Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app.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 one of 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 Myles, from the U.S., who supports Mexico and Aston Villa. Good luck, Myles!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.
Plot each team’s route to the final in our World Cup bracket
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What happened on Matchday 25?Superstars have stolen the headlines more than ever before at this World Cup, and yesterday was no different.Thanks to an outstanding double from their superstar Erling Haaland, Norway booked a place in the quarter-finals after recording another 2-1 win over Brazil. Brazil had an opportunity to take the lead from the spot after some assistance from the VAR, but former Aston Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland stopped Bruno Guimaraes’ stutter-step effort in the 14th minute.It was an even affair until Haaland broke the game open with around 10 minutes of regular time to go, heading past Alisson after some tricky wing play by Andreas Schjelderup. If his first was outstanding, his second in the 90th minute was out of this world.Twenty-five yards from goal, Haaland shifted the ball out of his feet and arrowed a shot into the bottom corner, leaving Alisson with no chance.Neymar’s added-time penalty proved little more than a consolation act from a legend bowing out from the international stage, as Norway progressed into the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.As for the predictors, it was only subscriber Nathaniel, who correctly went for a Norway win, with the rest of us going for BrazilResults from July 5, 2026 TA ExpertsThe AlgoReader PicksWilfred (age 6)Stanley the DogBrazilNorway BRA BRA NOR BRA BRA MexicoEngland ENG ENG MEX ENG MEX Jude Bellingham shone brightest in England’s 3-2 win over Mexico, which will surely be remembered as one of the games of the tournament.In the altitude of the Azteca, England rode out the initial Mexico storm (after the game was delayed by an hour due to thunderstorms) until the first hydration break, after which Thomas Tuchel’s side sprang out the traps and scored twice within two minutes, both scored by Bellingham.Bellingham scored twice in the victory (Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)Mexico responded quickly through Julian Quinones, while Jordan Pickford had to make several outstanding saves to stop the threatening Raul Jimenez. A red card for Jarrell Quansah looked set to put the hosts back in the ascendancy in the second half, but Anthony Gordon won a penalty soon after, which was dispatched by Harry Kane. Then a VAR-influenced decision saw Mexico awarded a penalty of their own, which Jimenez coolly tucked away in the 69th minute.If this all sounds remarkably breathless, well, that’s because it was. England then dug deep to hang on with 10 men against a barrage of Mexico crosses, booking their place in the last eight to face Haaland and Norway in Miami.Us ‘experts’, the algorithm and young Wilf all backed England, while Stanley and Nathaniel had gone for Mexico.Those results leave the algorithm narrowly ahead of us in the league table, one pick and one per cent in front, with Wilfred third on 60 correct picks and a percentage of 65 with the subscribers a further three picks and per cent back. Sadly for Stanley the dog, he continues to struggle at the bottom.OverallaccuracyCorrectpicksBeststreakThe algorithm68%6314TA experts67%6211Wilfred (age 6)65%607Reader picks62%575Stanley the dog39%364How 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.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!Predictions for Matchday 26 and 27Portugal vs Spain, round of 16, kick-off 3pm ET, 8pm BSTWhere to watch: FOX (U.S.), BBC (UK)Streak Risk Factor: 4/5. Spain looked like they were coming into peak form with a comfortable victory over Austria, but Portugal’s talent means you can’t rule them out if they collectively get it right. Watch Rating: 5/5. Two of Europe’s heavyweights going toe-to-toe with teams packed full of quality; what more could you want? The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Lamine Yamal looks to have fully recovered from the injury that delayed his start to the tournament and confidence is flowing through his Spanish team-mates. Mikel Oyarzabal scored a double in the last game and Marc Cucurella provided an attacking outlet from the left. It feels like Spain have a few more gears they can move through.“Luis de la Fuente’s side have yet to concede a goal and their possession-based style makes it tough for opponents to sustain pressure. Portugal and their attacking talent will pose their biggest threat yet, but Colombia’s display against them in the group stages showed that if you keep the ball, you can limit their effectiveness.Yamal is starting to fire (Wang Kaiyan/Xinhua via Getty Images)“Portugal’s opening quarter against Croatia was arguably the best they have looked in the tournament aside from the Uzbekistan demolition. There was a speed and intensity to their play, but as the first half wore on, they went back to some of the bad habits that have left them looking toothless.“Roberto Martinez will be delighted with how his side responded to going behind to Ivan Perisic’s strike after 53 minutes. They did not panic. Rafael Leao and Nuno Mendes’ partnership on the left looked as good, as it has done during the tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo kept his composure to score his first World Cup knockout goal from the spot and the head coach used the depth on his bench as Goncalo Ramos headed in the 89th-minute winner.