Kylian Mbappe exercising inside the gym at Ciudad Real Madrid on May 06, 2026 in Madrid, Spain.

Antonio Villalba | Real Madrid | Getty Images

France has emerged as a clear fan favorite for this year's FIFA World Cup in North America, according to a Bank of America survey — but Microsoft's Copilot artificial intelligence tool is backing another champion.

Roughly 40% of fans surveyed by BofA are betting on another World Cup win for Les Bleus this summer, with France and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé expected to be the "golden boot" winner as the tournament's top scorer.

However, AI says Spain's La Roja are equally likely to lift the trophy.

This year's World Cup, jointly hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, is expected to be the biggest ever, with an estimated 6.5 million fans set to attend the 104 matches across 16 host cities.

The global sporting event is forecasted to generate over $80 billion in global output, add nearly $41 billion to global GDP, and support over 800,000 jobs, according to a…