FOLLOWING the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup on July 19, the sporting world now waits for the restart of the most popular leagues across the globe, in various disciplines. The most beloved football leagues — England, Spain, Germany and Italy — restart their campaigns in August, the National Football League (NFL) resumes in September, and the National Basketball Association (NBA) tips off in October.

That said, JustBet already offers odds for the winners of these leagues, along with over 200 betting options for each of the first few games, which should provide a catalyst for the usual banter between rival fans. The winners of the previously listed football leagues kick-off as preseason JustBet favourites, to retain their respective trophies, while the reigning NFL and NBA champions find themselves down the pecking order, with two other teams favoured over them. Here is a brief look at the top leagues and the top four JustBet preseason favourites tipped to be crowned champions.

La Liga (Spain): The 2026/27 season starts on the weekend of August 15, 2026, with Getafe CF visiting Deportivo Alavés and Rayo Vallecano traveling to Sevilla FC. Barcelona snatched their 29th hold on the trophy last season after overpowering Real Madrid 2-0 in El Clasico. Their second La Liga title in a row since German manager Hansi Flick took charge of the Spanish side in the summer of 2024, and the fourth major trophy, including the 2025 Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

JustBet favours Barcelona (Odds 1.80) to repeat but Real Madrid (Odds 2.10) have revenge on their agenda and should have a say in the matter, especially considering their reunion with José Mourinho. Atletico Madrid (Odds 15.00) and Real Betis (Odds 51.00) make up the top four, but they are some distance away from the top two, so this is expected to be a two-horse race.

Premier League (England): The 2026/27 season starts on Friday, August 21, 2026, with the opening match featuring defending champions Arsenal playing against Coventry City. Arsenal outlasted Manchester City last season to grab hold of their first Premier League trophy in 22 years, having last prior won in 2004, where they were famously dubbed “The Invincibles” under manager Arsène Wenger, when they went the entire 38-game season without tasting defeat.

JustBet favours Arsenal (Odds 2.60) to repeat, and with Pep Guardiola gone from the Manchester City (Odds 4.00) sideline, that may just happen. A revamped Liverpool (Odds 6.00) team, along with a Manchester United (Odds 7.50) squad that went from 15th in 2025 to third in 2026, make up the top four preseason favourites.

Serie A (Italy): The 2026/27 season starts on the weekend of August 22–23, 2026, with the opening fixtures headlined by Inter Milan vs. AC Monza and Genoa vs. Napoli. Inter Milan secured their 21st Serie A title in early May, with three games to spare, snatching back the title they relinquished the previous season to Napoli. They have some ways to go to catch up with Juventus, boasting 36 championships, but JustBet predicts Inter Milan (Odds 2.00) edging out Napoli (Odds 6.00) again this season. Juventus (Odds 6.50) and AC Milan (Odds 6.50) round off the top four but are also given a fair chance to top the table.

Bundesliga (Germany): The 2026/27 season starts on August 28, 2026, opening with defending champions Bayern Munich playing at home against VfB Stuttgart. Bayern secured their record 35th championship – Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach are joint second with five each — last season with a 4-2 win over these same opponents, to go 15 points clear with four matches remaining. They smashed the all-time league record by scoring 122 total goals across the campaign and enter the new season as overwhelming JustBet favourites (Odds 1.14) to win their 36th. Borussia Dortmund (Odds 12.00), RP Leipzig (Odds 15.00) and Bayern Leverkusen (Odds 21.00) round off the top four, but there is very little to suggest that the reigning champions will not repeat.

National Football League (NFL): The 2026/27 NFL regular season starts on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, with the NFL Kickoff Game featuring the New England Patriots visiting the defending champions Seattle Seahawks. The Los Angeles Rams (Odds 6.50) are preseason JustBet favourites, ahead of the Buffalo Bills (Odds 10.00), Seahawks (Odds 12.00), and Baltimore Ravens (Odds 12.00), but there are still so many moving pieces around the league, making the Super Bowl champion a difficult call this early.

National Basketball Association (NBA): The 2026/27 NBA regular season is slated to begin on October 20, 2026, and the regular season schedule is expected to be released in mid-August. There were many major moving pieces this offseason, including Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Portland Trail Blazers, Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Miami Heat, Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers, and most recently, LeBron James from the Los Angeles Lakers to partner with Brown in Philadelphia (an unlikely pairing).

Despite the shuffle, the West is still considered superior, and the Oklahoma City Thunder (Odds 3.75) are joint preseason JustBet favourites to win, along with the San Antonio Spurs (Odds 3.75), over the defending champion New York Knicks (Odds 10.00), and the newly boosted 76ers (Odds 10.00). The Knicks, after a most incredible postseason run, that almost played out more like a movie script, notched the NBA title last season, their first in 53 years, having last won in 1973, but a repeat is not anticipated.

There are still pieces to move on the NBA’s chess table, maybe not as big as those that moved already, but it will be interesting to see the NBA landscape after the dust settles, especially if the rumors of a possible Stephen Curry departure from the Golden State Warriors are true, especially since the Warriors have made no additions in the postseason. Other big names in the trade rumor mill include De’Aaron Fox (San Antonio Spurs) and Zach LaVine (Sacramento Kings), but these may all be pillow-talk.

For the sports fans who are still salivating from a very eventful World Cup, the heart-and-soul of the sporting calendar is back, at least it very soon will be, and it is so close, you can almost touch it. Big league football is first, followed by the NFL, then the NBA a few months down the road….. Who’s ready!

JustBet continues to offer attractive betting options on all popular sports and events (including virtual games) as soon as they become available. Please visit one of the over 130 locations (or visit www.supremegames.com/#/prelive) for details and place your bets on the prediction of your choice for maximum winnings…… Get in the GAME!