World Cup Goal Scoring Picks, Odds, Predictions for Friday, June 26, 2026
Between Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, you can expect multiple goals in the France-Norway matchup that will be among Friday’s best — and possibly, given both teams’ forms, one of the best overall matches of the group stages.
That’s not the only electric matchup happening that day, though, as three groups wrap up with what promise to be high-stakes matchups.
In Group H, there’s a fascinating scenario brewing, with Spain (on four points after a surprise opening scoreless draw to Cabo Verde) playing Uruguay (on just two points, also shocked with a Cabo Verde draw, plus mildly surprised with an opening draw against Saudi Arabia). It’s possible that the teams could draw, but even if one team wins, it opens the door for Cabo Verde to finish second or even, based on where goal differential lands, win the group outright.
One thing’s certain from those matchups: There’s great potential for some team to unexpectedly get Spain or Uruguay in its knockout round bracket … though don’t count out the possibility that Uruguay could fail to make the knockout rounds altogether.
Pundits thought that Belgium would have Group G wrapped up by now, but a pair of draws and a dearth of scoring has left the Red Devils third in the standings heading into its Friday night fight with New Zealand, while Egypt can win the group outright if it beats Iran — and a draw might even be enough, depending on tiebreakers should Belgium and Egypt both land on five points.
Given all those scenarios, here’s who you can look for to score goals 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
- Kylian Mbappé, France
- Lamine Yamal, Spain
- Leandro Trossard, Belgium
Kylian Mbappé, France
Simply put, Kylian Mbappé is one of the most consistent performers of this tournament so far. Though he got off to a slow start in the opener against Senegal, he came through with a pair of goals in the second half to bring about the win. In France’s second match against Iraq, he scored within the first 15 minutes, sat with everyone else through an extended halftime rain delay, and then scored within the first 10 minutes after the restart to get another brace. Starting with the match against Norway – who, like France, also have a pair of impressive wins in Group I — it would likely be harder for most players in the world to be dependable for a brace a match. But Kylian Mbappé isn’t most players.
It’s quite conceivable that Mbappé and his prolific Norweigan counterpart, Erling Haaland, each get a brace in this match, which could absolutely tip France’s way with a 3-2 or 4-2 scoreline. It’s also conceivable for the defenses to lock in and this becoming a much more cagey and low-scoring match. But Mbappé walking away from the last group stage match without at least one goal seems particularly hard to conceive.
Lamine Yamal, Spain
Spain being stifled against Cabo Verde and then racking up four goals in a shutout win over Saudi Arabia made one thing abundantly clear: The 2026 edition of Spain without Lamine Yamal is decidedly less potent than the 2026 edition of Spain with Lamine Yamal. His goal less than 10 minutes to open up the scoring allowed La Roja fans to breathe easier, and his electricity throughout — manifest in brilliant moves and passes — sparked the rest of the team to a relatively easy victory.
Spain faces an enigmatic Uruguay team on Friday, which has drawn both matches — first 1-1 against the 59th best team in the world (per Thursday’s world rankings) and 2-2 against the 63rd best team in the world. In the latter match against Cabo Verde, Uruguay scored two goals within eight minutes before halftime to show its potency, but then had a serious defensive lapse that transformed a lead into a tie, and they couldn’t find a decisive goal in the final half hour.
While this won’t be an easy match for Spain, look for the favorites to pull it off, Lamine Yamal to be central to the win, and for Spain to be where pundits figured they’d be (albeit with more struggle than many predicted).
Leandro Trossard, Belgium
While New Zealand isn’t an easy opponent for Belgium, it’s a team that’s given up at least a pair of goals to both its prior Group G opponents. Given the cadre of attackers that the Red Devils will field against this defense, at least a pair of goals is a reasonable expectation.
Enter Leandro Trossard. While Romelu Lukaku might be a more obvious choice to score, the All Whites will key on him, and they have center backs big enough and wily enough to contain Lukaku. That’s where Trossard can flourish from the wing, counterweighting what the striker can do occupying the middle and building on Belgium’s midfield play. While Lukaku can certainly overwhelm defenses to score himself, look for the Arsenal forward to benefit from this game state and open up his account.
Photo Credit: AP/Erik S.Lesser
