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I’ve been really impressed by Belgium under Rudi Garcia.

He’s only lost one of his 14 games in charge of the national side which has come out of the shadow of a ‘Golden Generation’ that never could quite deal with the pressure of being favoured.

Belgium find themselves in a really kind group, it’s the weakest group at the whole tournament for me and Belgium clearly stand out as the best side. They won both of their warm-up games to nil against Tunisia and Croatia, further showing that this Belgium team might be going a bit under the radar.

There’s still quite a bit of quality in this Belgium side. The likes of Doku, De Bruyne, Trossard, Onana, Tielemans, Courtois and Lukaku all bring top level experience and quality to a nation that should be aiming to collect all nine points from a group also featuring Iran and New Zealand.

Egypt are not the powerhouse of African football they used to be. Morocco, Senegal and even Ivory Coast have taken bigger strides than Egypt in recent years.

They have a few stars in Marmoush and Salah, but the rest of the side is pretty weak when compared to the quality Belgium have. They lost their only warm-up game against Brazil 2-1, managing just two shots on target in that clash.

Egypt have played seven games at the World Cup, failing to win any of these matches. They’ve lost five of these fixtures, suggesting that there is still a bit of barrier between the Pharaohs and performing at the very top level.

Egypt will sit in and look to frustrate Belgium, but the European side have the players to unlock this low block - namely Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku who both seriously impressed for Belgium during their qualifying campaign.

I think this is a pretty decent price for Belgium to win, and it’s also covered by 2UP meaning that if Belgium lead by two goals at any point in the contest, we’ll have a winner.

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Ferran Torres scored 21 goals for Barcelona across all competitions during the 25/26 campaign, marking his best-ever return as a professional footballer.

He’s a really versatile option for Spain who can play on the right or through the middle and should carry a real threat with how effective he can be in the penalty area. He's scored 24 goals across 57 caps for Spain, which is a decent record for a player who’s in and out of the side.

I expect Spain to score at least three goals here; they can really run rampant when given the opportunity - as they did regularly during qualifying, scoring 21 goals across six matches (3.5 per game).

This is a pretty generous price for Marc Cucurella, who is usually around 3.0-4.5 to pick up a caution.

I’m banking on the Chelsea fullback being a little ill-disciplined with his positioning at times, which can create opportunities for Cucurella to commit a tactical foul when Cape Verde look to get forward.

Cucurella will be up against Ryan Mendes (1.31 fouls won per 90), whose speed can cause him problems at times. Cucurella collected eight yellow cards and a red card for Chelsea across 31 starts during the 25/26 campaign, finishing the season with three cautions across his final five matches.

The Cape Verde fullbacks here are really going to be tested by the movement and quality of Spain’s wide players - with the likes of Yamal and Williams available to feature in some capacity.

Moreira picked up a caution in Cape Verde’s final warm-up match before the tournament against Serbia and isn’t the most mobile of fullbacks, so I see him struggling against his potential opponents, who are technically superior to him.

Alex Baena (1.66 fouls won per 90) is expected to start, but we should also see Nico Williams (1.55 fouls won per 90) at some point in the contest. Both can really test Moreira, who is likely to be a bit late with some of his challenges.

I think this is a really generous price. Pedri is the heartbeat of this Spain side and rarely lets Luis de la Fuente down with his ability to control matches.

Pedri averaged 1.84 fouls won per 90 for Barcelona during the 25/26 LaLiga season, with this count rising to 3.11 fouls won per 90 across his nine appearances in the Champions League.

Cape Verde are not an overly aggressive side, but Spain’s movement and dominance in possession will surely lead to a decent foul count for the minnows with their three expected midfielders here combining for a foul average of 2.99 fouls per 90.

Egypt were beaten 2-1 by Brazil in their most recent friendly, putting them on a bit of a low for their opening World Cup fixture.

By contrast, Belgium thrashed Tunisia 5-0, meaning they are unbeaten in all four of their friendlies heading into the World Cup, with 13 goals scored in that time. Even though they were helped by a red card for Tunisia last time out, Belgium were already firmly in control of proceedings.

