World Cup 2026: Netherlands headline a stellar weekend in North America

World Cup 2026: Netherlands headline a stellar weekend in North America The 2026 FIFA World Cup has already produced some memorable games, and the weekend ahead is guaranteed to continue in the same vein. Several teams towards the top of the World Cup winner betting odds market are in action, including Brazil, Germany and Spain. Read on as we preview some of the standout fixtures over the next couple of days, starting with an intriguing David versus Goliath clash. Brazil vs Haiti – Group C After struggling against Morocco in their opening game, five-time winners Brazil will be desperate to step things up against Haiti on Saturday, Carlo Ancelotti’s side were held to a 1-1 draw by the 2022 semi-finalists and were arguably fortunate to escape from that game with a point. They now have the chance to make amends by producing a statement performance against a nation that has never won a game at the World Cup. Haiti were defeated 1-0 by Scotland in their first fixture and could be set for a difficult outing in Philadelphia against the Samba Kings. Netherlands vs Sweden – Group F Netherlands were given a wake-up call in their first outing, with Japan deservedly holding them to a 2-2 draw in Arlington. Ronald Koeman’s side will be keen to avoid another slip-up when they go head-to-head with Sweden in their next outing. The Swedes quickly clicked into gear at the World Cup, recording an emphatic 5-1 victory over Tunisia. Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres were amongst the scorers. With Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk looking a shadow of his former self against Japan, the Swedes could cause plenty of problems this weekend. Germany vs Ivory Coast – Group E Germany kicked off their campaign with a 7-1 victory over Curacao , but are unlikely to find things as easy against Ivory Coast. Given that the Germans did not have to get out of second gear against the tournament minnows, it would be foolish to read too much into the result. Manchester United winger Amad Diallo scored a superb 90th-minute winner to help Ivory Coast beat Ecuador in Philadelphia in their first game. Ivory Coast have several talented attackers in their squad and will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds against Germany. Tunisia vs Japan – Group F Japan’s draw with the Netherlands extended their unbeaten run to eight games and cemented the belief that they could be dark horses this summer. International friendly victories over Brazil and England in the past nine months highlighted Japan’s ability to match the world’s best teams. They are the favourites to beat Tunisia on Sunday, which would put them in pole position to progress to the knockout stage. Tunisia were run ragged by Sweden in their first outing and will be keen to make life more difficult for their Asian opponents. Spain vs Saudi Arabia – Group H Reigning European champions Spain went into the tournament as one of the bookmakers’ favourites to win the World Cup for the second time. However, an inspired performance by Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha prevented Spain from kicking off their campaign with a victory. Spain now face a tricky test against Saudi Arabia, who held Uruguay to a 1-1 draw in their opening game in Group H. The Saudis defeated eventual champions Argentina 2-1 at Qatar 2022, and Spain would be well advised not to underestimate them on Sunday.