Your eyes are peeled, and your excitement’s growing! How will you assemble a winning fantasy football World Cup team for games in Matchday 2?
Who am I to say this? I have over eight years of experience writing about fantasy football. I want to help you avoid some of the mistakes newbie players often make.
Using my expertise, I’ve grouped this article into players you desperately need, players that might surprise you, and those you need to avoid.
Make sure to check out our penalty and freekick matrix for even more help. All of this will help you make the best of FootballCoin’s complex fantasy football scoring system.
Use this information! Play for free and assemble a winning team in the free FootballCoin contest. Challenge the world’s best fantasy football managers today!
World Cup Fantasy Picks: Matchday 2 Guide (June 18–20) – Win XFC Rewards
FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Slate (June 20 – 23)
| Date | Kickoff Time | Matchup | Group | Venue |
| Sat, 20 Jun 2026 | 18:00 | Netherlands vs. Sweden | Group F | Houston Stadium |
| 21:00 | Germany vs. Ivory Coast | Group E | Toronto Stadium | |
| Sun, 21 Jun 2026 | 01:00 | Ecuador vs. Curaçao | Group E | Kansas City Stadium |
| 05:00 | Tunisia vs. Japan | Group F | Monterrey Stadium | |
| 17:00 | Spain vs. Saudi Arabia | Group H | Atlanta Stadium | |
| 20:00 | Belgium vs. Iran | Group G | Los Angeles Stadium | |
| 23:00 | Uruguay vs. Cape Verde | Group H | Miami Stadium | |
| Mon, 22 Jun 2026 | 02:00 | New Zealand vs. Egypt | Group G | BC Place Vancouver |
Set-Piece & Penalty Matrix
Set-Piece & Penalty Matrix (June 20-23)
| Matchup | Team | Penalties | Free Kicks / Corners |
| Netherlands vs. Sweden | Netherlands | Memphis Depay | Frenkie de Jong, Cody Gakpo, Denzel Dumfries |
| Sweden | Viktor Gyökeres, Alexander Isak | Mattias Svanberg, Anthony Elanga | |
| Germany vs. Ivory Coast | Germany | Joshua Kimmich | David Raum, Florian Wirtz |
| Ivory Coast | Vakoun Bayo | Clement Akpa | |
| Ecuador vs. Curaçao | Ecuador | Enner Valencia | Kendry Páez, Pervis Estupiñán, Gonzalo Plata |
| Curaçao | Leandro Bacuna | Juninho Bacuna, Leandro Bacuna | |
| Tunisia vs. Japan | Tunisia | Ali Abdi, Ismael Gharbi | Hannibal Mejbri, Ali Abdi |
| Japan | Ayase Ueda | Takefusa Kubo, Daichi Kamada, Ritsu Doan, Junya Ito | |
| Spain vs. Saudi Arabia | Spain | Mikel Oyarzabal | Pedri, Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal |
| Saudi Arabia | Firas Al-Buraikan | Saleh Abu Al-Shamat, Salem Al-Dawsari | |
| Belgium vs. Iran | Belgium | Romelu Lukaku | Kevin De Bruyne, Youri Tielemans |
| Iran | Mehdi Taremi | Mehdi Taremi, Saman Ghoddos | |
| Uruguay vs. Cape Verde | Uruguay | Darwin Núñez | Federico Valverde |
| Cape Verde | Sidny Cabral | Jamiro Monteiro, Sidny Cabral | |
| New Zealand vs. Egypt | New Zealand | Chris Wood | Sarpreet Singh, Matt Garbett, Elijah Just |
| Egypt | Mohamed Salah | Mohamed Salah |
Cheat Sheet – Players’ Cards You Need for Your Fantasy Football Team
The “Locks” – Players You Need
| Matchup | Team | Star Target (Premium/Locks) | Value & Budget Picks / Stats Focus |
| Germany vs. Ivory Coast | Germany | Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, Florian Wirtz, Joshua Kimmich | Nico Schlotterbeck (Stats: 74 passes, 8 clearances), Jonathan Tah, Nathaniel Brown, Aleksandar Pavlović |
| Ivory Coast | Franck Kessié, Wilfried Singo | Ousmane Diomande, Amad Diallo (Impact sub) | |
| Ecuador vs. Curaçao | Ecuador | Enner Valencia, Moisés Caicedo, Piero Hincapié | Joel Ordóñez, Alan Minda, Pedro Vite (FootballCoin Free Card) |
| Curaçao | None selected | None selected | |
| Tunisia vs. Japan | Tunisia | None selected | None selected |
| Japan | Daichi Kamada, Junya Ito, Keito Nakamura | Shogo Taniguchi (Build-up stats), Kota Watanabe (Build-up stats) | |
| Spain vs. Saudi Arabia | Spain | Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Rodri | Mikel Oyarzabal, Aymeric Laporte, Unai Simón (Clean sheet target) |
| Saudi Arabia | None selected | None selected |
Germany – Ivory Coast
In eight years of writing fantasy football tips articles in international tournaments, I’ve learned one thing about Germany: if it can score 100 goals in a game, it would do it. The Germans like easy prey, however, and Ivory isn’t quite this.
