World Cup 2026 Predictions: Brazil vs Morocco, Haiti vs Scotland and the rest of matchday 3

Welcome to The Athletic's daily World Cup 2026 Predictions. This article gives you an overview of all today's matches, with the bonus of some friendly competition. Throughout the tournament, two writers from The Athletic (Andy Jones or Elias Burke, with help from our experts from each of the 48 participating countries) will measure our football knowledge against another subscriber to The Athletic and The Athletic's brand new algorithm, which will make its digital debut during the 2026 World Cup.

Our guest subscriber today is Leo from England, who is a fan of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Arsenal. Good luck, Leo! If you would like to participate as a guest subscriber during this tournament, please follow the instructions in the article here.

What happened on matchday 2? After a passionate performance of 'O Canada' by Alanis Morissette, who helped save Michael Bublé's slightly awkward opening ceremony, Canada's momentum was quickly taken out of the match in the 21st minute against Bosnia and Herzegovina when Jovo Lukic headed from a corner. Lukic was lined up with 40-year-old striker Edin Dzeko, Bosnia and Herzegovina's record goalscorer, on the bench, who was recovering from a shoulder injury. For a long time it looked like this would be the final score, especially when Canada's star striker Jonathan David was replaced just after the hour mark. But Cyle Larin had other plans. Canada's coach Jesse Marsch — who stoked American fans and former stars before the match by suggesting he should "beg" for Americans to sing the national anthem when he worked as an assistant coach for the U.S. national team — brought on Larin in the 76th minute and he scored two minutes later to secure a 1-1 draw.

With expectations that Canada would continue the positive vibes from Mexico's opening day, we all hoped Larin would inspire the co-hosts to a win — but unfortunately it ended 1-1. No points for all of us, and the end of a fledgling two-match winning streak for the algorithm, the readers and six-year-old Wilfred. Young Wilfred, who predicted a draw in the second match of the day, went home scoreless as the United States started their highly anticipated opening match against Paraguay with a bang, winning 4-1 in front of a rapturous crowd at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Overall accuracy | Correct predictions | Best series Reader predictions | 75% | 3 | 2 The algorithm | 75% | 3 | 2 Wilfred (6 years) | 50% | 2 | 2 The experts at The Athletic | 50% | 2 | 1 Stanley the dog | 50% | 2 | 1

The USMNT took the lead after just seven minutes thanks to an own goal from Paraguay midfielder Damian Bobadilla, and continued to push hard and attack the South American side, showing a gap in class and preparation that few had anticipated. By the time Mauricio Pochettino gathered his players for half-time, the US was already 3-0 up and on course for one of the nation's biggest victories. Gio Reyna's magical right foot capped off an excellent performance, with Pochettino's side winning 4-1 thanks to a superb double from Folarin Balogun, the New York-born, London-raised striker.

We have our first big Saturday of the World Cup, with four matches to predict: Qatar vs Switzerland, Brazil vs Morocco (one of the most exciting games of the group stage), Haiti vs Scotland and Australia vs Turkey. A lot ofsuccess!

Matchday 3 predictions Qatar vs Switzerland, Group B, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, kick-off 9pm ET, 2am BST Where to watch: FOX (US) ITV (UK) Risk of series: 2/5. Qatar does not appear to have made enough progress from four years ago to pose a real threat to a Switzerland that has qualified comfortably and confidently. Viewer rating: 2/5. Besides this being a match that will be broadcast at a watchable time in both the US and UK, there is a gulf in class between both teams, so it might not be much of a battle. The Athletic's pundit says: "The hosts of four years ago will be looking to do much better than their disappointing group stage exit, where they lost all three of their matches. Qatar, managed by the respected Julen Lopetegui, qualified via the play-offs and are already six games without a win, including a friendly loss to Ireland and a goalless draw against El Salvador. Switzerland, on the other hand, arrive after a strong qualifying campaign in which they have remained unbeaten in what was an easy group, with a total of 14-2 As the Premier League has been reminded this season, Granit

The Athletic's expert: SWITZERLAND WINS Guest subscriber Leo: SWITZERLAND WINS Six-year-old Wilfred: SWITZERLAND WINS Stanley the dog: DRAW The algorithm: SWITZERLAND WINS


