2026 World Cup Best Bets Today: 7 Picks for Thursday, June 25

The final matchdays in Groups D, E and F come down to who still needs something, and that gap is the whole card. Germany are through and resting half their first eleven, the Netherlands and Ivory Coast are favorites with reason to keep scoring, and a couple of these games are quietly heading for a result both dugouts can live with. The approach skips the heavy chalk and takes the plus money that matches the situation. The marquee game, USA vs Turkiye, gets its own full card elsewhere. Here are seven bets across the slate.

Shop every line on the RotoWire soccer betting page, confirm the lineups with RotoWire's predicted lineups, and check the 2026 World Cup set-piece takers guide before betting anything tied to dead balls.

Germany vs Ecuador Best Bets

Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. ET. - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford

Under 2.5 Goals +105

This is the best bet, and it pays plus money on a read the market has backwards. Germany have already won the group on six points and a plus-seven goal difference, and their projected XI is a heavy second string built around Nick Woltemade, with Antonio Rudiger and most of the first-choice names rested. Ecuador, meanwhile, have not scored a goal in two games and need a win they are not equipped to get. A coasting Germany against a side that cannot find the net is not a goal-fest, it is a flat, controlled 1-1 or 1-0. So why is the over the favorite at -120 while the under sits out at +105? The plus money on the low total is the better play.

Australia vs Paraguay Best Bets

Kickoff: 10:00 p.m. ET. - San Francisco Bay Area Stadium

Draw +130

This is the value play of the night, and it is all about the table. Australia and Paraguay are both on three points, with Australia ahead on goal difference. A draw sends Australia through in second on that tiebreak and almost certainly carries Paraguay into the best-third places on four points. When a level result suits both teams, the game tends to tighten into exactly the cagey, low-risk affair you would expect from two sides who know a point does the job. A 1-1 is the projection here, and at +130 the draw is plus money on the outcome both benches can quietly accept.

Cote d'Ivoire vs Curacao Best Bets

Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. ET. - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

Ange-Yoan Bonny Anytime Goalscorer +110

Ivory Coast sit second on three points and have to beat a Curacao side that is all but eliminated on a minus-six goal difference, so this is a motivated favorite against an overmatched opponent that should turn into a rout. Ange-Yoan Bonny leads the line in the projected XI. At +110, Bonny is plus money to score in a game Ivory Coast should dominate, and taking the striker at a real number is the better play than laying -600 on the moneyline that pays nothing. For a second look, Amad Diallo at +140 is the alternative from the same attack, though these will depend on who actually starts for them.

Netherlands vs Tunisia Best Bets

Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. ET. - Estadio Akron, Guadalajara

Memphis Depay Anytime Goalscorer +100

Tunisia are out on zero points and have shipped nine goals in two games, and the Netherlands still field a strong front line led by Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo as they push to top the group. That is a clean blowout spot, and Depay is the pick if he starts. While others could rotate, Depay has yet to start in this World Cup due to a variety of reasons. He gets the volume of touches in the final third against a defense that has been picked apart all tournament, and even money on him scoring is a far better play than laying the short Dutch price. A measured 3-0 still means Depay gets his looks in addition to being on penalty duty.

Sweden vs Japan Best Bets

Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. ET. - AT&T Stadium, Arlington

Ayase Ueda Anytime Goalscorer +175

This is the open game on the slate. Sweden sit third and have to win to advance, which means Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres get the freedom to push and Sweden leave space at the back, where they have looked shaky all tournament. Japan are the better-balanced side and only need a result, but with Junya Ito and Ritsu Doan running at a stretched Swedish defense, a 3-1 to Japan is the projection here. Ayase Ueda leads their line, and +175 is a generous price on the striker scoring in a game Japan should win comfortably.

Sweden vs Japan Over 9.5 Corners +101

The same shape pays here. A must-win Sweden chasing the game and a Japan side happy to counter is how a steady stream of dead balls happens at both ends. At even money, the over on corners is plus-money value on an end-to-end match that neither side can afford to keep tight, and it stacks naturally with the goals read.

USA vs Turkey Best Bets

Kickoff: 10:00 p.m. ET. - Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara

Under 2.5 Goals +114

USA vs Turkey has its own full card in our USA vs Turkey best bets, so just one plus-money leg gets flagged here. The United States have already won the group and are rotating, while Turkiye are eliminated on zero points and look set to make changes of their own. Two sides with little left to play for tends to produce a flat, low-event game, and +114 on the under is the value. The rest of the card lives in the standalone.

Thursday World Cup Betting Picks

For the marquee game, see our USA vs Turkey best bets. Visit RotoWire's World Cup hub for daily betting picks, and use our odds page to shop the best number at DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM. Claim over a thousand dollars in bonuses at the best sports betting sites.