2026 World Cup Final Pick- Spain vs Argentina (Sunday 19th July)

The two teams that had been set as the underdog in the 2026 World Cup Semi Final ties were both able to win in normal time to progress to the showpiece event on Sunday.

Spain vs Argentina will also be the first time that the European Champions and Copa America Champions are meeting in a World Cup Final and it should be a big occasion for all tuning in to see who will be next to get their hands on the famous trophy.

Before that, the Third Place Playoff will be played on Saturday evening in Miami in what is largely described as the fixture that nobody wants to play.

It will be France and England who compete for third place in 2026 after very disappointing exits on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively and both will have questions to answer as the 2026 tournament is completed over the weekend.

World Cup Final Pick

Sunday 19th July

Spain vs Argentina Pick: These two nations have worked their way through to the World Cup Final in very different ways and there is little doubt that Spain have been the more convincing overall.

However, Argentina have shown off the huge amount of experience that has been built up over several years and this is a team that have scored so many goals during the run to the Final.

There is some pressure on the shoulder as they look to emulate great rivals Brazil by winning back to back World Cup titles, but Argentina have coped very well with all that has been thrown at them.

Breaking down Spain is likely going to be the biggest challenge faced in North America this summer and it will be much more difficult to fight back against this team compared with the likes of Egypt and England. Unlike those two teams, Spain will keep the ball much better and they are unlikely to drop off to contain Argentina, but instead offer a threat on the counter throughout this one.

Spain will take a huge amount of confidence from the manner in which they beat France in the Semi Final and they are the European Champions, which means having plenty of experience of their own to call upon.

Players are unlikely to panic like it felt previous Argentina opponents have done and Spain will take plenty out of the way Switzerland played against the World Champions in the Quarter Final before a sending off changed the momentum again.

The balance of Spain has impressed for some time and they are performing like the 2010 squad did when they won the World Cup for the first time.

With the options from the bench, Spain should have too much for an Argentina team who were rumoured to have wanted to avoid playing the Finalissima against the Spanish last year, despite beating Italy a couple of years earlier.

You can never dismiss an Argentina team that have found a way to earn their successes, but Spain should be too good all around and that can play out over the course of ninety minutes.

Saturday 18th July

France vs England Pick: The Third Place tie is one that neither team will really want to play, but it has produced some open football down the years.

England's disappointment from Wednesday night has yet to have dissipated and Thomas Tuchel has faced plenty of criticism for the subs he made when the team were leading Argentina 1-0.

Players looked out of energy by the end of that Semi Final and so changes have to be expected, although the same can be said for France.

So many believed they were going to cruise to a third straight World Cup Final under Didier Deschamps, but France were terrible in the loss to Spain on Tuesday and the manager is going to be signing off at the end of this weekend.

You have to believe the French players have one more big effort in them for Deschamps and especially against a rival like England, while the depth in the squad should mean changes are less impactful than they may be for the English.

Keep an eye out on the team news ahead of kick off, but this should be a fixture played with some freedom and that could allow the attacking players to shine the most.

With that in mind, and with the poor defensive performances that these teams have produced at times, the edge here is with France to score at least twice and leaving England with another loss in this Third Place Playoff.

MY PICKS: Spain @ 2.25 Bet365 (1 Unit)

France to Win & Over 1 Total Goal @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)

World Cup Final/Third Place: 

Semi Final: 0-2, - 2 Units (2 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)

Quarter Final: 2-2, - 0.12 Units (4 Units Staked, - 3% Yield)

Last 16: 6-2, + 2.52 Units (8 Units Staked, + 31.5o% Yield)

Last 32: 10-6, + 4.38 Units (16 Units Staked, + 27.38% Yield)

Group Stage MD 3: 11-11-1, - 1.29 Units (23 Units Staked, - 5.61% Yield)

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)

World Matchplay Darts Day 1 Picks 2026 (Saturday 18th July)

A contingency plan had been in place in case England were to reach the World Cup Final, but the PDC have not needed for that to go-ahead following results in the Semi Final of that tournament.

That means the World Matchplay is going to take place as the Sessions were planned and that means beginning on Day 1 with an Evening Session featuring four First Round matches.

Some believe that this is the biggest Ranking tournament after the World Championships and the field is loaded with talent, although the stand out names remain the two Lukes and those who have competed in the Premier League.

You have to imagine the likes of Luke Woodhouse and Wessel Nijman will have something to say about that after the way they have performed on the floor and European Tour events all season, but Luke Littler and Luke Humphries will be the most difficult to stop in their bid to meet in yet another big Final next weekend.

