FREE Today Only! World Cup DFS Picks & Strategy: Wednesday, June 24th
Every team in the World Cup has played 2 games coming into Wednesday, and Group Play is ready to start winding down. The final matches in Group A, Group B, and Group C are all on tap for today, giving us a massive 6-game slate for DFS contests. DraftKings has some great contests on the board, so let’s get on the pitch and break down some of the top plays.
As Group Play wraps up, it’s important to remember that every group gets the top 2 teams to the Knockout Stage, while the top 8 3rd-place teams also advance.
The Group B games kick off first at 3:00 PM ET. Canada and Switzerland are each 1-1-0 and likely to advance, with the winner of the Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar match also likely to advance if they pull out a win.
The Group C matches come next at 6:00 PM ET. Brazil and Morocco are level at 1-1-0 coming into their respective contests against Scotland and Haiti. Haiti has been eliminated, with the other 3 teams likely to move on if they have a strong showing tonight.
Group A closes out the day with Mexico already a lock for the top spot and advancing to the Knockout Stage. They’ll host Czechia in Mexico City in a celebration and tune-up. The rest of the group is still very fluid though. South Korea is still the favorite to finish 2nd but could slide all the way to 4th if they lose. South Africa and Czechia are still alive to advance, but they’ll need to pull off an upset in their last game to move on.
For our DFS lineups, understanding who is playing for what can be critical to figuring out who will play and for how long in the final games of the Group Stage for these teams.
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.
Forwards
Top Play: Brahim Diaz, Morocco ($8,200)
Morocco is the heaviest favorite of the day as they take on Haiti in the final match of their play in Group C. Morocco can secure a spot in the Knockout Stage with a win or a draw, and Haiti has looked a bit overwhelmed for long stretches of their losses to Scotland and Brazil.
While Jonathan David ($10,300) of Canada, Vinicius Junior ($10,500) of Brazil, Raul Jimenez ($9,300) of Mexico, and Breel Embolo ($8,700) of Switzerland have each been productive with moments of brilliance, they all come at a higher salary and with a less favorable matchup than Diaz against Haiti.
Diaz plays a larger creative role for his national team than he does for his club team (Real Madrid). He had 3 shots (1 on goal), 2 chances created, and 1 assist for 16.1 DraftKings points in his team’s 1-1 draw with Brazil, and he followed that up with another assist with 1 shot (0 on goal), 3 chances created, and 2 crosses for 13.7 DraftKings points in his team’s 1-0 win over Scotland. With assists on each of his team’s 2 goals in the tournament, he’s obviously a key creative force for the Atlas Lions.
In his 42 appearances for Real Madrid last season in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, Diaz had only 17 starts but still put together 2 goals and 7 assists. Since he is even more involved in both the flow of play and in set pieces for Morocco, he has both a high floor and a high ceiling at this salary.
With such a key distribution role in a match where his team should find the back of the net, Diaz brings plenty of upside in this game against Haiti.
Top Value: Dan Ndoye, Switzerland ($7,000)
Ndoye hasn’t found the back of the net yet for the Swiss offense in this World Cup, but he has been very effective as the focal point of this attack while making 2 starts. He left both games for subs in the 2nd half, and the players that came on played well, but Ndoye is a strong value play if he gets the start today against Canada.
The 25-year-old was the team’s most active striker against Qatar in their first game, racking up 13 DraftKings points on 6 shots (2 on goal), 1 cross, and 4 fouls drawn. He followed that up with 12.6 DraftKings points against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 4 more shots (2 on goal), 4 crosses, and 1 chance created.
He just finished his first season in the English Premier League, contributing 2 goals in 37 appearances, although he was limited in the second half of the season by injuries. In the buildup to the tournament, he scored 3 goals in Friendlies this spring against Germany, Jordan, and Australia.
He is the focal point of the offense and makes great runs while also dribbling skillfully into space. The winger has been knocking on the door throughout the tournament, and he could be a great value play if he gets his breakthrough score against Canada.
Midfielders
Top Play: Lee Kang-In, South Korea ($7,500)
South Korea will be one of the most important teams to track today since their position in the standings is extremely unsettled. They do control their own fate since they should be able to move on if they can get the win tonight against South Africa.
Kang-In is the primary creator out of the midfield for South Korea, and he has a large and stable-enough role to be a solid midrange pay-up play, especially with Brazil shaking up its midfield by adding Neymar ($7,400) into the mix.
South Africa will be without a key piece (more below), and they lost 2-0 to Mexico before earning a hard-fought, 1-1 tie against Czechia. South Korea also lost to Mexico, 1-0, and beat Czechia, 2-1. In that win, Lee had 1 assist, 1 shot (1 on goal), 3 chances created, and 3 crosses that led to 17.9 DraftKings points.
Kang-In cooled off with only 7.1 DraftKings points against Mexico, partly due to a yellow card that he picked up in the 1st half. Even though he had to be careful, he still did a good job running the offense, especially in the 2nd half.
With his playmaking and set-piece involvement, Kang-In has both a very high ceiling and a very high floor. If you expect South Korea to win and cruise to the next round, Kang-In can be a key piece to build around with so much to play for and so much responsibility for his team’s offense.
