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Today’s Free Picks

The PLAY: Netherlands 100

With several high-profile wins in recent years, Japan enters the 2026 World Cup with high hopes and expectations. Some of that fervor has been cooled in recent weeks as Wataru Endo, Kaoru Mitoma, Takumi Minamino, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ko Itakura have all suffered injuries in the lead up to this tournament. Endo, who was named team captain prior to the event, shocked the Japanese supporters by announcing his retirement from international competition on Thursday. Manager Hajime Moriyasu had previously said, “According to the medical reports, there is nothing to say he can’t play,” so Endo’s announcement has seemingly caught everyone off-guard. Shuto Machino has been called up to replace Endo in the lineup, but he missed multiple flights on his way to the US and didn’t arrive in Dallas until Friday night. For a team like Japan whose success is based on discipline, organization and structure, this has been a tumultous run up to the World Cup. In our opinion, the Netherlands is being undervalued heading into this opening matchup. The Dutch have enjoyed success under second-term manager Ronald Koeman, going unbeaten (six wins, two draws) in World Cup qualifying. The Netherlands' height and physicality on set pieces is going to be a problem for the Japanese. We will gladly back the Dutch at even-money on the moneyline.

The PLAY: Netherlands to Reach the Round of 16

Soccer bettors and pundits have seemingly soured on the Netherlands heading into the World Cup because the Dutch have a pretty notable reputation of falling short in major tournament settings. Well, for all intents and purposes, that's perfectly fine for the purposes of this bet. The Dutch have enjoyed success under second-term manager Ronald Koeman, going unbeaten (six wins, two draws) in World Cup qualifying. In the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Netherlands lost to eventual-champions Argentina in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals. In Euro 2024, the Dutch lost to England on a 90th-minute goal in the semifinals. There's nothing to be ashamed about regarding either of those results, but those shortcomings have seemingly kept expectations in the betting market at a cool temperature heading into this year's World Cup. There is a club-like feel with the Dutch squad as 15 members of the team play in the English Premier League, including several groups of teammates. Liverpool and Brighton each have a trio of players on the squad, including the defensive backbone of Virgil van Dijk and Bart Verbruggen. Navigating Group F will not be easy for the Dutch, but travel should not be an issue. The Netherlands' group stage games are in Dallas, Houston and Kansas City, which is a very comfortable route when you consider the path that some other teams are forced to take. Japan, Tunisia and Sweden will all present a challenge, but we're comfortable backing a Dutch team that hasn't lost a match in regulation since October 2024. As of May 31 Netherlands to reach the Round of 16 is available at:

• -125 at BetMGM

• -125 at Caesars

• -140 at DraftKings

• -145 at FanDuel

The PLAY: Switzerland to Score in Both Halves

In 2022, Qatar became the first host nation to lose all three of its group stage matches. Qatar entered that event following a lengthy campaign called Project 2022, where they put every resource into putting their best foot forward on the global soccer stage. With three losses in three matches, that campaign was a flop and the 3.5 years since that event has been somewhat of a disaster. Qatar is on its fourth manager in four years as Julen Lopetegui tries to salvage something from this current squad. Two warm-up matches against El Salvador and Ireland did not inspire any confidence as Qatar failed to score in either match. In last year's Arab Cub, Qatar lost to Palestine and Tunisia while earning a draw against Syria. This team has shown very little on the international stage to suggest that it can compete on this level. Switzerland has plenty of attacking prowess and the Swiss have put up some gaudy totals in the lead up to this event. Over the last 12 months, Switzerland has scored four goals against Mexico, four goals against the US, four goals against Kosovo, three goals against Slovenia, four goals against Sweden, three goals against Germany and four goals against Jordan. Our preferred angle in this match is to back Switzerland to score in both halves. The Swiss typically do not play with their food and it doesn't take very long for them to hit the scoreboard. In the final two warm-up matches leading up to this tournament, the Swiss scored three first half goals against Jordan then scored in the opening 15 minutes against Australia. Switzerland to score in both halves is available at -122 at FanDuel and -130 at DraftKings.