Carrying the weight of expectation as they bid to win a first international trophy since 1966, England will hope German boss Thomas Tuchel is the man to finally end the long wait. A German in charge of the English national team stoked much debate, as did his controversial squad selection, with countless big hitters left out, but winning their two pre-tournament friendlies ‘to nil’ perhaps hints he’s got his squad balance just right. With momentum on their side after qualifying with a 100% winning record and without conceding a single goal, the Three Lions also have history in their favour, as they’ve lost only one of their last eight opening matches at a World Cup (W4, D3), while the fact only one European side has beaten them since the conclusion of Euro 2024 should further stoke belief.
Croatia’s route to these finals was equally as plain sailing as England’s, as they too went unbeaten in their qualifying campaign (W7, D1). They’ve produced a mixed bag of results since then across four friendlies (W2, L2), and conceding in each of them hints at some defensive fragilities, which can hardly be deemed well timed for a nation who’ve won only one of their last five World Cup openers (D1, L3). Slow start or not, Croatia shouldn’t be written off having reached the semi-finals in the last two World Cups, while going unbeaten across the group stages at those two tournaments (W4, D2) highlights what tricky opponents they can be.
With the record for most World Cup games managed standing at 25, another deep French run into the tournament would see Deschamps etch his name into the history books. Reaching back-to-back World Cup finals certainly suggests that’s a distinct possibility in what will be his last tournament in charge, and after qualifying in near-perfect fashion (W5, D1), France have momentum behind them as they aim to become just the third team in history to reach three successive World Cup finals. Geopolitical issues which have followed them across the Atlantic threaten to derail France’s attempt to make history, but Deschamps has been quick to switch the attention back to on-field matters, and it’s easy to see why given France have won nine of their last 11 matches (D1, L1).
Senegal qualified for a third successive World Cup finals in similar fashion to France, advancing with an unbeaten record (W7, D3). Reaching three World Cups in a row is the joint-longest ongoing record amongst African nations, but none of those three appearances have seen them progress any further than the last 16. Their deepest run into the World Cup came back in 2002 when they reached the quarter-finals, a campaign which intriguingly began with a 1-0 win against France, but replicating that result may be tricky for a side who haven’t kept a clean sheet in 11 World Cup finals matches since and won neither of their pre-tournament warm-up games against fellow World Cup participants (D1, L1).
While lingering connections to their golden generation remain, Belgium’s new blood have the potential to do damage at this World Cup after coming through qualifying unbeaten (W5, D3). Norway (37) were the only team to outscore the Red Devils (29) in UEFA qualifying, with Belgium unbeaten in 13 matches overall (W9, D4), putting seven unanswered goals past Croatia and Tunisia in their two warm-up games. Under Rudi Garcia’s leadership, they’ll hope to avenge the group stage exit they suffered in 2022. Belgium are gearing up for their 15th appearance at the finals, the most of any European nation never to win the trophy, but should be confident of stretching a superb record of just one defeat from their last 15 group stage matches at the World Cup (W8, D6).
Egypt are making just their fourth appearance at the World Cup finals, and do so on the back of their first unbeaten qualifying campaign (W8, D2) since 1934! Only Honduras (9) have played more games in this competition than Egypt (D2, L5) without ever registering a win, so the Pharaohs have plenty of demons to banish this time around. They’re led by their all-time top scorer Hossam Hassan from the dugout, and he’s certainly built a solid foundation with Egypt having kept a clean sheet in four of their last five games, albeit the exception came in a 2-1 defeat to Brazil in their most recent outing.
Germany arrive in Texas in excellent form having won each of their last nine matches, completing their preparations by beating co-hosts USA 2-1 in Chicago last week. Only Brazil have entered and won more World Cups than the Germans, yet they are not among the immediate favourites despite that impressive run of form and proven tournament pedigree. Manager Julian Nagelsmann (38) is the youngest manager at the competition and is younger than goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (40), who is reportedly on target to start despite missing their recent friendlies, and is therefore set to become only the second German after Lothar Matthäus to play in five World Cups.
