Alexi Lalas dreading thought England could win World Cup on America's 250th birthday: 'Cannot have that'

U.S. Soccer legend Alexi Lalas joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Lalas highlights the event's cultural significance and reflects on the 1994 US World Cup team. Fox Sports announces a $250,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, matched by Fox Corporation, aimed at growing soccer grassroots.

There is no clear-cut favorite heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but if you ask Fox Sports analyst Alexi Lalas who he believes will lift the trophy at the end of the tournament, he’ll give you one answer.

"I don’t care who wins as long as it’s not England," he said during Fox Sports’ FIFA World Cup 2026 Media Day on Wednesday in New York City. "I can abide by a lot of things happening this summer, but one thing I cannot is having England come over on our shores, on our 250th birthday of what I feel is the greatest country in the world, and for them to win a World Cup.

"If you think they’re insufferable now, could you imagine they came over and won that World Cup and it’s coming home through our country. I cannot have that, so anybody but England."

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Alexi Lalas, Fox Sports soccer analyst and U.S. men's national team legend, appears animated on stage at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on April 14, 2023. (Michael Janosz/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

The U.S.-England rivalry in soccer was in full force in 2022, when they were pitted against each other in their group stage in Qatar. It was a 0-0 draw in a hard-fought match for both sides, but in 2026, they’ll have to get out of their respective groups if they are to meet in the tournament.

But Lalas couldn’t imagine England taking home its first World