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 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 Fabrizio from the United States, who supports Brazil and Sao Paulo. Good luck, Fabrizio!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 5?Monday’s action started with European champions Spain taking on World Cup debutant minnows Cape Verde. Surely a fixture so one-sided that there was barely any point in watching — unless you’re a resentful Cameroon fan wishing the worst on the team that took your place in North America this summer. Well, have we got news for you.Cape Verde, an archipelago nation with a population of 529,000 people, recorded one of the most shocking results in World Cup history with a 0-0 draw. Cape Verde continuously stemmed Spain’s attacking tide, sitting in a low, disciplined block that coach Luis de la Fuente and his players had no answer for. On the few occasions Spain broke through, 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha proved the impenetrable last line of defence.A bracket-buster if we’ve ever seen one, Spain were a unanimous pick — breaking ours and Stanley’s three-game streak.Cape Verde celebrate their shock draw with Spain (Roberto Schmidt / AFP via Getty Images)While the football world was reeling from the miracle in Atlanta, Belgium and Egypt served a pretty tasty second course of their own in Seattle. Again, the spoils were shared in a 1-1 draw, with both sides having opportunities to win the game in the second half.While four of our sample went for Belgium, six-year-old Wilfred showed wisdom beyond his years by shunning our advice and predicting a draw. His mettle was rewarded, briefly drawing level with us “experts” and Stanley the Dog (doesn’t sound so good when we put it that way) on six correct predictions, one point off the joint leaders.Results from June 15, 2026 TA ExpertsThe AlgoReader PicksWilfred (age 6)Stanley the DogSaudi ArabiaUruguay URU URU URU URU URU SpainCape Verde ESP ESP ESP ESP ESP IranNew Zealand draw IRN IRN draw IRN BelgiumEgypt BEL BEL BEL draw BEL In the third game of the day, Saudi Arabia continued their impressive record against South American teams in the World Cup, drawing 1-1 with Uruguay. In 2022, they started their campaign with an historic upset of their own, beating eventual champions Argentina 2-1, and they must have felt confident of repeating that feat at half-time against Uruguay, going in at 1-0.But they were made to rue missed chances as Uruguay took control in the second half, with Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais making a couple of outstanding saves before Maxi Araujo scored the equaliser in the 80th minute. Another draw and another prediction buster, with everyone backing Uruguay.Finally, Iran and New Zealand drew 2-2 to close a full day of draws — the first time the World Cup has seen four draws in a single day since 1958. That result handed us, the experts, a much-needed point, as we draw level with the readers and the algorithm on correct picks. With a best streak of three, which serves as a tie-breaker, we top the leaderboard going into matchday six.OverallaccuracyCorrectpicksBeststreakTA experts44%73Reader picks44%72The algorithm44%72Stanley the dog38%63Wilfred (age 6)38%62How 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 Wilf 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 6France vs Senegal, Group G, kick-off 3pm ET, 8pm BSTWhere to watch: Fox (U.S.), BBC (U.K)Streak Risk Factor: 3/5. France are justifiably favourites, but the African champions (at least on the pitch, anyway) are formidable opponents and have the capacity to spring a surprise.Watch Rating: 4/5. For many, this is the tie of the group stages. A chance for Senegal to repeat their 1-0 win over champions France in 2002, one of the greatest World Cup upsets in modern times. There’s the bonus of so many world-class players being on show too.The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “This is a tie you might expect to see in a quarter-final, perhaps even a semi-final of the World Cup with a fair wind, so count yourself lucky to be treated to it so early on.“France have reached the final in successive World Cups — winning in 2018 and losing on penalties to Argentina in 2022, a game many consider to be the greatest in tournament history — and are tipped to go to a third, which would make them just the third team (after Brazil and (West) Germany) to achieve such a feat.“Having been drawn in what has been dubbed the Group of Death (though whether such a group can exist in the 48-team era remains to be seen), the onus is on them and their band of superstars to get off to a flying start against strong opposition.“The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele won’t want to be playing catch-up, though they will undoubtedly fancy their chances against anyone.Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and Rayan Cherki in preparation for France’s first game (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)“Senegal are primed to explode on the world stage after conquering their continent in January, though they have since had their title stripped by the African confederation after Senegal’s players walked off the pitch and refused to play following a controversial decision to award a penalty, delaying the final for 17 minutes.“But there is no debate over the quality they have at their disposal, led by icon and 2022 Ballon d’Or runner-up Sadio Mane, who at 34, now plays his club football in Saudi Arabia. Watch out for the wing wizardry of Iliman Ndiaye, who had a fine season for Everton in the Premier League and could be in line for a big-money summer transfer.