World Cup Predictions Today: Argentina-Cape Verde, Egypt-Australia, & Colombia

Lionel Messi is back in Miami on Friday night — this time with Argentina’s World Cup title defense on the line.

Argentina vs. Cape Verde headlines today’s World Cup Round of 32 games, as Messi's squad brings its World Cup knockout run to Hard Rock Stadium vs. Cape Verde — one of the tournament’s best underdog stories.

The rest of today’s World Cup knockout schedule has plenty of juice, too. Mohamed Salah leads Egypt into its first-ever World Cup elimination match vs. Australia in Dallas, while Colombia and Ghana close the Round of 32 with a potentially high-upside matchup in Kansas City.

Let’s break down Friday’s World Cup predictions for all three games on PrizePicks, including Team Picks markets, spreads, totals, and angles for every Round of 32 match on Friday, July 3.

Make your World Cup predictions for the Round of 32 on PrizePicks today!

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World Cup Games Today: Schedule, Spreads, Over/Unders – Friday, July 3

Here’s a glance at the 2026 World Cup’s full schedule for the Round of 32 on Friday, July 3, including payouts, spreads, and totals for every kickoff via PrizePicks.

Find the full World Cup bracket as it stands for today’s matches.

Australia vs. Egypt: Round of 32

How to watch Australia vs. Egypt: FOX (English) / Telemundo (Spanish)

Kickoff Time: 2:00 p.m. ET

Venue: AT&T Stadium (Dallas Stadium), Arlington, Texas

To Advance:: Egypt 1.61x | Australia 2.22x

Spread: Egypt -1.5 (4.76x)

Total Goals: Over 1.5 (1.53x) | Under 1.5 (2.38x)

Argentina vs. Cape Verde: Round of 32 

How to watch Argentina vs. Cape Verde: FOX (English) / Telemundo (Spanish)

Kickoff Time: 6:00 p.m. ET

Venue: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Stadium), Miami Gardens, Fla. 

To Advance: Argentina 1.04x | Cape Verde 9.09x

Spread: Argentina -2.5 (2.27x)

Total Goals: Over 2.5 (1.56x) - Under 2.5 (2.32x)

Colombia vs. Ghana: Round of 32

How to watch Colombia vs. Ghana: FOX (English) / Telemundo (Spanish)

Kickoff Time: 9:30 p.m. ET

Venue: Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Stadium), Kansas City, Missouri

To Advance: Colombia 1.2x - Ghana 4.16x

Spread: Colombia -1.5 (2.17x)

Total Goals: Over 2.5 (2.08x) - Under 2.5 (1.69x)

Payouts show potential returns on Team Picks predictions. For example, 2x payout returns $200 on a $100 entry. Lower multipliers reflect more likely outcomes. Payouts are live as of writing and subject to change. 

Now that the fixtures are set for today’s knockout stage action at World Cup 2026, it’s time to highlight our World Cup predictions for Friday, July 3. Who will move on to the World Cup’s Round of 16?

Find the World Cup Bracket printable PDF & schedule here

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Australia vs. Egypt Prediction on Spread for World Cup Round of 32

Australia comes in as an underdog vs. Egypt, but the Socceroos are more experienced in World Cup knockouts than Egypt. However, that experience has led to little success for Australia. Australia has one goal and a 0-0-2 record in World Cup knockout games.

That’s one reason the Socceroos aren’t favorites today vs. Egypt.

Egypt’s form was muddled in a 1-2-0 Group G performance. Mo Salah scored the winning goal against New Zealand in Matchday 2’s 3-1 victory. But the Pharaohs self-destructed in their 1-1 draw with Iran on Matchday 3.

Set aside Egypt looking defeated prior to defender Shoja Khalilzadeh’s go-ahead goal for Iran getting overturned. Moments beforehand, Egypt midfielder Mohanad Lasheen took his second yellow card, resulting in a one-match ban, removing a key ball-winner from Egypt’s midfield.

Are the Aussies good enough in the midfield to take advantage of the suspension? Australia’s Aiden O'Neill may have a leg up vs. Lasheen’s projected replacement, Mahmoud Saber. O’Neill has launched five crosses and attempted a team-leading 8 defensive line breaks, per FIFA. 

However, Australia’s forwards mustered only 11 attempted shots in Group D, and they failed to net a goal vs. Paraguay or USA. The Socceroos, with a 40.8% possession rate (38th) and 2.1 expected goals (xG) in the group stage, rely on being advantageous with their chances, more than they do a volume of shots.

Australia’s form has improved during the 2026 World Cup, especially on the defensive side. The Socceroos no longer look like patsies for drawing 0-0 with the Paraguay squad that stunned Germany in the final group stage match.

