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Messi is just four goals away from standing alone as the top World Cup goalscorer of all time. He currently has 13 goals to his name and is chasing down Miroslav Klose's record of 16. He scored seven times during the previous tournament in Qatar.

Interestingly, Argentina were awarded five penalties at the last World Cup, the most ever by a team in a single edition of the World Cup. Messi took all of them so being responsible for these is another big benefit.

Messi was Argentina's top scorer during qualifying having scored eight times in ten starts. Julian Alvarez was next best with four goals across 16 starts.

It took Raphinha a bit of time to settle at Barcelona, but he’s thrived since adapting to the higher standards of the club. Across the last two seasons, Raphinha has made 90 appearances for Barcelona and scored 55 goals (0.61 per game).

Brazil don’t have a clear favourite to lead the line given Joao Pedro’s surprising omission from the squad, so I expect a lot of their goals to be concentrated in the wide areas which is where Raphinha can shine.

Raphinha is 29, so this is likely to be his last World Cup given the constant emergence of attacking talent in Brazil. He’ll have all the motivation to try and get Brazil as close as they can to the big prize. He was their top scorer during qualifying and he was also responsible for penalties.

Harry Kane goes into this World Cup on the back of an incredible season. He has scored 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich across all competitions.

He scored two goals in five matches at the previous World Cup, finishing behind Rashford and Saka. He does have fond memories at these tournaments though having won the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Kane scored eight times during qualifying for the World Cup and Eze was the next best with three. As the penalty taker too, Kane seems such a straight forward pick on paper.

Kylian Mbappe has been unbelievable in his two World Cup appearances so far. He scored four in seven when France won the tournament in 2018, and last time out he scored eight in seven as he won the Golden Boot in Qatar.

Mbappe was France's standout player during qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. He scored five goals and provided three assists across four appearances. He was also on the penalties.

Cristiano Ronaldo is still going incredibly strong. Domestically he scored 28 goals in 30 appearances this season for Al-Nassr. He took six penalties too, something that he is well known for.

He's still firmly among Portugal's most important players. He averaged a goal a game during qualifying as he scored five in five and he will step up from the penalty spot if required.

Portugal have DR Congo and Uzbekistan first, this could be an opportunity for Ronaldo to add to his tally. He's also 27 goals short of reaching 1000 career goals so he will want to make headway there.

England have a very interesting group, and I actually think people have written off the Three Lions a bit too much following Tuchel’s squad announcement.

Tuchel is a master of navigating knockout competitions, and Group L is actually quite a fortunate one for England as they take on an ageing Croatia side, a messy Ghana outfit and a Panama side they have pummelled before.

Gareth Southgate’s tenure has made the early stages of knockout tournaments fairly straightforward for England, there is now an expectation for England to walk the group - which they did at the last World Cup, topping a group with Iran, USA and Wales with some convincing performances on the way. 

Panama failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, and faced a hammering when they faced England back in 2018 in the group stages. Panama lost all three games in that campaign, conceding 11 goals in the process.

The chaos behind the scenes at Ghana may make the battle to avoid a bottom placed finish a competitive one, but Ghana have far more pedigree in the group stages of the World Cup which should just give them the edge. 

Argentina topped their group without too much drama at the last World Cup, beating out the likes of Poland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia to claim top spot.

Their group looks just as appealing for a seamless route into the knockout stages this time around with Messi’s side drawn in group J alongside Algeria, Austria and Jordan.

Austria are the biggest threat to Argentina in this group, but i’m not too convinced that their style of play will be effective at the World Cup due to the intense heat and humidity which will naturally affect their pressing approach under Ralf Rangnick.

Jordan are taking part in their first ever World Cup, having failed on nine previous occasions to reach the showpiece event. They are one of the sides that have benefitted from the expanded format, but will struggle to get anything from their three matches in this group. 

The final game of the group sees Argentina take on Jordan which is a nice way for the games to fall for this bet, I can’t see anything other than Argentina coming out on top and Jordan propping up Group J.

France are one of the favourites to win the whole tournament, and have recent experience of doing so having won the World Cup back in 2018.

France have managed to top their group in each of their last two World Cup campaigns, only losing one of their six matches across these games. This group does look a bit complex on paper with Norway and Senegal certainly capable of springing a surprise, but France have the experience and depth to qualify as group winners.

