RACHACE

World champions Argentina can book their place in the knockout stage with a win against Austria tonight. It's difficult to go for anything but a win for the current world champions. Argentina have won all of their last eight games and have only conceded once in those eight victories. Argentina to win looks a solid bet here.

Argentina have only conceded one goal in their last 8 games. That kind of defensive record makes backing under 2.5 goals scored an attractive bet.

Spain had a really disappointing opening game where they drew 0-0 with Cape Verde, who were making their debut in the World Cup. That's now three draws from their last four games, but they should get back to winning ways here against Saudi Arabia, who've lost 10 of their last 11 games against European opponents at the World Cup. Lamine Yamal is likely to come back into the starting lineup, which will boost Spain's attacking options. I fancy Spain to win this game comfortably and kick off their World Cup campaign.

Spain have been struggling for goals recently, but the return of Lamine Yamal seriously boosts their attacking options. I fancy Spain to score a few here against Saudi Arabia, who are ranked 61 in the FIFA World rankings

Germany absolutely smashed Curaçao 7-1 in their opening game, and they're now on a 10-game winning streak. Germany looks a solid bet here.

All of the last six games for Germany have finished with over 2.5 goals scored. Overs looks a solid bet here.

Scotland won their opening game in this World Cup, beating Haiti 1-0. That's not three victories on the bounce for the Tartan Army, but they'll be confident coming into this game against Morocco, whom they faced when they last qualified for the World Cup in 1998. The result that day was 3-0 for Morocco, and I fancy the African nation to beat Scotland again here. Morocco gave a good account of themselves against Brazil, and they're ranked 7th in the FIFA World Rankings for a reason. Semi-finalists in the last World Cup, they're 30 games unbeaten. They look a solid bet here in my opinion.

A point here for Scotland would be a fantastic result and would put them in a great position to qualify as a potential best third-placed team at least. I can see a backs-to-the-wall setup tactically from Scotland, and that could make for a game with few clear chances. Unders seems likely here, in my opinion.

England face Croatia again in a major tournament, and this looks like it could be another tight game, just like the four previous head-to-head meetings between the two nations. The last four head-to-head meetings since 2018 have seen two draws after 90 minutes and two narrow victories for England. Neither side actually has to win this game, and avoiding defeat might be the remit for both teams, with easier fixtures to come in the group against Ghana and Panama. However, with Harry Kane, England have a prolific goalscorer, so I can see us edging a tight game.

Senegal famously beat France in the group stage of the 2002 World Cup, and France embarrassingly crashed out, having not won any of their games and scoring no goals. I can't see that being the case here in 2026, and the French are my pick to win the tournament, as they've got an embarrassment of riches as far as attacking is concerned. France have won 9 of their last 11 games coming into this, so their form is good. Senegal come into this after a defeat to the USA and a bore 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia. I'm expecting France to get off to an impressive start here and win comfortably.

All of the last nine games for France have finished with over 2.5 goals scored. Overs looks a solid bet here.

Holland get their World Cup started with a tricky game against an in-form Japan, and this looks a very tough game to call. Japan have only lost one of their last 13 games and come into this having won all of their last six games. There are some notable results in that six-game winning run too, as Japan have beaten both Brazil and England. Holland have only lost one of their last 12 themselves, so despite the impressive results for Japan, I still fancy Holland to be good enough to avoid defeat. I think a draw would be a decent result for both nations, with games against easier opposition to come.

Morocco and Brazil will both feel that they're the best team in this group and will be confident of progressing to the knockout stages. Avoiding defeat here might be the plan with games against Scotland and Haiti to come. That might make for a cagey game, and under 2.5 goals scored looks worth a bet.

Canada are one of the host nations but are probably the least recognised of the three host nations from a football perspective, both on home soil and abroad. I'm struggling to get excited by their chances, to be honest. They're favourites to win this game but they look a very risky bet, in my opinion. Their most recognisable player will most likely be Jonathan David, who scored just six goals in 35 appearances in Serie A last season. Canada have also drawn three of their last four international games against Ireland, Tunisia, and Iceland. Bosnia-Herzegovina aren't fancied much either and have a 40-year-old Edin Džeko leading the line. He's still a capable player, to be fair, and Bosnia-Herzegovina are unbeaten in their last eight games. The last five for Bosnia-Herzegovina have finished as draws, so I'm going to back the European outfit to frustrate Canada on home soil and hold them to a draw.

Nine of the last ten games for Canada have finished with under 2.5 goals scored. The same is true for all of the last five games for Bosnia-Herzegovina. Under 2.5 goals looks like a solid bet here.

World Cup 2026 gets under way, and one of the hosting nations, Mexico, gets us started with a game against the 2010 hosts, South Africa. The game is being played at the famous Estadio Azteca, which is 2,200 ft above sea level. Mexico are in excellent form coming into this game, having gone eight unbeaten and winning six of those eight matches. Mexico also kept six clean sheets in those eight matches. South Africa are coming into this after having only won once from their last seven games, with that solitary victory coming against Zimbabwe. South Africa are ranked 60th in the FIFA World Rankings, and host nation Mexico should kick off their World Cup with a win here, in my opinion.

Four of the last five games for Mexico finished with under 2.5 goals scored, while the last two games for South Africa also finished with under 2.5 goals.

France are one of the favourites to win this World Cup and they've reached the final in the last two tournaments. They, however, lost their last warm-up match to Ivory Coast last week, which may have raised a few eyebrows. The truth is that you can't take anything from these warm-up games regarding who a team is likely to play, as there's just so much experimentation going on. France are a squad littered with fantastic attacking talent, and they look highly likely to beat Northern Ireland here. However, Northern Ireland have seen all of their last seven games finish with under 2.5 goals scored, so they might be competitive enough to keep the score respectable. A solid win for France seems likely.

Ghana come into this after having lost all of their last five games, scoring only twice in those five games. An experimental Wales team is expected here, and this game will likely be played at a training-ground pace. Under 2.5 goals looks a decent bet here, in my opinion.

Fluminense are 3rd in the Brasileiro Série A, 7 points ahead of their opponents Cruzeiro, who are in 9th. Fluminense are in decent form too, having won four of their last five games in all competitions. However, Cruzeiro are also in decent form and are seven games unbeaten in all competitions. This looks a difficult game to call, and there's a decent chance that the points will be shared in my opinion. All of the last six head-to-head meetings between the two sides have finished with under 2.5 goals scored, so I'll go for a low-scoring draw. 1-1 is my prediction for this game.

All of the last six head-to-head meetings between these two sides have finished with under 2.5 goals scored. Unders looks a decent bet here.