They will hope to extend that positive run of form against Egypt here, especially considering how the Pharaohs were slightly unconvincing at the recent AFCON.

Despite making it to the semi-finals, Egypt were quite defensive in their approach against the top sides, opting to play on the counter.

If Egypt persists with those tactics, it is likely to be one-way traffic in Seattle, with Belgium dominating.

Egypt conceded an average of 5.14 corners per game at AFCON, despite being favourites for most of their games, and both Senegal and Ivory Coast cleared this line against them in the knockouts.

Belgium have more attacking firepower than both of those nations, and they averaged 10.38 corners per game during the World Cup qualifiers. They even managed to hit double figures in six of those eight matches, which shows how they were incredibly effective at getting to the byline and creating dangerous chances.

Belgium even had 14 corners against Tunisia last time out.

Mohamed Salah will naturally attract the most attention when Egypt are playing, but Omar Marmoush is another significant threat in the final third, and he looks set to lead the line for his national side.

The Man City forward did not have his most prolific domestic season under Pep Guardiola, but he bagged 28 goals in the 24/25 campaign, which shows just how devastating he can be in the final third.

He also displayed his quality on the international stage at AFCON 2025, scoring twice in six appearances, and he looked a constant threat for Egypt when they did break forward.

The Pharaohs might not have much possession in this game, but Marmoush can be effective in transition.

Jeremy Doku is expected to start on the left wing for Belgium, the opposite side to where he plays for Man City.

The winger had an average of 3.35 fouls drawn per 90 during Belgium's World Cup qualifying matches and 2.9 in their Nations League campaign. Those numbers remained impressively high domestically, as Doku was fouled more times than any other player in the Man City squad, averaging 2.92 fouls drawn per 90.

Ahmed Fattouh looks set to be Doku’s direct matchup, and he won’t be accustomed to facing a player as tricky or direct as the 24-year-old. Fattouh should be heavily involved defensively, which makes his foul prices appeal.

Kevin De Bruyne is still going strong at 34-years-old, and he looks set for a big role at the World Cup after recovering from his hamstring injury.

He finished the domestic season with five goals from 18 Serie A appearances for Napoli, and he bettered that tally with six goals from six appearances for Belgium in their qualifying matches.

The attacking midfielder also had an average of 4.12 shots per 90 in those games - the highest of any player in the entire national squad, and he managed to get on the scoresheet against Tunisia last time out.

De Bruyne will be the designated free-kick taker for Belgium, and potentially on penalties too, which makes him one to target in the final third.

Mikel Oyarzabal is such a key part of this Spain attack; they don’t have a proper number nine, but Oyarzabal is probably the best fit to complement the likes of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.

Oyarzabal is comfortable with dropping a bit deeper to link play, but this doesn’t really take away from how effective he is when given an opportunity. He’s such an efficient finisher, as displayed by the 25 goals he’s netted across 53 caps for Spain.

He’s also scored 18+ goals in each of his last two seasons at Real Sociedad, showing that he can still be trusted in front of goal even though he’s not quite a proper striker.

Oyarzabal scored in Spain’s final warm-up friendly against Peru, and I expect him to have chances again here with Spain backed by the market to rack up goals.

I’m always keen on this line in real mismatches; it’s really low and can be a good addition to your Bet Builder.

I took it for Qatar’s game against Switzerland, and it landed after just five minutes, with Kobel actually being called into action on a few occasions.

What I like about this angle is that it only takes one moment on the counterattack or from a set piece for Cape Verde to test Unai Simón - who actually plays ahead of David Raya for Spain.

Simon was called into action 10 times during qualifying (1.67 per 90) and also maintains a save average of 2.70 in LaLiga. Cape Verde do have individual threats who can cause Spain a few issues, though the 1+ save line here is probably where I would draw the line for Cape Verde’s attacking success in this mismatch.

Fabian Ruiz is probably the most underrated player in this Spain squad. To be fair to the PSG midfielder, it’s hard to stand out when your midfield partners are Rodri and Pedri, but he’s a really consistent player and someone that Luis de la Fuente really likes.