Iraq are featuring at the World Cup for the first time in 40 years. They are another side that has benefited from the expanded format of the tournament, but have been given a very tough draw in the group stage with this group loosely labelled as ‘the group of death’.

Iraq have never won a game at the World Cup, so they would need to break history if they are to avoid a bottom placed finish but such a fairytale is unlikely given how competitive this group is. 

Germany kick off their World Cup campaign against Curacao, which sets up this bet nicely as Naglesmann’s side could easily come away heavy winners in that opening game - setting the stage for their dominance in this group.

I expect Germany to come out on top, with a dogfight between Ecuador and Ivory Coast for that second spot. Curacao are a brilliant story, but their campaign is likely to remain as just that - they’re the smallest ever team by land mass and population to ever appear at a World Cup, and that standing should show through their displays in the early stages.

Recent heavy defeats against Scotland and Australia would suggest that this stage is a step too far for Curacao to do anything special, and their group is particularly tough with one of the outside serious shouts for the trophy in Germany and two potential dark horses in Ivory Coast and Ecuador. 

Mexico have seen a first half goal in four of their last five international matches, with the exception being a cagey 0-0 draw with Portugal.

This is a great value boost for an early goal at the World Cup, Mexico should have all the momentum behind them at Estadio Azteca and can strike early - aided by the unique altitude of the stadium which South Africa won't be used to.

You can back a first half goal @ 2.0 for the World Cup opener by clicking the link below 👇

Mexico have everything in their favour to have a strong tournament. They’re one of the three host nations and play all three of their group matches at Estadio Azteca which is a fortress - the last time they lost there in an official international match was 2013.

They take on the weakest side in Group A first in South Africa, who are favourites to finish bottom of this group and were fortunate to come through qualifying with only Egypt offering them a significant challenge alongside Angola and Zimbabwe who both failed to win a single match.

South Africa’s preparation for this tournament has also been far from ideal with Bafana Bafana failing to win any of their last three friendly matches with these games being against Panama and a Nicaragua side who failed to qualify for the competition.

It’s hard to see a world where Mexico don’t come out on top here, they have all the momentum and the conditions couldn’t be better suited to their players. Keep an eye on Gilberto Mora, he could be a real breakout star for Mexico at just 17 years of age.

Harry Kane enters this World Cup on the back of his best ever scoring season, netting 64 goals for Bayern Munich across all competitions.

His international record is just as impressive with 78 goals across just 112 caps, working out to an average of 0.69 goals per game which is an elite return on the international stage.

Kane fell just one goal short of this milestone at the last World Cup, but did emerge as the top scorer in the 2018 World Cup with six goals - all six of those goals came in the group stage and round of 16, so he could still cover this line even if England suffered an early exit.

Kane scored eight goals across his eight starts during qualifying, so he clearly enjoys playing under Thomas Tuchel and is also on penalty duties for England. 

Mbappe won the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup, scoring eight goals as France got to the final.

He also managed four goals at the 2018 World Cup, so this is clearly a stage he likes and he should be even more motivated this time around after a trophyless season with Real Madrid.

Mbappe scored five goals across just four games in qualifying, and has netted 56 goals across his 97 caps overall for France. 

France are expected to go deep at the World Cup, they’re joint favourites alongside Spain so there should be quite a few games for Mbappe to reach this milestone. He’s also on penalties for France. 

I’m always willing to back Haaland for a few goals. He won't quite have the same level of service he’s used to at City, but his sharpness in the penalty box is unmatched across world football and should lead to a few goals for Norway at this World Cup.

Haaland has been barred from featuring on the international stage so far due to Norway failing to qualify for these tournaments, so he should be motivated to show that he can be a goalscoring threat in this environment.

His numbers for Norway suggest that his efficiency in front of goal isn’t affected by a slightly lower level of talent around him - he’s scored 55 goals across his 49 caps for Norway.

He’ll be on penalties for Norway, and with a group stage clash against Iraq on the cards, you can see him covering this line pretty early on. He scored a remarkable 16 goals across just eight starts in qualifying.  

Musiala has struggled with injuries over the last few seasons, but has regained his fitness for this World Cup and is a crucial part of Nagelsmann’s set up alongside Florian Wirtz.

Musiala scored three goals at the last European Championships and was generally one of the most impressive players. 

Germany’s opening game is against Curacao, a side who have recently conceded 4+ goals against the likes of Scotland and Australia - so we can expect Germany to put a few past them, giving Musiala a chance to get on the scoresheet early in the tournament. 

