DraftKings DFS World Cup Picks for Friday, June 26

Our DraftKings DFS World Cup picks for Friday, June 26. Belgium and Senegal headline a six-game slate as big favorites, with cheap value in the night games.

June 25, 2026

By:

Adam Zdroik

June 25, 2026

World Cup

DraftKings DFS World Cup Picks for Friday, June 26: Belgium and Senegal Headline the Six-Game Slate

Belgium and Senegal are the teams to build around on Friday's six-game World Cup slate, both drawing the weakest opponents on the board.

Friday is a six-game board on DraftKings, a 3:00 PM ET start that runs through the 11:00 PM games. Belgium (against New Zealand) and Senegal (against Iraq) are the two big favorites, both implied for two-and-a-half goals or more against the slate's worst defenses. Spain are solid against Uruguay, France are favored over Norway, and the late Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia and Egypt vs. Iran games are lower-scoring but loaded with cheap value.

The rotation picture matters with this many games. Norway look set to rest Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, France may sit Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola, and Belgium's Jeremy Doku seems likely to return to the XI. Senegal are without Edouard Mendy in goal. Nothing's official until lineups drop, so confirm before lock.

Come talk lineups in the RotoWire Discord before lock. Here's how I'm attacking it.

WORLD CUP MATCHES (ET)

For detailed stats and odds, check out the DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: World Cup Cheat Sheet.

Hit up our Discord with more questions.

FORWARDS

Kylian Mbappe (FRA vs NOR, $11,000)

Don't think. Just play.

Romelu Lukaku (BEL vs NZL, $8,100)

I'm kidding, right? Maybe. I did tell people to fade Cristiano Ronaldo and play Harry Kane, so what does it matter?

Lukaku is the striker in the biggest projected blowout. He's -140 to score, the best number on the board, for a Belgium side implied for nearly three goals against New Zealand. There's a chance Charles De Ketalaere ($5,600) returns to the XI and it doesn't matter. There's always a chance. In the other way, Doku is $9,700 and will be a difficult decision. He's been flying a lot after the birth of his child, but he's still one of the most electric players in the game when he's on.

Sadio Mane (SEN vs IRQ, $7,700)

Mane is the highest-floor attacker in Senegal's potential easy win and he' forward eligible unlike Ismaila Sarr. Mane is just a little easier to trust than teammate Nicolas Jackson ($7,200) in my eyes. Mane is +105 to score for a side that should pour it on against Iraq, and the projected floor plus a real ceiling make him the play I trust most in this game. The creation runs through him on the left.

Krepin Diatta (SEN vs IRQ, $4,200)

Diatta remains a value forward on every slate and now his price hasn't changed despite being a big favorite. He plays right-back for Senegal but is forward-eligible on DraftKings, and he could racks up crosses, which gives him a double-digit projected floor at just $4,200 in a game Senegal should control. That combination at the price is the build's best friend.

Mbappe is -115, though France could do some rotating. That's in the first slate of games, so you'll know what France's XI looks like. Given what he's done, it'll be hard for most people to fade Mbappe against this Norway back line.

Similarly, Mikel Oyarzabal ($10,500) and Lamine Yamal ($10,700) headline Spain. If Spain score a couple early, those two could again sub off at 45. Matching (or surpassing) what they did in the first half of the last game seems like a tall order.

Gilson Benchimol ($5,100) is a cheap path into the wide-open Cape Verde game, while Omar Marmoush ($6,700) and Mohamed Salah ($9,000) leads Egypt.

This is a true six-game slate where there are a ton of ways to go. Mbappe will be popular, but it wouldn't be surprising to see other smash spots like Senegal, Spain or Egypt.

MIDFIELDERS

Kevin De Bruyne (BEL vs NZL, $10,300)

De Bruyne carries the highest floor on the entire slate, especially in a spot Belgium need. He took eight corners and free kicks across his two group games, runs everything for Belgium, and gets the softest matchup on the board. He's expensive, but the floor and ceiling are both elite, and yet, he's not a lock. Because of the variety on this slate, De Bruyne won't be overly popular in tournaments. He's posted 30 floor points in two games and figures to do something similar here. If he can get a goal involvement, a 30-point performance isn't crazy.

Jamiro Monteiro (CPV vs KSA, $3,700)

Monteiro is the cheapest route to a possibly good floor on the slate. Given absences in the squad, Monteiro could be on all or the majority of Cape Verde set pieces. At $3,700 he frees up the cap for De Bruyne and a stud forward. This game is a little more difficult since these players have had more difficult games prior to this one, but there could be some players that pop. Ryan Mendes ($4,700) is another cheap Cape Verde piece who could be used.

Musab Al-Juwayr (KSA vs CPV, $4,700)

This one is tough because Saudi Arabia's main set-piece taker could have a massive role in this game. Al-Juwayr is that guy, but he's been an early sub the first two games and seems unlikely to go 90. He's still in play if in the XI. Salem Al-Dawsari ($5,000) is the other expected set-piece taker and he's more of a lock for 90 and the XI.

Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde are close to even, so both attacks are live, and Al-Dawsari could be the focal point of his. If you're in this range, this is more of a wait-and-see approach to Saudi Arabia's starting group.

Pedri ($8,000) took eight corners and free kicks across two games for Spain, but his floor took a massive hit with Yamal and others returning to the XI.

Youri Tielemans ($7,800) is the cheaper Belgium midfielder and he's posted a really good open-play floor the first two games with no corners.

Michael Olise ($10,000) is the France option if you trust the rotation, while Rayan Cherki ($5,800) is the cheaper way in. Again, we'll know the XI for that early slate, so Cherki could be popular if he starts.

DEFENDERS

Pedro Porro (ESP vs URU, $6,500)

Porro is the pay-up full-back worth it. He pushes high from right-back for a favored Spain, pairing crosses and chances created with a real clean-sheet chance against a Uruguay side that has to chase the game. The downside is that Marcos Llorente could start and he's much cheaper at $3,700.

I'm off El Hadji Malick Diouf ($4,600) after he burned me last game, but he makes sense in this spot.

Maxim De Cuyper ($6,200) is the Belgium full-back of note, though in the late game, you're playing with fire projecting him to start.

The Cape Verde/Saudi Arabia full-backs could be useful and you could play around with all of them in that matchup.

GOALKEEPER

Maxime Crocombe (NZL vs BEL, $3,600)

Who knows? Crocombe lines up behind a New Zealand side that should defend all night against Belgium, and shots faced is how cheap keepers pay off. At $3,600 the saves volume is the floor, and the savings let you load up on the blowout attackers.

Alireza Beiranvand ($4,400) made plenty of saves for Iran and draws a low-total Egypt game, another cheap saves angle. If you'd rather pay up for a clean sheet, pick a favorite. I don't have a suggestion.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Adam Zdroik plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: zdroik, DraftKings: rotozdroik, Yahoo: StreakMaster.