I’m looking at him in the shot on target market for this leg of the Bet Builder. Spain’s forward players are really short, as you’d expect in a game like this, but Ruiz’s price is slightly more appealing as someone who gets forward from midfield and also isn’t afraid to take on speculative efforts.

He was really effective in this role for Spain at the last EUROs, and probably should have won Player of the Tournament for registering four goal contributions across just six starts with a shot on target average of 1.00 per 90.

Cabral is one of Cape Verde’s key threats, and I think he’ll win plenty of fouls during the World Cup, acting as the main outlet for the minnows.

Cabral plays his club football in Portugal, netting seven goals across 17 starts for Estrela de Amadora during the 25/26 campaign. He won an impressive 57 fouls across these games (3.06 per 90).

He’ll be able to win fouls when Spain inevitably have to hack him down to stop Cape Verde making the most of counter-attacking opportunities.

This should be very routine for Spain. They’re the most complete international side, and while shocks at the World Cup are always possible, this would be the biggest ever upset at a World Cup if Cape Verde were to get something from the game.

We need Spain to win by three or more goals for this bet to land.

Spain’s international record over the last few years is truly remarkable. They haven’t lost a competitive match since being beaten by Scotland all the way back in 2024, playing most of the top teams in Europe in either the Nations League or Euros since.

Cape Verde’s attention is likely to be on their clash against Saudi Arabia, which should be their best chance of getting something from this group.

Jeremy Doku is expected to start on the left wing for Belgium, the opposite side to where he plays for Man City.

The winger had an average of 3.35 fouls drawn per 90 during Belgium's World Cup qualifying matches and 2.9 in their Nations League campaign. Those numbers remained impressively high domestically, as Doku was fouled more times than any other player in the Man City squad, averaging 2.92 fouls drawn per 90.

Ahmed Fattouh looks set to be Doku’s direct matchup, and he won’t be accustomed to facing a player as tricky or direct as the 24-year-old. Fattouh should be heavily involved defensively, which makes his foul prices appeal.

This should be very routine for Spain. They’re the most complete international side, and while shocks at the World Cup are always possible, this would be the biggest ever upset at a World Cup if Cape Verde were to get something from the game.

We need Spain to win by three or more goals for this bet to land.

Spain’s international record over the last few years is truly remarkable. They haven’t lost a competitive match since being beaten by Scotland all the way back in 2024, playing most of the top teams in Europe in either the Nations League or Euros since.

Cape Verde’s attention is likely to be on their clash against Saudi Arabia, which should be their best chance of getting something from this group.

Egypt were beaten 2-1 by Brazil in their most recent friendly, putting them on a bit of a low for their opening World Cup fixture.

By contrast, Belgium thrashed Tunisia 5-0, meaning they are unbeaten in all four of their friendlies heading into the World Cup, with 13 goals scored in that time. Even though they were helped by a red card for Tunisia last time out, Belgium were already firmly in control of proceedings.

They will hope to extend that positive run of form against Egypt here, especially considering how the Pharaohs were slightly unconvincing at the recent AFCON.

Despite making it to the semi-finals, Egypt were quite defensive in their approach against the top sides, opting to play on the counter.

Uruguay’s shot line is set around 14/15 shots here depending on where you look, and I think Valverde can contribute to that tally with a few attempts.

He’s easily the best player in this Uruguay side and is usually given quite a bit of freedom by Marcelo Bielsa to get forward. Valverde scored two goals for Uruguay during qualifying, averaging 1.89 shots per 90 across his 14 starts.

He enjoyed his second-ever best scoring season for Madrid during the 25/26 campaign (11), and I think he will continue to build on that confidence in front of goal with a few efforts here.

There are quite a few clear mismatches in the group stages of this World Cup due to the bigger format, and this is one of them.

Spain are the joint favourites to win the World Cup and come into this tournament as reigning European champions having beaten England to the trophy a few years ago.

They’re a really complete side and have not lost a competitive game on the international stage across their last 31 matches - last losing to Scotland all the way back in 2024.

Spain put three goals past Peru in their final warm-up game, and netted 21 goals across just six matches in qualifying (3.5 per game) in a pretty competitive group, which also featured Georgia and Turkiye.