Still, if you want to make the best of Germany’s attacking appetite, pick Musiala, Havertz and Wirtz here. Don’t worry about the effect it’ll have on your budget.
Kimmich should always star in your team. And while I’ve seen many German defenders better than Schlotterbeck and Tah, this is a game in which, because of the way that the FootballCoin scoring system is set up, they could score plenty.
I’m just looking at the stats when making these suggestions. Schlotterbeck, for example, made 74 good passes last game and 8 clearances.
I would also consider taking a shot on wing-back N. Brown and defensive midfielder Pavlovic.
This may seem like a lot of players, but trust my experience. The Germans know how to pick up an easy win.
But, Die Mannschaft can be got at. Diomande is a star. Kessie and Singo bring experience. And Diallo is the ultimate impact sub.
Ecuador – Curacao
I’ve seen a lot of opening games where football teams perform badly, only to bounce back and have a good tournament. Neither Ecuador nor Curacao are as bad as their first World Cup game made them look.
Not all of Ecuador’s defenders delivered. But Ordonez and Hincapie were on the mark. Even better picks are Caicedo and Vite, who is a free player card in FootballCoin.
But the real winners here could be the tough-tackling striker Minda and the highly experienced one, Valencia.
If the game, predictably, flows toward a South American victory, these picks should earn you a lot of points.
Tunisia – Japan
Japan thoroughly impressed me last week. I have hardly seen a team in this World Cup that attacks or defends with greater organisation and dynamism. Tunisia, meanwhile, looks like one of the weaker teams here.
Perfect! I can tell you, from my years of experience, that these are the games we’re waiting for in fantasy football.
Japan’s midfielders, I think, are excellent. Pick Nakamura, Ito and Kamada (if you can afford him) without hesitation.
The stats I keep quoting also show that Taniguchi and Watanabe contribute well to Japan’s build-up play. In all my years of playing fantasy football, this is the principal criterion by which I choose a defender.
Spain – Saudi Arabia
Spain’s Matchday 1 performance was a shocker. They’ll take their frustrations out on poor Saudi Arabia. Believe me! I’ve seen it happen before.
Yamal and N. Williams will be pushed back in the side. Get them if your budget allows. They’re essentials. And they may even make Oyarzabal look good.
The defence and midfield are a mixed bag. But possession is practically guaranteed. And a team that keeps the ball earns points in fantasy football.
This is why my expert advice is to pick Rodri and Laporte, regardless of how slowly they seem to run nowadays.
If you’re looking for a keeper who’ll get a clean sheet without doing much work, Simon may be it. This should assure you a good, but not great points tally for the keeper.
The “Enablers” – Players that Might Surprise You
| Matchup | Team | Star Target (Premium/Locks) | Value & Budget Picks / Stats Focus |
| Netherlands vs. Sweden | Netherlands | Denzel Dumfries, Virgil van Dijk, Micky van de Ven | Frenkie de Jong, Tijjani Reijnders, Ryan Gravenberch (Possession point targets) |
| Sweden | Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyökeres | None selected | |
| Belgium vs. Iran | Belgium | None selected | None selected |
| Iran | Mehdi Taremi, Saeid Ezatollahi | Ramin Rezaeian, Ali Nemati (Defensive value targets) |
Netherlands – Sweden
I have been watching the Netherlands for a couple of decades now, and Sweden for nearly as long. Rarely have they had less creative teams than at this World Cup.
