World Cup Goal Scoring Picks, Odds, Predictions for Sunday, June 21, 2026
Sunday will bring some tournament favorites looking to overcome initial draws to wrest control of their groups.
Spain was involved in perhaps the biggest surprise of the tournament so far — held scoreless in a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, with the island nation’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha gaining instant worldwide fame and literally millions of new Instagram followers following his heroic performance against what is now the No. 3 team in the world (but No. 2 entering the tournament).
Cape Verde will next test its defense against Uruguay, which had to get a late equalizer from Maximiliano Araújo to salvage a draw against Saudi Arabia. Spain will try to get its offense going against the Saudis, continuing their tradition of making it tough on favored opponents in group stage games. (They were the lone team to best Argentina en route to that team’s World Cup win in 2022.)
Belgium, meanwhile, needed the brute force of substitute Romelu Lukaku to force an own goal and split the points with an Egypt team that stepped up. On Sunday, Belgium faces Iran at massive SoFi Stadium, after Iran opened its World Cup campaign there with an exciting 2-2 draw against New Zealand, in a match that truly could have gone either way.
Here are three goalscorers to keep in mind for Sunday’s slate. Make sure to check out our World Cup match trends page for daily odds, insights and betting data for each game.
Sunday’s Best 2026 World Cup Goal Scoring Picks
- Nico Williams, Spain
- Charles De Ketelaere, Belgium
- Darwin Núñez, Uruguay
Nico Williams, Spain
Certainly, Spain can’t be held scoreless forever. Lamine Yamal got minutes in the opener, which is an encouraging sign for La Roja’s fortunes, as Pedri had an uneven match as the team’s prime midfield creator, and the forwards couldn’t quite get the ball over the line despite multiple attempts.
Nico Williams only got limited minutes against Cape Verde as well, but looked like a difference maker in the few moments he got. He’s still not likely fit enough to go more than a half hour at best (and 15 to 20 minutes is more realistic), but look for him to get in late and make a difference – perhaps it won’t be as dire as a 1-0 win for Spain, but if it is scoreless or deadlocked, a Yamal to Williams connection might be what breaks it.
Charles De Ketelaere, Belgium
Belgium found goals hard to come by against Egypt, which was somewhat surprising. Romelu Lukaku’s introduction into the match certainly helped the Red Devils, as they scored (via own goal) shortly after his arrival.
Belgium should fare better against what could be (based on its opening 2-2 draw against New Zealand) a more wide-open Iran, and at 6’4”, De Ketelaere — who started in the opener — is taller than any of the center backs likely to start. The Atalanta striker is relatively new to the Red Devils, but as a goalscorer in their 5-2 win over the U.S. in a March friendly in Atlanta, is not entirely unknown to American fans.
Darwin Núñez, Uruguay
If you’re a big believer that Cape Verde can do against Uruguay what it did against Spain, you might consider a bet on “no goalscorer” to replicate the surprising (and lucrative) result that happened in the opener.
But if you believe that talent eventually rises to the level of goals being scored and wins being earned, Núñez should be able to break through and notch a goal against what has been an outstanding Cape Verde defense through the first 90 minutes.
As a team, Cape Verde’s defended well, but Uruguay’s attackers are a grade above Cape Verde’s defense considering the level of club teams they feature for. That might only result in a 1-0 win given what both teams showed in their respective openers, but that would put Uruguay into the inside track to win the group ahead of what promises to be an epic Spain-Uruguay group stage final.
Photo Credit: AP/Lindsey Wasson