“Strap in, folks, this one’s set to be a doozy!”The Athletic Soccer Experts: FRANCE WINGuest subscriber Fabrizio: FRANCE WINSix-year-old Wilfred: FRANCE WINStanley the Dog: DRAWAlgo: FRANCE WINOur picks for June 16, 2026 TA ExpertsThe AlgoReader PicksWilfred (age 6)Stanley the DogFranceSenegal FRA FRA FRA FRA draw IraqNorway NOR NOR NOR NOR IRQ ArgentinaAlgeria ARG ARG draw ARG draw AustriaJordan AUT AUT AUT draw JOR Iraq vs Norway, Group G, kick-off 6pm ET, 11pm BSTWhere to watch: Fox (U.S.), BBC (U.K)Streak Risk Factor: 2/5. Norway should have far too much quality for Iraq, but after a 28-year absence from the international stage, who knows how they’ll adjust when the lights shine brightest.Watch Rating: 3/5. Come for Erling Haaland’s World Cup debut, stay for the “ro”: Norway fans’ attempt to replicate Iceland’s thunderclap that took Euro 2016 by storm. The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Norway are blessed with a litany of Viking-like strikers and tricky wingers — not to mention the creative brilliance of Martin Odegaard, who just captained Arsenal to the Premier League title and a Champions League final appearance.“After waiting three decades since their last World Cup, Norway breezed through qualification, scoring the most goals of any nation and beating Italy home and away by an aggregate score of 7-1. Haaland scored 16 times in qualification — double the next-highest goalscorer — and will surely have his sights set on the Golden Boot this summer. He probably won’t have a better opportunity to get a few goals under his belt than against Iraq.“Iraq recording their first World Cup win against Norway would rank as the tournament’s biggest shock, but they are a competitive outfit. They drew 1-1 with a heavily rotated Spain side on June 4, demonstrating their ability to hang with elite opposition, and came through World Cup qualifying, proving they can perform under the highest pressure. Manchester United fans may remember playmaker Zidane Iqbal, who was born and raised in Manchester and came through their academy.”Zidane Iqbal, No 11, came through the ranks at Manchester United (Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images)The Athletic Soccer Experts: NORWAY WINGuest subscriber Fabrizio: NORWAY WINSix-year-old Wilfred: NORWAY WINStanley the Dog: IRAQ WINAlgo: NORWAY WINArgentina vs Algeria, Group J, kick-off 9pm ET, 2am BSTWhere to watch: Fox (U.S.), ITV (U.K)Streak Risk Factor: 2/5. Algeria have the attacking quality to hurt Argentina, but the defending champions should have too much for a side returning to the world stage for the first time since 2014. Watch Rating: 3/5. An opportunity to watch Lionel Messi at his final World Cup shouldn’t be overlooked, but don’t worry, British readers: If you don’t fancy staying up, there will surely be plenty more chances as Argentina are expected to go far. The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Algeria have genuine star power within their ranks, with Riyad Mahrez heading up a talented cast of French-born players, including Manchester City full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, Houssem Aouar, who was linked with a big-money move to the Premier League a few years ago before his form fell off at club side Lyon, and striker Amine Gouiri.“That’s before we get to the most famous French-born name of them all, Zidane — Luca Zidane, Zinedine’s son, that is. While he’s no slouch with the ball at his feet, the Real Madrid academy product is better known for his handiwork and could start in goal for Algeria.Luca Zidane is part of Algeria’s World Cup squad (Simone Arveda/Getty Images)“But there will be no such gentle introduction to World Cup action; Algeria are expected to face a barrage of attacks courtesy of Messi and co. After bursting onto the international scene in 2022, Messi’s strike partner Julian Alvarez — who was at the centre of a bizarre €150m ($174m; £130m) transfer saga with Real Madrid ahead of the tournament — is in line to become Argentina’s main man.”The Athletic Soccer Experts: ARGENTINA WINGuest subscriber Fabrizio: DRAWSix-year-old Wilfred: ARGENTINA WINStanley the Dog: DRAWAlgo: ARGENTINA WINAustria vs Jordan, Group J, kick-off 12am ET, 5am BSTWhere to watch: Fox (U.S.), BBC (U.K)Streak Risk Factor: 2/5. You can never write anyone off in the World Cup, but Austria will undoubtedly be pleased to start their tournament against Jordan, rather than Argentina or Algeria. Watch Rating: 1/5. If you’re a late sleeper or an early riser, you won’t regret putting it on, but the inconvenient hour and lack of star power are handy excuses to skip it. The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Since former Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick took the job in 2022, Austria have a strong pressing identity with the profiles to carry it out, while recent recruit Carney Chukwuemeka, who grew up in England and now plays for Borussia Dortmund, should add some final-third quality to an experienced and settled unit. “Jordan qualified well in Asia but have lost two of their best three attackers, Yazan Al Naimat and Ali Olwan, to long-term injuries. They pride themselves on defending and commitment.”Carney Chukwuemeka, who played for Aston Villa and Chelsea, could make his World Cup debut (Christian Bruna/Getty Images)The Athletic Soccer Experts: AUSTRIA WINGuest subscriber Fabrizio: AUSTRIA WINSix-year-old Wilfred: DRAWStanley the Dog: JORDAN WINAlgo: AUSTRIA WIN