Welcome to The Athletic’s daily World Cup Predictions.
This article gives you the lowdown on all today’s games, but with the bonus of some friendly competition…
Throughout the tournament, we will have two Athletic writers (Andy Jones or Elias Burke — with help from our experts from each of the 48 countries) pitting our soccer knowledge against a different Athletic subscriber each day and “Algo”, the shiny new algorithm from The Athletic, which is making its computerised debut during the 2026 World Cup.
Oh, and a dog called Stanley and a six-year-old called Wilfred (who some of you may remember from last season’s Premier League predictions).
Our guest subscriber today is Sultan Bin Awn from Saudi Arabia, who supports Saudi Arabia and Arsenal. Good luck!
If you would like to apply to be our guest subscriber for a day during this tournament,
What happened on Matchday 6?
It was a matchday when some of the world’s best announced themselves on the biggest stage, and no, we’re not talking about the Athletic expert and Algo who went four for four on their predictions — Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all starred for their nations.
The first game saw France take on Senegal and while one of the favourites for the competition looked out of sorts in the first half against a threatening Senegal side, the tactical tweaks made by Didier Deschamps at half-time made the difference.
Mbappe was the star for France (Shaun Botterill/FIFA via Getty Images)
Not long after Mbappe was denied what looked like a clear penalty, he latched on to a defence-splitting pass from Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise to finish. Bradley Barcola doubled France’s advantage before his club team-mate, 18-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye, pulled one back for Senegal. Any thoughts of a dramatic late comeback were halted when Mbappe smashed one into the top corner from 25 yards, a sensational finish.
Everyone except Stanley banked on a France victory and it was the same story for the game between Norway and Iraq, with everyone else, bar Stanley, backing Norway.
It did not take long for Haaland to get his first World Cup goal on his World Cup debut. Aymen Hussein’s excellent equaliser suggested a shock might be possible, but Haaland netted his second four minutes later to restore their advantage. A 75th-minute header from Leo Ostigard and an own goal sealed a comprehensive victory.
Anything Mbappe and Haaland can do, Messi can do better as he produced the individual performance of the tournament, scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s comfortable 3-0 victory over Algeria.
Messi scored an incredible hat-trick (Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)
Messi got the breakthrough with a 25-yard strike and the defending champions looked in control throughout. Unsurprisingly, Messi was at the centre of everything. Making his 200th appearance for his country, he reacted quickest to Alexis Mac Allister’s parried shot to score his second on the hour mark and sealed his hat-trick with a trademark low strike from the edge of the area.
The Athletic experts, Algo and Wilfred all predicted correctly, while subscriber Fabrizio may have let his affection for Brazil get the better of him as he went for a draw alongside Stanley. Wilfred had built a five-match streak, the best of anyone, but that came to an end when he predicted a draw between Austria and Jordan.
Romano Schmid’s curling effort from the edge of the area gave Austria the lead but Jordan equalised – their first goal at a World Cup with a strike equally as good just after half-time from Ali Olwan. An unfortunate own goal from Yazan Al Arab and a late Marko Arnautovic penalty sealed the three points for Austria.
Even the best can have an off-day and it was one to forget for Stanly, who went 0/4 in his predictions and has work to do to get back into the title fight. Excellent days for the Athletic experts and Algo saw them rise to the top of the table, while the subscribers and Wilfred are close behind.
How do the predictions work?
It’s pretty simple: we will give you some background on each game, players to watch and facts on the two teams. Then we will predict the outcome: either a WIN for one of the two teams, or a DRAW.
We will maintain a leaderboard of how everyone gets on with their predictions (ranked by the percentage they get correct) but we’ll also keep a record of “streaks” — the number of predictions everyone gets right in a row. These streaks also form a crucial part of The Athletic’s interactive Soccer Pick’Ems feature, allowing you to make your own picks every round as well.
So come along and get involved, and check back each day to see how we are getting on in the leaderboard, and probably more importantly, whether you, the subscribers, or Stanley or Wilf are beating us.