Musiala has reached double digits for goals in three of his last four seasons for Bayern Munich, so he’s certainly capable of being a goal threat alongside his clear creative ability. 

Julian Alvarez has scored 20+ goals in each of his last two seasons as Atletico Madrid’s main striker and comes into this World Cup as one of their key goal threats alongside Lionel Messi.

Argentina’s attacking threat mainly hinges on the duo of Alvarez and Messi, so that’s where we can expect most of their goals to be concentrated at this World Cup. He isn’t on penalties, but can still carry a real threat from open play.

Alvarez scored two goals in the most recent Copa Libertadores and also netted four goals across just five starts at the last World Cup - showing that he’s more than capable of delivering at this level. 

Bosnia are a side that consistently get on the scoresheet, netting at least one goal in 14 of their last 15 international matches.

The 0-0 draw against North Macedonia ended a run of 13-straight games in which they had scored in, yet they still managed 16 shots in an encouraging offensive display.

Canada have conceded in their last two against European opposition (2 v Iceland and 1 v Ireland).

They also conceded in two of their four Gold Cup matches last summer, despite playing opponents significantly weaker than the Bosnia side they will come up against in Toronto.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that Bosnia have not received a single card in their two pre-tournament friendly matches; they are an aggressive team out of possession that has picked up at least two cards in nine of their last 10 competitive matches.

They habitually produce a high foul count – they have hit 15 or above in 80% of these games – offering the match officials plenty of opportunities to card them.

With 28 cards in qualifying, Bosnia averaged 2.62 per game, posting the 4th highest rate of yellows among all UEFA sides. Canada have drawn at least two cards from their opponents in eight of their last 10 friendlies.

The battle between Tahirovic and Ismael Kone in the heart of the field will be important in the destiny of this match, and it promises to produce fireworks.

Kone has won four fouls in 135 minutes of friendly action leading into this encounter, while the Bosnian has constantly picked up big foul numbers on the international scene.

He has at least one foul in eight of his last 10 competitive international appearances but has committed at least two on six occasions. In qualifying, he committed 2.17 per 90.

With Ivan Sunjic potentially only on the bench, his role as an enforcer will be more pronounced.

Hull City’s Liam Millar will be an important attacking outlet for Canada, with his direct style of play important to their chances.

In the Championship, he earned one or more fouls in six of his last seven matches with the Tigers, except the playoff final when Middlesbrough committed only two total fouls. Bosnia will not be so standoffish.

They led European qualifying with 177 fouls – 21 more than any other nation – or 16.5 a game.

This will make a ball carrier like Millar, who has led Canada in dribbles in each of their two pre-tournament friendlies, a clear target.

The 23-year-old is a player who regularly draws a significant number of fouls, earning 1.78 per 90 in Serie A this season with a midtable side.

In a team that expects to be ball-dominant, he is likely to be a magnet for fouls. He has picked up at least two in two of his last three international matches, and against a Bosnia side that is aggressive out of possession, he is likely to find himself a target in this match.

Given he has started the last nine Canada friendlies, he is a key figure in Jesse Marsch’s plans.

Potentially goes up against Ivan Sunjic and Benjamin Tahirovic, who were Bosnia’s leading foul makers in qualifying with 24 and 18, respectively.

Mbappe is the favourite to win the Golden Boot at the World Cup this summer and his record for France is seriously impressive.

Mbappe comes alive at the World Cup, he scored eight goals as France reached the final four years ago and also fired France to the trophy with four goals back in 2018.

He's set to earn his 100th cap for France at this tournament, and has scored 56 goals for his country - he's just one goal away from matching Oliver Giroud as the record top scorer for France so he has all the motivation he needs to have a decent stab at the Golden Boot and emerge as the top scorer from LaLiga.

Harry Kane comes into the World Cup on the back of his best ever scoring season, having netted 64 goals for Bayern Munich across all competitions.

He won the Golden Boot back in 2018 with six goals. All six of these goals came in the group stages or the Round of 16, showing how effective Kane can be even if England bow out early at the World Cup.

Kane has a stellar record for England overall, coming into the tournament as England's record goalscorer with 79 goals across just 113 caps. He'll be their main scoring threat, and will also be on penalties for the Three Lions.

Only Kylian Mbappe is shorter than Kane in the market for the Golden Boot, so it's hard to see how any other Bundesliga player outscores him.

