England’s first task at World Cup 2026 is to overcome regular opponents Croatia in a 9pm kick-off UK time at Dallas Stadium. The Group L clash sees a repeat of the 2018 World Cup semi-final in which Croatia staged a comeback 2-1 win after extra-time. England came out top in their showdown at the group stage of Euro 2020, a Raheem Sterling goal securing a 1-0 win.
There are three other games to get through on Wednesday, beginning with defending champions Argentina and Lionel Messi up against Algeria at Kansas City Stadium. The Group J match gets the day off to an early start with a 2am kick-off.
When the final whistle goes in Kansas you could try to get some sleep, but then you would miss Austria taking on Jordan. That second game in Group J is scheduled to get underway at 5am, hosted by San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal are the early evening attraction. Their Group K game with DR Congo is a 6pm kick-off at Houston Stadium. That potential goal fest should warm us up nicely for the main attraction featuring England vs Croatia at 9pm.
To help you through a long day of top football action with NetBet Sport, we’ve selected some best picks below for each of the three games based on our latest World Cup betting odds.
And if you want to increase the odds on a bet from just one of these matches, our Bet Builder feature allows you to combine multiple markets from a single event into one handy wager!
*All odds are subject to change
Argentina vs Algeria: Outcome And Total Goals 2.5 – Argentina And Over 2.5 @ 2.19
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni rode a wave of criticism when he was given the top job in 2018. The doubters have been silenced. Under Scaloni, Argentina won their first trophy for 28 years with the 2021 Copa America, beat France in a penalty shootout to become World Cup winners in 2022, and completed a successful defence of their Copa America title in 2024. The question here is whether these cup kings can engineer an emotional send off for Lionel Messi. Now 38, the talismanic captain’s legs may be aging but he is fully acclimatised after enjoying life in the States with MLS side Inter Miami. Seven straight wins leading up to this tournament and no goals conceded in the last three games suggests Argentina mean business again. Algeria have their own talented leader in Riyad Mahrez, 35, and an exciting young talent in Ibrahim Maza, a playmaker in the No 10 mould. The Bayer Leverkusen starlet carries the nickname ‘Mazadona’. Despite Algeria’s qualifying record of eight wins in 10 games, Argentina are overwhelming favourites to start Group J with a comfortable win.
Austria vs Jordan: Anytime Goalscorer – Marcel Sabitzer @ 2.60
Austria have lost the goalscoring power of Christoph Baumgartner through injury, leaving that responsibility to the likes of former West Ham striker Marko Arnautovic, who at 37 is seeing out his career in the Serbian SuperLiga with Red Star Belgrade. Just behind the striker’s role, you’ll find Borussia Dortmund’s Marcel Sabitzer and he has scored in each of Austria’s three straight wins coming into this tournament. Jordan’s squad has already reached hero status just for reaching the finals, all while scoring a national record 32 goals during qualifying. Their style is to soak up pressure and strike on the counter-attack. Against World Cup calibre opponents that could be very risky. Their last two warm-up games saw a 4-1 thumping by Switzerland and a 2-0 defeat by Colombia.
Portugal vs DR Congo: Bet Builder | Quick Bets – Bruno Fernandes to score anytime, Portugal to win & Over 1.5 goals @ 3.10
On a day for all-time greats, we now get to see Cristiano Ronaldo in action. The big question is whether he can still perform on the biggest stage at 41. Portugal boast a hugely talented midfield, with Bruno Fernandes the creator general having just broken the Premier League record for assists in a season with 21. PSG pair Vitinha and Joao Neves provide energetic support from behind while Bernardo Silva and Pedro Neto roam menacingly out wide. Just one defeat in 13 games is the pedigree they bring to North America. The 2025 Nations League champions are ranked fifth in the world by FIFA, while their African opponents are down in 46th place. There are names familiar to Premier League fans in their line-up though. West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka and former Hammer Arthur Masuaku are the settled full-backs, with Axel Tuanzebe of Burnley at centre-back. Sunderland’s Noah Sadiki is their young but effective force in midfield. DR Congo’s preparations took in a 0-0 draw with Denmark and a 2-1 defeat by Chile. In a game in which the odds are screaming a Portugal win, it may be worth considering a Bet Builder for a better price.
England vs Croatia: Anytime Goalscorer – Harry Kane @ 2.30
Thomas Tuchel’s bold squad selection gets its first test. England powered through qualifying, becoming the first European nation to win all eight games without conceding a single goal. Captain Harry Kane contributed eight goals to that campaign and as ever seems key to England’s hopes here. There was a hiccup in pre-tournament friendlies with a 1-0 home defeat by Japan, but the two most recent matches in Floridian sunshine resulted in a 1-0 win over New Zealand and a comfortable 3-0 showing against Costa Rica, during which midfielder Declan Rice looked particularly impressive. England have a 2018 World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia to avenge. Ivan Perisic, a scorer that day, is still going strong on the wing at 37 and is four years junior to captain Luka Modric. The dynamic Milan midfielder is yet another great of the game showing his skills at a World Cup for the last time. Croatia chose some tough fixtures to prepare for America and lost two of the last three. Brazil scored two late goals in April for a 3-1 win, while Belgium delivered a 2-0 home defeat for Croatia at the start of June. That was followed by a 2-1 win over Slovenia, with Modric on the scoresheet.
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