Make your Australia vs. Egypt World Cup prediction on PrizePicks before kickoff

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Argentina vs. Cape Verde Prediction on Both Teams to Score for World Cup Round of 32

Argentina vs. Cape Verde Both Teams to Score: Yes 2.77x | No 1.44x (via PrizePicks)

The Lionel Messi show comes back to Miami in the Round of 32, as Argentina takes on Cape Verde at Hard Rock Stadium, in a match they are heavily favored.

Cape Verde has been far tougher than expected in the World Cup. Argentina faces an unbeaten Group H side that debuted in a crazy 0-0 draw with Spain, one of the World Cup favorites.

Messi’s team emerged unscathed from the group stage, with a 3-0-0 record and +7 goal differential. Even with a Matchday 3 game where starters rested, Messi scored a hat trick against Algeria, a brace against Austria, and another goal as a sub against Jordan. 

Messi’s 6 goals tie him with Kylian Mbappe in the World Cup Golden Boot chase. Now, he has another favorable matchup vs. one of the lowest ranked teams in the knockout stage. Cape Verde comes in at No. 32 of 32 teams in our Knockout Stage rankings.

There is of course more than one player toiling for Argentina. The attacking midfielder Rodrigo De Paul is already known as Messi’s partner-in-crime at Inter Miami. Forward Lautaro Martinez was quiet in the group stage, with just one goal. 

But it’s Cape Verde’s plight against the defending champs leading Friday’s narrative. 

The Blue Sharks have been superb on defense, giving up fewer goals than England, Switzerland, or the USA thus far. They’ll force Messi to attack, looking to draw set-piece fouls within tight quarters.

Scoring goals against Argentina’s stern back line is a tougher challenge. Cape Verde captain-forward Ryan Mendes has whiffed on all 4 shot attempts. His squad failed to score against Saudi Arabia.

Cape Verde ranked 38th in the World Cup with 3 big chances, and just 2.5 expected goals across three games, per Fotmob.

Cape Verde’s path to advance is narrow — which is why both teams to score is a market worth a look here. If the Blue Sharks are going to shock Argentina (and the world), it will have to come in a tight, low-goal match where they manage the damage. If Argentina gets comfortable early, that game script can flip fast, and make Cape Verde chase a result that’s already long gone.

Make your Argentina vs. Cape Verde World Cup prediction on PrizePicks!

Colombia vs. Ghana Prediction on Spread for World Cup Round of 32

Colombia enters tonight as the clear favorite to win and advance, with Ghana sitting firmly in the underdog role. That shows how much confidence there is in Colombia’s attack — and why the spread is focused on whether they can win comfortably.

Colombia is one of the 2026 World Cup teams that did not have an impressive group stage, but which pundits are convinced is ready to break out. After all, if it wasn’t for a ticky-tack VAR decision, Colombia would have taken 3 points vs. Portugal.

Colombia’s strikers challenged a trio of goalkeepers in Group H with 20 on-target shots, yet found the net less and less often, ultimately failing to get a win vs. Portugal

Ghana may be the underdog in tonight’s knockout matchup, but the Black Stars didn’t look overmatched in Group L. They held England to just 4 shots on target in a stunning 0-0 draw on Matchday 2, then equalized in the second half against Croatia before falling 2-1. 

Ghana’s back line frustrated Harry Kane and England for 90 minutes, and goalkeeper Benjamin Asare made the 0-0 draw feel a lot less fluky than everyone expected.

Colombia has reached the Round of 16 in 3 of its last 4 World Cups, so this stage is nothing new for Los Cafeteros. 

Luis Díaz is bringing the edge, too — the Bayern winger has already been involved in 8 fouls, showing how much attention he’s drawing and how hard he’s playing.

Ghana may be ranked No. 65 by FIFA, but this matchup does not feel that wide on the field. The Black Stars have enough top-level talent to make Colombia work, led by Jordan Ayew and a squad with experience across major European leagues.

Colombia went 7 games without scoring in 2022 World Cup qualifiers, and has continued its scoring troubles in its last two matches, with just 1 goal vs. DR Congo and Portugal. That could make Ghana a live dog in a high-intensity knockout match, with a 1.5-goal spread.

Make your Colombia vs. Ghana prediction and picks on PrizePicks!

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Make World Cup Predictions Today on PrizePicks

The Round of 32 will wrap up today, giving us out final 16 World Cup teams that are moving onto the next stage. Regardless of the favorites, you can always expect surprises when the FIFA World Cup’s knockout rounds come around.

Don’t wait until kickoff to make your predictions on World Cup games today. Make your World Cup Round of 32 predictions on PrizePicks now and earn real money if you’re right, on every World Cup game.

With PrizePicks Team Picks, you can make predictions on World Cup match winners, spreads, over/unders, and futures, now available in 35 states. Plus, you can pick World Cup players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right on Player Picks!

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