The last couple of days at the last European Tour event were unbelievably tough to take and a bounce back effort is needed in Blackpool.

You can't get it all back at once, but continuing to work through the long Tour is the key and that begins on Day 1 at the World Matchplay with a long run still coming up through to the end of the World Championships in early January.

Josh Rock most 180s v Luke Woodhouse: This looks the perfect way to open the World Matchplay between two very talented younger players with one looking to move into the kind of role the other has been enjoying in 2026.

Josh Rock earned his spot in the Premier League, but you have to believe that Luke Woodhouse has ambitions to join that elite tournament sooner than later.

Both are closely matched and the layers are finding it pretty hard to separate the two in this First Round match, which is not a surprise. Luke Woodhouse has arguably been the more consistent performer, but Josh Rock is still playing at a strong level and he has the power scoring that can make the difference.

No one should doubt the abilities of Luke Woodhouse, but Josh Rock should have the edge in the maximum department- that may not be enough to win the match if the doubling continues to be inconsistent, but the Northern Irishman should edge the most maximums market in this good looking match.

Stephen Bunting to win & over 15.5 legs v Niels Zonneveld: If this match was played a couple of months ago, Niels Zonneveld would likely have had plenty more support in the market in his bid to earn this upset.

While the Dutchman is still playing decent enough, there is no doubt that the level has dipped and that has been reflected in some of the recent win-losses on the Tour.

Last week Niels Zonneveld had his chances against Ross Smith, but missed his doubles and that meant leaving Leverkusen with a big defeat. He should be far more competitive in this First Round match having already given Stephen Bunting challenges in a couple of European Tour events, but it also cannot be ignored that Zonneveld has come up short both times.

Stephen Bunting is not exactly putting strings of wins together and was also beaten early in Leverkusen last week, but he can battle and scrap in this one and another relatively tight victory looks the most likely outcome of this First Round contest.

Luke Littler-Niko Springer over 14.5 legs and over 2.5 180s each: He has not played in any Players Championship events this season and Luke Littler also skipped out on the European Tour last weekend meaning he has not played since losing the US Darts Masters Final against Luke Humphries.

Does that affect his performance? Most likely not, but Littler will be heading to Blackpool as the defending Champion knowing that he is always likely to be given a tough opening draw.

That did not stop him crushing Ryan Searle in the First Round twelve months ago, but Littler was then pushed all the way by the likes of Jermaine Wattimena and Andrew Gilding on his way to the title.

Opening up against Niko Springer should give Littler the chance to build up his rhythm with the opponent one that will push the better players- Springer has tended to play up and down to the level of the opponent and that has produced the inconsistent results.

Last week he gave Gian van Veen all he could handle, but missed doubles cost Springer and he cannot afford to do that again.

In a best of twenty-one Leg format, Niko Springer should have the time to contribute to the maximums market as long as he is not overwhelmed by the occasion. The expectation is that he will thrive in the situation and that should mean Springer can join Luke Littler in earning at least three maximums in a match that should need at least fifteen Legs to find a winner.

Nathan Aspinall to win & over 4.5 180s v Joe Cullen: There is an England football match scheduled to be played around the same time as this First Round match, but neither Nathan Aspinall nor Joe Cullen should be distracted by a Third Place Playoff at the World Cup.

If it had been the Final, that would have been a very different situation, but both players should be focused in rounding out Day 1 with what looks to be a very good match on paper.

Joe Cullen is still very capable on his day and everyone on the Tour will respect that.

However, Nathan Aspinall has continued to put together some very strong darts and only his doubling cost him in the Quarter Final in Leverkusen last week. That could still be an issue for Aspinall, but in this longer format, there is more opportunity for a scrapper like The Asp to dig himself out of a hole.

Nathan Aspinall is a former winner of the Matchplay and may take something from the fact that he beat Joe Cullen along the way- that was a Semi Final match in 2023, but Aspinall should be able to produce five maximums on his way to a winning effort in the First Round in 2026.

MY PICKS: Josh Rock Most 180s @ 1.80 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Stephen Bunting to Win & Over 15.5 Total Legs @ 2.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Luke Littler-Niko Springer Over 14.5 Total Legs and Over 2.5 180s Each @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Nathan Aspinall to Win & Over 4.5 180s @ 2.15 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Darts 2026: 99-133, - 22.49 Units (229 Units Staked, - 9.82% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Wednesday 15th July)

Everyone in England is going to be going to be thinking about the World Cup Semi Final that will be kicking off at 8pm local time, but the Tennis Tour will continue behind the scenes in the five main Tour events being played this week.

