Good Morning ☀️,

It’s Lucas here, your Chief Predictions Officer at What Are the Odds?

A lot’s happened over the weekend. And, in a minute, we’ll give you the rundown of what just took place. But first, let’s take a loot at what else is ahead.

What’s ahead in today’s edition:

• A full weekend rundown covering all the latest World Cup news. 📝

• Today’s complete match schedule. 🗓️

• Our top pick of the day. ✅

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🇦🇷 Argentina vs Austria 🇦🇹

• Group: Group J

• Time: 13:00 ET

• Venue: AT&T Stadium

• Location: Arlington, Texas

🇫🇷 France vs Iraq 🇮🇶

• Group: Group I

• Time: 17:00 ET

• Venue: Lincoln Financial Field

• Location: Philadelphia

🇳🇴 Norway vs Senegal 🇸🇳

• Group: Group I

• Time: 20:00 ET

• Venue: MetLife Stadium

• Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey

🇯🇴 Jordan vs Algeria 🇩🇿

• Group: Group J

• Time: 23:00 ET

• Venue: Levi’s Stadium

• Location: Santa Clara, California

Want to get the best odds on today’s matches?

What a weekend we’ve just had.

Let’s start with the trivia. This weekend, we just celebrated the 1000th FIFA World Cup match to have ever taken place. And while FIFA correctly highlighted the location (Monterrey, Mexico), they neglected to say what match it was — Japan vs Tunisia (and what a match it was!).

And while we’re on the topic of breaking trivia — Egypt just celebrated their first World Cup win ever after beating New Zealand 3-1 over the weekend.

As for the more general news, let’s start with the USA, who’s now officially “a thing” after beating Australia 2-0. That’s brought them up to 6 points from 2 games in Group D — enough to guarantee them passage to the knockout rounds. (Australia and Paraguay are both on three points, and they play each other in Round 3, while Turkey’s on 0 points and plays USA next.)

It wasn’t just the yanks having a good weekend, either. Germany also got the result it was looking for with a 2-1 win against Ivory Coast guaranteeing their place in the knockout stages. Although there are questions about how far Germany’s going to be able to advance once there. Notably, there are calls for Jamal Musiala to be benched (hasn’t found form again after a comeback from a broken leg last year) and Nico Schlotterbeck being freshly injured over the weekend.

Then, there was also the Group H drama, which has only gotten more interesting after the weekend. Yes, as we predicted, Spain did manage to remember who they are/how to play. Unfortunately, Uruguay failed to that and ended up being held to a draw by Cape Verde (who also put on a much stronger performance than expected).

What makes Cape Verde’s performance all the more notable is that they’re now in a position where they have a very real chance at qualifying for the knockout stages. As it stands right now, Uruguay and Cape Verde are tied, with 2 points each. So, if Spain wins its match against Uruguay and Cape Verde can at least draw against its upcoming match against Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde automatically qualifies.

There’s also been plenty of action off the field. But, as you can probably tell by now, a lot of it’s starting to get quite predictable. You know — people complaining about the cost of attending this year’s World Cup. The most recent high-profile name to make a statement here being Paraguay’s coach Gustavo Alfaro, who also took a shot at the 3-minute hydration break in his remarks, saying “It’s a commercial break, not a hydration break. The ​game is getting out ​of hand.”

With that said, while no one’s denying the fact that commercial interests have made the most of these breaks, there does still seem to be some legitimate need for them. After all, when you’ve got comments like, "Too hot! Too hot. Incredible. Incredible. Terrible. Very hot" being made following the Uruguay vs Cape Verde match in Miami, it’s clear that there’s a good case for them in at least some matches.

With that said, if there’s one thing everyone seems to agree on, it’s that the cost of this year’s World Cup certainly seems to have gotten out of hand. About the most “positive” thing we’ve seen anyone say about it was in this write up from the Guardian. Here’s one fan quote that more or less sums up the positivity: “The cost is astronomical – I’ve been scared to look at my bank balance in the mornings… but the vibe has been great and the Americans have really bought into the whole thing.”

Of course, not every football fan’s willing to YOLO their life savings to the point that they’re scared to look at their bank balance. And, as we’ve already reported on, that seems to be leaving many seats sitting empty (despite what FIFA might claim about attendance). The upside of this is we’re starting to see more promotions through side channels. The biggest one is probably the expansion of Airbnb’s “ticket and stay” program (which may just be because of (as they said) “the success” of the initial offer…).

In other good news, while Iran still continues to have trouble with the US (despite there apparently being a peace deal…), it seems they had a bit of an attitude change over the weekend. That’s not to say they’re suddenly happy about the travel restrictions. However, they do seem to have embraced the adversity. Iranian winger, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, more or less sums up the new mindset: “We have said enough about the situation we are in… This is part of our culture. In a difficult situation, we perform better.”

And perform better they did, with Iran managing a 0-0 draw against Belgium over the weekend, which is a respectable performance considering Belgium was world #9 (they’ve now slipped to #10).

And maybe that’s a nice little high point to wrap this up — with a little recognition for what a healthy mindset and a strong will can bring. After all, if it worked for Iran, then there’s no reason it can’t work for all of us.

⚽ France vs Iraq
🏟️ 2026 FIFA World Cup
📅 Monday 22 June; 23:00 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: While surprises can happen at the World Cup, this one’s as close to a sure thing as we’ve seen in a while.

• Top 3 Stats:

  • France is currently #2 in the FIFA World Rankings.

  • Iraq is currently #60 in the FIFA World Rankings.

  • France opened its World Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory against Senegal, while Iraq lost 1-4 against Norway.

• CXSports says: There isn’t really that much we can say here that should come as much of a surprise — France is clearly the favorite here. And it’s not even close. After all, we’ve got the World’s current #2 team taking on the World’s #60. And if that alone wasn’t enough to make the difference felt, just look at the opening performances — France crushed Senegal (a much better side than Iraq), while Iraq got crushed by Norway (an inferior side to France).
  
  With that said, this is the World Cup. And, as we know, anything can happen at the World Cup (we’ve already seen enough upsets so far… so we’re sure there’ll be plenty more). So what are the chances are of an upset here?
  
  Well, the chances of an upset aren’t 0. With Iraq being Iraq (not exactly the strongest football nation…), there’s always a chance Les Bleus take this match a little less seriously than they should. And, early reports seem to suggest France will be rotating some of the squad for this match. So there’s a chance we might not see the full-force XI hit the field.
  
  Still, there’s also good reason to believe that France is going to take this one seriously. With Norway now leading them in Group I (tied on points, but Norway’s 1 ahead in goal difference), France is probably going to be looking to score hard and fast here. And if they do, Iraq isn’t going to even come close. The best they might be able to hope for is to create a frustrating opening — maybe hold it 0-0 for as long as possible. But, eventually, the flood gates probably will open. And, when they do, expect to see a barrage of French goals flying through.

• Score prediction: 4-1 for France

Bet Option #1

• Bet: France Victory

• Odds Range: 1.04-1.13

Bet Option #2

• Bet: Over/Under (Over 2.5)

• Odds Range: 1.32-1.47

Make your sportsbook work for you!

That’s a wrap for today. Tomorrow we’ve got Portugal vs Uzbekistan, England vs Ghana, Panama vs Croatia, and Colombia vs DR Congo coming up. And yes, we’ll definitely be back.

Until then, here’s to hoping you make the most of today’s World Cup action.