Groups A and B Picks and Predictions: 2026 FIFA World Cup
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Fri May 29, 2026, 4:00 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
soccer
With less than two weeks until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Mexico City, it's time to start digging into these groups and finding some betting angles. We have already placed a couple futures, a dark horse pick or two, and found our favorite bet regarding the USMNT after their roster was announced as well. But let's look at some specific groups and see what's worth our money. In this piece, we have our picks and predictions for Groups A and B, covering two of the three host countries.
2026 FIFA World Cup – Group A Picks
Guillermo Ochoa will be playing in his fifth World Cup for Mexico this year
Group A consists of Mexico, Czechia, South Korea, and South Africa. Let's first look at the odds to win this group, and then get into our best bets.
Odds courtesy of Lucky Rebel Sportsbook.
Odds to Win Group A
- Mexico -125
- South Korea +310
- Czechia +320
- South Africa +1200
Oddsmakers think this group is already decided, as Mexico is a substantial favorite. Now despite second and third place being basically a coin flip between South Korea and Czechia, the books think both will advance to the next round. Czechia and South Korea are both -300 or shorter to advance from group stage. Group A opens up the tournament on June 11, and it's important to look at the travel some of these teams face.
Mexico and South Korea play all three group stage games South of the US border. However, South Africa and Czechia play their first game in Mexico, fly to Atlanta to go head to head, and then back to Mexico for their final group stage match. I believe this favors the home side, and South Korea, as they do not have to deal with travel.
With three games in their home country, I see Mexico taking this group and South Korea finishing second, but Czechia should advance as a top eight third place team.
Group A Best Bet: Mexico to Win Group A (-125)
2026 FIFA World Cup – Group B Picks
Jonathan David just needs a single goal to notch 40 for Canada in his senior team career
Group B brings us Canada, Switzerland, Bosnia & Herzegovina and the 2022 FIFA World Cup host, Qatar.
Odds to Win Group B
- Switzerland -135
- Canada +200
- Bosnia & Herzegovina +475
- Qatar +3300
Group B seems to be fairly straightforward, as I see this ending exactly as the odds play out. The Swiss should win all three games, Canada should win their two against Bosnia and Qatar, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts might not earn a single point. But if they earn a draw against Bosnia, our best bet is certainly in play.
Group B Best Bet: Bosnia & Herzegovina Not to Qualify (+175)
I also have money on an exact group dual forecast, with the Swiss to top the group and Canada to finish second at +225 for half a unit. Looking at travel in this group, Canada stays in their own home for all three matches. Switzerland will hang on the West Coast, playing in Santa Clara, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, while being headquartered in San Diego.
Bosnia has a tough travel schedule being stationed in Salt Lake City while playing in Toronto, Los Angeles and Seattle. With the top eight third place teams advancing, three points is probably enough to get you there. I see Bosnia and Qatar both ending with one point, losing to the other two teams and drawing with each other. Qatar just simply isn't good enough to hang with the top two teams in Group B. The oddsmakers have this one right, and I'll get greedy with an exact dual forecast, as well as rooting for Bosnia and Qatar to draw.
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- FIFA World Cup Betting Guide
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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