Those will 'only' be moving into the Second Round and will barely make a mark on the UK sporting radar, but those competing in Athens, Bastad, Gstaad, Isai and Umag will be looking to move into the business end of those tournaments and earn the chance to pick up vital Ranking Points.

Most of these selections should be completed way before the second of the World Cup Semi Final ties begin, but the reality is that the Football will take over all attention whether that is the case or not and most will likely be settling in to watch what is likely going to be a dramatic game to decide whether England or Argentina make it through to the World Cup Final scheduled for Sunday.

The opening Tennis selection of the week was not quite able to get over the line, but the next two both returned winners to make it a positive start to the week.

Keeping that going is the challenge in what is going to feel like a much quieter three weeks between Wimbledon concluding and the Canadian Masters beginning, but there are opportunities to exploit and that is the ambition ahead of the two big Masters hard court tournaments in August.

Maria Sakkari - 5.5 games v Harriet Dart: The WTA returned to Athens for the first time in thirty-five years this week and it is no surprise that Maria Sakkari has chosen to use the event as one of the preparation spots ahead of the US Open.

She reached the Third Round at Wimbledon and Maria Sakkari enters this week as the World Number 37, but there are some significant Ranking Points to protect over the coming weeks and earning a Seeding spot at the US Open will help. The Greek player is going to be given so much support here and she has to be highly motivated to want to put a strong week on the board and Maria Sakkari is rightly favoured to reach the Quarter Final.

It has not been the best year on the Tour for Maria Sakkari as she returns to hard court action, but she was a dominant winner in the First Round and has been playing at a more challenging level than Harriet Dart.

The British player had a disappointing grass court campaign and has failed to use the opportunities given to her to improve the World Number 152 spot.

Harriet Dart is turning 30 years old later this month and you do have to wonder if there is enough strong tennis left in her to push back into the top 100 of the World Rankings. There is only so many times players are going to want to go through multiple Qualifying Rounds to earn main draw spots in the biggest tournaments and Dart has almost exclusively been playing below the WTA 250 level over the last couple of years.

With that said, the hard court numbers are not that encouraging and this is a considerable step up in level of the usual opponents that Harriet Dart will face.

Three sets were needed to beat a Qualifier who is Ranked outside the top 300 in the First Round and Maria Sakkari can use the home crowd to get the better of Harriet Dart with some level of comfort on the scoreboard. These two met all the way back in 2017 on the grass courts when both were still pushing up the World Rankings and it was Sakkari who won comfortably on that day and she can record the breaks of serve needed to cover this handicap mark.

Alycia Parks - 2.5 games v Mai Hontama: You may expect most American players to leave Wimbledon behind and head back to North America to take in events ahead of the US Open.

Last year Alycia Parks decided to play in Prague in July before taking part in the big Masters events in Canada and Cincinnati and this year the World Number 70 has decided to play in Athens. This is in addition to entering the Prague hard court tournament next week and it does offer Parks an opportunity to pick up those vital World Ranking points to move back towards a career best mark set in August 2023.

She has not really kicked on as would have hoped with Number 40 being the best career mark so far, but that is much higher than Mai Hontama has been able to produce.

These days Hontama is operating outside the top 200 in the World Rankings, but she upset Magda Linette in the First Round and that will have given the 26 year old a huge boost in confidence. Mai Hontama returned really well in that First Round win and is going to have to do the same if she is going to reverse the result from when she was beaten by Alycia Parks last year in Prague.

It is a big step up for Mai Hontama who had lost all four hard court matches against top 100 Ranked opponents over the last twelve months before the First Round upset. Three of those defeats were to players Ranked between 84 and 99 and Alycia Parks should have the serving power to keep the scoreboard pressure on this opponent, much like she did in the 2025 match.

Alycia Parks is not an easy player to back to win matches having compiled a losing record on the hard courts over the last twelve months, but she is 11-9 when facing players Ranked outside the top 100 compared with 9-15 against those inside those positions. As long as she serves as she can, Parks should have the opportunities to break serve and that can see her win this Second Round match and cover the handicap.

Raphael Collignon - 2.5 games v Lorenzo Sonego: The 24 year old Belgian is playing on a career best World Ranking mark, but there will be disappointment that a bigger impact was not had on the grass courts after a strong showing in Halle.

Raphael Collignon moves back onto the clay here in Gstaad and he enjoyed significant success at Challenger level on the surface before reaching the French Open Third Round.

