The World Cup Group E clash between Ivory Coast and Ecuador kicks off as Sunday night turns into Monday morning to be followed by Sweden v Tunisia in Group F. Later in the day Spain take on Cape Verde in Group H, Belgium face Egypt in Group G and finally Saudi Arabia meet Uruguay, also in Group H.
Group E Ivory Coast v Ecuador
Germany and Curacao are the other nations in this group and for the latest betting for this group and details of the squads click here.
Ivory Coast
Friendly international results could hardly have been more encouraging for Ivory Coast who beat South Korea (4-0), they also won in Scotland (1-0) in March and earlier this month they beat France 2-1. They also took part in the AFCON finals in Morocco either side of the turn of the year and after coming through their group with 7 points from 3 matches and then beating Burkina Faso (3-0) in the first knockout round they bowed out at the quarter final stage, going down 3-2 to Egypt.
Ivory Coast qualified automatically, unbeaten with 8 wins and 2 draws and they kept a clean sheet in all 10 qualifiers.
Emerse Fae is the coach and he has the youngest squad at the tournament at his disposal including hot property Yan Diomande and Amad Diallo as they bid to reach the knockout rounds for the first time.
Ecuador
Ecuador played two friendly internationals in March this year, against Morocco and then the Netherlands and both finished all square at 1-1. More recently they were 2-1 winners against Saudi Arabia before beating Guatemala 3-0.
In qualifying automatically from South America they conceded just 5 goals and lost only 2 of 18 matches to finish as runners up.
Sebastian Beccacece is the coach and his side have been enjoying a 19 match unbeaten run, they are hardly free scoring but as that defensive record suggests, they know how to keep goals out.
The Betting:
Ivory Coast are priced at around 2.55/1 to win the game with the draw available at 1.75/1 and Ecuador can be backed at around 1.35/1.
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at 17/10 and it’s 12/10 for both teams to score
The Verdict:
I see Ivory Coast as an attacking side but vulnerable in defence whilst Ecuador’s record suggests they are the exact opposite so this is tricky. I’m going to take my chances on Amad Diallo, who was terrific at AFCON, to breach this ultra tight Ecuador defence at some stage.
Bets: Any time goalscorer Amad Diallo at 37/10 with Betway
Note, odds are subject to change
Group F Sweden v Tunisia
The Netherlands and Japan are the other nations in this group and for the latest betting for this group and details of the squads click here.
Sweden
Two recent friendly matches for Sweden saw them lose 3-1 to Norway and draw 2-2 with Greece.
Sweden had a torrid qualifying campaign, failing to win a group match but due to their performance in the Nations League they were involved in the play offs which saw them get the better of Ukraine (3-1) and then Poland (3-2).
Graham Potter took over as coach before the play offs and turned things around and he has Gyökeres and Isak as the strikers in the squad.
Tunisia
Sabri Lamouchi was appointed coach of Tunisia just prior to four friendly internationals which saw them start with a 1-0 win over Haiti and a 0-0 draw with Canada in March and April. More recently they lost 1-0 to Austria and crashed to a 5-0 defeat to Belgium.
Tunisia’s African qualifying campaign was a breeze as they reeled off 9 wins and 1 draw to top their group unbeaten. Since then they were involved in the AFCON in Morocco over Xmas and New Year and they came through their group with a win over Uganda and draw with Tanzania either side of a defeat to Nigeria. In the Round of 16 they lost 2-1 to Mali.
Tunisia have never made it beyond the group stage at a World Cup Finals in six previous attempts.
The Betting:
Sweden are priced at around 9/10 to win the game with the draw available at 23/10 and Tunisia can be backed at around 32/10.
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at 12/10 and it’s even money for both teams to score
The Verdict:
I’m not overly convinced about Tunisia and Sweden are my idea of the more likely winners.
Bets: Sweden to win at 9/10 with Betway
Note, odds are subject to change
Group H Spain v Cape Verde
Saudi Arabia and Uruguay are the other nations in this group and for the latest betting for this group and details of the squads click here.
Spain
Spain saw off Peru 3-1 in their most recent friendly and prior to that they drew 1-1 with Iraq. In March they beat Serbia 3-0 and drew 0-0 with Egypt.
Spain won 5 and drew 1 of their European group qualifiers to top their group, scoring a barrage of goals whilst keeping clean sheets in the first 5 of those matches.
Spain’s only World Cup title came in South Africa in 2010 but they did win Euro 2024 under coach Luis de la Fuente who will be eager to see Lamine Yamal return to full fitness at the earliest possible time.
