The 2026 FIFA World Cup continues into the knockout rounds! Before you enjoy the action, let’s dive into the top World Cup expert picks for today’s matches. We’ll dish out a few World Cup predictions for Friday, July 3rd. Check out these World Cup best bets for some of the top players and games on the schedule. Plus, we’ll examine some of the key World Cup odds to keep an eye on. 

Best FIFA World Cup Picks Today 7/3

Colombia vs. Ghana – Colombia ML & Under 3.5 Total Goals Parlay (-105 on BetMGM Sportsbook)

Today’s World Cup expert picks feature the Round of 32 matchup between Colombia and Ghana. Let’s roll with a same-game parlay for our World Cup predictions. In a lower-scoring contest, Colombia should win in regular time as the better squad. However, it might be a slog with Ghana showing up defensively. 

Colombia should have the majority of possession and control the flow of this game. James Rodriguez and Luis Diaz give the Colombians a notable edge to create just enough chances in the attack. Ghana, meanwhile, has shown its comfort level sitting back on defense with a tight formation that frustrates opposing attacks. It could take a half or more for Colombia to break through, but the offense has enough playmakers to get a goal or two en route to the victory. 

Conversely, Ghana’s offense has struggled to generate scoring opportunities. The Ghanians had just 15 total shot attempts in group play, which was the lowest in the field. They also mustered only 4 shots on goal across the three games. That doesn’t bode well against a Colombian defense that allowed only 2 goals on 5 shots on target during the group stage. 

Though Colombia should win, it likely won’t score a ton of goals. Ghana boasts a stubborn and stiff defense that conceded just a pair of goals in three group games. Notably, the Africans held England scoreless in a 0-0 draw. The defense will grind this game down and make Colombia earn it. 

More World Cup Expert Picks:

 

 

Top World Cup Player Props Today

Alessandro Circati (Australia) – 2+ Tackles (-150 on BetMGM Sportsbook)

Let’s keep the World Cup best bets going with a player prop. Our World Cup expert picks feature Australia defender Alessandro Circati to have 3+ tackles against Egypt today. 

Australia will rely on Circati to be a key on-ball defender against Egypt’s attacking duo of Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush. The Egyptians are expected to have most of the possession in this game, while Australia will likely sit back on defense with its compact formation. That style and flow increase the tackle opportunities for the Australian defenders. In Egypt’s three group games, 5 different opposing players had 3+ tackles. 

Circati had 3, 3, and 2 tackles in the three group-stage matches. He was especially busy defending the United States’ attack in one of those games, which is a comparable matchup to this one. Salah and Marmoush are dangerous playmakers, and Circati’s physicality will be needed to keep Egypt’s offense quiet. 

Best Underdog Picks For Today’s Matches

Lionel Messi (Argentina) – Higher Than 5.5 Shots Attempted

Our World Cup expert picks also feature a selection on Underdog Fantasy. Let’s roll with Lionel Messi to have higher than 5.5 shots attempted against Cape Verde today. It’s a high line, but the GOAT is on a quest, and he’s firing at will. 

Argentina’s attack revolves heavily around Messi, and he’s been sending in a ton of shots. He had 7 and 6 shot attempts in his two starts during the group stage. He even had 2 shots in the third game, despite playing just 30 minutes off the bench. Oh yeah, Messi also racked up 6 goals in the three matches. 

That heavy usage and involvement on the attacking end keep Messi’s shot volume high. Plus, Argentina will have the large majority of possession in this matchup. Cape Verde, meanwhile, allowed 27 and 17 shots to Spain and Uruguay, respectively, during group play. We should see the Argentinian attack send in 20 or more shots, with Messi getting most of those attempts. 

 

 

 

Most Likely Goal Scorers Today

Now that we’ve broken down the top World Cup expert picks, let’s focus on which players are most likely to score goals. Below is a list of the top anytime goalscorer World Cup odds for today’s matches. The odds are via DraftKings Sportsbook: 

Australia vs. Egypt

  • Mohamed Salah +200
  • Omar Marmoush +270
  • Mostafa Ziko +285
  • Mohamed Toure +300

Argentina vs. Cape Verde

  • Lionel Messi -230
  • Julian Alvarez -125
  • Lautaro Martinez -125
  • Jose Lopez +100

Colombia vs. Ghana

  • Luis Diaz +135
  • Luis Suarez +135
  • Juan Camilo Cucho +145
  • Jhon Andres Cordoba +145

World Cup Betting Trends To Know 

Before you lock in those World Cup expert picks, let’s talk betting trends. The World Cup odds and recent history can tell us a lot about how a match may go. Keeping up with the trends can also help us cash in on World Cup predictions as the tournament progresses. 

Thursday’s Round of 32 matches gave us some interesting results. Portugal outlasted Croatia in a 2-1 thriller. Spain and Switzerland, meanwhile, both served up clean-sheet victories. The Spaniards won 3-0 over Austria, while the Swiss earned a 2-0 win over Algeria. 

All in all, the over hit in two of three games yesterday. The “both teams to score” prop, though, only cashed in one of those matches. The over is now 8-5 in the knockout rounds, and 46-37 in the World Cup overall. The “both teams to score” pick is just 7-6 in the Round of 32, and 47-38 in the tournament as a whole.