Still, this doesn’t mean there aren’t a few players worth looking at.
Frankly, you can take a chance on Sweden’s strikers. They’re the most exciting thing that this game has going for it. Isak and Gyokeres are your picks.
Netherlands shines merely in terms of defenders. Dumfries, Van Dijk, and Van de Ven nearly always earn many points.
De Jong, Reijnders, and Gravenberch might earn some points as well when they’ll, inevitably, be keeping possession trying to claw back a draw here.
Belgium – Iran
Belgium used to be the most talented team not to win a trophy. But now, the team’s reverted back to looking tired and uninspired.
Meanwhile, Iran, a team of general unknowns plus Taremi, is playing with the intensity of someone defending their very life. This could be a surprise result! I’ve seen a lot of these over the years, and I want to advise you on how to capitalise.
Persian defenders Rezaeian and Nemati proved why they’re excellent picks. And my experience tells me that Taremi and Ezatollahi can cause the big upsets here.
The “Hail Marys” – Players You Don’t Need, but Cannot Rule Out Entirely
| Matchup | Team | Star Target (Premium/Locks) | Value & Budget Picks / Stats Focus |
| Uruguay vs. Cape Verde | Uruguay | Federico Valverde, Maximiliano Araújo | None selected (High uncertainty) |
| Cape Verde | None selected | Vozinha (GK – Budget hero target) | |
| New Zealand vs. Egypt | New Zealand | None selected | Elijah Just, Joe Bell, Tommy Smith (or Finn Surman), Callum McCowatt (Affordable youth targets) |
| Egypt | Mohamed Salah (Premium/Overpriced) | Emam Ashour (Goalscorer / High-impact metric form) |
Uruguay – Cape Verde
More was expected of Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay. Cape Verde, on the other hand, has earned millions of fans worldwide with its performance against Spain.
But there are too many uncertainties about both teams to know precisely which players to get.
Vozinha is a goalie you may need. He’s become a World Cup hero, and this may show in his performance. Meanwhile, Valverde and M. Araujo should always be on your radar.
New Zealand – Egypt
Both New Zealand and Egypt put in good, albeit unexciting performances. There are a few players here that, I think, can flesh out your squad if you need an extra player or two.
Ashour was great and not just because he scored. Salah is a decent, albeit overpriced, pick.
However, if you’re looking for some strong, affordable fantasy football picks, New Zealand’s Just, Bell, Surman and McCowatt are just the youngsters that you need.
The “Traps” – Players You Should Avoid
| Matchup | Team | Players to Drop / Avoid | Reason for Avoid |
| Germany vs. Ivory Coast | Germany | Manuel Neuer (GK), Leroy Sané | Neuer is prone to recent mistakes; Sané lacked impact against Curaçao (only 39 successful passes, 2 chances created). |
| Tunisia vs. Japan | Japan | Takefusa Kubo | Serious fitness doubts ahead of the match against Tunisia. |
| Spain vs. Saudi Arabia | Spain | Mikel Oyarzabal | Tends to disappear for long stretches in non-vital games. |
| Belgium vs. Iran | Belgium | Kevin De Bruyne, Leandro Trossard, Jérémy Doku | High cost overhead providing too little fantasy value at the moment. |
| Uruguay vs. Cape Verde | Uruguay | Darwin Núñez | Immediate bench candidate following a poor Matchday 1 performance. |
I’d avoid Neuer this time around. He’s a legendary keeper, but one prone to accidental mistakes recently.
I am also not excited about Sane, sadly. Why do I say this? Even against Curacao, he only had 39 successful passes and just 2 chances created. That’s not enough, if you ask me.
Take played well for Japan. However, there are questions about his fitness ahead of the game against Tunisia.
Oyarzabal is an efficient striker, but usually only in vital games. It’s likely he’ll disappear for long stretches of time here.
De Bruyne, Trossard, and Doku are too expensive and provide too little at the moment to deserve to be picked.
Sadly, D. Nunez‘s Matchday 1 performance means that you should bench him for the foreseeable future.
