World Cup DFS Picks & Strategy: Friday, June 12th
The World Cup got off to a great start on Thursday with a pair of games, and two more games are on tap for Friday’s main slate on DraftKings. The first game kicks off at 3:00 p.m. ET when Canada welcomes Bosnia-Herzegovina at BMO Field in Toronto. In the nightcap, the United States begins their tournament by hosting Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The two games offer some fun options for DFS fantasy soccer, so let’s run down some of the top options to consider from the four squads beginning their World Cup journeys.
If you’re new to soccer DFS, don’t worry! We have you covered with my Beginner’s Guide to Daily Fantasy Soccer, our soccer player projections, and our soccer optimizer (LineupHQ). And last but not least, don’t forget to check out our World Cup DFS Simulation tool. So you should be set if you are wanting to sweat any or all of the 104 matches in the 2026 World Cup.
Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina are in Group B in this year’s World Cup Group Stage, while the United States and Paraguay are in Group D. Just a reminder that the tournament has been expanded to include more teams in both the group stage and knockout rounds this year. As a result, the top two teams will be moving on from each group, with eight third-place teams earning a spot in the Round of 32 as well.
Canada is the second favorite to win Group B behind Switzerland, according to DraftKings, and is a -115 favorite to win on the moneyline. The United States has the shortest odds of the four teams to win Group D, while Paraguay is the third-favorite. Team USA is -110 on the moneyline.
Team USA is ranked No. 17 by FIFA as they take on No. 41 Paraguay. In the early matchup, Canada is ranked No. 20 coming into the matchup with Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is ranked No. 64. The rankings and odds are helpful in determining which teams to lean into as you assemble your roster.
Forwards
Top Play: Jonathan David, Canada ($10,500)
For Canada, Jonathan David is expected to be the primary focus of the team’s offense and one of the team’s best chances to find the back of the net. He has the 2nd-highest projection at forward and the 4th-highest OPTO%.
The Iceman has one of the coolest nicknames in the tournament and is already Canada’s all-time leading scorer with 33 goals in 84 international caps. He has had mixed results with Juventus, scoring 6 goals and 4 assists in his 35 appearances (20 starts) in league play, but he has a very solid rapport with the pieces around him in Canada’s lineup.
He is the most expensive player on the board, but he has a good chance to start the tournament off strongly and find the back of the net. Of all the players on Friday, he has the highest xG in our projections and the highest shot projection.
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About the Author
Zach Thompson is a featured writer at FantasyLabs for NBA, MLB, NFL, golf, and soccer content. Zach’s fantasy experience dates all the way back to high school, when he would manually tabulate fantasy football scores using Tuesday morning’s newspaper. Even though he was raised on the island of Guam on the opposite side of the world, Zach is a hardcore Boston sports fan who loves playing fantasy sports in almost any format. Zach joined the FantasyLabs team in 2022 and is also a contributor for DraftKings Network and RotoGrinders.