Brazil vs Morocco, Group C, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, kick-off 6pm ET, 11pm BST Where to watch: FOX (US) BBC (UK) Risk of series: 5/5. This looks like it could develop into a classic early group stage shock as Morocco are a good team that could cause Brazil problems if the South American side start slowly. Viewer rating: 5/5. Despite the elite quality in their squad, Brazil don't feel like the all-consuming force they were in previous tournaments, which could leave the door open for the semi-finalists of four years ago. The Athletic's pundit said: “Morocco were controversially awarded the AFCON title two months after they were defeated by Senegal in this year's final, but it was too late to save the position of Walid Regragui, who had guided the country to the last four in Qatar. Mohamed Ouahbi replaced him and has managed five friendlies. He inherited a team with players like Paris Saint-Germain's Achraf Hakimi, Real Madrid's Brahim Diaz and this tournament's potential breakout star, Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi. This team showed their quality to get through the tournament in December and could not qualify for the World Cup more smoothly, with eight wins in eight matches.

Brazil's journey was more turbulent and they benefited from the expanded World Cup as they won only eight of their 18 qualifying matches andfinished fifth in their group, with only the top six advancing. There is so much attacking talent to choose from, led by Vinicius Junior, and while that should help them overpower fewer opponents, questions remain about how they will perform tactically against stronger teams.

The Athletic's expert: BRAZIL WINS Guest Subscriber Leo: DRAW Six-year-old Wilfred: BRAZIL WINS Stanley the dog: DRAW The algorithm: BRAZIL WINS

Haiti vs Scotland, Group C, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, kick-off 9pm ET, 2am BST Where to watch: FOX (US) BBC (UK) Risk of series: 2. This should be a comfortable win for Scotland, but they will face a defensively disciplined Haiti who will try to counter. Viewer rating: 3. Scotland in the first World Cup in 28 years is worth watching, even if the timing of the match doesn't benefit UK viewers. The match itself may be limited in excitement, but is a match that both teams must win in order to qualify. The Athletic's pundit said: "There has been growing excitement among Scottish fans of late as the tournament approaches and this is a must-win match given the strength of the group they are in. This is their first World Cup since 1998, they have never progressed beyond the group stages and have never won more than one match. Their more recent performances in the European Championship have not been much better. Manager Steve Clarke will rely on players such as Scott McTominay, John McGinn and Andrew Robertson. McTominay has suffered of a stomach virus, but it is hoped he will be available for their opening match. Their opponents Haiti have not qualified for the tournament since 1974, and are the first Caribbean nation to reach multiple World Cups — a huge achievement considering they had to play their qualifying matches in another country. to produce surprises. Their 4-0 win over New Zealand before the tournament was a reminder that they are not an easy opponent.

The Athletic's expert: SCOTLAND WINS Guest subscriber Leo: SCOTLAND WINS Six-year-old Wilfred: SCOTLAND WINS Stanley the dog: HAITI WINS The algorithm: SCOTLAND WINS

Australia vs Turkey, Group D, BC Place, Vancouver, kick-off 00:00 ET, 05:00 BST Where to watch: FS1 (US) ITV (UK) Risk of series: 3/5. Turkey has talent but lacks a real goalscorer, so if Australia can frustrate it opens up the possibility of all three outcomes. Viewer rating: 2/5. This is far from the most attractive late kick-off for US fans, and well done to anyone willing to stand (or stay) on in the UK. That is real dedication. If anyone on the field can make it worth it, it will probably be the Turks Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz.

The experts at The Athletic say: “If you haven't been told that Turkey could be the dark horses of the tournament, you're not doing the World Cup right. No matter how good or bad they are, they always end up in that conversation before a big tournament. That's when they qualify; this is their first World Cup since2002. The squad put together by Vincenzo Montella, the former Italy striker, had a strong qualifying campaign, losing only once. However, they ended up in the play-offs, after finishing second behind Spain. Turkey may not have a reliable goalscorer, but they will hope the abundance of attacking talent behind them will be enough. They have two 21-year-olds who have earned wunderkind status — Real Madrid's Guler and Juventus' Yildiz. For Australia, the appointment of Tony Popovic in September 2024 eased concerns about qualification with an eight-match unbeaten run. He has built the team from back to front with a solid and compact backline protected by an experienced midfield. Defensive passivity turns into quick counter-attacks and the stars further emerge in the form of emerging youngsters, Nestory Irankunda and Mo Toure - although the latter is an injury concern for the opening game.

The Athletic's expert: TURKEY WINS Guest subscriber Leo: TURKEY WINS Six-year-old Wilfred: DRAW Stanley the dog: TURKEY WINS The algorithm: TURKEY WINS

Our predictions for June 13, 2026.

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