Malaga beat Las Palmas in both league meetings this season and can strike first in the first leg of this play off. Las Palmas finished the season with just two wins in their final four games, while Malaga ended in strong form with four wins in their final five games – only dropping points in a draw with champions Racing Santander. Malaga have won their last three away games and can make it four in a row at the Estadio de Gran Canaria. Both teams have scored in each of Las Palmas’ last six games and they have scored in eight consecutive home games. Malaga are on a 10-game scoring streak and they have conceded in eight of those fixtures.

Denmark were held to a 0-0 draw by DR Congo in their last game and could fall short against Ukraine. The visitors are looking to impress new coach Andrea Maldera and they picked up as 2-0 win in Poland in his first game in charge, Ukraine look backable as underdogs for this friendly between two teams who missed out on the World Cup.

Croatia were unfortunate to lose to Belgium last time out, but they have scored at least twice in five of their last six home games, netting a total of 17 goals in this period. They’ve also scored at least three goals in four of their last five at home and are capable of reaching at least three against Slovenia.

Both sides should make full use of their squads and that could lead to an open and high-scoring game. Both attacks are in form as Morocco have scored 12 goals across their last four games and Norway scored 37 goals in eight qualifiers, so these teams should be able to combine for over 3.5 goals.

Malaga beat Las Palmas in both league meetings this season and can strike first in the first leg of this play off. Las Palmas finished the season with just two wins in their final four games, while Malaga ended in strong form with four wins in their final five games – only dropping points in a draw with champions Racing Santander. Malaga have won their last three away games and can make it four in a row at the Estadio de Gran Canaria.

Denmark were held to a 0-0 draw by DR Congo in their last game and could fall short against Ukraine. The visitors are looking to impress new coach Andrea Maldera and they picked up as 2-0 win in Poland in his first game in charge, Ukraine look backable as underdogs for this friendly between two teams who missed out on the World Cup.

Both sides should make full use of their squads and that could lead to an open and high-scoring game. Both attacks are in form as Morocco have scored 12 goals across their last four games and Norway scored 37 goals in eight qualifiers, so these teams should be able to combine for at least four goals.

This is the final game of the summer for two sets of players who missed out on the World Cup. That could lead to a fairly open game and goals at both ends has a chance as Greece have scored in 11 of their last 14 home games and Italy have scored in each of their last 10 overall.

Croatia were unfortunate to lose to Belgium last time out, but they have scored at least twice in five of their last six home games, netting a total of 17 goals in this period, while Slovenia conceded twice to Montenegro in their last away day.

Both sides should make full use of their squads and that could lead to an open and high-scoring game. Both attacks are in form as Morocco have scored 12 goals across their last four games and Norway scored 37 goals in eight qualifiers, so these teams should be able to combine for over 2.5 goals.

Both sides should make full use of their squads and that could lead to an open and high-scoring game. Both attacks are in form as Morocco have scored 12 goals across their last four games and Norway scored 37 goals in eight qualifiers, so these teams should be able to combine for at least four goals.

Croatia were unfortunate to lose to Belgium last time out, but they have scored at least twice in five of their last six home games, netting a total of 17 goals in this period, while Slovenia conceded twice to Montenegro in their last away day.

Both sides should make full use of their squads and that could lead to an open and high-scoring game. Both attacks are in form as Morocco have scored 12 goals across their last four games and Norway scored 37 goals in eight qualifiers, so these teams should be able to combine for at least four goals. Morocco are on a 28-game unbeaten run and Norway have just one defeat in 15. These teams look fairly well matched and may settle for a draw in this warm-up, take a chance on a 2-2 stalemate.

Croatia were unfortunate to lose to Belgium last time out, but they have scored at least twice in five of their last six home games, netting a total of 17 goals in this period, while Slovenia conceded twice to Montenegro in their last away day. Croatia have scored exactly three goals in two of their last three home games, including a 3-0 win, while Slovenia lost 3-0 away to Switzerland in September.

Malaga beat Las Palmas in both league meetings this season and can strike first in the first leg of this play off. Las Palmas finished the season with just two wins in their final four games, while Malaga ended in strong form with four wins in their final five games – only dropping points in a draw with champions Racing Santander. Malaga have won their last three away games and can make it four in a row at the Estadio de Gran Canaria. Both teams have scored in each of Las Palmas’ last six games and they have scored in eight consecutive home games. Malaga are on a 10-game scoring streak and they have conceded in eight of those fixtures.

Both teams have scored in each of Las Palmas’ last six games and they have scored in eight consecutive home games. Malaga are on a 10-game scoring streak and they have conceded in eight of those fixtures.

This is the final game of the summer for two sets of players who missed out on the World Cup. That could lead to a fairly open game and goals at both ends has a chance as Greece have scored in 11 of their last 14 home games and Italy have scored in each of their last 10 overall.

Malaga beat Las Palmas in both league meetings this season and can strike first in the first leg of this play off. Las Palmas finished the season with just two wins in their final four games, while Malaga ended in strong form with four wins in their final five games – only dropping points in a draw with champions Racing Santander. Malaga have won their last three away games and can make it four in a row at the Estadio de Gran Canaria.

Erling Haaland should get enough time on the pitch for Norway to make an impact. The Man City striker hit 16 goals during qualifying and he looks the best bet for an anytime effort.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Both teams have scored in eight of Castellon’s last nine games and they are on a 19-game scoring streak. Almeria have scored in eight of their last nine games and both teams have scored in seven of those fixtures, so goals at both ends appears likely. Almeria had a mixed road record this season with eight defeats in 21 La Liga trips, including three losses in their last five. Castellon have won 12 of their last 16 home games so back them to claim a first leg win in a game where both teams score.

Malaga beat Las Palmas in both league meetings this season and can strike first in the first leg of this play off. Las Palmas finished the season with just two wins in their final four games, while Malaga ended in strong form with four wins in their final five games – only dropping points in a draw with champions Racing Santander. Malaga have won their last three away games and can make it four in a row at the Estadio de Gran Canaria.