It will give him some confidence after coming through a tight three setter in the First Round and Raphael Collignon will certainly believe he is playing superior clay court tennis than opponent Lorenzo Sonego.

However, the Italian is very comfortable on the surface and has a win under his belt here, which deserves respect, even if Sonego struggled on the clay after missing two months of the Tour through injury.

Lorenzo Sonego won just two clay court matches through to the end of the French Open, but he played well enough at Wimbledon and has had a couple of decent runs in Paris that do deserve respect.

If he serves like he can, Lorenzo Sonego can put some real pressure on Raphael Collignon, although his numbers in 2026 have been disappointing. Again, some of that has to be put down to finding his rhythm back on the Tour, but Collignon may feel he is able to make some inroads on the return.

More impressive is the way in which Raphael Collignon has been serving on this surface and that may help build up the scoreboard pressure that eventually sees him crack through the World Number 83 in this Second Round contest.

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 2.5 games v Jerome Kym: If this match had been played twelve months ago, Stefanos Tsitsipas would have been a huge favourite, but he has been sinking in the World Rankings week to week.

Usually we would not see someone like Tsitsipas playing between Wimbledon and the Masters events on the hard courts leading into the US Open, but the Greek star has been struggling massively with his consistency.

Backing up that statement is Stefanos Tsitsipas being the World Number 85 heading into this tournament in Gstaad, but his win in the First Round is a reminder of how good this player can be when he is focused and finding his best tennis. It is a victory over a player that is significantly stronger than Jerome Kym, who has been given a Wild Card into this tournament, but who also had to battle to make it into this Second Round against the World Number 618.

Jerome Kym has spent the majority of his career away from the main ATP Tour and he has a 2-2 record against top 100 Ranked opponents on the clay courts.

He serves well, which makes him dangerous, but Jerome Kym has struggled on the return at a much weaker level than the opponent he is going to be facing in the Second Round.

This potentially makes Stefanos Tsitsipas a touch underrated in this match and the former World Number 3 can do enough to win and cover this handicap mark.

MY PICKS: Maria Sakkari - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 William Hill (1 Unit)

Alycia Parks - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Raphael Collignon - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 2-1, + 0.74 Units (3 Units Staked, + 24.67% Yield)

2026 World Cup- Semi Final Picks (Tuesday 14th July-Wednesday 15th July)

There was some controversy around the FIFA decision to Seed the top four World Ranked teams when the draw was made, although they made it clear that it would only be the case if France, Spain, Argentina and England all won the Groups in which they had been placed.

All four did and have made it through to the final four, albeit with some bumps to negotiate along the way.

France are the favourites having cruised through the tournament behind a fearsome front four, but Spain stand in the way in a third Semi Final meeting in a third different competition from 2024 to 2026. Both previous matches have been won by Spain, but they have needed very late goals to beat Portugal and Belgium and the only real positive is avoiding having to go through Extra Time.

In real terms, both France and Spain have made pretty comfortable passage, but Argentina and England have been forced to dig deep.

The defending World Champions have twice needed to win games in Extra Time and came from 0-2 behind to beat Egypt with an injury time winner to avoid all three matches needing the additional thirty minutes. This accumulation can wear teams down and Argentina have looked fragile and heavily reliant on Lionel Messi, which is a disappointment considering the bid to develop since winning in Qatar.

Where Argentina have one superstar stepping up, England have had both Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham provide big moments and stopping both is the challenge.

However, nothing has come easy for England after battling from behind to beat both DR Congo and Norway, the latter in Extra Time, while they also came through an epic battle in Mexico City to beat one of the co-hosts 2-3 in a memorable World Cup fixture.

All four teams at this stage of the competition will be confident, but you have to believe the winner of the France-Spain Semi Final will be going on to lift the trophy on Sunday, regardless of who they face in the Final.

Things could look very different at the end of the Semi Final Round, but it would be a surprise from here as the 2026 World Cup Finals wind down.

World Cup Semi Final Picks

Tuesday 14th July

France vs Spain Pick: The Euro 2024 Semi Final and the 2025 Nations League Semi Final matches were both won by Spain, but there has been a feeling in this tournament that the French team are playing at a superior level.

Strong attacking play will always make the headlines more than strong defensive work and Spain will still be feeling confident about their chances.

They will certainly believe they have come through a tougher pathway in the Knock Out Rounds and that can mean being more battle-tested. Wins over Austria, Portugal and Belgium means Spain are used to that rhythm and tempo provided by European opponents and those opponents make for better reading than France seeing off Sweden, Paraguay and Morocco.