Or, worst of all, whether ‘Algo’ can prove data and statistics know all when it comes to predicting.
Good luck, and enjoy!
Why not try The Athletic’s World Cup Tracker, where you can find a forecast projecting the likelihood that each team will progress through each stage of the tournament, along with a bracket projecting the most likely round of 32 matchups, current standings, and a bunch of other neat forecasts and scenarios.
Predictions for Matchday 7
Portugal vs Democratic Republic of Congo, Group K, kick-off 1pm ET, 6pm BST
Where to watch: FOX (U.S.) BBC (UK)
Streak Risk Factor: 2/5. Portugal should have too much for the DR Congo, but the underdogs have a couple of players who could cause problems.
Watch Rating: 3/5. It feels like Portugal could go a long way in the competition this season and a possible midfield make-up of Paris Saint-Germain duo Vitinha and Joao Neves alongside Bruno Fernandes with a sprinkle of Bernardo Silva is worth tuning in for in itself. There is also some guy called Cristiano Ronaldo too.
The Athletic Soccer Experts says: “Roberto Martinez has a squad packed with quality that should allow them to make a winning start to their World Cup campaign. The spine of the team has been stable for some time and while there were a couple of poor results towards the end of the qualification campaign, they won the Nations League last summer which should give them confidence heading into this tournament.
(Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP via Getty Images)
“There are match-winners across the team and the squad depth means Martinez has the tactical versatility to tweak his system and approach during any game and from the bench.
“All eyes will be on Ronaldo as the debate continues about whether he is a help or a hindrance. His head coach believes it is the latter and the talent around him should supply him with more than enough chances, whether that be from Nuno Mendes at left-back or the variety of midfielders, including chief creator Fernandes.
“DR Congo’s qualification was far from straightforward, but they can take inspiration from recent results and will hope that they can be the next team to unsettle one of the traditional powers.
“They are another squad largely defined by diaspora, and head coach Sebastien Desabre has built a team based on structure and discipline. They have a defence — including West Ham United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka — with experience of Premier League football. At the other end, hopes continue to rest on Cedric Bakambu, and they will be hoping Yoane Wissa can rediscover the form that deserted him at Newcastle United after his move from Brentford last summer.”
The Athletic Soccer Expert: PORTUGAL WIN
Guest subscriber Sultan Bin Awn: PORTUGAL WIN
Six-year-old Wilfred: PORTUGAL WIN
Stanley the Dog: PORTUGAL WIN
Algo: PORTUGAL WIN
England vs Croatia, Group L, kick-off 4pm ET, 9pm BST
Where to watch: FOX (U.S.), ITV (UK)
Streak Rating Risk: 3/5. England head into the game as favourites, but they’ve been far from convincing in recent months. You can never rule out Croatia’s experienced veterans led by Luca Modric, who know how to navigate this tournament.
Watch Rating: 4/5. This may be slightly weighted towards England supporters who have been patiently waiting for their tournament to start properly. Thomas Tuchel’s side are unlikely to be ‘the entertainers’ of the World Cup and Croatia are efficient and effective but it should still be an intriguing contest.
The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Qualifying could not have gone any smoother for England as they won all eight matches, scoring 22 goals and conceding zero. The question, as it has been in recent near-miss tournaments, though, is how they will fare up when the level of opposition increases. This should be a good opening test.
“The hope is that Tuchel will be the man to solve that problem and he has a squad packed with talent at his disposal, even after making some bold calls with his squad selection. Captain Harry Kane continues to lead the line and arrives at this tournament off the back of a 61-goal season for Bayern Munich. Supplying him will be the likes of Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham.
(Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Our England reporter Jack Pitt-Brooke agrees with The Athletic expert that England will get off to a winning start: ‘Everything I’ve picked up so far suggests that the mood is good in the England camp,’ he said. ‘They seem relaxed and focused, ahead of their first and hardest group stage game. It’ll be hard in the heat and it won’t be pretty, but I think England can win. 1-0.’
