World Cup Best Player Prop Picks, Odds, Predictions for Thursday, June 18, 2026
The second round of Group fixtures gets underway on Thursday. The day’s action starts with the Group A fixture between Czechia and South Africa, a 12pm ET kick off for that one. Next up we’ll have Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina at 3pm ET in Group B.
Then, two of the co-hosts play their second games of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as Canada face Qatar in Group B at 6pm ET, with the final game of the day seeing Mexico take on South Korea in Group A at 9pm ET.
The World Cup is well and truly underway now! Some cracking games in store, let’s take a look at the best player props for Thursday’s fixtures. Make sure to check out our World Cup match trends page for daily odds, insights and betting data for each game.
Thursday’s Best 2026 World Cup Player Props
- Vladimir Coufal (Czechia) Over 0.5 Assist
- Breel Embolo (Switzerland) Over 1.5 Shots on Goal
- Julian Quinones (Mexico) Over 1.5 Shots on Goal (+230)
Vladimir Coufal (Czechia) Over 0.5 Assist
I was pretty disappointed with Czechia’s performance against South Korea in their first game of the 2026 World Cup. South Korea looked the more dangerous throughout, with Czechia not really looking convincing at all. A 2-1 defeat for the European side means this game is, pretty much, a must-win. It’s certainly a ‘must not lose’ at least. If Czechia lose this one, their World Cup future will be in serious doubt, especially as they’re up against co-hosts Mexico in their final Group game.
Two areas I expect Czechia to do well in – set pieces and crosses in from wide. Vladimir Coufal is one of Czechia’s corner takers and is adept with overlapping runs and crossing the ball in. The full back also has a decent long throw, in fact Czechia’s solitary goal against South Korea came from Coufal’s long throw into the box. If Miroslav Koubek’s side are to score, I’m expecting goals to come from this type of play.
Breel Embolo (Switzerland) Over 1.5 Shots on Goal
Another side that didn’t look convincing in their first World Cup Group game is Switzerland. Qatar caused them plenty of problems, culminating in an injury-time equaliser. I’m expecting Murat Yakin’s side to perform much better in this one. A win against Bosnia and Herzegovina will stand them in good stead to top the Group.
It won’t be easy, though. However, regardless of the final score I’m expecting Breel Embolo to cause problems for the Bosnian defence. He put away his penalty in the first game well, Embolo will be the main man for his country again. He had an average of one shot on target per 90 minutes during qualifying, I think he’ll improve on that record in this one.
Julian Quinones (Mexico) Over 1.5 Shots on Goal (+230)
Julian Quinones got off to a fantastic start in this year’s World Cup, scoring the first goal as his Mexico side opened up their campaign with a win. While this fixture against South Korea will be tougher, I’m still expecting the Mexican striker to perform well. He had two shots on target against South Korea, including his goal, with five shots taken overall.
The co-hosts will win this one for me, despite it being a more difficult fixture, and Quinones will cause the South Korea defence all kinds of problems. I’m expecting him to repeat what he achieved against South Korea and have at least two shots on target.
Photo Credit: AP/Natacha Pisarenko