It is not the fault of the French that they have not had to play Germany or a full strength Morocco, but Spain may take something from the fact that France did struggle to break down the last two of those opponents. We have certainly not seen a full performance from France in the tournament, which does make them dangerous, but Spain may feel they can contain the attacks to some extent, whilst also giving France so much more to think about on the defensive side of the field compared with the last three Knock Out opponents.

Spain should take heart from the chances Senegal and Sweden created before they fell behind and France have yet to had to battle back from adversity.

The same can be said for Spain, who have also not been behind in the tournament, but they have had to dig in to beat Portugal and Belgium and that will give the team confidence. Having Nico Williams back is also a big confidence builder for Spain, even if he cannot start, and the European Champions have shown they can hurt a vulnerable France defence over the last couple of years.

France have tended to be the superior World Cup team compared with Spain, who have been much stronger in the continental tournaments, but this has the makings of a classic World Cup Semi Final.

Whoever scores first will be confident, but it should be noted that recent games between these European neighbours have tended to be very competitive and with the attacking players usually coming out on top.

So while World Cup Semi Final matches can become tight and tense, this may be one where both teams feel they can hurt the other and it may be another fixture between France and Spain that ends with at least three goals shared out.

Wednesday 15th July

England vs Argentina Pick: There is little love lost between these nations and they are meeting in the biggest game between the rivals in the history of this sport.

Making a World Cup Final is obviously the motivation, but there will be a huge amount of pain for the loser to absorb if going down to the other in this Semi Final.

Both England and Argentina will know that they need to improve to beat the other and the squad that has dealt best with the Extra Time needed to win Quarter Final matches will have the edge.

Superstar names have stepped up for both nations during what have been inconsistent performances in the Knock Out Rounds and the defences have really had problems. That could be the case in this Semi Final with both England and Argentina going to be feeling like the attacking players can hurt the other and it may be a game in which one of the teams will make one too many errors to hand the game to other.

Lionel Messi, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham will receive the attention, but it could be a player at the back taking an unnecessary risk that proves costly.

Both teams will have their moments, but both are likely going to be relying on Emiliano Martinez and Jordan Pickford to step up when they are asked questions.

Out of the two, Martinez may just give Argentina the edge, but England have to know the defending World Champions are not looking nearly as good as they did in Qatar.

This has all of the makings of a tense night in both nations in a fixture that neither England nor Argentina dare to lose, but it could be one where the goalkeepers are forced into action more than some of the layers may think.

Extra Time and Penalties would not surprise anyone, but big saves are likely going to be needed before that and the defensive numbers have shown two teams that will give up shots on goal during this Knock Out run.

MY PICKS: France-Spain Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.95 William Hill (1 Unit)

England-Argentina Over 7.5 Match Shots on Target @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Semi Final: 0-2, - 2 Units (2 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)

Quarter Final: 2-2, - 0.12 Units (4 Units Staked, - 3% Yield)

Last 16: 6-2, + 2.52 Units (8 Units Staked, + 31.5o% Yield)

Last 32: 10-6, + 4.38 Units (16 Units Staked, + 27.38% Yield)

Group Stage MD 3: 11-11-1, - 1.29 Units (23 Units Staked, - 5.61% Yield)

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)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Tuesday 14th July)

The third Grand Slam of the 2026 season was completed on Sunday and that means the majority of the top players on the Tour will take a well-earned rest and only turn their attention back to the tennis at the end of the month or in early August.

That is when the focus will turn to the US Open, which begins at the end of August, and those players will choose to head to North America to take in back to back big Masters events in preparation for the final Slam of the season.

Frustration will still abound amongst the players that the Canadian Masters and Cincinnati Masters are further 1000 events that have begun to treat their tournament as mini-Slams and we have another strange situation of the Canadian Masters having the Final scheduled for Thursday. That cannot be ideal for fans or players, but the Tour has yet to take in the advice, although Cincinnati will be concluded on a weekend.

Other big events will take place between now and the US Open, but the top names will tend to stick to those Masters events and then the last Slam of the season. It does offer up opportunities for others to build up some confidence and momentum, while those still in Europe will have a chance to play some last clay court tennis before the move onto the hard courts.

This week there are three European clay court ATP events taking place and there are some decent names heading out onto the court who will be looking to bounce back from relatively poor showings at Wimbledon.

 It is an opportunity to pick up some vital Ranking Points and that should give all of the competitors some motivation to take into this week as the Tour moves on from the grass court part of the season.