Erling Haaland's goalscoring record for Norway is ridiculous.

He's scored 55 goals across 50 caps for his country, working out to an average of 1.1 goals per game which is an obscene record in international football.

For comparison, the likes of Kane and Ronaldo are operating at around 0.6 goals per game for their country, though this will be Haaland's first international tournament with his previous goals coming in qualifying and friendlies.

Haaland will definitely have a point to prove at the World Cup after missing out on previous tournaments, and while there is a risk of Norway bowing out early, there isn't a better goalscorer out of the Premier League to back at the World Cup.

Norway's group stage clash against Iraq looks particularly appealing for Haaland to get a few goals with the City striker also being on penalties for his nation.

Back Czechia to avoid defeat in their Group A opener against South Korea on Friday.

Miroslav Koubek replaced Ivan Hasek in the Czechia hot seat following a shock 2-1 defeat away to the Faroe Islands during qualifying, and the response has been impressive. The Czechs have since gone six matches unbeaten, winning play-off ties against the Republic of Ireland and Denmark to book their place at this summer’s World Cup.

There have been stronger South Korea sides in years gone by, despite them enjoying a relatively straightforward route to qualification. While the Taegeuk Warriors warmed up with wins over Trinidad and El Salvador, they were thumped 4-0 by Ivory Coast in March before losing 1-0 against Austria three days later.

Czechia are of a similar calibre to those two sides, and on current form, they should head into this contest confident of collecting at least a point.

I’m not expecting goals to flow freely in this game, but I would be surprised if we do not see at least two.

Each of Czechia’s last five matches across all competitions have featured a minimum of two goals, including both of their play-off ties against the Republic of Ireland and Denmark. During the group stage of qualifying, all but one of the Czechs’ seven fixtures broke the over 1.5 goal barrier.

The case is strengthened further when you consider that 18 of South Korea’s last 22 matches have also produced two goals or more. Both sides carry an attacking threat, but neither are completely watertight defensively, so goals at both ends are a real possibility.

I think this game has the feel of a 1-1 draw, or a 2-1 win for Czechia.

Vladimir Coufal looks like a strong candidate to commit at least one foul. The Czechia defender was regularly on the referee’s radar when playing away from home during qualifying.

In fact, Coufal committed multiple fouls in each of his three appearances away from home during the group stage. The former West Ham man was also guilty of one foul against the Republic of Ireland in a play-off semi-final earlier this year.

On top of that, Coufal averaged 1.01 fouls per game in the Bundesliga last season, committing at least one foul in seven of his final 10 appearances of the campaign.

He is likely to find himself operating in similar areas of the pitch to South Korea star Heung-min Son, who has drawn an average of 1.78 fouls per game across his four appearances for his country this calendar year.

Patrik Schick looks like the prime candidate to hit the target at least once during this contest.

The Czechia forward is a talismanic figure for his country, with an impressive return of 26 goals in 53 international appearances. Across his eight outings during World Cup qualifying, Schick hit the target a minimum of once in six of those matches, making the net bulge with five of those efforts.

His shots on target numbers were also strong during the recently concluded Bundesliga season, averaging 1.58 shots on target per 90.

Schick is also his side’s designated penalty taker, which only adds to the appeal of siding with this selection.

Look for Tomas Soucek to be fouled at least once against South Korea on Friday. The towering Czech midfielder not only commits plenty of fouls but also wins his side a fair share of free kicks in the midfield battleground.

Soucek was brought down a combined total of eight times across his 10 appearances during qualifying, with six of those free kicks coming away from home. That trend also carried into last season’s Premier League campaign, where Soucek drew an average of 0.90 fouls per game for West Ham, securing his side eight set-pieces across his final seven outings of the campaign.

Soucek is likely to find himself in a midfield battle alongside Hwang In-beom, who has averaged 1.18 fouls per 90 across his last 17 appearances for his country, while also committing an average of 1.00 fouls per 90 for Feyenoord last season.

Diego Gomez hit double figures for yellow cards this season, accumulating ten bookings from his 37 appearances across all competitions for Brighton. He showed his versatility under Fabian Hurzeler this campaign, featuring on both wings, but Gomez is primarily a central midfielder, and that is where he is likely to feature for Paraguay.

With his national side not short of options going forward, Gomez will shoulder a greater defensive responsibility - he had an average of 1.59 fouls per 90 during their qualifying matches, which translated to two yellows and a red in 13 appearances. 

