Soccer Betting News This Week | Lasted 32 Takes Shape, Market Watch & Analysis | June 26, 2026

By Seb Blasco, Updated on: Jun 26, 2026 12:00 AM

The latest round of World Cup action delivered drama across the tournament, with Ecuador producing a historic win over Germany to keep their campaign alive, while Scotland were left on the brink after a damaging 3-0 defeat to Brazil.

The Netherlands continued their impressive form with another confident victory, setting up a standout last-32 tie against Morocco, while Cristiano Ronaldo finally answered his critics with two goals for Portugal against Uzbekistan.

Away from the results, the Trionda match ball has become one of the tournament’s biggest talking points, with several goalkeepers struggling to deal with its speed and movement.

Meanwhile, the Golden Ball race is already taking shape, with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Jr all making strong early cases as the World Cup moves towards the knockout stages.

For everything regarding the World Cup betting online, check out our World Cup page, which will also direct you to some of the best soccer sports betting sites around.

Historic Night For Ecuador

Scotland On The Brink, As Brazil March On

Neverlands In Fine Form

Ronaldo Finally Gets Off The Mark

Ecuador came from behind to beat Germany 2-1 in a must-win group-stage match, a result that secured their place in the knockout round and eliminated Germany from the tournament. It was one of the biggest upsets of the group phase, with Ecuador overturning an early deficit under huge pressure. The win kept Ecuador’s campaign alive and sent them through at Germany’s expense, making it one of the defining results of the week. Given the stakes, the opponent, and the comeback, it stands out as a historic moment in Ecuador’s World Cup run.

Scotland went into their final group game with Brazil hoping to avoid defeat. And if they were to be defeated, then every goal conceded would chip away at their chances of progressing as a best placed third placed team. As it happened, they lost 3-nil, giving away two sloppy goals in the first half which will surely haunt manager Steve Clarke. Results on Thursday night, including Ecuador's historic win against Germany leave Scotland with a 5.26% chance of progressing. Bar a miracle, The Tartan army will be booking their flights home. Brazil’s 3-0 ensured their place as group winners on goal difference. Carlos Ancelotti’s men will now face a round of 32 tie against dark horses Japan. A fully fit Japan would have fancied their chances, but with an injury crisis that includes Endo, Mitoma, Minamino and Furuhashi, the smart money is probably on Brazil. They are currently priced at -275 on BetNow to progress to the last 16, and +800 to win the World Cup.

Three time World Cup finalists Holland came into the tournament as the perennial nearly men, having never won the competition, despite coming close on numerous occasions. They rounded off their group stage with a confident win 3-1 against Tunisia, finishing top of the group with three extremely impressive displays. Their 5-1 win against Sweden was particularly pleasing, seeing them as the joint top scorers so far with 10 goals from at XG of 2.14x. They will meet African Champions Morocco in the last thirty two, a tie that is already shaping up at the standout clash of the round. Morocco finished level on points with Brazil in the group stage, but were pipped to top spot on goal difference. Both teams will fancy their chances of progressing to the last 16, or deeper, setting up a fascinating clash. The Netherlands are currently priced at -190 to progress, with Morocco at +162. Whatever happens, this is a must watch game.

Much has been written, not least in these pages, about how well Lionel Messi will perform at this World Cup. In contrast, his long time rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, has been spared such analysis, with many having already written him off. That same narrative appeared to hold true in Portugal's opening day draw with Dr Congo, with many calling for Ronaldo to be dropped from the side. But Roberto Martinez resisted such temptations, and Ronaldo repaid his faith with two goals in storming victory against Uzbekistan. Portugal have the ingredients to go all the way this summer, and if Ronaldo can find some form, it will surely lead to goals. He is currently priced at +2500 to finish the top scorer this summer, with Portugal priced at +1000 to win the World Cup.

A record-breaking day for @Cristiano 👏

✅ First player to score at six @FIFAWorldCup tournaments
✅ Highest FIFA World Cup goalscorer in Portugal’s history pic.twitter.com/s1peim7kUz

— FIFA (@FIFAcom) June 23, 2026

Goal keeper troubles

The performance of the Trionda ball, the official match ball of the 2026, has emerged as a major talking point of the world cup so far, with several goalkeepers appearing to struggle with its movement, speed and flight.

Whilst the tournament so far has no doubt produced some incredible goalkeeping displays, there have been a growing number of goals where the keeper has managed to get their hands to the ball, but still failed to keep it out of the net.

Fastest World Cup to 100 goals in 68 years - are balls and breaks behind it? https://t.co/E5vg23Q021

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 21, 2026

The most obvious example was Algeria's Luca Zidane, who managed to get his hand to the ball against both Argentina and Jordan, only to concede a goal. A similar scenario has played out with England keeper Jordan Pickford and Senegal’s Edouard Mendy, leading former England keeper Joe Hart to suggest that ‘there may be something up with this ball’. Former Denmark keeper Kasper Schemeichel also pointed to the Trionda, specifically the four-panel, stitch-free design which can make the ball move faster and spin less than previous versions.

This may go some way to explaining why so many long-range efforts have found the next so far, with the percentage of goals scored from this distance higher than the 2022 tournament at the same stage.