“Croatia have a squad made up of players who have been here and done it before. Their last two campaigns have seen them reach the final in 2018, beating England to reach it, and the semi-finals four years later.
“Modric continues to the focal point of the team at 40 years old, and the old guard of Ivan Perisic (37), Andrej Kramaric (34), Ante Budimir (34) and Mateo Kovacic (32) remain key. Defenders Josko Gvardiol and highly-rated teenage Luka Vuskovic will be important too, but you wonder whether this may be one World Cup too far for Zlatko Dalic’s men or if they can continue to punch above their weight. “
The Athletic Experts: ENGLAND WIN
Guest subscriber Sultan Bin Awn: DRAW
Six-year-old Wilfred: ENGLAND WIN
Stanley the Dog: DRAW
Algo: ENGLAND WIN
Ghana vs Panama, Group L, kick-off 7pm ET, 12am (midnight) BST
Where to watch: FS1 (U.S.), ITV (UK)
Streak Risk Factor: 4/5. All three results feel realistic. It is impossible to predict what version of Ghana will turn up, and Panama are in much better shape than they were when they last qualified eight years ago.
Watch Rating: 2/5. Both sides have prioritised being strong defensively, so it might not be a free-flowing attacking game. Given who else is in their group, this is a game that both need to win to give themselves a better chance of advancing.
The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Ghana may have shockingly failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON, but they breezed through their World Cup qualifying campaign. Otto Addo was relieved of his duties in March and replaced by Carlos Queiroz, who has overseen four consecutive tournaments as manager of Portugal (2010) and then Iran (2014, 2018 and 2022).
“Queiroz has built a reputation on giving his team a solid defensive foundation but this is a team that has not had long to work with the new boss. How well problems have been addressed remains unknown — the 1-1 draw against Wales showed they had work to do after a poor first half followed by a better second half. That stopped the rot of five consecutive defeats.
“Panama will be looking to give a better account of themselves than they did at their only previous appearance at the tournament in 2018. This is a more mature side than the one that lost all three games in Russia and is defined by a pragmatic and physical style that tries to capitalise in transition.”
The Athletic Soccer Experts: DRAW
Guest subscriber Sultan Bin Awn: DRAW
Six-year-old Wilfred: DRAW
Stanley the Dog: DRAW
Algo: GHANA WIN
Uzbekistan vs Colombia, Group K, kick-off 10pm ET, 3am BST
Where to watch: FS1 (U.S.) BBC (UK)
Streak Risk Factor: 2/5. Uzbekistan are World Cup debutants and outside of a handful of players, they do not possess the star quality some of the other lower-ranked nations do. Colombia should be confident of victory.
Watch Rating: 2/5. It isn’t the most appetising fixture and Uzbekistan’s style suggests they will be trying to park a big bus in front of their goal. It will be up to Colombia to bring the entertainment.
The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “When you have never been to a World Cup before, what is the best approach? Appoint a World Cup-winner? That is what Uzbekistan did when former Italy centre-back Fabio Cannavaro took over the role in October.
“Cannavaro will be relying on Manchester City centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov to be his leader of a squad that is largely made up of players from the Uzbekistan domestic league so will be playing the biggest stage of their career. They do have two attackers who spent last season in the Turkish Super Lig, including Eldor Shomurodov who netted 22 goals to finish the campaign as joint-top scorer.
“Colombia were absent from the tournament four years ago but the 2024 Copa America runner-up returns to the world stage looking to improve on their run to the quarter-finals in 2014. The star of that tournament was Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez who will captain his country in his final World Cup.
“Alongside him will be Bayern Munich’s Luis Diaz, who is coming off arguably the best season of his career.
“Uzbekistan will make things difficult, but Colombia should have enough to pick up the win.”
The Athletic Soccer Experts: COLOMBIA WIN
Guest subscriber Sultan Bin Awn: COLOMBIA WIN
Six-year-old Wilfred: COLOMBIA WIN
Stanley the Dog: COLOMBIA WIN
Algo: COLOMBIA WIN