Juan Manuel Cerundolo - 3.5 games v Zdenek Kolar: There is a vast experience edge here in favour of the younger player and Juan Manuel Cerundolo can come through this opening match in Gstaad without too much fuss.

He is going to be long known as the player that upset Jannik Sinner in Paris, but Cerundolo has a Challenger title on the surface this season and this kind of match up will feel like one that he would usually face at the lower level.

Juan Manuel Cerundolo reached the Final in Gstaad last year and so does have plenty of Ranking Points to protect, while he has been serving with slightly more authority this time around. That should help the World Number 45 as he looks to push his career best World Ranking mark to another level over the coming weeks and Cerundolo should have too much for Zdanek Kolar.

The 29 year old has a 15-14 record on the clay courts in 2026 with the majority of matches played way beyond the main ATP Tour.

Zdanek Kolar did lose in the Second Qualifying Round at Roland Garros, but almost exclusively plays on the Challenger circuit.

He will believe he can have some success on the return, but so will Juan Manuel Cerundolo and the latter's experience should be telling.

Pablo Carreno Busta - 3.5 games v Matej Dodig: Two players at opposite ends of their career path will be facing one another in Umag and Matej Dodig is likely going to be receiving plenty of support.

He has played here before, but the soon to be 21 year old has mainly be operating on the Challenger Tour and that is a big reason he is down at World Number 254.

Matej Dodig has produced pretty average numbers on the clay in 2026 and at a much lower level than the one he will be competing in this week.

Veteran Pablo Carreno Busta reached the Fourth Round at the French Open and won a Challenger event on the clay and reached the Final of another in the lead up to the second Grand Slam of the season. Those performances should make the Spaniard a strong favourite to progress into the Second Round of this tournament.

Pablo Carreno Busta has been serving well enough, but has impressed most with his return.

Those numbers have looked really good when Carreno Busta has faced opponents Ranked outside of the top 100 and he can quieten down the crowd with a solid win in this First Round match.

Alex Molcan - 2.5 games v Valentin Royer: This is a decent looking First Round match in Umag and the feeling is that Alex Molcan can continuing building his momentum on the Tour.

Injuries have seen him drop out of the top 100, but Alex Molcan can climb back into those positions with a couple of wins on the board here in Umag and that will give him plenty of motivation to back up the level being produced in 2026.

The last couple of seasons has shown Alex Molcan is happy enough on the surface when playing a certain level of opponent and Valentin Royer may be one of those opponents.

The Frenchman has not been as effective on the serve or return compared with Alex Molcan and Valentin Royer has spent a lot of his own time on the Challenger Tour. His 13-10 record on the clay leaves him vulnerable in this First Round match and the layers are anticipating the same with Alex Molcan down as the favourite.

There has been a real gap in the amount of breaks secured by the two players and that may be a factor that ends up giving Alex Molcan the edge to push on and secure the victory.

MY PICKS: Juan Manuel Cerundolo - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Pablo Carreno Busta - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Alex Molcan - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Season 2026: 172-144, + 10.16 Units (501 Units Staked, + 2.03% Yield)

European Tour 10- European Darts Open Day 3 Picks 2026 (Sunday 12th July)

We move into Finals day at the European Darts Open and there are a number of players that are still competing who will be looking to put down a marker ahead of the World Matchplay that begins next weekend.

Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are both going to be waiting in Blackpool, but fans will be hoping that others can step up in the next Ranking event to bring some more excitement to the sport.

Wessel Nijman is one that stands out, but there are some dangerous players scattered throughout the World Matchplay draw.

Before that, the European Darts Open has to be completed with a title on the line at the end of Sunday.

The Third Round is played in the Day Session before the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Final are completed in the Evening Session and there are a number of players involved who will believe they can go all the way.

Any selections from the Evening Session will be added to this thread once the Quarter Final lineup has been confirmed.

Wessel Nijman to win & both players over 1.5 180s v Dirk van Duijvenbode: This should be another high quality battle between these two compatriots after Wessel Nijman edged past Dirk van Duijvenbode on the European Tour at the end of May.

That match ended 6-5 in favour of the in-form Wessel Nijman and another close contest is expcted.

It is largely down to the heavy scoring that Dirk van Duijvenbode can produce and he had four maximums in that loss, a number Nijman had to match.

You would expect at least two maximums each in this one and once against Wessel Nijman to find a way to edge into the Evening Session at another European Tour event.

Michael van Gerwen to win & most 180s v Damon Heta: There have been signs that the latter is getting back into the kind of form he was producing in the last couple of years after a pretty underwhelming first six months in 2026.