I think Belgium come through this group pretty comfortably as winners, with it being the weakest at the World Cup. Belgium are not quite the side that battled to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, but they still have very talented players and no real expectation to go on a deep run at this World Cup, which lifts a lot of pressure. 

Egypt find it quite difficult to score goals. They do have talent like Omar Marmoush and Mohamed Salah, who can produce individual moments of quality, but they don’t quite have the appropriate infrastructure around those two stars to really carry a significant attacking threat. Belgium put five goals past Tunisia in their final warm-up game, and also beat Croatia to nil as part of their preparations for this tournament.

Egypt have failed to score at all in four of their last 10 matches, I think they crumble a little here under the pressure of facing the best side in the group, with their focus likely to be on the other two games against Iran and New Zealand to get through to the knockout stages.

Saudi Arabia showed plenty of aggression during qualifying, collecting 28 cautions across their 12 matches (2.33 per game).

They averaged 9.20 fouls committed per game, which is a rate that is bound to rise at the World Cup given that they are now lining up against vastly superior sides to those they faced during qualifying.

Saudi Arabia’s best chance here is to slow the game down as much as possible. I see them engaging with Uruguay in central areas frequently in an attempt to stifle their rhythm - which should lead to at least two cards for the underdogs.

Cape Verde face a daunting World Cup opening fixture against the reigning European champions, Spain, who are amongst the favourites to lift the trophy this summer. It will likely be one-way traffic at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with Cape Verde penned into their own half - they should have plenty of defensive work to get through. 

Kevin Lenini, in particular, is in for a busy match, operating as the no. 6 in Cape Verde's double pivot. Lenini plays in the Russian Premier League for Krasnodar, and he saw nine yellow cards from 39 appearances across all competitions this season. 

Considering he will now have to deal with the Spanish attackers, which is a significant step up from the calibre of opponent he usually faces in Russia, Lenini could struggle. Luis De La Fuente’s side play fluid football, and they are so difficult to contain in midfield areas.

Ahmed Fatouh has only picked up four yellow cards in 25 domestic appearances across all competitions this season, which is nothing to write home about, but the main focus here is on his matchup against Jeremy Doku on the flank. The Man City man has established himself as one of the most prolific wide players, and Fatouh will be tasked with trying to contain his threat on Monday. 

Doku had an average of 3.35 fouls drawn per 90 during Belgium's qualifying matches, and 2.9 in their Nations League campaign before that. He was also fouled 2.92 times per 90 for Man City this season, which was the highest figure in the squad.

Doku usually plays on the left wing for Belgium, opposite to his most natural side, but he is still incredibly dangerous, and he provided two assists against Tunisia in a warm-up friendly last time out.

Manuel Ugarte had a limited role for Man United this season, starting just eight Premier League games as he struggled to nail down a regular place in the side, but he will be expected to play a much bigger role for Uruguay at the World Cup. Operating as the defensive midfielder in Marcelo Bielsa's 4-3-3 system, Ugarte will be tasked with pressing aggressively so his side can sustain attacks, but also stopping counter-attacks. 

Ugarte featured in 16 of Uruguay’s 18 qualifying matches, during which he was booked five times. When playing regularly in 2024/25 for Man United, Ugarte accumulated 15 yellow cards from 45 appearances across all competitions - averaging a card every three games, which is a notably high rate. 

Marcelo Bielsa sides are renowned for their high press and combative nature, so Uruguay will be aggressive right from the outset, aiming to start their group stage campaign with a win.

Uruguay are pre-match favourites, but Saudi Arabia are not a side to underestimate, as they pulled off one of the greatest World Cup upsets of all time in 2022 when they beat Argentina in their opening group game. Hassan Tambakti was part of that memorable occasion, and the centre back will hope to replicate that result. 

Tambakti picked up three yellow cards in his 14 qualifying matches for Saudi Arabia, but it is worth noting that Saudi Arabia didn’t have to face any top-tier opponents on their AFC qualification path. Darwin Nunez looks set to lead the line for Uruguay here, and he is certain to test the Saudi defender much more with his pace and directness. 

