The World Cup began with just two games per day in the opening couple of days and there were significant gaps between the kick off times.
That has perhaps contributed to a feeling that the 2026 Finals have begun with less fanfare than usual, especially as the favourites were all going to be playing a few days after the opening fixture of the tournament.
It will be feeling much different once Match Day 2 fixtures get underway with fans now enjoying four games per day for the coming week and having a first look at some of the contenders will have some changing opinions about potential winners and dark horses.
The key for those making selections is to not overthink opening matches- teams are rarely as good or bad as they look in the first game of a tournament, but you have to expect better all around with ninety minutes under the belt and the Groups really take shape over the next six days.
In saying that, you cannot help but be impressed or disappointed by opening efforts.
Spain were one of the big disappointments, but the United States shone in the limelight and both France and England perhaps impressed amongst the favourites.
We will certainly know more about all forty-eight teams at the end of Match Day 2 and the reality is that all nations will play the middle of the three game Group Stage with every reason to believe they can still progress no matter how the opening fixtures went.
World Cup 2026- Match Day 2 Group Picks
Thursday 18th June
Czechia vs South Africa Pick: Most would say four points is almost certainly going to be enough to take a team through to the Last 32 of this 2026 World Cup Finals, but it felt like three points could be good enough as long as a negative goal difference could be avoided.
Opening defeats for both Czechia and South Africa puts these two teams in an almost 'must win' situation.
Yes, a draw would mean being alive going into the final round robin of Group A fixtures, but Czechia and South Africa will be well aware that they will be facing teams that have already won games at this tournament and so this fixture becomes most important.
Both teams conceded twice in the opening losses to South Korea and Mexico respectively, but there is little doubt that South Africa's performance was much more disappointing.
Pre-tournament concerns were that South Africa lacked something in the final third and the lack of shots and an expected goals tally lower than the likes of Curacao and Cape Verde is a massive concern considering level of opponents faced by those teams. Facing the hosts is never easy, but South Africa made things comfortable for Mexico and two players will be suspended after being sent off.
Czechia hardly impressed in the opener themselves, but they will feel this South African attack is not nearly as strong as the South Korean one, while the European nation did create a few more opportunities. Set pieces are likely going to be important again and the feeling is that Czechia will do enough to earn three points and give themselves a big chance to progress in the final game of the section.
Switzerland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina Pick: The European Qualifiers have not really impressed through the opening few days of the 2026 World Cup Finals, but some of that has to be down to the Group Stage situation and what feels like a lack of early jeopardy to progress to the Knock Out Rounds.
Two of those European Qualifiers are facing off on Match Day 2 in Group B and opening draws have increased the importance of this meeting.
You have to believe it is especially important for Switzerland who produced a wasteful display against Qatar, which was punished by conceding deep into injury time in a 1-1 draw against the weakest team in the section. The overall performance will have been encouraging, but the dropped points mean Switzerland need a big result in one of the last two Group fixtures to avoid an embarrassing early exit.
Big expectations had followed Switzerland to North America and they will round out this section against Canada, one of the co-hosts who managed to fight back to earn a 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The latter have continued to play with some real resilience, but Bosnia-Herzegovina will feel there is still more to come.
The point against Canada does leave them in a positive position to make it out of this Group Stage, but Bosnia-Herzegovina will know that Switzerland represents a significant challenge in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Conditions should not be too bad for these two teams and the edge here is still with Switzerland who will likely be more focused when the chances come their way. There is a fear that this squad lacks goals, but Switzerland can just ease those by finding a couple of routes to goal against a Bosnia-Herzegovina team that have been tough, but who will give up some quality looks as the pressure wears on them.
Canada vs Qatar Pick: A slow start may have had something to do with the pressure of expectation, but Canada deserved their point against Bosnia-Herzegovina and looked the more likely winner by the time the final whistle was blown.
They will feel a win will be enough to take them through to the Last 32 and this fixture likely represents the best chance to do that.
Canada will need to just make a few better decisions in the final third, but they will believe they can create chances against a Qatar team that somehow managed to cling onto the edge of the cliff in the first game and then hit Switzerland with a sucker punch.
