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 World Cup.Oh, and a dog called Stanley and a six-year-old called Wilfred (who some of you may remember from last season’s Premier League predictions).Our guest subscriber today is Ned from England, who supports Wales and Tottenham Hotspur. Good luck, Ned!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.What happened on Matchday 1?Mexico couldn’t have wished for a better start to their World Cup campaign, with South Africa midfielder Sphephelo Sithole miscontrolling the ball on the edge of the box, allowing the hosts to win possession high up the pitch and leading to Julian Quinones scoring the first goal of the tournament.Quinones, who won the Saudi Pro League golden boot last season ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, was a thorn in South Africa’s side throughout and played an important role in Mexico doubling their lead through Raul Jimenez in the 67th minute. Jimenez was visibly emotional in his celebrations, reflecting a long journey to leading his nation at a World Cup after fracturing his skull during a Premier League game six years ago.Not only did it put his career in question, but he described it as a “miracle” that he was still alive. With his remarkable story in mind, it’s hard to imagine a sweeter sensation than scoring in front of 80,000 fans at Mexico’s national stadium to open the World Cup.Raul Jimenez celebrates scoring Mexico’s second goal against South Africa (Carl De Souza/AFP via Getty Images)With South Africa down to 10 (they later went down to nine when Themba Zwane was sent off before referee Wilton Sampaio also awarded a red card to Mexico defender Cesar Montes), his goal all but confirmed Mexico’s 2-0 win, confirming a clean sweep of correct predictions to set us all on the right track to start.But with us “experts” and Stanley the Dog predicting a draw for South Korea vs Czech Republic, there could be no such uniform success after the second game.And the experts have fallen behind the readers, six-year-old Wilfred and the pesky ‘Algo’ after South Korea won 2-1 due to an 80th-minute winner by Oh Hyeon-gyu.In front of a stadium with many empty seats (not a great look for FIFA in the second match of the tournament), South Korea should have taken the lead earlier in the game through Son Heung-min, but the Tottenham icon and now LAFC forward must have left his shooting boots in Los Angeles. Czech Republic took the lead through Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Ladislav Krejci in the 59th minute, before South Korea got back on level terms through Hwang In-beom eight minutes later.For a brief moment, it looked as if none of our predictors would extend their streak to two after Tomas Soucek appeared to have headed Czech Republic in front from a set-piece, but the linesman correctly ruled the West Ham United man offside, before Oh’s goal broke Czech — and anyone silly enough to follow the expert’s recommendations — hearts.Results from June 11, 2026 TA ExpertsThe AlgoReader PicksWilfred (age 6)Stanley the DogMexicoSouth Africa MEX MEX MEX MEX MEX South KoreaCzech Rep. draw KOR KOR KOR draw As it stands, The Athletic readers, Wilfred and the algorithm lead with two correct predictions out of two, while the experts and Stanley the Dog have 50 per cent ratio from the opening two games.OverallaccuracyCorrectpicksBeststreakReader picks100%22Wilfred (age 6)100%22The algorithm100%22TA expert50%11Stanley the dog50%11For Matchday 2, we have just two games again: Canada against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United States facing Paraguay.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: 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) and a record of “streaks” — the number of predictions everyone gets right in a row. These streaks 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 2Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, Group B, kick-off 3pm ET, 8pm BSTWhere to watch: Fox (U.S.), BBC (UK)Streak Risk Factor: 3/5. A tournament host nation boosted by adrenaline are usually a safe bet for their opening game, but Bosnia and Herzegovina built their qualification on surprises and will be looking to carry that on.Watch Rating: 3/5. Come for another opening ceremony at Toronto’s BMO Field, stay for what should be an intriguing battle as both sides look to qualify from a wide-open group. The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Every host nation of a major tournament wants to get off to the perfect start and it will be no different for coach Jesse Marsch’s side, who will be hoping to use that opening-game energy to secure three points.“For Canada to make a winning start, they will need to find more ways of getting star striker Jonathan David on the scoresheet than from the penalty spot. The 26-year-old has not scored from open play for his country since June 25 last year, a run of 11 games. In that time, he has netted three penalties, two of which came in a March friendly against Iceland.“There is an air of scepticism surrounding the Canadian side as our reporter Joshua Kloke explained to me: ‘There’s a sense of restlessness and anticipation in the Canada camp. They’ve been fielding questions about the most important game in the program’s history for what feels like years now. You can tell it’s wearing on them, and Canada’s attackers haven’t looked convincing during international play as of late, so I’m predicting a grinding 0-0 draw’.“Bosnia, one of the more surprising qualifiers after dramatic play-off victories over Wales and Italy (both on penalties), will present an uncomfortable challenge. Built on emotion and a mentality installed by head coach Sergej Barbarez, their defensive foundation makes them an interesting proposition in Group B.“They are not easy on the eye, but with 40-year-old Edin Dzeko steering the ship up front and youthful exuberance in behind him in the shape of Kerim Alajbegovic, they will pose their own threat.”The Athletic Soccer Experts: CANADA WINGuest subscriber Ned: CANADA WINSix-year-old Wilfred: CANADA WINStanley the Dog: CANADA WINAlgo: CANADA WINCanada head coach Jesse Marsch (Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)United States vs Paraguay, Group D, kick-off 9pm ET, 2am BSTWhere to watch: Fox (U.S.), BBC (UK)Streak Rating Risk: 3/5. The USMNT will fancy their chances in front of a raucous home crowd in their World Cup opener, but Paraguay are talented and should not be overlooked.Watch Rating: 5/5. Expect plenty of fireworks (on and off the pitch) at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles as Mauricio Pochettino’s side look to get their tournament off to a flyer.The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Not since 1994 have USMNT fans had the opportunity to see their nation play in a World Cup on home soil, so this game is more than 30 years in the making. Expect a party atmosphere starting well before kick-off, and, if all goes to plan for the hosts, stretching into the LA night.“The U.S. have been inconsistent under Pochettino, but ended their preparations for the World Cup with an impressive 3-2 win against Senegal, the African champions (well, on the pitch, anyway). They beat Paraguay 2-1 last November in Philadelphia with goals from Folarin Balogun, who is primed for a breakout World Cup after ending the season in red-hot form for his club team Monaco in France, and Gio Reyna, a maverick but inconsistent talent who Pochettino is placing faith in despite a challenging club term in Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach.“Our USMNT reporter Henry Bushnell is feeling positive. He says, ‘The U.S. is confident. Everyone is healthy. Pre-tournament friendlies provided boosts. Of course, an early Paraguay goal could change everything, but the Americans will rise to the occasion and win 2-1’.“A win for Pochettino’s side is far from a formality, however, as Paraguay are a formidable outfit who ended South American qualifying on the same number of points as Brazil. Julio Enciso, if he is fit after injury, and Miguel Almiron have magic in their boots, while Diego Gomez and Omar Alderete had impressive seasons in the Premier League.“With home-field advantage, the U.S. should open the tournament with three points — but it wouldn’t be a great surprise if Paraguay pulled off an upset.”The Athletic Soccer Experts: UNITED STATES WINGuest subscriber Ned: UNITED STATES WINSix-year-old Wilfred: DRAWStanley the Dog: UNITED STATES WINAlgo: UNITED STATES WINOur picks for June 12, 2026 TA ExpertsThe AlgoReader PicksWilfred (age 6)Stanley the DogCanadaBosnia and Herz. CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN ParaguayUnited States USA USA USA draw USA Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT kick off their campaign today (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)