Nunez will know all about Tambakti, they are team-mates at Al Hilal, so he will hope to exploit some of his weaknesses.

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Doku was the standout performer for Belgium during their qualifying matches, as he chipped in with five goals and two assists from his eight appearances.

He then added a further two assists to his tally against Tunisia last time out, which shows just how important he is to his national side. Despite playing on the left wing, Doku has still been efficient in the final third and incredibly difficult to predict.

He ended the season in a real rich vein of form for Man City, almost single-handedly keeping them in the title race at times, and he will hope to maintain that excellent form at the World Cup.

Hamdy Fathy recorded the highest foul count of any Egyptian player in their AFCON campaign, averaging 2.24 fouls per 90 from his seven appearances in the competition.

He committed multiple infringements in five of his six starts, so he was extremely fortunate to escape with just a single yellow card. Fathy typically operates in a defensive midfield role, meaning he will be tasked with stopping counterattacks, which might prove a difficult job against a side like Belgium.

Fathy plays in the Qatari Stars League for Al-Wakrah, which means the quality and pace of Belgium's forward line is an entirely different challenge to what he normally faces, and he should have plenty of defensive work to get through here.

Maxim De Cuyper looks set to start at left back against Egypt, and he should be able to get forward into promising advanced areas.

He scored twice from his 30 Premier League appearances for Brighton this season, which doesn’t quite exemplify just how regularly he looked to get forward.

De Cuyper had an average of 2.36 shots per 90 across his six starts in Belgium’s qualifiers, and two of those efforts managed to find the back of the net.

He is afforded plenty of attacking freedom by Rudi Garcia, who likes his fullbacks to be aggressive and push into attacking positions, which bodes well for De Cuyper here.

Youri Tielemans is expected to partner Amadou Onana in midfield for Belgium, and the two will be familiar with each other from playing at Aston Villa as team-mates.

Tielemans is typically the one who looks to get on the ball more often, dictating play, and he should see plenty of involvement if Egypt sit deep.

Tielemans has been fouled at least twice in each of his last four appearances for Belgium, and he had an average of 1.77 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions for Aston Villa this season.

He is adept at using his body to retain possession and deal with opponents pressing him, which makes this price stand out.

Saudi Arabia showed plenty of aggression during qualifying, collecting 28 cautions across their 12 matches (2.33 per game).

They averaged 9.20 fouls committed per game, which is a rate that is bound to rise at the World Cup given that they are now lining up against vastly superior sides to those they faced during qualifying.

Saudi Arabia’s best chance here is to slow the game down as much as possible. I see them engaging with Uruguay in central areas frequently in an attempt to stifle their rhythm - which should lead to at least two cards for the underdogs.

Uruguay averaged 4.39 corners per game during qualifying, winning 4+ corners in 50% of their matches.

Saudi Arabia only conceded 3.67 corners per game, but this is another metric that will definitely increase during the World Cup, with Saudi Arabia taking on a higher level of opponent.

Uruguay racked up six corners in their final warm-up game for the tournament against Algeria and should be able to cover this corner line as the dominant side.

Sergio Rochet lined up in goal for Uruguay during qualifying and was called into action 37 times across his 14 appearances (2.64 per 90), maintaining a save percentage of 82.2%.

Fernando Muslera is expected to replace him in the starting lineup for this opening game. He’s got a lot of experience at this level and is still a decent shot stopper, having kept six clean sheets across 12 starts during the 25/26 season with a save average of 1.91 stops per 90.

I think Saudi Arabia can cause a few issues for the South American side in transition. The line for Uruguay to make a single save here is as short as 1.17; I don’t think the gap between that and the second save is as big as the odds are suggesting.

I still really like Darwin Nunez. He falls into that bracket of player for me where he probably won’t ever truly be elite, but his presence and shot volume make him such a handful for defenders that I think he’s worth having in a side with more efficient attacking talent around him.

He’s Uruguay’s best forward option at the moment and enjoyed a pretty decent season in Saudi Arabia, registering 10 goal contributions across just 14 starts. He's still very willing to take on shots, averaging 3.09 per 90 across the season as a whole, with 23 of these efforts finding the target (1.65 per 90).

