The world has converged on North America for soccer's biggest event as the 2026 World Cup begins on Thursday, June 11. One of the biggest parties in all of sports, the World Cup is bigger than ever with an expanded field of 48 teams. The action gets underway with a pair of matches, with co-host Mexico taking on South Africa in Mexico City to open the proceedings at 3 p.m. ET and Czechia squaring off with Korea Republic at 10 p.m. in Guadalajara.
The World Cup will be a major focus for sports bettors, and we've put together a two-leg FanDuel parlay for the first matchday, with one play from each game courtesy of SportsLine's soccer betting experts. Before you make your own World Cup picks, you need to see Jon Eimer and Martin Green's plays.
Eimer is a longstanding fixture in CBS Sports and SportsLine's soccer betting coverage. He's gone 64-41-3 in his last 108 Italian Serie A picks and 17-9-2 in his last 28 German Bundesliga picks. Green went 18-8 in his last 26 picks in this year's Champions League. Anyone following their World Cup betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
World Cup parlay for Thursday, June 11
- Mexico vs. South Africa Over 2.5 goals (+116)
- Korea Republic draw no bet (-120)
FanDuel parlay price: +296
Mexico vs. South Africa Over 2.5 goals (+116)
The Word Cup gets underway with Mexico hosting Korea at the Estadio Azteca. The stadium will be packed to the gills with home supporters, creating one of the most oppressive environments for visiting teams in the world. While South Africa is a capable enough side, the home crowd (and talent) should propel El Tri's offense. "Mexico has Santiago Gimenez, Armando Gonzales, Raul Jimenez and more at their disposal, and I believe they'll get three goals by themselves in this opening match," Eimer says.
Korea Republic draw no bet (-120)
Don't sleep on the Koreans at the World Cup. While veteran legends like Son Hueng-Min remain in the side, the Koreans also have notable options like Paris Saint-Germain's Lee Kang-In and Feyenoord's Hwang In-Beom. Korea is a threat to make a surprise run in the tournament, and that run should begin with a win over the Czechs. "This promises to be an entertaining game between two well-drilled teams, but South Korea's superior quality should ultimately shine through," Green says.
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