Yesterday was all about favorites stumbling and underdogs proving they belong. Will today be more of the same?
The first five days of the 2026 World Cup have delivered more upsets than anyone could have predicted beforehand, and that’s made things very interesting for bettors.
Yesterday, Cape Verde shocked Spain with a scoreless draw. Spain entered the tournament neck and neck with France in the future markets for tournament winner.
In World Cup betting on Betway this morning, France is +450 to win the tournament, then Spain +500, England +800, Portugal +800, Argentina +1000, Brazil +1000, Germany +1400 and Netherlands +1800 (Cape Verde? +100000).
Belgium was expected to open with a win, but Egypt held them to a 1-1 draw yesterday. Saudi Arabia earned a huge point against Uruguay, a 1-1 tie. Uruguay entered the tournament as the clear favorite in Group H.
New Zealand nearly pulled off an upset against Iran, settling for a 2-2 draw.
Bottom line – no one seized control of Group G and Group H. Spain, Belgium, Uruguay, Iran were all betting favorites yesterday, all settled for draws.
Some news headlines this morning. According to ESPN, the U.S. team’s star attacker Christian Pulisic trained away from the core team yesterday as he recovers from a calf injury, with U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino saying Pulisic was “good”, without elaborating. The Americans play Australia Friday in Seattle. Pulisic told reporters a few days ago he got a kick to the calf in the first match against Paraguay, adding he didn’t think it was anything to be worried about.
According to media reports, Neymar (calf injury) is not expected to return for Brazil until the knockout stages.
On the Canada front, Canadian Press reported that captain Alphonso Davies, working through a hamstring injury, remained limited in World Cup training yesterday. Canada plays its second group match Thursday in Vancouver against Qatar (Canada is -400 at Betway, Qatar +900, Draw +475).
Today, three matches are on the docket, led by tournament betting favorites France and Argentina.
France plays Senegal, 3 p.m. EST, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.
On Betway, France is -236, Senegal +600, with odds of a draw at +350.
Then, at 6 p.m. EST, Iraq plays Norway, at Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. On Betway, Norway is the big favorite at -500, with Iraq at +1100, and odds for a draw is +550.
Finally, in primetime, 9 p.m. EST, Argentina plays Algeria, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. On Betway, Argentina is -250, Algeria +650, and odds for a draw at +350.
France to win over Senegal, is the best overall bet. Senegal is a solid African side, but France should control possession, with the best attacking talent in the tournament (Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Désiré Doué) leading to high-quality chances. Plus, Spain’s stumble is a jolt of confidence for the France side.
Senegal is a tough opponent, though, so maybe look at Both Teams to Score, at -106. Mbappé is -134 in the anytime goalscorer market.
At Betway, Erling Haaland is -250 to score anytime and +150 to score the first goal of the match.
On the total, Over 2.5 goals is priced at -118 in the Argentina-Algeria match, while Over 3.5 goals is available at +210. Argentina has enough firepower to score three goals on their own, and if Algeria falls behind the match early, things could open up fast.
Lionel Messi, 20 years since his World Cup debut, is back for one last kick, leading the defending champions. Messi is -115 to score anytime today at Betway.