Gomez is a player who tends to press aggressively, looking to win the ball back high up the pitch. He has a commendable worth-rate, and he isn’t afraid to fly into challenges. In fact, Gomez also averaged 3.88 tackles per game for Paraguay during their qualifiers, which highlights just how willing he is to duel.

Antonee Robinson had a tough domestic season for Fulham, having to deal with persistent injury setbacks, but he looks back to full fitness and is expected to play a big role under Mauricio Pochettino at the World Cup.

USA are likely to be very front-footed on home soil here, led by the former Spurs and Chelsea manager, who typically goes with attack-minded tactics. Robinson should be tasked with getting up and down that left flank regularly, although that can sometimes mean he is caught out of position when USA turn the ball over. 

Paraguay are not short of talent in the final third, with Miguel Almiron, Julio Enciso and Ramon Sosa. The latter is expected to match up against Robinson on the flank, and he is averaging 1.97 fouls drawn per 90 in the Brazilian Serie A this season. The Palmeiras winger likes to drive at his marker and be aggressive, making this a tough task on paper for Robinson.

Bosnia are expected to deploy a strike partnership at the World Cup, with Ermedin Demirovic partnering the experienced Edin Dzeko in the final third. Demirovic is likely to act as the battering ram, looking to utilise his physicality and create space for Dzeko. The Stuttgart man will be the target from long balls forward, as Bosnia are likely to play quite direct and route one football - Demirovic should have plenty of aerial duels to contest. 

The 28-year-old picked up seven yellow cards in 38 appearances across all competitions for his domestic side this season, but he has usually raised his intensity when playing for Bosnia. Demirovic was shown a yellow card in the playoff semi-final against Wales, and he had an average of 2.19 fouls per 90 during the World Cup qualifiers. In the Nations League just before that, Demirovic averaged 2.78 fouls per 90, and he was booked in three of his five appearances.

Richie Laryea looks set for a difficult encounter against Bosnia for Canada’s opening World Cup fixture, as he will be directly up against Esmir Bajraktarevic. The 21-year-old currently plays for PSV, and he is a very technical player who often looks to beat his man. Amar Dedic is another right-sided player for Bosnia - the Benfica man looks set for a massive role at the World Cup, and he often looks to maraude forward and create overlapping runs. 

Laryea is likely to be overloaded on the flank at times, which makes this card price stand out. The fullback has picked up two yellow cards from nine appearances in the MLS this term, which is nothing to write home about, but this will be a step up from the opponent he is used to facing. Laryea is the type of player who can be drawn into a cynical challenge to stop the counter, which bodes well for this selection.

Both Bosnia and Canada are sides that habitually have a high card count, and this threat is likely to be magnified by referee Facundo Tello.

The Argentine has shown at least five cards in nine of the 14 games he has officiated this season – a strike rate of 64.3%.

Canada, meanwhile, have seen three or more cards in six of their last 10 friendly matches, and will be even more aggressive given the adrenaline will be pumping in this game.

The Bosnians have seen at least three cards in four of their last five competitive games. This will not be a game for shrinking violets.

Although Bosnia’s recent matches have been low-scoring, they have tended strongly towards both teams finding the net.

Of their last seven internationals, six have ended with both teams scoring. Indeed, 1-1 draws have been a speciality in recent outings, with four of their last five finishing in that scoreline.

Canada’s recent friendly matches against UEFA opponents have also tended the same way.

They drew 1-1 with Ireland last week and fought back to draw 2-2 with Iceland at home in March, having been a couple down.

Over the course of their five international friendlies in 2026, Canada have consistently racked up enormous numbers of corners.

They are averaging 9.6 per match, never dipping below seven while topping out at 12 on 2 occasions. Expect them to take an aggressive, front-footed approach to their opening match, seeking to gain early momentum in the competition.

With an offensive style that regularly sees high corner counts, this desire to dominate territory should see them manufacture these situations often.

When it came to last season’s Gold Cup, Villarreal winger Tajon Buchanan led Canada in goals (3) but also shots on target (3), joint with strikers Jonathan David and Tani Oluwaseyi.

He has started each of the last two friendlies and has managed a shot on target in each. In his Copa America outing, the biggest competition of his international career, he posted 0.91 shots on target per 90, but his importance to the side has grown since then.

Oluwaseyi is a likely substitute for him if he is replaced, offering some insurance in this market.