The former England striker thinks that La Roja's ability to dominate possession during games could prove critical in the heat of North America.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker said: "The World Cup is getting very close now. I know Spain are actually the bookies’ favourites, closely followed by England, France, Argentina and Brazil. I think they’re the big five.

"France have got a hell of a squad, haven’t they? They have an amazing squad, but I’m going to go with Spain. I think they could do a repeat of what they did a decade or so ago and win consecutive tournaments. I mean, they’ve got some players, Spain.

"I think Spain have to be the team to beat. Obviously, we’d all love England to win."

The former Match of the Day presenter thinks Portugal could be a good "outside bet" to win the tournament if they are able to utilise Cristiano Ronaldo effectively.

Lineker said: "They will have to control the narrative around Ronaldo and manage his minutes and see if he accepts that. That will be important for them. But they have got some cracking players. I think it’s a good outside bet, Portugal."

The 1986 World Cup Golden Boot winner considers England to be among the "frontrunners" at the tournament but doubts that the Three Lions are as strong as fellow contenders France and Spain.

He said: "England are definitely one of the frontrunners but I think Spain have to be favourites ahead of us, personally I think France too.

"I think in recent tournaments, the English team has progressed sufficiently to have a chance of winning it. But I can’t remember any of us actually predicting England to win a tournament for a while."