The Group D clash between USA and Paraguay in the early hours of the morning is the first of three World Cup matches taking place on Saturday, later in the day Qatar clash with Switzerland in Group B and finally the opening match in Group C sees Brazil come up against Morocco
Group D USA v Paraguay
Australia and Turkey are the other two nations in this group and for the latest betting and details of the squads click here.
USA
USA qualified automatically as hosts and they have played four friendly internationals in 2026 but with just the one win. They lost to Belgium (5-2) and Portugal (2-0) in March and April and then beat Senegal 3-2. Most recently they went down 2-1 to Germany.
Mauricio Pochettino is the USA coach and results and performances have been inconsistent since he took over. Folarin Balogun looks the most likely source of goals.
Paraguay
Paraguay’s most recent friendly delivered aa 4-0 win over Nicaragua whilst in March they lost to Morocco (2-1) and beat Greece (1-0).
Paraguay finished sixth in South American qualifying to book an automatic ticket to the finals. They were solid defensively in qualification but battled to find the net themselves from open play. Gustavo Alfaro is the head coach and this is their first finals since 2010 and they are likely to adopt a counter attacking style.
The Betting:
USA are priced at around 19/20 to win the game with the draw available at 12/5 and Paraguay can be backed at around 29/10.
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at 12/10 and it’s even money for both teams to score
Featured Price Boost: 1st Goalscorer Folarin Balogun at 9/2 with Sportingbet
The Verdict:
Evidence suggests Paraguay will be stubborn and I don’t see USA taking more than a point from this game.
Bets: Match result draw at 24/10 with Sportingbet
Note, odds are subject to change
Group B Qatar v Switzerland
Canada and Bosnia are the other two nations in this group and for the latest betting and details of the squads click here.
Qatar
The 2022 hosts Qatar failed to score in both of their friendly matches this year, a 1-0 defeat to Ireland and 0-0 draw with El Salvador. They did win the Asia Cup in 2023 and Julen Lopetegui is now the coach and his squad has a healthy representation from their domestic league and star names are hard to find.
Qatar failed to make it out of the group stage as hosts 4 years ago, losing all 3 matches, scoring just the one goal.
Switzerland
Switzerland’s two most recent friendly matches saw them draw with Australia (1-1) and they beat Jordan (4-1). In March they drew 0-0 with Norway and lost 4-3 to Germany.
They qualified automatically after topping their European group with an unbeaten record, finishing ahead of Sweden who franked the form by coming through the subsequent play offs. Murat Yakin remains the coach, Granit Xhaka pulls the strings in midfield and Breel Embolo is the likely main goal threat
The Betting:
Qatar are priced at around 12.5/1 to win the game with the draw available at 11/2 and Switzerland can be backed at around 2/9.
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at 13/20 and it’s 29/20 for both teams to score
The Verdict:
With a co–host (Canada) and a Bosnia Herzegovina side who knocked Italy out in qualifying I see beating Qatar as non-negotiable for the Swiss who I am backing to win the first half and the second.
Bets: To win both halves, Switzerland? Yes at 29/20 with Hollywoodbets
Note, odds are subject to change
Group C Brazil v Morocco
Haiti and Scotland are the other two nations in this group and for the latest betting and details of the squads click here.
Brazil
Since losing a friendly 2-1 to France in March Brazil have played 3 more prep matches against nations at these finals and they won each match, against Croatia (3-1), Panama (6-2) and most recently Egypt (2-1).
The most recent of Brazil’s five World Cup titles came in 2002 and they have turned to Carlo Ancelotti to mastermind reclaiming the crown. They lost six South American qualifiers but still booked an automatic ticket to the final in finishing fifth. Star names are everywhere in the squad including Neymar although the coach has numerous options as to who will lead the line.
Morocco
Morocco were controversially awarded the AFCON title after losing the final to Senegal earlier this year. Whilst the argument will rumble on for some time their subsequent results in friendly internationals comprise of 1-1 draws with Ecuador and most recently Norway either side of wins over Paraguay (2-1), Burundi (5-0) and Madagascar (4-0).
In Qatar four years ago Morocco were the surprise package, reaching the semi finals where they lost 2-0 to France. They qualified for these finals with a 100% record, Mohamed Ouahbi has taken over as coach and PSG’s Hakimi and Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz, who was top scorer at the AFCON this year are the headline names.
The Betting:
Brazil are priced at around 13/20 to win the game with the draw available at 29/10 and Morocco can be backed at around 17/4.
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at even money and it’s 19/20 for both teams to score
The Verdict:
You look at the names in the Brazil squad and struggle to believe they lost so many qualifiers and their opponents here are not in the habit of losing football matches. It’s still a tough old test for Morocco though and they will have to work hard and, I imagine, absorb plenty of pressure. I’m thinking that leads to a card for defensive midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Bets: Player to be carded Ayyoub Bouaddi at 39/20 with Hollywoodbets
Note, odds are subject to change