World Cup Goal Scoring Picks, Odds, Predictions for Friday, June 19, 2026
On Friday, the U.S. resumes World Cup play, facing Australia in a match that could put the hosts on a glide path to the knockout rounds. Australia did surprise some in its opener by taking care of Türkiye, and turning this match into a head-to-head battle of winners. In each of its last two World Cup appearances, the U.S. won exactly one group stage match, drew one, and lost one, before bowing out in the first knockout game. Should past be prologue, that would mean that the Yanks’ winning ways in this tournament is done … but this team seems better than that, and hosting puts them in a better position.
They’re also in a more comfortable position than one of the tournament favorites, Brazil, who drew Morocco in its first match out of the gates on Saturday against dark-horse pick Morocco. A Seleção does have the chance to pick up three points on Friday, going against a Haiti team that was bested by Scotland in its first appearance in 2026.
Here are three goalscorers to keep an eye out for on Friday. Make sure to check out our World Cup match trends page for daily odds, insights and betting data for each game.
Friday’s Best 2026 World Cup Goal Scoring Picks
- Folarin Balogun, United States
- Vinicius Jr, Brazil
- Ismael Saibari, Morocco
Folarin Balogun, United States
The list of Golden Boot winners after the first group match shouldn’t be all that surprising: Lionel Messi leads with three, Kylian Mbappé has two, as do Harry Kane and Erling Haaland. But perhaps slightly surprising for those who don’t know much about the U.S. team: Folarin Balogun also has two goals from an outstanding performance in Paraguay showing what he’s all about.
You can expect Balogun to score again against Australia for two reasons: First, he’s the one American front-line player fully capable of breaking down the low block that Australia’s likely to employ. Second, with Christian Pulisic leaving the opening match at halftime with an injured calf, head coach Mauricio Pochettino may limit his minutes, making Balogun even more of a focal point of the offense.
Vinicius Júnior, Brazil
Brazil is loaded with standout offensive players, so much so that Gabriel Martinelli, Endrick, and Neymar didn’t even see the field in the opener. With only one goal scored against Morocco, head coach Carlo Ancelotti may not have the patience to stick with his initial Starting XI and may look to mix things up.
However, consider Vinicius Júnior a constant in Brazil’s lineup, and it was his individual moment of brilliance on Saturday that got his team on the board and ultimately delivered the result. Brazil should be good for at least a few goals against Haiti, and though it’s unclear where some of them will come from, it should be clear that Vini will be responsible for one.
Ismael Saibari, Morocco
As with Brazil, Morocco has a wealth of attacking talent, and in Saturday’s match against Scotland, it’s possible that Ayoub El Kaabi or Amine Sbaï get opportunities in front of goal that they didn’t get in the opener.
But Saibari did score, and performed well compared to some of his more stymied teammates. Morocco is talented enough to overcome Scotland in this match and then challenge Brazil to win the group outright with a final match performance against Haiti. Assuming both favorites triumph, it’ll come down to goal differential; look for Saibari and his teammates to try to put as many balls in the back of the net as possible.
Photo Credit: AP/Jayne Kamin-Oncea