Cape Verde
Cape Verde have played four friendly internationals in 2026, the first saw them go down 4-2 to Chile in March but they beat Finland 2-1 just days later. Just prior to these finals they beat Serbia and then Bermuda, both by a 3-0 scoreline.
This will be Cape Verde’s World Cup Finals debut and they got here on the back of topping heir group in Africa with 7 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat. Pedro Brito, known as 'Bubista' is the coach and the squad is largely made up of players from outside of the top leagues. They failed to qualify for the AFCON finals which concluded earlier this year.
The Betting:
Spain are priced at around 1 / 10 to win the game with the draw available at 9/10 and Cape Verde can be backed at around 22/1.
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at 7/20 and it’s 15/10 for both teams to score
The Verdict:
Finding a bet I like in my usual price range is no easy task. Spain should win with daylight but they might just ease their way into the tournament and I will go with 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0 in the multi correct scores market.
Bets: Multi scores, Spain to win 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0 at 12/10 with Betway
Note, odds are subject to change
Group G Belgium v Egypt
Iran and New Zealand are the other nations in this group and for the latest betting for this group and details of the squads click here.
Belgium
Belgium’s preparation matches started with visits to two host nations in March and they beat USA 5-2 before a 1-1 draw in Mexico. Earlier this month they were 2-0 winners against Croatia before thrashing Tunisia 5-0.
Belgium topped a pretty modest European qualifying group, unbeaten with 5 wins and 3 draws with Wales finishing as the runners up.
Rudi Garcia coaches the squad which includes experienced campaigners such as Thibaut Courtois, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku whilst many eyes will be on Man City’s winger Jeremy Doku and Arsenal’s Trossard.
Egypt
In March Egypt beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 in a friendly and then drew 0-0 away to Spain. More recently they beat Russia 1-0 before a 2-1 defeat to Brazil.
Hossam Hassan is the Egypt coach who oversaw an unbeaten qualifying campaign comprising of 8 wins and 2 draws with just 2 goals conceded. Since then Egypt took part in the AFCON 202/26 Finals in Morocco where wins over Zimbabwe and South Africa plus a draw with Angola saw them safely through to the knockout rounds. They went on to beat Benin and Ivory Coast before losing the semi final to Senegal 1-0 and they lost the third placed play off to Nigeria on spot kicks.
Mo Salah is the big name in the squad which also includes Man City’s Omar Marmoush.
The Betting:
Belgium are priced at around 13/20 to win the game with the draw available at 11/4 and Egypt can be backed at around 42/10.
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at 19/20 and it’s even money for both teams to score
The Verdict:
Although it was only a friendly Egypt’s 0-0 draw in Spain could stand them in good stead and they will be in a really strong position if they avoid defeat here. Consider New Zealand and Iran are the other two sides in this quartet I don’t think a draw is out of the question.
Bets: Match result draw at 11/4 with Betway
Note, odds are subject to change
Group H Saudi Arabia v Uruguay
Spain and Cape Verde are the other nations in this group and for the latest betting for this group and details of the squads click here.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia played have five friendly internationals in 2026. They lost the first three, to Egypt (4-0), Serbia (2-1) and Ecuador (2-1) but earlier this month they beat Puerto Rico 3-0 and drew 0-0 with Senegal.
That defeat to Egypt led to a change in coach with Georgios Donis taking over and Salem Al Dawsari, the Asian Player of the Year, is the star turn in the squad.
In the 2022 WC Finals in Qatar Saudi Arabia won their opening group match which came against Argentina who went on to win the tournament. That upset was followed by defeats to Poland and Mexico and they finished bottom of their group.
Uruguay
Uruguay played two friendly matches in March, drawing 0-0 with England at Wembley before another stalemate against Algeria.
They finished fourth in South American qualifying with 7 wins, 7 draws and 4 defeats, scoring 22 goals and conceding 12.
Marcelo Bielsa is the coach and he hasn’t had the best of relationships with some of the players but he has a solid midfield which includes Valverde, Ugarte and Bentancur and Darwin Nunez leads the attack.
The Betting:
Saudi Arabia are priced at around 62/10 to win the game with the draw available at 33/10 and Uruguay can be backed at around 9/20.
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at 19/20 and it’s 12/10 for both teams to score
The Verdict:
With Spain to come neither side can afford to lose this and I fancy it could be tight and low scoring.
Bets: Total match goals, under 2.5 at 8/10 with Betway
Note, odds are subject to change