The Netherlands have a good record of winning their pre-tournament summer friendlies to nil and can shut out an Uzbekistan side that have not played many – if any – games against top-level opposition. Back the Dutch to wrap up no more than a routine 2-0 win as the White Wolves are good in enough in defence to avoid a thrashing.

The Netherlands dominated in a 1-0 loss to Algeria on Wednesday and really should have won by a couple of goals. They will want to bounce back with a clean sheet against an Uzbek side that lost 2-0 to Canada on Tuesday and generally lack a cutting edge up front.

A full-strength France will seek a response after their Ivory Coast setback and they should easily beat Northern Ireland, who are missing key defender Tom Atcheson. A reshuffled defence will not improve their chances of keeping France’s awesome forward line at bay and the hosts should cover a -1 handicap.  Les Bleus have won three of their last five games by more than one goal.

Donyell Malen has scored seven goals in his last seven games for Roma and was on the end of two big chances against Algeria in midweek.

Marcus Thuram has scored seven goals in his last 10 games for club and country.

The Netherlands have a good record of winning their pre-tournament summer friendlies to nil and can shut out an Uzbekistan side that have not played many – if any – games against top-level opposition. Back the Dutch to wrap up no more than a routine 2-0 win as the White Wolves are good in enough in defence to avoid a thrashing.

France have won two of their last four games 2-1 and the other two by 3-1 scorelines, and this trend of winning with at least a couple of goals scored should continue in Lille. Northern Ireland have scored away at Denmark and Germany in the last year and could get on the scoresheet here in a 3-1 loss.

The Netherlands dominated in a 1-0 loss to Algeria on Wednesday and really should have won by a couple of goals. They will want to bounce back with a clean sheet against an Uzbek side that lost 2-0 to Canada on Tuesday and generally lack a cutting edge up front.

A full-strength France will seek a response after their Ivory Coast setback and they should easily beat Northern Ireland. France have won two of their last four games 2-1 and the other two by 3-1 scorelines, and this trend of winning with at least a couple of goals scored should continue in Lille. Northern Ireland have scored away at Denmark and Germany in the last year and could get on the scoresheet here.

Spain drew their first warm-up clash with Iraq 1-1, while both teams have scored in five of Peru’s seven games since failing to qualify for the World Cup. With Spain likely to reshuffle their pack midway through in preparation for the tournament, Peru have a good chance to continue their scoring streak.

Spain are the current favourites and seem set for a deep run at the World Cup. La Roja also have a kind draw with Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia joining them in Group H. Lamine Yamal scored 16 goals in La Liga for Barcelona in 28 games and is among the contenders to top the World Cup 2026 scoring charts.

Portugal have landed in a winnable group alongside Colombia, DR Congo, and Uzbekistan. Winning that group would give them a softer run in the early knockout rounds, before a potential meeting with Argentina in the quarter-finals. They beat hosts Germany 2-1 in the Nations League semis before triumphing over Spain, and edging those big clashes suggests they could become the ninth country to win the World Cup.

World Cup surprise packages tend to have solid defensive records and a core group of quality players. Japan have some real midfield quality in Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Ritsu Doan, and Liverpool’s Wataru Endo. After five straight wins to nil, Japan look capable of recording their best ever tournament finish this summer. The expanded field should play into their hands, but they’ve proven capable of upsetting football’s elite in the past.

Ecuador conceded only five goals across their 18 South American qualifiers, losing just two of 18 games across the toughest qualifying route in the world. They put together an 18-game unbeaten run ahead of the tournament, which is largely built on defensive solidity. While they aren’t thrilling in the final third, being hard to beat helped take Morocco and Croatia far four years ago. In a tournament where the heat is expected to work against progressive, attacking sides, Ecuador could thrive.

Ecuador conceded only five goals across their 18 South American qualifiers, losing just two of 18 games across the toughest qualifying route in the world. They put together an 18-game unbeaten run ahead of the tournament, which is largely built on defensive solidity. While they aren’t thrilling in the final third, being hard to beat helped take Morocco and Croatia far four years ago. In a tournament where the heat is expected to work against progressive, attacking sides, Ecuador could thrive.

Kylian Mbappe finished last season as the top scorer in La Liga with 25 goals and he scored five goals in four games during qualifying. France are among the tournament favourites and are likely to reach the latter stages and they will face Iraq, Senegal and Norway in the group stages, so Mbappe may be able to score a few goals in the earlier rounds.

Lamine Yamal is the most exciting attacking talent in a strong Spain side and he has a habit of scoring eye-catching goals, those attributes can be key in deciding where the player of the tournament award ends up.

Julian Alvarez has developed a reputation as a striker who raises his levels in cup competitions having scored 22 goals in 32 Champions League games for current club Atletico Madrid and Manchester City across the last three seasons. Argentina will face Algeria, Jordan and Austria in the group stages, so Alvarez could grab a few goals in the group phase and that makes him a contender to top the scoring charts.

Rayan Cherki had 12 Premier League assists for Manchester City this season and he also provided a further four in 11 games across their EFL Cup and FA Cup successes. France have an incredible attacking line-up and Cherki will be picking out passes for the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Desire Doue.

In terms of technical ability Neuer is right up there with the best stoppers of all time and the fact he is now playing for a fairly average Germany side, by their standards anyway, could actually work in his favour in the battle for Golden Glove honours as he may have more saves to make and more work in terms of organising his defence.

Erling Haaland had 16 goals in eight games over qualifying and enjoyed another excellent season domestically with 38 goals across all competitions. Haaland’s Norway face France, Senegal and Iraq in the group stage and he could reach four goals in those three games alone.

World Cup surprise packages tend to have solid defensive records and a core group of quality players. Japan have some real midfield quality in Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Ritsu Doan, and Liverpool’s Wataru Endo. After five straight wins to nil, Japan look capable of recording their best ever tournament finish this summer. The expanded field should play into their hands, but they’ve proven capable of upsetting football’s elite in the past.

Since winning Euro 2024, Spain have extended their unbeaten record to 28 matches, reaching the final of the Nations League and breezing through their World Cup qualifying campaign. European sides have historically struggled in tournaments held in other continents, but that trend appears to be turning. Spain won in South Africa in 2010, followed by Germany’s success in Brazil four years later. France were a shootout away from repeating the trick four years ago. There hasn’t been a World Cup final without a European side since 1950, and the European champions can extend that streak this summer.