The point on the board is already better than Qatar managed in their own World Cup in 2022 and it does give them a chance to move through with one win from the final two games likely to be enough. However, Qatar are going to have to be a lot better than they were in the opening fixture and this time they are going to be dealing with an impartial crowd that will be backing the hosts and pushing them forward for a victory.
One of the questions for Canada is whether they can score enough goals, but they should have enough chances to get on top of Qatar.
In the sole previous meeting, Canada beat Qatar weeks before the 2022 World Cup began and they can match the 2-0 scoreline from that fixture and earn three priceless points on Thursday in Vancouver.
Mexico vs South Korea Pick: They are co-hosting this time, but Mexico have twice reached the World Cup Quarter Final as single hosts in 1970 and 1986 and the current squad will be looking to do the same.
Winning the Group would mean playing all of their matches before the Quarter Final in front of a passionate home support, but Mexico are going to be challenged for that position by South Korea.
Both teams began with solid victories, but South Korea arguably impressed the most and there are plenty of fans travelling to support the team here. They are also playing in Guadalajara for a second time, while Mexico will be travelling from the Capital, and that familiarity with the conditions will make South Korea dangerous.
However, the majority of the support inside the Stadium will be with Mexico and they were pretty comfortable winners in the opening match and have continued a fine run of form.
Opening up a World Cup tournament can be difficult and Mexico were playing an opponent they would have expected to beat, but that result should have settled them down.
As well as South Korea played in the opening match, they came into this tournament under a bit of a cloud and it is Mexico who may just do enough to edge to the three points and almost certainly wrap up top spot in the section.
Friday 19th June
United States vs Australia Pick: All eyes are going to be on the fitness of Christian Pulisic after the United States opened the tournament with a crushing win over Paraguay.
Captain America is a huge influence on the squad, but the opening three points should mean Mauricio Pochettino can lean on the side of caution, even if winning the Group remains the ambition.
Players can step in for the USA in this fixture against Australia, who produced one of the upsets of the opening round robin of fixtures when beating Turkiye 2-0. Credit has to be given to Australia, but it is also a fact that Turkiye were wasteful in the final third and sloppy defensively and that allowed the underdog to spring the upset.
It is much less likely that the United States are as generous and this is a team that is capable of getting a real run going in the home World Cup Finals if they can top the section. Another win should be enough when you consider the results from the opening two matches in the Group and the United States have shown there is a real attacking intent in this squad, which could produce at least another two goals for the co-hosts on their way to another winning effort.
Scotland vs Morocco Pick: The last time Scotland played at the World Cup, they faced Brazil and Morocco in the Group Stage at the 1998 tournament played in France.
A win over Morocco in the final Group game may have been enough for Scotland to finally Qualify for the Knock Out Stages of any major international tournament, but the 0-3 defeat to Morocco coupled with Norway's win over Brazil meant both Scotland and the Moroccans were eliminated.
Third place could be good enough for a team to progress to the Last 32 in 2026 and Scotland's win over Haiti has given them a real shot.
However, they are going to have to be a lot better if they are going to earn another positive result, which should be enough the Qualify for the next Round, or Scotland will have to avoid heavy defeats in either of the remaining Group fixtures to have a chance.
A 1-0 win over Haiti is thus disappointing and now Scotland face Morocco who impressed in the 1-1 draw with Brazil and who were the first African nation to reach the Semi Final at the World Cup Finals in Qatar just shy of four years ago.
Both Brazil and Morocco looked content with a point in the final twenty minutes of the opener, but this is a different kind of test for the latter and they will feel they have the qualities needed to beat Scotland in a World Cup Finals again.
Better composure in the final third will be important, but Morocco should take real encouragement from the situations Haiti created for themselves. This Morocco team are unlikely to be as generous in the final third as the CONCACAF Qualifiers and an experienced group of players may do enough to help the team to three points and then have a real ambition to top this Group in the final round of fixtures within the section.
Brazil vs Haiti Pick: The squad looked a little functional, rather than one filled with flair, but even then, Brazil fans would have expected so much more from the team in the opening Group match at the 2026 World Cup.
A draw with Morocco is not going to be a result that ends with Brazil failing to make it through to the Knock Out Stages of the tournament, but Carlo Ancelotti will know that his team have to be a lot better in the games ahead if Brazil are going to have the kind of run that this nation always expects to have.