In 78-year-old Dick Advocaat, Curaçao have the oldest manager ever to take charge of a World Cup game, while they are the smallest nation by area and population to qualify for the 2026 event. Getting here has already produced one of the stories of the tournament, especially as the Blue Wave did so by scoring more goals in CONCACAF qualifiers than any other side (28), but they’re expected to struggle with difficult games against Ecuador and Ivory Coast to come after this opener. A 4-0 thrashing of lowly Aruba last weekend will at least have boosted their confidence, a victory that was much needed given that they were winless across their previous four games (D1, L3). vip fixed matches
Canada: Alphonso Davies will miss the opening game due to a hamstring injury, but Marsch is hoping to have him back fit in time for the second game against Qatar. Moise Bombito is also unlikely to feature after a tibia injury.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Haris Tabakovic is unlikely to feature on Friday due to an ankle problem, and he could be joined on the sideline by Dzeko, who has been forced to miss training with a shoulder injury.
Canada v Bosnia & Herzegovina head-to-head record
Canada and Bosnia & Herzegovina have never met before. This will be the first competitive or friendly fixture between the two nations.
Free Soccer Predictions: Egypt vs Russia Preview, Team News & Betting Tips
Free Soccer Predictions Egypt vs Russia Egypt continue their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with an international friendly against Russia at the Misr Stadium in Cairo on Thursday night.
The two nations will meet for the first time since the 2018 World Cup group stage, where host nation Russia secured a convincing 3-1 victory. This time, however, Egypt arrive with renewed confidence and high expectations ahead of their return to football’s biggest tournament.
After missing out on qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Pharaohs responded strongly by topping their CAF qualifying group with an impressive record of eight wins and two draws from 10 matches. Their dominant qualifying campaign secured only the third World Cup appearance in the nation’s history.
Egypt also entered the 2025-26 Africa Cup of Nations as one of the tournament favourites, although their journey ended in disappointment after a narrow semi-final defeat against Senegal and a penalty shootout loss to Nigeria in the third-place playoff.
Despite those setbacks, head coach Hossam Hassan has continued to build a disciplined and competitive squad since taking charge in 2024. Egypt have shown excellent defensive organization in recent months, something that has become a major strength ahead of the World Cup.
The Pharaohs produced an outstanding 4-0 away victory against Saudi Arabia before following it with an impressive goalless draw against reigning European champions Spain in Catalonia. Those performances extended Egypt’s clean-sheet streak to three consecutive matches heading into this friendly encounter.
Hassan will likely use Thursday’s clash as another important test before Egypt face Brazil in their final warm-up game ahead of the World Cup. Ranked 29th in the latest FIFA rankings, Egypt will begin their World Cup campaign with a difficult Group G fixture against Belgium before later facing New Zealand and Iran.
Meanwhile, Russia continue to operate outside competitive international football following FIFA and UEFA suspensions that began after the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Although unable to compete in official tournaments, Russia have remained active through friendly matches and still hold a respectable FIFA ranking of 36th in the world. Over the last five years, Valery Karpin’s side have produced a solid record in non-competitive fixtures, winning 15, drawing eight, and losing only two of their 25 matches.
Russia ended 2025 with a 2-0 defeat against Chile but responded during March’s international break with a 3-1 victory over Nicaragua before drawing 0-0 against Mali.
Interestingly, several of Russia’s recent friendlies have come against African opposition. They also faced Egypt’s Under-23 side twice in September 2023, recording a 1-1 draw before losing 2-1 in the second meeting.
Even though Russia remain difficult to beat in friendly games, the lack of competitive football could become a disadvantage against a well-organized Egyptian team preparing for the World Cup.
Team News
Egypt are expected to field a strong lineup as Hossam Hassan continues preparing his squad for the World Cup. Key attacking stars are likely to feature, while the defensive unit that kept three consecutive clean sheets could remain unchanged.
Russia may rotate parts of their squad as Valery Karpin continues experimenting ahead of future international fixtures, though experienced players are expected to lead the side in Cairo.
Egypt appear to be in stronger form heading into this international friendly and have shown impressive defensive discipline under Hossam Hassan.
Russia still possess quality and experience despite their lack of competitive matches, but Egypt’s organization, home advantage, and growing confidence could prove decisive.
Free Soccer Prediction:
Egypt 2-1 Russia
The hosts should create enough opportunities to edge a competitive encounter and continue their positive momentum ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