Top Value: Evidence Makgopa, South Africa ($4,800)
With Teboho Mokoena suspended for accruing yellow cards, South Africa will have to adjust their midfield. They earned a hard-fought draw against Czechia in their last game and will have to derail South Korea to get the points they need to move on.
One potential option is to give more work to Makgopa, who is an attacking midfielder who has played up top for some of his minutes in the tournament. He played 14 minutes against Mexico but was much more involved and productive in his 24 minutes off the bench against Czechia. He quickly piled up 5.1 DraftKings points on 2 shots (2 on goal) and 1 tackle won.
In 28 international matches in his career, he has scored 6 goals, and he also racked up 6 goals in 24 matches across all competitions this last season for the Orlando Pirates in the South African Premiership (not in Florida).
Makgopa has looked like one of the most dangerous pieces of the Bafana Bafana offense, and if he gets the start tonight against South Korea, he has a high ceiling based on his goal-scoring upside. He is South Africa’s tallest forward, which could make him a good target against South Korea’s defense. At this low salary, he is a sneaky way to get an extra forward into your formation.
Defenders
Top Play: Achraf Hakimi, Morocco ($7,100)
If you save enough salary in other spots to pay up for a premier defender, Hakimi should be in a great spot to continue his impressive World Cup, as he has had key contributions in each of Morocco’s first 2 matches.
He didn’t get a goal contribution in either game, but he posted an impressive 19.2 DraftKings points on 3 shots (0 on goal) with 4 crosses and 5 chances created against Brazil in the opener. He followed that up with 14.5 DraftKings points on 2 shots, 5 crosses, and 1 chance created against Scotland. He also earned the clean-sheet bonus in that match.
Morocco is heavily favored against Haiti, which shouldn’t have enough offense to keep Hakimi from pressing forward. The captain brings both a high floor and a high ceiling, coming off a great season for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in Ligue 1. He racked up 3 goals, 9 assists, and 46 chances created in his 31 games in Ligue 1 and the Champions League this past season, and he was a big part of his team’s second straight Champions League trophy.
With so much responsibility in the offense, he makes lots of sense in a game where a goal contribution is very possible. He is an expensive but reliable play that can be a key part of a balanced build.
Top Value: Sead Kolasinac, Bosnia and Herzegovina ($3,900)
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Qatar are each 0-1-1 coming into their matchup, and while a draw or loss would likely mean the end of the tournament for them, either side would be in a good spot to advance if they can get all 3 points from the matchup.
Kolasinac plays a big role in the offense for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as he showed with his strong play in the opener against Canada. He pressed forward and earned 1 assist to go with 2 crosses and a chance created to finish with 11.2 DraftKings points.
He did leave that match with some cramping after 84 minutes, but he was able to start and play all 90 minutes against Switzerland last Thursday. He only had 2 DraftKings points in that match, but he remained involved in the offense, with 1 cross, 1 foul drawn, and 1 interception.
Kolasinac will look to press forward and get his team the goal it needs to win against Qatar, and he could have fewer defensive obligations than he did against a strong Swiss offense. The 33-year-old veteran played the last 3 seasons for Atalanta in Serie A after spending time earlier in his career with Arsenal in the English Premier League and Marseille in Ligue 1.
His smart play on the wing could be key for his team’s chances at advancing, and at under $4,000, he brings a high ceiling in a match that his team should have a strong chance to win against a possibly overmatched Qatar squad that lost 6-0 to Canada after earning a 1-1 draw against Switzerland.
Goalies
Top Play: Yassine Bounou, Morocco ($6,000)
Bounou is the most-expensive keeper on the board since he and Morocco are so heavily favored over Haiti. The 35-year-old veteran has 92 international appearances for Morocco, while playing his club soccer for the last 3 seasons for Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. He had 36 appearances across all competitions for Al Hilal in the 2025-26 season, and he starred in the team’s 2025 FIFA Club World Cup run with a big game against Manchester City last summer.
Bounou earned 6.3 DraftKings points with 4 saves against Brazil in the opener, but he also allowed 1 goal. In his second game, he had 0 saves but earned the clean-sheet and win bonuses to accrue 11.5 DraftKings points in Morocco’s 1-0 win over Scotland.
With Haiti’s offense expected to be limited, Bounou has a high floor as long as he avoids any slip-ups. He should have a good chance for a clean sheet and win based on how strong Morocco’s defense was against Scotland.
Top Value: Raul Rangel, Mexico ($5,000)
Mexico already has its spot in the next stage locked up, so they could give Rangel or some of their other stars the night off against Czechia, but since they’re playing at home in Mexico City, I actually don’t expect them to let up too much.
Rangel has been excellent in his first 2 games of the tournament, earning 14.5 DraftKings points against South Africa and 14.4 DraftKings points against South Korea. He kept a clean sheet in each of those games and had a pair of saves in each contest.
At only $5,000 with a favorable matchup against Czechia, Rangel is a solid play as long as El Tri doesn’t let up on the defensive end before getting ready for what they hope is an extended run in the Knockout Stage.
Image Credit: Imagn