There is some quality at both ends of the field, but the midfield is a question mark.
However, that is unlikely to be an issue exploited by Haiti, even if the latter gave as good as they got against Scotland and were ultimately a little unfortunate to lose the game. The loss does mean a positive result is likely going to be needed if Haiti have any ambitions of making it out of the Group, but historical results against Brazil suggest it will be a test for the 2026 squad to avoid a heavy defeat.
It is unlikely to go the way Curacao's fixture against Germany played out, but Brazil should have enough quality to overwhelm Haiti and they will have ambitions of topping this Group and so goal difference could be important. Brazil have the players in the final third to secure a relatively comfortable win when all is said and done and they can find a way to cover the Asian Handicap line set for this second Group match, as long as they show a composed touch in the attacking areas.
Turkiye vs Paraguay Pick: Some of the underdogs at the World Cup Finals have struggled, which is not a big surprise, but the likes of Turkiye and Paraguay arrived with decent reputations and will be very disappointed with the opening efforts.
Heavy defeats to Australia and the United States respectively have given both Turkiye and Paraguay a lot of work to do if they are going to progress to the Last 32.
Turkiye have yet to play one of the co-hosts, which perhaps adds to the pressure on their shoulders, but they will also feel they were the better team against Australia. A similar effort should be good enough to at least pick up a win here and especially if Paraguay cannot improve markedly on their own opening efforts.
Losing to the United States is one thing, but the manner of the defeat will have really dented the Paraguay confidence and another defeat would likely spell the end of their time in the tournament after conceding four goals to the co-hosts.
The vulnerabilities shown by Paraguay can be exploited by Turkiye, who have to be more composed in the final third after the showing against Australia.
There is pressure on the shoulders of both, but perhaps a bit more on Turkiye with a tougher fixture to complete the Group Stage- that could mean Paraguay are the more comfortable if this game is still level with time ticking down, but it would be a risky approach and ultimately the feeling is that Turkiye can make amends for their lacklustre display last week.
Saturday 20th June
Netherlands vs Sweden Pick: They led twice, but Netherlands had to settle for a point against Japan, but they will be pretty comfortable with the point with two games left in this Group.
Yes, there is some pressure on the team to make sure they pick up a win in this section, but Tunisia are in disarray and Netherlands will certainly feel they are the strongest European team in this Group.
All credit has to be given to Sweden for the fact they have come through two pressurised Play Off games in March, while the 5-1 win over Tunisia puts them in a very strong position to reach the Last 32, Another point will almost guarantee Sweden a place in the next Round, but the goal difference secured in the opening victory means they could likely go through with narrow defeats in the remaining two fixtures.
No one will be thinking about that, but Sweden will also be aware that the Netherlands are unlikely to be as generous defensively as Tunisia were in the opening fixture, while this team were well short of the elite of European Football over the last twelve months. The performances in the Play Offs are encouraging, but Netherlands will feel they can contain the Swedish attacking pair and that will give them the edge in this contest.
Ronald Koeman's team were not the most convincing going forward against Japan, despite scoring twice, and Netherlands will need to improve if they are going to have a deep run.
Some of that improvement could show up in this fixture and Netherlands can secure a win in a fixture in which they score twice again.
Germany vs Ivory Coast Pick: Both teams earned victories to open this Group Stage and you have to think Germany and Ivory Coast already have one foot in the Last 32.
The Group E Winner will have a more comfortable fixture in the Last 32 with one of the third place teams next up, and you have to think that will be the target for both of these teams after the opening wins.
Germany have the edge with the goal difference, but they also conclude the Group with the tougher fixture and so there may be more onus on the European team to come forward and win this game.
Julian Nagelsmann will just be glad that his Germany team have not suffered the big disappointments of the 2018 and 2022 squads that failed to make it out of the Group Stage, but there are big expectations on his shoulders. The manager will want to see his German team show a bit more resiliency defensively against an Ivory Coast attack that has pace and real quality in the wide areas as they showed in the late winner over Ecuador.
Ivory Coast have also been pretty well organised defensively and it could be a fixture that sees both teams looking to make sure there are not the spaces to exploit on the counter.
Scoring seven in a World Cup game will definitely make some headlines, but this is a considerably tougher test for Germany and Ivory Coast have shown they can make life very difficult for opponents they will face.
