World Cup Matchday 1: Opta stats and tips for the first round of group matches

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Mexico have already beaten South Africa 2-0 while South Korea overcame Czechia 2-1.

It's been a strong start for Betfair tipsters with Paul Higham recommending a winning tip at 9/25.50 and Mark Stinchcombe delighting backers with a 38/139.00 Bet Builder.

Below you'll find Opta stat and a tip for the remaining matchday 1 fixtures. All kick-off times are UK.

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Friday 12 June 20:00 - Canada v Bosnia

Jonathan David has been directly involved in over a third of Canada's goals across their last two major tournaments, with four goals and one assist in the 2024 Copa América and the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. 

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Saturday 13 June 02:00 - USA v Paraguay

Christian Pulisic was directly involved in all three of the USA's goals at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, scoring once and delivering two assists.

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Saturday 13 June 20:00 - Qatar v Switzerland

Switzerland qualified as winners of UEFA Group B, a group that also contained Kosovo, Slovenia and Sweden. They remained unbeaten throughout (W4 D2) and were one of only two teams in UEFA qualifying who never trailed at any point in a game, alongside England. 

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Saturday 13 June 23:00 - Brazil v Morocco

Raphinha was involved in the most goals for Brazil in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers - he scored five times and delivered two assists. In the 2022 tournament, he was the player who had the most shots on target without finding the back of the net (6 shots on target, 0 goal).  

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Sunday 14 June 02:00 - Haiti v Scotland

Scott McTominay was involved in more goals than any other Scotland player in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, scoring twice and delivering one assist. He was also only one of three players to start all six of Scotland's qualifying matches, along with John McGinn and Andy Robertson. 

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Sunday 14 June 05:00 - Australia v Turkey

Türkiye have won all four of their FIFA World Cup matches against teams from the AFC confederation, scoring 14 goals and conceding only two in the process. 

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Sunday 14 June 18:00 - Germany v Curacao

Nick Woltemade was involved in more goals than any other German player during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, scoring four times (from four shots on target) and delivering one assist. 

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Sunday 14 June 21:00 - Netherlands v Japan

Memphis Depay was both top scorer (8 goals) and joint-top assist provider (4 assists) for the Netherlands in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. 

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Monday 15 June 00:00 - Ivory Coast v Ecuador

Ecuador boasted the strongest defense in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, conceding just five goals across 18 matches. They also lost the fewest matches (2 away defeats against Argentina & Brazil). 

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Monday 15 June 03:00 - Sweden v Tunisia

The four previous meetings between Sweden and Tunisia have only produced five goals, including 1-0 wins in each of the last three matches. 

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Monday 15 June 17:00 - Spain v Cape Verde

Mikel Oyarzabal - who scored Spain's late winner in the EURO 2024 final - was one of only three players with 10+ goal involvements in the UEFA World Cup qualifiers (6 goals, 4 assists), along with Erling Haaland (18) and Memphis Depay (12). 

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Monday 15 June 20:00 - Belgium v Egypt

No Belgium player was involved in more goals than Jérémy Doku in the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (5 goals + 2 assists). He was also the top player in the UEFA section for chances created from open play (24) and touches in the opposition box (110).  

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Monday 15 June 23:00 - Saudi Arabia v Uruguay

Uruguay have won just one of their last eight FIFA World Cup opening matches (D4 L3) - 1-0 over Egypt in 2018. 

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Tuesday 16 June 02:00 - Iran v New Zealand

New Zealand are making their third appearance at a FIFA World Cup, after 1982 and 2010. They have so far failed to make it out of the first round or win a single match (D3 L3), although they were the only unbeaten side in the 2010 edition, with three draws. 

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Tuesday 16 June 20:00 - France v Senegal

France and Senegal were unbeaten in their qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. France won five of their six matches (D1) while Senegal topped their group ahead of DR Congo. 

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Tuesday 16 June 23:00 - Iraq v Norway

Erling Haaland scored 16 goals in eight qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, more than any other player and double the amount of any other player in the UEFA section.

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Wednesday 17 June 02:00 - Argentina v Algeria

Only Gambia (27) and Côte d'Ivoire (25) scored more goals than Algeria (24 in 10 matches) in CAF qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.  

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Wednesday 17 June 05:00 - Austria v Jordan

Thirteen of Austria's last 14 goals at the FIFA World Cup have been scored in the second-half, including the last three in additional time.

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Wednesday 17 June 18:00 - Portugal v DR Congo

Portugal have won only one of their last four opening matches at the FIFA World Cup, against Ghana in 2022 (3-2). Their last three openers at the tournament have produced 15 goals (6 for, 9 against), an average of five goals per game. 

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Wednesday 17 June 21:00 - England v Croatia

Only Kylian Mbappé (12) has scored more goals than Harry Kane (8) across the last two FIFA World Cups. If Kane features against Croatia, it will be his 30th match at a major international tournament (World Cup + Euro), more than any other England player. 

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Thursday 18 June 00:00 - Ghana v Panama

Ghana forward Jordan Ayew was involved in 14 goals during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers (7 goals, 7 assists), the joint-most in the CAF section alongside Algeria's Mohammed Amoura.  

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Thursday 18 June 03:00 - Uzbekistan v Colombia

Only Lionel Messi (8) scored more goals than Colombia's Luis Díaz (7) in the CONMEBOL qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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Now read the World Cup Mega Cheat Sheet

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