World Cup Anytime Goal Scoring Picks, Odds, Predictions for Friday, June 12, 2026

On Thursday, Mexico took the spotlight as one of three World Cup hosts in this unusual tournament set-up. On Friday, the other two co-hosts — the United States and Canada — take their turn as featured teams in a doubleheader with start times six hours apart. 

The U.S. will be taking on Paraguay, the last of six automatic qualifiers from a rigorous CONMEBOL gauntlet that saw highly-regarded Brazil finish fifth. For American fans, Paraguay’s best known for Miguel Almiron, the midfielder who boomeranged from Atlanta United to Newcastle and back — and they very well may be the most beatable opponent of the three that the U.S. will face in the group stages. They’ll take the field at SoFi Stadium, where they’ll also face Türkiye in the group stage finale in two weeks’ time

Canada will start with Bosnia & Herzegovina in Toronto. For Bosnia & Herzegovina, getting into the World Cup was an effort, requiring a European playoff to dispatch Wales and then Italy, taking both to penalties and winning after battling to 1-1 draws. 

Though Canada’s been bitten with injuries, most notably having to replace Marcelo Flores with Jayden Nelson following Flores’ ACL injury in the recent Concacaf Champions Cup final, they have an array of talented forwards who are all candidates to score. Do keep an eye on whether Alfonso Davies gets the start — the dynamic wingback may miss one or more group stage matches contingent on a healing hamstring, and he’ll be essential to Les Rouges’ chances of advancing into the knockout rounds. 

These are three goalscorers to watch on Friday. Be sure to also check out our World Cup match trends page for daily odds, insights and betting data for every game.

• Folarin Balogun, USA
• Jonathan David, Canada
• Edin Džeko, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Folarin Balogun, USA

While Christian Pulisic might be the more obvious choice to notch a goal for the U.S. — as he did in the ‘22 World Cup to help get his team past Iran and out of the group stages — Balogun’s been the more reliable scorer and a focal point for Mauricio Pochettino’s attack. 

He’s a mobile, agile striker, still just 24, who benefits from the U.S.’s lively midfield, and he’s recently scored against Paraguay, getting the match-winning goal in a 2-1 win last November. His name might not be as well-known as Pulisic’s yet, but this match could start a breakout tournament for him. 

Jonathan David, Canada

David has been Les Rouges’ go-to striker, and though Cyle Larin and Tani Oluwaseyi are credible scoring threats, David’s likely to get the call from coach Jesse Marsch as the starting No. 9. 

His two penalty kick conversions in a March match against Iceland bailed Canada out from a 2-0 halftime deficit to a more acceptable draw. Results like that, plus a draw in a final tune-up match against Ireland, raise questions about how far Canada will go, but it won’t be because David’s not scoring goals. He should be good for at least one goal in this opener. 

Edin Džeko, Bosnia & Herzegovina

At 40, Džeko has had a remarkable career leading the line for teams like Manchester City, Roma, and Inter Milan. With more than 400 goals between club and country, it’s understandable why he’s been a mainstay of the Bosnian team since debuting in 2007, scoring in each of 20 consecutive years. 

Certainly, this is Džeko’s last best opportunity to shine on the national stage, and though it’s a challenge to debut in the World Cup against a host nation, certainly a veteran of his stature won’t be fazed by the challenge or what promises to be a raucous Toronto crowd. 

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Photo Credit: AP/John Locher