“This will be a significant step up in quality and they will need to be better than they were against Croatia and Colombia, but this might just ignite something in a group of players where their quality has never been in question.”The Athletic Soccer Experts: SPAIN WINGuest Subscriber Myles: SPAIN WINSix-year-old Wilfred: SPAIN WINStanley the dog: SPAIN WINAlgo: SPAIN WINOur picks for July 6, 2026 TA ExpertsThe AlgoReader PicksWilfred (age 6)Stanley the DogPortugalSpain ESP ESP ESP ESP ESP United StatesBelgium BEL BEL USA BEL USA United States vs Belgium. Round of 16, kick-off 8pm ET, 1am BSTWhere to watch: FOX (U.S.), BBC (UK)Streak Risk Factor: 5/5. The United States will be buoyed by the surprise availability of Folarin Balogun and if how close Belgium came to elimination in the last 32 is the wake-up call they needed.Watch Rating: 4/5. It feels like this is guaranteed goals (apologies if I’ve jinxed it). The last time these two teams faced was a friendly in March when Belgium won 5-2, but this is a very different and much improved US team. The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “If the mood around the United States team was high, the news that striker Balogun’s one-match ban has been suspended, making him available for this tie, gives them even more reason to be positive. He has led their attack superbly and scored the opener in their last-32 tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina before being sent off, taking his total for the tournament to three.“Mauricio Pochettino’s side are riding a wave of momentum and if they can keep that going, they will be tough opposition for most, if not all, the teams left in the competition. Their attacking qualities have been clear, with Christian Pulisic providing threat from wide and Weston McKennie either playing line-breaking passes or making bursting runs beyond the ball. Against Bosnia, when down to 10 men, they showed their discipline and robustness out of possession. Balogun had his one-match ban suspended so is available (Reuters/Carlos Barria)“Belgium were staring a tournament exit in the face when they were 2-0 down with five minutes to go against Senegal. Two goals in the space of three minutes from Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans turned the tie on its head and Tielemans then won and dispatched a penalty deep into extra time to send Rudi Garcia’s side through. “It was the latest any team had been trailing by two goals that late into a World Cup game in normal time and avoided defeat, but there are a number of issues that need to be sorted if they want to go further in the competition. They may have had the same number of shots and shots on target as Senegal, but they conceded an expected goals total of 3.5. “Defensively, they must improve and they will also need more from the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku, who were substituted before the hour mark. Leandro Trossard is flourishing, though, as he had created the joint most chances of any player (16) at the end of the round of 32.”“Our US expert Henry Bushnell shares the belief emanating from the fanbase. He tells me: ‘Externally, the mood has been irreversibly altered by the Balogun controversy. Internally, I don’t think it will be. The mood has been light all week — some players were tossing around baseballs before and after training — yet focused and determined. I really think that energy, and the support of the crowd in Seattle and all around the country, will propel this team to a 2-1 win.'”The Athletic Soccer Experts: BELGIUM WINGuest Subscriber Myles: USMNT WINSix-year-old Wilfred: USMNT WINStanley the dog: USMNT WINAlgo: BELGIUM WINArgentina vs Egypt, Round of 16, kick-off 12pm (noon) ET, 5pm BSTWhere to watch: FOX (U.S.), ITV (UK)Streak Risk Factor: 2/5. Egypt have proven hard to beat but Argentina should have more than enough quality to go through. Watch Rating: 3/5. It’s Lionel Messi time again. He’ll leave you sitting there watching and saying ‘wow’ again and again. Cape Verde also showed that you can make Argentina wobble and if any upset is possible, it is sure to be dramatic. The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Argentina survived an unexpected scare as they were taken to extra time by the tournament’s surprise package Cape Verde. What was unsurprising was that it was Messi who played a key role in his side’s progression. “Argentina will always have a chance when their 39-year-old talisman is on the pitch. This is a favourable last-16 draw but they must defend better and cannot allow complacency to set in because they may not get away with it for a second time. Messi continues to amaze at 39 (Carmen Mandato – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)“Crucially for Egypt, their own star man Mohamed Salah recovered from a hamstring injury to start the last game. He played the entire 120 minutes and scored a deft, lofted penalty in the shootout. At the end of the round of 32, he had created the joint-most chances of any player at the World Cup with 16 alongside Belgium’s Leandro Trossard.”The Athletic Soccer Experts: ARGENTINA WINGuest Subscriber Myles: ARGENTINA WINSix-year-old Wilfred: ARGENTINA WINStanley the dog: ARGENTINA WINAlgo: ARGENTINA WINOur picks for July 7, 2026 TA ExpertsThe AlgoReader PicksWilfred (age 6)Stanley the DogArgentinaEgypt ARG ARG ARG ARG ARG SwitzerlandColombia COL COL COL COL SUI Switzerland vs Colombia, Round of 16, kick-off 4pm ET, 9pm BSTWhere to watch: FOX (U.S.), ITV (UK)Streak Risk Factor: 5/5. Two of the tournament’s ‘dark horses’ face off for a place in the quarter-finals. We’ll put Colombia as slight favourites.Watch Rating: 4/5. Colombia, even if they haven’t scored too many goals, have been a really good watch and Switzerland have grown into the competition. The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Colombia are a really balanced side with threat in attack, while maintaining a solid defensive foundation. “The main concern for Colombia remains how clinical they are in front of goal. Against Ghana, it was another game where they had 20 shots, eight of which were on target, but they only scored once. Since scoring three against Uzbekistan in their opening game, they have registered 64 shots in their last three matches but have only scored twice. “There has not been much focus on Switzerland but they probably haven’t minded that as they have gone about their business effectively and efficiently. They have been able to rely on their experienced tournament performers like Ricardo Rodriguez, Manuel Akanji, Granit Xhaka and Breel Embolo to guide them through. “Johan Manzambi’s breakout tournament continued in Switzerland’s 2-0 victory over Algeria as his assist for Embolo’s opener took his to five goal involvements for the tournament (three goals and two assists). The 20-year-old has cemented his place in Murat Yakin’s starting XI and feels like he will be key to how far Switzerland can go in this tournament”The Athletic Soccer Experts: COLOMBIA WINGuest Subscriber Myles: COLOMBIA WINSix-year-old Wilfred: COLOMBIA WINStanley the dog: SWITZERLAND WINAlgo: COLOMBIA WIN