He’s scored 13 goals across 38 caps for Uruguay, and I think he’ll be a real threat here to a pretty vulnerable Saudi Arabia backline. He scored five goals for Uruguay during qualifying, maintaining an average of 1.20 shots on target per 90.

Uruguay’s shot line is set around 14/15 shots here depending on where you look, and I think Valverde can contribute to that tally with a few attempts.

He’s easily the best player in this Uruguay side and is usually given quite a bit of freedom by Marcelo Bielsa to get forward. Valverde scored two goals for Uruguay during qualifying, averaging 1.89 shots per 90 across his 14 starts.

He enjoyed his second-ever best scoring season for Madrid during the 25/26 campaign (11), and I think he will continue to build on that confidence in front of goal with a few efforts here.

There’s an argument to suggest that Olise is France’s main man ahead of this World Cup with the form he showed during the 25/26 season for Bayern Munich.

Olise registered an incredible 53 goal contributions across 57 appearances for Bayern Munich and comes into this World Cup priced as the favourite by many bookmakers to win the Golden Ball, with France also backed to go all the way. 

Olise averaged just shy of 2.0 shots on target per 90 for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga last season, and found the target five times for France during qualifying across five starts (1.05 per 90). He also scored a hat-trick in his final warm-up game for France against Northern Ireland from four shots on target.

I expect Ndiaye to be a real outlet for Senegal here, which should put him in some promising situations to win fouls.

He’s enjoyed a strong season for Everton, winning 37 fouls across his 32 starts (1.20 per 90), which is a rate that I think will increase given how this game should pan out with France dominating and Senegal looking to take their chances in transition.

Ndiaye will be up against Lucas Hernandez (0.89 fouls per 90) and Desire Doue (1.59 fouls per 90) down his side of the pitch. He should be able to give Senegal some relief at times from what is expected to be consistent France pressure - he’s an excellent ball carrier, averaging 2.05 successful dribbles per 90 during qualifying for the African nation.

France could cover this line on their own, which is something they have done in 12 of their last 13 matches across all competitions - only failing to score twice in a surprise defeat to Ivory Coast in which they had 15 attempts with six finding the target.

France have also notably failed to keep any clean sheets across their last five matches, including clashes against Azerbaijan and Northern Ireland. There’s definitely an argument to suggest that France’s squad is a bit top-heavy and they will give away chances from the holes that are in the midfield and backline.

Senegal are quite an organised side, but can’t rely on keeping things low scoring here. They will have to be brave enough to take some risks in the final third themselves, as keeping a front four of Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele quiet for 90 minutes is a tough assignment.

I touched on the fact that France’s squad is a bit top-heavy, and I think that will lead to an important role for Mike Maignan in goal. He enjoyed another strong season for Milan, making 2.95 saves per 90 with a save percentage of 75.5%, and kept three clean sheets across five matches during qualifying.

Maignan wasn’t really tested in that qualifying run with France taking on the likes of Iceland, Ukraine and Azerbaijan, but Senegal certainly have options who can cause problems - particularly in moments where France have settled possession and move up the pitch, exposing them to runners in behind.

Senegal’s front three is expected to be:

Nicolas Jackson - 1.88 shots on target per 90

Sadio Mane - 1.27 shots on target per 90

Iliman Ndiaye - 0.71 shots on target per 90

You also have players like Ismaila Sarr, who can come on when the game is stretched, with the latter stages of games being ideal for his style of play and tendency to strike against better sides for the underdog.

I do think Senegal can cause France the odd issue, maybe even get on the scoresheet, but I expect the European side to come away with all three points and a few goals.

There aren’t many sides in international football blessed with the quality that France have in the final third. Deschamps has got much better at getting these players in a coherent system over the last few years, and you can’t ignore their runs to back-to-back finals, which shows that they don’t mind the pressure of this stage.

Senegal haven’t had the most ideal pre-tournament preparation either, failing to beat either the USA or Saudi Arabia in their warm-up games. France’s quality should shine through.