World Cup odds, best bets for Sunday’s games including Netherlands-Japan

The 2026 World Cup marches on with four more matches on Sunday. The first match of the day is one of the most lopsided matches of this tournament on paper, but the other three are fairly balanced.

Let’s take a look at what to watch in those games before our staff makes bets for Sunday’s action.

Germany vs. Curaçao (Group E)

Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: Fox (English), Telemundo (Spanish)

Venue: NRG Stadium, Houston

This is one of those matches that got circled as a downfall of the 48-team World Cup when the draw was set. Four-time champion and eight-time finalist Germany against Curaçao, the smallest nation ever to qualify for a World Cup, with a population under 200,000.

The Germans have a history of demolishing teams with six World Cup wins by at least five goals in their history. They also have the most lopsided win in the tournament this century (8-0 against Saudi Arabia in 2002) and the most famous blowout in recent history (7-1 in Brazil in a 2014 semifinal).

So, yeah, the island nation that is more known for its baseball exports is in trouble.

Netherlands vs. Japan (Group F)

Time: 4 p.m. ET

TV: Fox (English), Telemundo (Spanish)

Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Similar to Brazil-Morocco on Saturday, this match is better on paper than the history of the two nations would lead you to believe. That’s not a knock on the Netherlands, which entered the tournament among the top eight favorites to win it. It’s a compliment to Japan, which has been on a roll lately.

The Samurai Blue have won six matches in a row, including wins against Brazil, Ghana, Scotland and England. The last two were in foreign territory. All of those were friendlies, but that’s enough to make you turn your head. It’s never easy to beat England at Wembley Stadium, exhibition or not.

Japan features just three players from its domestic league, including 39-year-old Yūto Nagatomo, who made over 150 appearances for Inter Milan in his prime. The squad is filled with players from some of the best leagues in Europe. Japan has talent.

The Dutch are favored, but not overwhelmingly so at around even money to win. Both teams to score is solidly favored at -145 on DraftKings, which implies a nearly 60 percent chance of that happening and also means this one has a good chance to be entertaining.

Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador (Group E)

Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV: FS1 (English), Telemundo (Spanish)

Venue: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

If Netherlands-Japan is the mainstream game to watch on Sunday, Ivory Coast-Ecuador is the hipster game to watch. Neither team is favored to make a deep run, but both are incredibly difficult to score on.

Ivory Coast doesn’t have the big names of the Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré years, but captain Franck Kessie starred for AC Milan and played a season with Barcelona while defender Evan Ndicka is one of the better defenders in the Italian Serie A. The Elephants absolutely tore through qualifying with 25 goals scored, and none allowed in 10 matches.

Ecuador’s defensive record in qualifying is arguably more impressive, anchored by defenders Piero Hincapié (Arsenal) and Willian Pacho (PSG), who both started in the Champions League final in May. In 18 matches against South American teams, Ecuador allowed just five goals. La Tricolor scored 14, fewer than one per match, and yet still finished second in CONMEBOL, ahead of Colombia, Uruguay and Brazil.

With those stats in mind, it’s not surprising the goal total is set at a paltry 1.5. The +135 odds on the under imply there is a greater than 40 percent chance of there being one or no goals in this match.

Sweden vs. Tunisia (Group F)

Time: 10 p.m. ET

TV: FS1 (English), Telemundo (Spanish)

Venue: Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe, Mexico

Alexander Isak (Liverpool) and Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal) give Sweden big-name firepower up top, but the Swedes have not had a good run lately. Sweden did not win a match in the main phase of UEFA qualifying (four losses and two draws), but got to the playoff via Nations League ranking and then beat Ukraine and Poland to make this tournament. Still, Sweden is favored at just under even money to win.

Tunisia is in its seventh World Cup and failed to make it out of the group stage in the other six.

Estadio BBVA, just outside Monterrey, is a venue worth noticing. NFL fans might find the style familiar, with suites lining the middle sections. Its nickname in Spanish (el gigante de acero) translates to the steel giant.

Best bets

Mike Hume: Kai Havertz to score 2+ goals, +250 (FanDuel)

If you look at the scoring totals for Germany in this match, you don’t get to plus money until you get to Germany over 4.5 goals (+118). The books clearly believe this will be a boat race — and Germany will be in a hydrofoil with a jet engine strapped to the hull.

With the expectation of goals aplenty, anytime scorer values aren’t that great for the German side. So, for another modest wager, I’ll risk Arsenal’s Havertz finding the back of the net twice in what might be one of the most lopsided matches of the group stage.

Dan Santaromita: Donyell Malen anytime goal, +220 (TheScore Bet)

Malen is one of the hottest strikers on the planet after scoring 14 goals in 18 Serie A matches since joining Roma in January. He also scored four goals in eight qualifying matches with the Netherlands. I’m picking him to stay hot.

Dean Jones: Germany 5-0 Curaçao, +750 (DraftKings)

This is a complete mismatch, and Germany can get the goal count up. One of the best markets in terms of value is to guess a correct score. It’s very difficult to predict so precisely, but the upside is big, so a game like this is an opportunity to have a proper punt. Back Germany to smash them to zero.

Vik Chokshi: Germany -1.5 goals, Germany-Curacao over 3.5 goals, Netherlands Draw No Bet parlay, +115 (FanDuel)

My colleagues already covered why the Germany game is going to be a waxing. Japan is tough, and this game is going to be a grind for the Netherlands, but I see them winning this match in the 1-0, 2-1 range. Betting the draw no bet in that match gives me a bit of a safety net in case it ends in a tie. As long as Germany takes care of business as we all expect, I like this parlay at plus money.

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