The 2026 FIFA World Cup continues into the quarterfinal round! 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 Thursday, July 9th. 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 7/9

France To Advance & Over 1.5 Team Goals Parlay (-125 on BetMGM Sportsbook)

Today’s World Cup expert picks feature the quarterfinal matchup between France and Morocco. This should be a highly competitive game, but France’s quality and talent will win out in the end. Let’s parlay the French to advance while scoring 2+ goals for our World Cup predictions. 

France’s attack is a force to be reckoned with. The offense has scored 14 goals in 5 matches, with 3+ goals in 4 of those games. The only outlier was the 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the Round of 16. However, the French still had 15 shots and 25 touches inside the box. They also had 12 corners with a dominant 76% of possession. 

Opposing defenses are regularly struggling to contain all of France’s attacking playmakers. Kylian Mbappe has 7 goals and 2 assists in the tournament, Ousmane Dembele has scored 4 times, and Michael Olise has racked up 5 assists. That trio will test a Morocco defense that has been vulnerable at times. 

On the other side, Morocco’s attack has been potent as well. It just scored 3 goals in the Round of 16 victory over Canada. However, the offense has also been contained in its two toughest matchups. The Moroccans scored just 1 goal against both Brazil and the Netherlands. 

The French defense, meanwhile, has also been exceptional in this tournament. They’ve allowed only 3 goals in 5 matches, while giving up just 6.6 total shots and 2.0 attempts on goal per game. Plus, Morocco could be without star forward Ismael Saibari, who’s missed training this week after leaving the last match early. 

Morocco can play this tight for a half or more, but France pulls away once the defense breaks down. Holding Mbappe, Dembele, and Olise in check for a full 90 minutes is a tall task, and one that no team has been able to do in the World Cup so far. The French should win this in regular time while scoring multiple goals. 

 

 

 

Top World Cup Player Props Today

Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) – 3+ Tackles (+100 on DraftKings Sportsbook)

Let’s keep the World Cup best bets going with a player prop. Our World Cup expert picks feature Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi to have 3+ tackles against France today. The right-back will play a key role on the wing to keep the dangerous French offense in check. 

Hakimi pushes up the field in Morocco’s attack more often than most wing-backs. His ability to win tackles on the edge on both ends of the pitch is paramount to Morocco’s success. In this matchup, Hakimi will also be asked to defend smartly against Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, and others on the right side. 

France will likely have most of the possession in this match. That also increases the tackle opportunities for Hakimi and Morocco’s defenders. It’s a trend we’ve seen play out many times in this tournament. In France’s 5 matches so far, 12 different opposing players have recorded 3+ tackles. That includes 7 of the 12 being defenders. 

Furthermore, opposing right-backs are averaging 3.8 tackles per match against France in this World Cup. Plus, a right-back has recorded 3+ tackles in 4 of those 5 games. It sets up for Hakimi to be busy on that side. In a similar matchup, he had 6 tackles against Brazil in the group stage. 

Best Underdog Picks For Today’s Matches

Yassine Bounou (Morocco) – Higher Than 3.5 Saves

Our World Cup expert picks also feature a selection on Underdog Fantasy. Let’s roll with Morocco’s Yassine Bounou to have higher than 3.5 saves against France today. The goalkeeper should be busy against the potent French attack that’s bound to send in plenty of shots.

France is averaging 17.6 total shots and 7.8 attempts on goal per game in this World Cup. In turn, opposing goalkeepers have been racking up saves. When facing France in the tournament, 4 of 5 opposing keepers have made 4+ saves. That includes Paraguay’s Orlando Gill (4 saves) and Sweden’s Jacob Widdell Zetterstrom (9 saves) in the Round of 16 and Round of 32, respectively. Keepers are also averaging 5 saves per game in this matchup.

France will also likely hold most of the possession in this game while staying on the attack. That naturally increases the shot opportunities and, thus, the save chances for opposing keepers. In a similar matchup, Bounou made 4 saves against Brazil in the group stage. He also just had 3 saves and a clean sheet in the Round of 16 win over Canada. 
 

 

 

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: 

  • Kylian Mbappe -130
  • Ousmane Dembele +165
  • Jean-Philippe Mateta +180
  • Marcus Thuram +180
  • Bradley Barcola +250
  • Desire Doue +250

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. 

Tuesday’s Round of 16 matches again gave us a mixed bag of totals and results. Argentina’s comeback 3-2 win over Egypt saw both teams score as the over cashed. Conversely, Switzerland played Colombia to a 0-0 draw before eventually advancing in penalties. Obviously, the under hit while both teams failed to score. 

That means the over is now 15-9 in the knockout rounds, and 53-43 in the World Cup overall. Meanwhile, “both teams to score” is also 53-43 in the tournament and 13-11 in the knockout stage. 

We also have some interesting trends backing the favorites. The pre-game betting favorites are now 16-2-6 on the 3-way moneyline in the knockout rounds. Plus, favorites to advance are 19-5 in the knockout stage so far. There have been only 2 outright upsets past the group stage. That was Norway defeating Brazil and Belgium beating the United States, both in the Round of 16.