The layers are expecting goals, but this may be a fixture that ends up being one where neither team will want to give too much away and just retain the current positions ahead of the final round robin of Group matches. The first goal may spark the fixture, but things could start off with the defences on top and backing fewer than three goals to be shared out looks a big price, even as the goals have begun to rack up at the 2026 Finals.
Ecuador vs Curacao Pick: It would be a big upset if Ecuador slip up against Curacao having come through the South American Qualifying campaign only behind Argentina.
Only the biggest hitters may even consider Ecuador to win this game at the very short prices, but this may not be as comfortable as it was for Germany when they faced Curacao in the opening Group fixtures.
Yes, Ecuador should win, but this is a team that scored just fourteen goals in 18 Qualifiers, while they were lacking real composure in the final third when losing to Ivory Coast. The resistance of Curacao is unlikely to be as strong as that produced by Ivory Coast, but you also have to think the underdog will be more settled after the opening thumping and they can show why they Qualified for the 2026 tournament.
While it is unlikely Curacao can contain Ecuador completely, they can certainly make things a little more difficult for the favourite than the layers may think and a narrow win for the South American nation would not be a big surprise.
Tunisia vs Japan Pick: In the historical meetings, Japan have tended to get the better of Tunisia and they are set as the favourites to beat an opponent who have to be feeling really sorry for themselves.
Self-inflicted mistakes saw Tunisia crushed 5-1 by Sweden and that led to Sabri Lamouchi being Sacked as manager with two Group matches still to play.
While the performance in the African Cup of Nations was disappointing and Tunisia had struggled in friendlies leading up to this tournament in the United States, there was still a sense of expectation that they could finally reach the Knock Out Rounds of a World Cup Finals. The extra places to the best third place finishers would have felt like an opportunity, but Tunisia's loss to Sweden leaves them in a precarious spot ahead of this fixture.
Japan fought back twice for a point against Netherlands, but they will be looking for a bit more composure in the final third and certainly more creativity.
Injuries to the likes of Kaoru Mitoma before the tournament began have hampered Japan, but they showed enough against Netherlands to believe they can create the opportunities needed against a much weaker opponent than the one already faced.
As much as Japan do miss the quality of Mitoma and a couple of others, they are usually pretty compact defensively and they largely restricted Netherlands in the opening match.
A similar approach will be expected from Japan in this one as they look for three key points in their bid to reach the Knock Out Stages yet again and backing the favourite to win with a clean sheet against a Tunisia team looking to salvage something from the tournament is the play.
Sunday 21st June
Spain vs Saudi Arabia Pick: It is hard to explain what may happen to Spain once they hear they are playing in the World Cup Finals, but this is a nation that have had a surprisingly poor time of things since winning it all in 2010 in South Africa.
Failing to beat Cape Verde may be one of the lowest points, but Spain will be grateful that Saudi Arabia held Uruguay in the other game in the Group and that means topping this section is still very much in the hands of the European Champions.
Spain will have to be much more clinical in the final third, but they created enough chances and they will also have seen the amount of chances that Uruguay created against Saudi Arabia.
Having a few more days for Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal to get up to full speed is important and Spain need those players to just give the team a more unpredictable look. Spreading the pitch will really help after Spain were a little bogged down against Cape Verde, while these two players are also more reliable when it comes to showing the composure that will be needed in the final third.
There is pressure on Spain and Saudi Arabia will be looking to make life very difficult for them.
However, there may also be one eye on the final game in the Group where a win for Saudi Arabia would almost certainly see them through to the Knock Out Rounds for the first time since the 1994 World Cup Finals in the United States. If they fall behind early, key players could be rested and that could allow Spain to overwhelm the underdog and especially considering Spain are going to be a team coming out with something to prove.
Belgium vs Iran Pick: By the end of the opening fixture, Belgium felt like the more likely winners rather than Egypt, but a point apiece was probably a fair reflection of the overall game.
There is all to play for in this Group after both opening fixtures ended in draws, but Belgium are right to be favoured against an Iran team that have voiced their frustration with the amount of travel they are having to get through after being banned from staying in the United States. They feel that contributed to the 2-2 draw with New Zealand, which leaves Iran in a tough spot, and they are going to be lodging a complaint to FIFA about the situation.
