Welcome to The Athletic’s daily World Cup Predictions.This article gives you the lowdown on all today’s games, but with the bonus of some friendly competition…Throughout the tournament, we will have two Athletic writers (Andy Jones or Elias Burke — with help from our experts from each of the 48 countries) pitting our soccer knowledge against a different Athletic subscriber each day and “Algo”, the shiny new algorithm from The Athletic, which is making its computerised debut during the 2026 World Cup.Oh, and a dog called Stanley (via the offer of treats in three bowls) and a six-year-old called Wilfred (who some of you may remember from last season’s Premier League predictions).If you would like to apply to be our guest subscriber for a day during this tournament, please follow the instructions in the article here.Our first subscriber up is Vinay Das from India, who supports Portugal and Manchester United.How do the predictions work?It’s pretty simple: we will give you some background on each game, players to watch and facts on the two teams. Then we will predict the outcome: either a WIN for one of the two teams, or a DRAW.We will maintain a leaderboard of how everyone gets on with their predictions (ranked by the percentage they get correct) but we’ll also keep a record of “streaks” — the number of predictions everyone gets right in a row. These streaks also form a crucial part of The Athletic’s interactive Soccer Pick’Ems feature, allowing you to make your own picks every round as well.So come along and get involved, and check back each day to see how we are getting on in the leaderboard, and probably more importantly, whether you, the subscribers, or Stanley or Wilfred are beating us.Or, worst of all, whether ‘Algo’ can prove data and statistics know all when it comes to predicting.Good luck, and enjoy!Why not try The Athletic’s World Cup Tracker, where you can find a forecast projecting the likelihood that each team will progress through each stage of the tournament, along with a bracket projecting the most likely round of 32 matchups, current standings, and a bunch of other neat forecasts and scenarios.Predictions for Matchday 1Mexico vs South Africa — Estadio Azteca, Mexico City. Group A. Kick-off: 3pm ET, 8pm BSTWhere to watch: FOX (U.S.), ITV (UK)Streak Risk Factor: 3. The first game of a tournament can always spring a surprise, even if Mexico has the home-field advantage here.Watch Rating: 4. It’s opening ceremony time, so Shakira and Burna Boy will be on hand to build up to what should be an intriguing contest, even if there may not be lots of high-quality play on show.The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “It is roles reversed from 16 years ago, as this was the fixture that opened the 2010 World Cup, when South Africa hosted the tournament. That game ended 1-1 with Siphiwe Tshabalala’s thunderbolt to put South Africa in front becoming one of the most memorable modern World Cup goals.“That happened to be the most recent time South Africa took part in a World Cup, and they have yet to make it out of the group stage in any of their four attempts. Despite an underwhelming AFCON campaign at the start of 2026, there is a quiet confidence that this technical side, with its blend of youth and experience, can ruffle some feathers.“Tournament co-hosts Mexico will no doubt be playing in front of a party atmosphere, and they will be looking to put on a show as they aim to right the wrongs of their group-stage exit at the previous World Cup four years ago. Stalwart striker Raul Jimenez was on the scoresheet in their 5-1 warm-up victory against Serbia last Thursday, and the country’s hopes largely rest on his goalscoring.“I spoke to our Mexico reporter Jack Lang, who is confident the hosts will get off to a winning start: ‘Mexico have been buoyed by a couple of good performances in warm-up games and are in a confident mood coming into Thursday’s game’, he said. ‘I would expect them to get past South Africa with a degree of comfort’.”The Athletic Soccer Experts: Mexico WINGuest subscriber Vinay: Mexico WINSix-year-old Wilfred: Mexico WINStanley the Dog: Mexico WINAlgo: Mexico WINThe tournament’s opening game will take place at the Azteca in Mexico City (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)South Korea vs Czech Republic; Estadio Akron, Zapopan. Group A. Kick-off: 10pm ET, 3am BSTWhere to watch: FS1 (U.S.), ITV (UK)Streak Rating Risk: 4. This looks to be your classic opening game of the group stage, where any result is possible. That naturally puts any early streak in doubt.Watch Rating: 3. This looks a wide-open group, so there is a real opportunity for either side to put themselves in the driving seat, but that could also lead to neither side wanting to open up and leave themselves exposed. Could be great. Could be one where you wonder why you stayed up to watch it.The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “South Korea will be hoping for a more comfortable passage out of the group stage than four years ago, when a last-gasp goal against Portugal sent them through. “The noise around South Korea has quietened following a seamless qualification after a problematic period under former coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Hong Myung-bo, in his second spell in charge of the national team, has several options available, including Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in, Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae and headlined by LAFC’s Son Heung-min. Form or limited game time for some of those key performers has raised questions about how ready they will be for the start of the tournament. “The Czech Republic, who are ending a 20-year absence from the tournament, could not have shown more resilience if they tried in their qualification. They won two penalty shootouts in the UEFA play-offs, against the Republic of Ireland and then Denmark, and also came back from 2-0 down against the Irish. “Miroslav Koubek only took on the head coach role shortly before those play-offs in March, and the 74-year-old’s impact could not have been greater. Goalscorers Patrik Schick and Pavel Sulc will need to perform, but it is Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Ladislav Krejci who has been the team’s driving force from central defence.”The Athletic Soccer Experts: DRAWGuest subscriber Vinay: South Korea WINSix-year-old Wilfred: South Korea WINStanley the Dog: DRAWAlgo: South Korea WINLAFC’s Son Heung-min is a South Korea legend (Ulises Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images)