Adidas, who spent around three and a half years developing the ball, carrying out over 300 lab tests, faced similar questions in 2010, when the Jabulani ball was strongly criticized by goal keepers for its erratic flight and unexpected swerving. Some went as far as to call it ‘a beach ball’.

So what does this mean for bettors? Well, the 2026 World Cup has become the fastest edition of the tournament to hit 100 goals since 1958, with the landmark reached in the 33rd game. Those looking for value in the goals market scored market, take note!

The race for the Golden Ball

Messi

Two games into the World Cup, and any doubts around the effectiveness of a 39 year old Lionel Messi have been firmly put to bed. The Argentine veteran has scored 5 goals already, recording his first ever World Cup hat-trick in the process.

In many ways, the free role afforded to Messi by coach Lionel Scaloni has actually improved his performances, with Messi able to operate in spaces where he is most effective.

Another by-product of his free role in the team, is the minutes spent on the pitch, with Messi completing 90 in both games.

From what we have seen so far, Argentina will surely go deep in this tournament, and Messi will yet again be a contender for the Golden Ball. He is currently priced at +350 on BetNow to win the award.

Kylian Mbappe

In a repeat of their 2022 clash, Kylian Mbappe is yet again emerging as the the main challenger to Lionel Messi. In Qatar, Messi took home the Golden Ball, whilst Mbappe won the Golden Boot, his goals in the final against Messi’s Argentina pipping Messi’s tally.

At the time of writing, Mbappe has already scored two in two, with France set to face Norway in their final group. He currently ranks fourth for attempts on goal, with 14 in total, 7 on target.

Again, France look set to go deep in the tournament, so the smart money will surely be considering Mbappe. He is currently priced at +480 on BetNow to win the Golden Ball.

Michael Olise

No player has ever won the Golden Ball and Golden Boot in the same tournament. This is due to goals not necessarily correlating with overall impact. And the voting system, which relied on the technical committee and media vote to decide the winner. That said, Messi would surely have won both in Qatar, had Mbappe not scored those late goals in the final.

With this in mind, Frances Michael Olise is already being tracked as one of the standout performers. The Bayern Munich star has repaid Didier Deschamps faith in him with two standout performances. He won the FIFA Man of Match in their 3-1 against Senegal, and created both two goals against Iraq, bringing his assist total to 3.

If traditional voting patterns hold, then Olise as a clear frontrunner for the Golden Ball. He is currently priced at +750 on BetNow to win the award.

Erling Haaland

France take on Norway in their final group game on Friday evening, in what looks set to be a Golden Ball litmus test. Early front runners Mbappe and Olise will face up against everyone's favourite Norwegian, Erling Haaland.

Haaland is clearly one of, if not the best striker in the World. But question marks remain around how far this Norway team can go, playing in their first World Cup since 1998.

Any doubt about Norway or Haaland were extinguished within 30 minutes of their opening game with Haaland opening the scoring in a 4-1 win against Iraq. They followed this up with a 3-2 win against African champions Senegal, Haaland again scoring twice.

Norway and Haaland, long seen as darkhorses, are already proving their case for a successful tournament. Haaland is currently priced at +1400 on BetNow to win the Golden Ball.

Vinicius Jr

Never write off Brazil. Particularly not with Ancelotti in charge. And certainly not with Vinicius Jr in the sort of form we’re currently seeing.

With Neymar still working his way back to fitness and Raphinha rules out with injury, Vincius has had to step up. He responded with four goals and an assist across three games, with Brazil topping their group.

Brazil will not play a tough Japan side in the round of 32. Expect more of the same from Vincius Jr, who is currently priced at +1400 on BetNow to win the Golden Ball.

Erling 🆚 Kylian

A #FIFAWorldCup blockbuster awaits 🎬 pic.twitter.com/tQInhSkU4h

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 26, 2026

Previous betting news updates

[June, 2026]: Ecuador qualify for the knockout phase of the World Cup.
[June, 2026]: USMNT qualify for the knockout phase of the World Cup.
[June, 2026]: USMNT kicked off the World Cup with a 4-1 win against Paraguay.
[June, 2026]: Spain are favourites to win the World Cup.
[May 28, 2026]: PSG edged into slight favouritism for the Champions League final in Budapest, with Arsenal still close behind.
[May 27, 2026]: England's World Cup squad announcement caused a stir after several big-name omissions, while they remained among the main contenders.
[May 25, 2026]: Spain stayed near the top of the World Cup outright market despite injury concerns around key players.
[May 22, 2026]: Norway gained traction as a popular dark horse ahead of the World Cup, led by Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard.
[April 15, 2026]: Arsenal entered the Champions League quarter-final market as +225 favourites.
[Early February 2026]: Arsenal moved to -500 favourites to win the Premier League following a dominant winter run.
[December 2025]: Arsenal slipped to -145 in the title market after a rash of injuries disrupted their momentum.

Soccer Betting News FAQ

Ecuador’s victory over Germany was one of the standout results of the group stage, not only because it came against four-time World Cup winners, but because only a win would have been enough to keep their tournament alive. After falling behind early, Ecuador responded with real character, turning the game around in front of a huge travelling support in New Jersey to book their place in the knockout rounds.

Meet the author

Seb Blasco

Seb Blasco has a background spanning journalism, sports betting, and filmmaking. After earning a degree in sports business with a focus on European football, he began his career as a sport betting analyst, working with major broadcasters and sports betting firms. More r...