World Cup Best Bets: The Pick of the Weekend Fixtures

The first week of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has certainly provided its fair share of stories, from the controversial hydration/advertisement breaks to dubious refereeing decisions, and wonder displays from 40-year-old goalkeepers. The stars have also turned up to the show, with Mbappé, Kane, and Haaland firing in doubles and the soon-to-be 39-year-old Lionel Messi rattling in a stunning hat-trick.

Following England’s 4-2 win over Croatia, the fixtures continue at an unrelenting pace – hats off to anyone who manages to take in all 104 games. Here, using analysis presented by NewBettingSites.uk, we pick out our best bets in four of the weekend games kicking off at UK-friendly times, and highlight a selection of the best World Cup betting sites.

Best Betting Sites and Offers for the World Cup

Always one of the biggest betting sports on the planet, football betting turnover goes into overdrive at the FIFA World Cup. Bigger than ever before in 2026, the latest edition in North America is likely to be the biggest betting event of all time.

With 104 games crammed into five weeks, many punters see this as an ideal opportunity to add another betting account to their online portfolio. Our list of bookmakers features many quality choices, with the following five sites among those offering a rewarding sign-up offer and a top-notch football betting product.

• Spreadex - Bet £10 and Get up to £100 in Free Bets
• Midnite - Bet £10 and Get £30 in Free Bets
• BetMGM - Bet £10 and Get £40 in Free Bets
• QuinnBet - Get 50% of first day’s losses back as a Free Bet, up to £25
• Bet Ahoy - Bet £10 and Get £10 in Free Bets – Use Code: ALLABOARD10

Netherlands vs Sweden – Saturday 6pm

We start with the all-European Group F clash in this prime-time Saturday evening fixture. The Netherlands started as group favourites but have ground to make up on Sweden following their last gasp draw with Japan. While the Dutch bossed much of the game, it was a little concerning how easily Japan threatened when they upped the pace and attacked. Sweden, meanwhile, dished out a 5-1 thrashing to Tunisia in their opener, prompting the Tunisian FA to sack Sabri Lamouchi after just one game.

The match odds here align with the pre-tournament expectations, with the Netherlands priced up at just 8/11. However, while the Dutch hold the edge in defence, Sweden look electric going forward with Alexander Isak, Yasin Ayari, and Victor Gyokeres all getting on the scoresheet against Tunisia. 4/1 about Sweden looks too big here, but with Sweden far from infallible at the back, we will boost the price further by adding both teams to score.

• Recommended Bet - Sweden to Win and Both Teams to Score @ 8/1 with QuinnBet

Germany v Ivory Coast – Saturday 9pm

Ahead of the Wednesday evening fixtures, no side had gone as goal crazy as Germany in the opening round of games, with the four-time winners hitting a brave but overmatched Curaçao for seven. On paper, this should be a significantly more difficult challenge for Die Mannschaft, with the Ivory Coast beating a talented Ecuador outfit 1-0 in their opening game.

That narrow 1-0 scoreline doesn’t reflect what was a surprisingly open clash with Ecuador, with the two sides combining for 27 shots and hitting the woodwork four times. As the number 10 side in the world with a significantly higher squad value, Germany should be winning this, but the odds of 4/7 are too skinny against the dangerous Elephants. With Germany looking hot in front of goal and the Ivory Coast racking up the chances in their opener, over 3.5 goals looks like a better value play.

• Recommended Bet - Over 3.5 goals @ 17/10 with QuinnBet

Spain v Saudi Arabia – Sunday 5pm

It’s anyone’s game in Group H with the opening two fixtures ending in a draw. Starting with Spain, one of the pre-tournament favourites registered 27 shots in their opener against World Cup debutantes Cape Verde but found 40-year-old stopper Vozinha in inspirational form, as the Blue Sharks earned an improbable 0-0 draw. Saudi Arabia produced a similar display to Cape Verde on the stats, losing the shot count 27-7 against Uruguay but escaping with a 1-1 draw.

Whatever you make of Spain’s pedestrian build-up at times, they were mightily unlucky not to win their opener, while Saudi Arabia were very fortunate to earn a draw. Separated by 59 spots in the global rankings and over €1bn in squad value, we expect Spain to dominate all of the attacking stats and don’t see La Roja fluffing their lines two matches in a row.

• Recommended Bet - Handicap Betting: Spain - 2 @ 20/21 with QuinnBet

Belgium v Iran – Sunday 8pm

In common with Group H, both opening games in Group G ended in a draw. Favourites to top the section, Belgium produced a largely uninspiring performance in drawing 1-1 with Egypt. The African nation thoroughly deserved their point in a game which was almost dead level on the key stats. Iran, meanwhile, showed admirable character to twice come from behind to earn a 2-2 draw against New Zealand, but were arguably a little fortunate, having lost the shots on target count 8-4.

While not impressed with Belgium in their opener, Iran look too vulnerable at the back to persuade us to take a chance on a 7/1 shock result, although that certainly isn’t the worst bet in the world. On balance, Jeremy Doku, Leandro Trossard, Kevin De Bruyne and co should at least match New Zealand’s two-goal tally, which should be enough to pick up all three points in an entertaining encounter.

• Recommended Bet - Belgium to win and Both Teams to Score @ 13/5 with QuinnBet

A £1 Yankee on the above selections at the listed odds returns £484.24 with QuinnBet if all four selections win.