Damon Heta is a confidence player and can match the best when at his best, but Michael van Gerwen is certainly looking a bit more like his old self.

He came through a tough Second Round match with some big checkouts and strong scoring and that is a combination that could be difficult to deal with in Leverkusen.

The Australian can be a big maximum hitter, but van Gerwen can edge past him in that statistical column and also win this Third Round match.

Kevin Doets to win & over 2.5 180s v Sebastian Bialecki: It will have disappointed Sebastian Bialecki to have missed out on the World Matchplay, but his form over the last twelve months is improving all of the time.

You would think he would be pushing for a top 32 spot next time around, while this weekend he can be free of thought and not concern himself about the tournament beginning in Blackpool next weekend.

Kevin Doets will be there and he has just maintained a strong run of form that has him pushing towards being Seeded for these European Tour events going forward.

Beating an out of sorts Martin Schindler will still have given Doets another push forward in momentum and he was scoring well enough to complete this double and progress to the Quarter Final later in the day.

Nathan Aspinall-Ross Smith both over 2.5 180s: My only real concern about this Third Round match is that both Nathan Aspinall and Ross Smith will likely have been up late watching the England World Cup Quarter Final that concluded around 2am local time.

With the assumption that neither would have been rushing to go to sleep after the manner in which England progressed, there could be some tired minds on the stage.

It is a concern about the level of performance that may be produced, but the two are scheduled to go out pretty late and that will certainly help.

At their best, both Aspinall and Smith are big maximum hitters and they will know that they will need to score well to get the better of the other. That could help with the focus, as long as there is no significant hangover to deal with, and both are capable of peppering the treble 20 bed in a match that should go at least nine Legs.

Gian van Veen - 1.5 legs v Krzysztof Ratajski: In the last Third Round match in the Day Session, Gian van Veen and Krzysztof Ratajski will be looking to lay down a marker to the other.

A place in the Quarter Final is motivation enough, but these two players also meet in the First Round of the World Matchplay next week.

Gian van Veen is beginning to look stronger after a mid-season slump and he has the scoring and the finishing to make things difficult for any opponent. He should have a little too much for The Polish Eagle in this Third Round contest and the likelihood is that the Dutchman can progress without the need for a final Leg decider as he becomes the last player into the Quarter Final.

MY PICKS: Wessel Nijman to Win & Both Players Over 1.5 180s @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Michael van Gerwen to Win & Most 180s @ 2.60 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Kevin Doets to Win & Over 2.5 180s @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Nathan Aspinall-Ross Smith Both Over 2.5 180s @ 2.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Gian van Veen - 1.5 Legs @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

QF PICKS: Luke Woodhouse to Win & Over 1.5 180s @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

James Wade to Win & Over 8.5 Total Legs @ 2.25 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Nathan Aspinall to Win & Over 2.5 180s @ 2.25 Bet365 (1 Unit)

European Darts Open: 5-5, - 0.66 Units (10 Units Staked, - 6.60% Yield)

Wimbledon Tennis Day 14 Pick- Mens Final 2026 (Sunday 12th July)

The Ladies Final looked like it was going to follow the Wimbledon Final of 2025 which ended in very one-sided fashion.

Linda Noskova had so many opportunities to win in the second set, but she just failed to get over the line and all credit has to be given to her for rallying and winning the Championship in the deciding set.

The big question for Noskova is whether she can push on from this success and, at 21 years old, there is every chance she can do that, but the recent Women's Champions have not always been able to do that. This continues to mean that there is every opportunity available for every player that enters a Grand Slam draw on this side and the US Open is going to be another big chance for so many to pick up a Major.

It is over to the Men on Sunday and the top of this side of the sport is very healthy- Carlos Alcaraz holds two Grand Slam titles, but there are serious doubts about when he will be able to return to action having missed the French Open and Wimbledon and also withdrawn from the Canadian Masters.

Alexander Zverev holds the French Open and Jannik Sinner will be heading into this Final as the defending Champion here at Wimbledon.

Opportunities outside of these three players are much tougher to find, although Novak Djokovic will have something to say about that, and it can sometimes make the early Rounds less dramatic compared with the Women's events. Some of the top ATP players will be able to hold their head up amongst the historical giants of the sport, especially if they can continue to churn out the Majors like the Big Three before them, but that is perhaps not the case with the very best WTA players who feel like they are very strong, but lacking the kind of consistency that was last displayed by Serena Williams at her best.

