The United States takes the pitch in the Round of 32, looking to move past Bosnia-Herzegovina and into the Round of 16. Below, I explain why this is a solid matchup for Team USA and why I believe they will advance with relative ease. I also highlight why England is in for a tough match against DR Congo and why Senegal is being severely undervalued against Belgium. Here are the best 2026 World Cup picks for Wednesday, July 1st.
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Wednesday’s Best 2026 World Cup Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
England vs. DR Congo
Considering England is -1000 to advance, this seems like one of the most lopsided matches of the Round of 32. But I'd caution against blindly backing England to dominate this game.
DR Congo has been excellent defensively in this tournament. The Congolese have allowed one goal in each game, but when two of those three opponents are Portugal and Colombia, there is nothing to be ashamed of with those results.
Meanwhile, England has really struggled with teams that just sit back and play sound defense. Ghana held the English scoreless, and though England scored twice against Panama, those two goals didn't come until after 60 minutes of play, and they were scored within five minutes of each other. Aside from that one spell, England struggled to decipher the Panama defense.
Finally, while DR Congo scored three times against Uzbekistan, I'm not confident in this offense against an English defense that has posted two consecutive shutouts. I expect England to move on after a low-scoring game, but I'm going to take a chance on DR Congo keeping this within one goal.
Pick: Under 2.5 goals (-115) and DR Congo +1.5 (-105)
Belgium vs. Senegal
Belgium and Senegal are each coming off massive wins against weaker teams, with Belgium defeating New Zealand 5-1 and Senegal defeating Iraq 5-0. It's worth noting that Iraq played over 85 minutes of that match with only 10 players. However, neither team was convincing before those results, so I don't really know what to make of either squad.
That said, Senegal at least has the excuse of playing in an incredibly difficult group. Though Senegal lost to both Norway and France, both games were competitive. I particularly liked what I saw against France, where the score was 0-0 until the 66th minute and just 1-0 until the 82nd.
Belgium's offense has been very frustrating aside from that match against New Zealand. The Belgians didn't score at all against Iran, and they managed just a 1-1 draw against Egypt. While Senegal allowed three goals in two of three group matches, those performances came against two of the best offensive teams in the tournament.
All that said, I'm going to back Senegal to win this match in regulation. While many bettors will focus on records, Senegal looked like a better team than Belgium during the group stage. Senegal's defense is pesky; it just couldn't stop Kylian Mbappé or Erling Haaland. Is that really a reason to count Senegal out?
Pick: Senegal (+255)
United States vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina
Some will worry about the United States after its loss to Türkiye, but that match meant nothing, and there's zero reason to panic. With all of their starters playing, the Stars and Stripes find themselves in an excellent matchup with a team that does almost nothing offensively.
While Bosnia-Herzegovina scored three times against Qatar, the Bosnians only scored twice in their first two matches, putting three shots on target in each contest and creating just one big chance. This is a team that is built to grind out defensive-minded wins, as shown by three consecutive 1-1 draws to end World Cup qualifying.
Meanwhile, Team USA’s offense has been solid. This is a team that scored four times against a Paraguay defense that just held Germany to one goal in 120 minutes, and against Australia, the Americans were in total control from start to finish.
Though breaking past the Bosnian line is difficult, the Americans will have the ball at their feet for most of this game, and with Christian Pulisic healthy, they have enough playmakers to make something happen in possession.
Finally, the United States has scored in the first 11 minutes in all three matches. A goal early in this one would really open up this game. If the United States can get Bosnia-Herzegovina to chase the game, this could turn into a shockingly high-scoring game. One that the United States dominates.
Picks: Total Goals – 90 Minutes: Over 2.5 (-125) and USA -1.5 (+105)
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.