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).Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app.Our guest subscriber today is Kevin, from Belgium, who supports Belgium and Arsenal Women. Good luck!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
What happened on Matchday 27?Just when you think this World Cup can’t get any more dramatic, it tells you to hold its beer while it cranks the drama dial up again.In their apparent quest to make sure they are part of the game of the tournament, Argentina’s 3-2 victory against Cape Verde in the round of 32 was only the prelude to their win over Egypt by the same scoreline.After 79 minutes, Lionel Messi’s World Cup career looked over as Egypt held a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico, and had a third controversially ruled out. Messi had also missed a first-half penalty to equalise, but late in the second half he flicked a switch and led his team to a memorable comeback. Cristian Romero headed in Messi’s cross before the 39-year-old slammed in an equaliser himself. A swift counter-attack then led to Enzo Fernandez heading in the winner in added time.The day’s other last-16 tie between Switzerland and Colombia was the opposite of dramatic. Both sides seemed reluctant to take risks, and coupled with a lack of quality in the final third and poor finishing, a shootout was the obvious direction of travel from quite early on. Colombia’s fourth penalty saw Gregor Kobel make the key save from Cucho Hernandez after centre-backs Davinson Sanchez and Manuel Akanji had missed for each team.While we were all delighted — from a prediction perspective — to see Argentina complete their rally, we were left disappointed by Colombia. The only exception was Stanley, who began his own attempt at a World Cup comeback by opting for Switzerland.Results from July 7, 2026 TA ExpertsThe AlgoReader PicksWilfred (age 6)Stanley the DogArgentinaEgypt ARG ARG ARG ARG ARG SwitzerlandColombia COL COL COL COL SUI OverallaccuracyCorrectpicksBeststreakThe algorithm69%6614TA experts68%6511Wilfred (age 6)66%637Reader picks61%595Stanley the dog41%394How 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 Matchdays 28 and 29Thursday — France vs Morocco, quarter-finals; kick-off 4pm ET, 9pm BSTWhere to watch: FOX (U.S.), ITV (UK)Streak Risk Factor: 3/5. Having built on their historic semi-finals appearance in the 2022 World Cup, Morocco should no longer be considered underdogs, but France knocked them out then and are likely to do the same here. Watch Rating: 4/5. France’s attack has delivered beyond expectation in this tournament, and there’s no reason to suggest they won’t do so again in this match.The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “France have barely got out of second gear in their first five games and their attack is so impressive they may not need to in this one either. With seven goals, Kylian Mbappe continues on his path towards becoming the greatest World Cup player in history (though the still-brilliant Lionel Messi, as well as Diego Maradona and Pele, may have something to say about that). Michael Olise has established himself as one of the game’s biggest stars in his first major international tournament. There is an air of inevitability about France at this World Cup, and most people, including former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, make his homeland clear favourites to win it.Will this be France’s first true test? (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)“Still, owing to a free pass against a heavily-rotated Norway on matchday three and relatively straightforward knockout ties with Sweden and Paraguay, there is a sense that they are yet to be truly tested. Senegal, their most formidable opponents, looked threatening in the first half of France’s eventual 3-1 opening-game win and probably should have gone in ahead at half-time. Earlier-than-expected eliminations are not unheard of for the French under Didier Deschamps, with their last-16 penalty shootout loss to Switzerland at Euro 2020 the primary example, so hope is far from lost for Morocco.“To maximise their chances of perhaps the most famous win of this impressive stretch since becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final four years ago, Morocco will have to hope Ismael Saibari can prove he is fit. Bayern Munich’s new signing was forced off in the first half of the 3-0 win against Canada on Saturday with an unspecified muscular issue, and there is no confirmation yet whether he will be available for this tie. With or without their star player, expect Morocco to invite pressure and then look to hit France quickly on the counter-attack — a tactic which has brought them great success in recent years.”The Athletic Soccer Experts: FRANCE WINGuest Subscriber Kevin: FRANCE WINSix-year-old Wilfred: FRANCE WINStanley the dog: FRANCE WINAlgo: FRANCE WINOur picks for July 9, 2026 TA ExpertsThe AlgoReader PicksWilfred (age 6)Stanley the DogFranceMorocco FRA FRA FRA FRA FRA Friday — Spain vs Belgium, quarter-finals; kick-off 3pm ET, 8pm BSTWhere to watch: FOX (U.S.), BBC (UK)Streak Risk Factor: 4/5. Spain were not at their brilliant best against Portugal in the previous round, but eliminating one of the pre-tournament contenders should not be underestimated, while Belgium appeared to find their footing against the United States. Spain are favourites here, but this tie is tougher to call than expected. Watch Rating: 4/5. Miss a World Cup quarter-final at your peril, particularly with the performance of underdogs at this World Cup. Let’s see if Spain can kick into gear against a wily Belgium side sprinkled with potential match-winners.The Athletic Soccer Experts say: “Given how exciting the rest of this World Cup has been, perhaps Spain’s win over Portugal has been slightly underappreciated. While Cristiano Ronaldo and company had been far from outstanding in the tournament, many expected them to reach the semi-finals (or beyond), so to eliminate such a team with a professional performance, where Roberto Martinez’s side failed to create any clear-cut chances, may be a point in favour of Spain’s trophy-winning credentials, not a point against.“But at the same time, the Spanish are yet to come anywhere near the levels they reached in 2024, when they became European champions. As Lamine Yamal continues to get up to speed following a pre-tournament hamstring injury, Spain have lacked the one-v-one dribbling and pace out wide which added another dimension to the slow and patient build-up for which they are famed in Germany two years ago, meaning they have occasionally looked one-paced and predictable. Finding a way to bring out the best in Yamal appears central to Spain’s prospects of winning this World Cup, as does fellow wide man Nico Williams also returning to full fitness after a groin problem.Lamine Yamal could be key to Spain winning their quarter-final (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)“In Belgium, they face a team growing in confidence and chemistry after a disappointing group stage. Their miraculous late comeback against Senegal in the last 32 will have boosted team unity, while their 4-1 thrashing of the USMNT on Monday was a comprehensive display of their attacking talent. They have looked shaky in defence, and Spain will have the quality to test that unit, but they have the tools in the attacking third to upset many people’s pre-tournament favourites.”The Athletic Soccer Experts: SPAIN WINGuest Subscriber Kevin: BELGIUM WINSix-year-old Wilfred: SPAIN WINStanley the dog: BELGIUM WINAlgo: SPAIN WINOur picks for July 10, 2026 TA ExpertsThe AlgoReader PicksWilfred (age 6)Stanley the DogSpainBelgium ESP ESP BEL ESP BEL
