to say England -- especially [because] it's 60 years now since obviously we last won the World Cup, so it's about time that we win [again]."
"It's never easy," he added. "There's always, you know, a surprise in a World Cup with either a player or a country that emerges. I think the Japanese team have got a really strong team -- they could be kind of a secret."
Additionally, he said other "strong countries" include France, Spain, Argentina and Brazil.
Beckham recently teamed up with McDonald's alongside seven of the top footballers in the world -- both former competitors and current players -- for a new World Cup campaign that includes a fun nod to his longtime rivalry with France legend Thierry Henry.
"We've worked together quite a few times, and there's a good kind of banter actually between us," Beckham said. "We were huge rivals when we were playing back in the day, and we've done a few things together now, and it's a lot of fun."
Beckham said he was most excited for the partnership because it has him sharing the spotlight with Christian Pulisic, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Lamine Yamal, Son Heung-Min, Alphonso Davies and Santiago Giménez, in addition to Henry.
For anyone wanting to breakfast like Beckham, he said, "I love the hash browns, they're the best." And his go-to order at any McDonald's in the world includes, a "Big Mac, a cheeseburger, large fries -- the fries always end up in the cheeseburger -- [and] a large strawberry milkshake."
When Beckham is able to take a break from running his MLS team and other business ventures, he said he's cultivated a new favorite hobby: gardening.
"It's my happy place. I can't lie," Beckham said. "Every weekend I'm in the countryside with obviously all of my vegetables and my chickens."
He added, "I was saying to my friend the other day, 'I used to be quite cool, you know? Like riding motorbikes in LA with my friends, camping in forests -- and now I'm a gardener. It's a different kind of cool."