The players have shown their own frustration, but Iran can still work their way out of this Group by upsetting either Belgium or Egypt and that has to be the focus.
Friendly results had been decent enough, but Iran are going to have to be better in the final third at both ends of the pitch and especially if Belgium can begin this game much like they finished the opening match.
The 'golden generation' have missed their opportunity to win a major tournament, but Belgium should still be good enough in this Group- they do need to pick up the level defensively, but the attacking players should have the qualities to help Belgium create plenty of threat against this Iran defence and the issue of getting in and out of the United States is clearly affecting preparation.
It is no surprise when you think of the time getting through customs and the limited time to get across to Los Angeles in the window provided, while conditions in this Stadium should be perfect for Belgium to take a big step into the Last 32 of the tournament.
Uruguay vs Cape Verde Pick: No matter how this tournament ends, Cape Verde's squad have written their names into the history books and will always be remembered by those back home after the goalless draw with Spain in the opening fixture.
That result has given Cape Verde an opportunity to keep this Cinderella story going and moving it into the Knock Out Rounds, but the next two games will be about showing more bite.
The Blue Sharks had one or two moments getting out on the counter against Spain, but the focus was on the defensive side of the field and an influential performance from 40 year old goalkeeper Vozinha saw Cape Verde pick up a vital point.
Progress may be decided in the final Group fixture against Saudi Arabia, but in this one you have to expect Cape Verde to approach things in a similar manner as they did against Spain.
Uruguay were also held to a surprising draw when facing Saudi Arabia, but they dominated the second half and Marcelo Bielsa has something for his team to build upon.
A deep run in the tournament would be a surprise, but Uruguay can pick up from where they left off against Saudi Arabia and you have to believe they will be able to find a goal or two, even if Spain were unable to do the same.
Defensively they will have to expect more of a threat from Cape Verde, but Uruguay largely contained Saudi Arabia and they can win this one with a clean sheet.
New Zealand vs Egypt Pick: Considering some of the successful performances of some of the African Qualifiers at the World Cup Finals down the years, it is a real surprise that one of the most dominant nations on the continent have never made it into the Knock Out Rounds on this stage.
Egypt's draw with Belgium puts them in a very good position to finally break that barrier, but they will have to manage the pressure with a real sense of expectation around the team.
Performing at the same kind of level that was produced against Belgium should be good enough to get the better of New Zealand who have already achieved more than expected when earning a 2-2 draw with Iran.
It is a result that will give the squad confidence and there are one or two talented attackers that can make the difference, but New Zealand were perhaps fortunate to limit Iran to two goals and Egypt will feel they have the difference makers in the final third.
Nothing will come easy as Egypt have to overcome history as well as this opponent, but this is a team that will create chances and they should be able to match Iran's number of goals, although this in a winning effort to put four points on the board and almost guaranteed a spot in the Last 32.
Monday 22nd June
Argentina vs Austria Pick: Lionel Messi wrote another piece of history by scoring his first World Cup hat-trick and, at the same time, becoming the oldest players to do that on this stage.
An influential performance helped Argentina make a strong start to the defence of the World Cup won in Qatar, although everyone will know that bigger tests are coming up for this team.
That is unlikely to manifest in this Group and Argentina are expected to have a bit too much quality at both ends of the field for an Austria team that made harder work than expected of Jordan in the opening fixture.
Winning is all that matters, but Austria will need to be better when coming up against the stronger nations in the tournament and this could be something they learn again when facing Argentina on Monday.
Ralf Rangnick will not want his team to show they are intimidated and will urge Austria to get on the front foot, but that could leave them vulnerable and Argentina should be able to score twice in another winning effort that effectively wraps up top spot in this Group.
France vs Iraq Pick: A slow first half was replaced by a fluid second half and France made one of the big early statements of their intent at the World Cup by beating Senegal 3-1.
Topping this Group will mean France being guaranteed to be on the opposite side of the Knock Out Bracket to both Argentina and England (as long as those two nations win their own Groups), but it could come down to the final fixture against Norway.
Didier Deschamps has a huge amount of tournament experience so his focus will be on this fixture with Iraq and the French fans will be hoping for a much more convincing opening half. Playing in the heat of Philadelphia will make things difficult, but France will have noted how vulnerable Iraq looked in their opening defeat to Norway and it should be a routine win for the favourites.