Can Linda Noskova move through and join the elite players on the Tour and kick on from there? That is to be seen over the next twelve months before she opens Centre Court on Day 2 of the 2027 Wimbledon, but the most immediate concern of the sport is finding out who will be opening the main show Court at SW19 on Day 1 next year.

Wimbledon was a really tough tournament for the Tennis Picks, but the last few days have proven to be a really strong bounce back effort and the tournament can be concluded with a profit with a Day 14 winner, or a very narrow loss with a losing selection.

At one stage it felt like all of the work from the opening six months of the season would be wasted and so a slight loss would still feel like a positive from where the Picks were earlier this week, although of course any selection being made is with the belief it can return a winner.

Over the remainder of the month, the European clay court swing and some of the early hard court tournaments will be played before moving into the two Masters events ahead of the US Open.

Sunday will be exactly seven weeks until the final Grand Slam of the 2026 season is to begin and there is plenty of tennis to get through before the US Open gets going in New York City.

Jannik Sinner - 5.5 games v Alexander Zverev: The defending Champion has perhaps not looked at his very best through the run back to the Final here at Wimbledon, but Jannik Sinner will have taken plenty of confidence from the way he was able to beat seven time former Winner Novak Djokovic in the Semi Final.

2026 has not been the season that the World Number One may have anticipated having yet to reach a Grand Slam Final and losing very early at the French Open, but Jannik Sinner is very comfortable on the grass. He has shown that again with another strong run at Wimbledon and Jannik Sinner has an opportunity to win a first Grand Slam since doing that right here twelve months ago, while perhaps underlining his status as the top player in the world.

A real argument could be made that Alexander Zverev is the current best player in the world if he is to back up the French Open success by winning a Grand Slam on his worst surface.

He has previously won titles on the grass, but Alexander Zverev had never reached the Quarter Final at Wimbledon before this season and the French Open success last month has clearly given the Number 2 Seed a real sense of belonging with the very best. You could say Alexander Zverev felt that before Paris, but this is a player who played within himself at key moments in the biggest matches and winning the French Open will have freed the mind.

Jannik Sinner had to come through in five sets in the First Round, while Alexander Zverev dropped a set in the opening Round too, but in the main both players have been pretty comfortable. There will be no excuses about fitness concerns after straight set Semi Final wins and the tennis being played by Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev has been at a level that makes them more than deserving Finalists.

The serve is going to be a big weapon for both Sinner and Zverev and they will need to maintain the levels that has seen them win at least 70% of service points in every match at the tournament. It can be argued that they have not faced someone who can return the ball as effectively as the other standing across the net, but these two players have to focus on themselves and that delivery will set them up to get through plenty of games without too much pressure being applied on them.

Out of the two players, Jannik Sinner has been the more consistent returner, but the Zverev serve can be a huge shot for the Number 2 Seed.

The raw numbers at this tournament have been really similar, but the mental advantage is clearly with Jannik Sinner who has dominated Alexander Zverev since the early meetings on the Tour.

Alexander Zverev had led 4-2 on the head to head, but they have played eight times since January 2025 and it is Jannik Sinner who has won all eight of those, beginning with a straight sets win in the Australian Open Final. That is the sole meeting in the last nineteen months in a Grand Slam event, but they have played in big Masters tournaments and Jannik Sinner will know that he has won all but a single set in the eight matches won by the Italian since the start of the 2025 season.

This simply cannot be ignored- four matches in 2026 have all ended in straight sets wins for Jannik Sinner which includes two on the hard court and two on the clay courts.

None of those meetings have been on grass, but this is a surface on which Jannik Sinner has had a lot more success than Alexander Zverev and the serve has been dominated by the top Seed during the last nineteen months.

In those eight matches played in that time, Jannik Sinner has held 99% of his service games with a single break given away and just 14 Break Points faced. Compare that to Alexander Zverev who has held 71% of service games played and been broken twenty-four times, while facing 49 Break Points and it is very tough to make a case for the French Open Champion being able to follow the likes of Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal in completing the Channel Grand Slam Double.

Alexander Zverev has proven he is going to be a threat to win Grand Slams going forward by becoming the first player to back up his maiden Major success by reaching the Final of the next Slam played, but Jannik Sinner should be the stronger grass court player. He can maintain his dominance of this opponent with another strong showing and Jannik Sinner can win his second Wimbledon title in succession on Sunday afternoon.

MY PICK: Jannik Sinner - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 William Hill (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 41-34, + 0.26 Units (148 Units Staked, + 0% Yield)