Iraq did give Norway a slight scare when equalising, but they conceded again before half time and they were well beaten in the end.
With the quality France have in the attacking third, this should be another fixture in which Iraq are just overwhelmed by the talent in the opposite squad and the French can cover this Asian Handicap line.
Norway vs Senegal Pick: It might not show up in the underlying numbers, but Senegal really did not play that badly against France in the first half and had chances to take what would have been a deserved lead.
Failing to do that saw them punished and Senegal are under a bit of pressure to respond.
They cannot really afford another defeat, which would leave them scrambling for one of the best third place spots, but overcommitting would also leave Senegal vulnerable to Norway on the counter attack.
Erling Haaland made his debut in a major international tournament and continued to do what he does with two goals scored, but Norway faced a poor Iraq team and bigger tests begin on Monday against one of the top nations playing out of Africa.
Overreacting to one fixture can sometimes cloud the judgement, but the pricing for this fixture looks out of sync- Senegal played a much tougher opponent in the opening game, but they played their part, while Norway had been pegged back by Iraq before finally taking control. Inexperience of playing major international tournaments is also a factor and Senegal are very capable of avoiding a defeat.
A 1-1 draw would not be a big surprise as it would leave both teams in a position to Qualify for the Last 32 in the last round robin of fixtures, but both have enough attacking qualities to hurt the other and this could be an entertaining fixture.
Backing both teams to score makes more sense than any of the over/under markets simply because there could be a moment when the teams settle for a point apiece. If it is 1-1 with twenty minutes left after the last hydration break, a point each may not look out of place and so backing both teams to showcase attacking qualities earlier in the fixture is perhaps a more appealing play than expecting them to push all the way for the full ninety minutes.
Jordan vs Algeria Pick: It felt like Vladimir Petkovic gave away too much respect to Argentina in Algeria's opening Group fixture and the team were not able to turn things back around in that game.
It has left them in a tough spot with a minus three goal difference and with a defeat on the board, but Algeria are better than what they showed against the World Champions.
This time the key attackers are unlikely to be left on the bench until it is too late, and that should make Algeria all the more dangerous as they prepare to face Jordan in what feels like a 'loser go home' kind of fixture.
Algeria have more quality and they are much more experienced at a higher level than Jordan, but the latter have to be given credit for the heart they showed in the 3-1 loss to Austria.
Tired legs led to late mistakes and Jordan are learning at this level, while they will feel that three points are very important in the bid to reach the Last 32. That will mean avoiding big mistakes at the back, but Jordan have conceded far too many goals over the last few months in the step up to a higher level of competition in preparing for the World Cup Finals.
They may feel Algeria represent an opponent much closer to the kind they are used to playing, but Jordan will have to defend so much better to contain the threats that the African Qualifiers have amongst the starting eleven and coming off the bench.
The likelihood is that Algeria will want to put the Argentina game behind them by making a statement in this second Group fixture and they can score at least twice in a winning effort.
Tuesday 23rd June
Portugal vs Uzbekistan Pick: It feels like a favourite imploding at the World Cup Finals has been a familiar tale down the years and there has to be some concern about Portugal in the 2026 tournament.
There is plenty to like about this team, but Cristiano Ronaldo is posing a real problem for the manager and there are plenty of fans, and perhaps even team mates, who may believe Portugal are better off without on of the all-time greats.
At 41 years old, Ronaldo is not the same player he once was and the last couple of tournaments have already felt like a step too far for the attacker, which makes his appearance here in the United States that much more frustrating.
Portugal need to win this game and try and quieten the noise that has built around them and they will be confident when facing the weakest looking team in the Group.
Uzbekistan gave Colombia a bit of a scare, but they were clearly second best and in a warm up match they were under the cosh when losing to the Netherlands.
A defeat would only spell elimination if DR Congo beat Colombia, but Uzbekistan may struggle to contain Portugal with the assumption being that the latter have not completely fallen out with one another within the squad.
England vs Ghana Pick: The 4-2 win over Croatia has lifted the excitement levels back home, but Thomas Tuchel is likely going to make sure England are much more controlled in this second game in the Group.
Another victory will likely see England top the section, but Tuchel will want his defensive players to show that they are better than what was witnessed in the opening win.
Some sloppiness has to be erased, but England should be more comfortable in concluding this Group against Ghana and Panama.
Carlos Queiroz is an experienced manager and he will likely take the approach to contain England, even if his Ghana team have some quality players in the attacking third. Those struggled to impose themselves against Panama in the opening match, but a late goal has put Ghana in a decent position to progress into the Last 32 and avoiding a big defeat may be the plan.
The manager will look to frustrate England, but there is plenty of threat in Thomas Tuchel's team and the expectation is that England will find a way to win this one and add a clean sheet to really get the excitement building for the fans who have waited sixty years for a major tournament victory.
Panama vs Croatia Pick: Did the Croatia squad age overnight or was it just a bad day in the office? The answer feels like a bit of both in the opening defeat to England and the period where Croatia were amongst the elite of international football looks to be over.
They were hammered in the second half last Wednesday and Croatia are going to have to dust themselves off if they are going to avoid another Group Stage exit in a major international tournament having had that happen at Euro 2024.
It would be easy to have a huge reaction the opening defeat, but Croatia are still more than capable of getting out of this Group and that begins by getting the better of Panama.
Just when it looked like Panama would at least earn their maiden World Cup point, Ghana stunned the CONCACAF Qualifiers and it leaves Panama in a desperate spot- another defeat would mean elimination unless England have been beaten by Ghana earlier in the day, which is unlikely.
That means Panama have to dig in and find a positive result, but this is a team that has lacking experience at this level and the ruthlessness in the final third.
There will likely be moments of threat, but Croatia have to believe they can contain much of what is thrown at them, while this is a team that have enough in the final third to break down Panama.
Croatia can showcase the experience they have and that means looking to be much more secure at the back and another win to nil in this Group for one of the European nations looks the way to approach this one at a surprising price.
Colombia vs DR Congo Pick: After conceding so early, it could have been easy for DR Congo's team to panic, especially as they were playing one of the favourites to win the World Cup in the opening fixture in this Group.
Instead, DR Congo made things very difficult for Portugal and they equalised at the end of the first half and were more than deserving of the point picked up.
This gives DR Congo a real chance to progress to the Last 32, but a similar approach can be expected to this fixture as they look to make life difficult for what people would consider to be a 'superior' team.
Colombia managed to put together a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan in the opening fixture, but there is a feeling there is still more to come from this team and winning this Group looks like it could open up an 'easier' path in the Knock Out Bracket. They are in command of the Group after the opening games, but Colombia will be looking to keep the pressure on Portugal ahead of what still looks like being the decider when those two teams meet in the final round robin of fixtures.
DR Congo will have something to say about that, but the feeling is that Colombia will offer a much sterner examination of the backline all around.
The underdog will offer a threat on the counter, but Colombia look very capable of scoring twice with the attackers on the field and that could be enough to secure the three points.
MY PICKS: Czechia @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Switzerland to Win & Over 1 Total Goals @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Canada - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.90 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Mexico @ 2.05 Bet365 (1 Unit)
United States & Over 1 Total Goals @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Morocco @ 1.80 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Brazil - 2.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.88 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Turkiye @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Netherlands to Win & Over 1 Total Goals @ 2.05 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Germany-Ivory Coast Under 2.5 Goals @ 2.20 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Ecuador to Win & Under 4 Goals @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Japan Win to Nil @ 2.37 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Spain - 2.5 Asian Handicap @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Belgium - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Uruguay Win to Nil @ 2.10 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Egypt to Win & Over 1 Total Goals @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Argentina to Win & Over 1 Total Goals @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
France - 2.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Norway-Senegal Both Teams to Score @ 1.75 William Hill (1 Unit)
Algeria to Win & Over 1 Total Goals @ 1.86 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Portugal - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.63 Bet365 (1 Unit)
England Win to Nil @ 1.80 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Croatia Win to Nil @ 2.45 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Colombia to Win & Over 1 Total Goal @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Group Stage MD 2: 16-8, + 7.44 Units (24 Units Staked, + 31% Yield)
Group Stage MD 1: 12-12, - 0.30 Units (24 Units Staked, - 1.25% Yield)
