Who to Pick for the 2026 World Cup Fantasy Football: Round of 16

By Eduard Bănulescu

Do you want to win your World Cup fantasy football events when it matters most? You’d better pay attention to my suggestions. They’ve been known to work in my over 10 years of writing fantasy football columns and providing tips and tricks about who to pick.

Here are the players that you need for the Round of 16, and the ones you’d do best to avoid.

Why not win some prizes in the 2026 Fantasy Football World Cup contests in FootballCoin? It’s all free, and you’ll be competing against the top fantasy managers in the world.

World Cup Fantasy Picks: Round of 16

The “Locks”

Portugal – Spain

Sure, this is one of the great European rivalries played out on a football field. Does this have the making of a classic? Will the stars come out tonight? That’s all quite possible.

I hear you asking, “Is Ronaldo worth picking here?” Probably not! Although, in fairness, there’s no reason to ever assume that Cristiano is entirely incapable of coming alive when it matters the most.

Spain, on the other hand, is a great team (according to Ralf Rangnick, the best in the competition) and is just getting revved up to make an impression when it matters most.

Cubarsi and Laporte have provided surprisingly sturdy defence. Cucurella is an attacking wing-back that gets points when he gets in front of goal, which is often. And Pedri is worth the investment.

Baena has been the biggest surprise, the element going against conventional wisdom. Is he worth stretching your budget over? Yes! The same can also always be said about Yamal.

Back to the Portuguese, I think that Leao and B. Fernandes are the better attacking choices you can make. Veiga has had a great tournament.

And while Vitinha and Neves have been relatively underwhelming, this feels like the kind of game when they finally show their worth.

Argentina – Egypt

Argentina struggled to beat Cape Verde. However, you’d expect playing Egypt to suit the South Americans’ style a little better.

This has been Messi‘s playground, once again. The stats simply state that you need him on your fantasy football team. Doing really well, somehow, are also Li. Martinez, Romero, along with E. Fernandez and Mac Allister doing most of the running for Messi in this one.

Is Salah worth a pick? This could be his last World Cup game, so he’ll likely come out swinging. But, in fairness, making a big splash here is a bit of a long shot.

On the other hand, Ashour, Marawan Attia, Ibrahim, and Rabia have done decently well. Besides, all of these players are really affordable picks, making them ones worth considering for the Round of 16 contests.

The “Enablers”

USA – Belgium

Yeah, yeah, the president of the USA had to intervene to get Balogun to play in this one. But is he worth picking? Actually, considering his stats and record, he should be on your radar.

But it’s Tillman and McKennie, along with defender Ream, who really deserve to be picked.

I would also consider taking a risk on goalkeeper Freese. The local support he’ll receive may make him improve upon his typical performances.

Belgium, on the other hand, has been a massive disappointment if you ask me, and the fantasy football stats prove it.

Still, Courtois will get to be a star again in this one. You can’t ever bet against Lukaku, even if he only comes on as a sub. And Tielemans is, by far, the team’s best outfield player.

The “Wild Cards”

Switzerland – Colombia

This, in my book, is a game against the Swiss, who are good and make football seem dull and Colombia, who are decent and make football feel exciting.

Does this have any effect on fantasy football scores?

Pick Arias, Rodriguez and Puerta in your midfield. Also, an investment in Diaz can prove a smart move.

On the Swiss side, you should go for Manzambi, by far the team’s most exciting young talent. He is a free, 2* player card in FootballCoin.

Freuler, Xhaka, and Elvedi are worth keeping on your manager’s radar if you desperately need a last-minute pick.

The “Costly Mistakes”

As mentioned before, while Ronaldo always has potential to shine if provided with the right balls in the right moments, I just think that there are better options available in the competition at this stage. I’ve seen it before in my decade of covering fantasy football, and this, likely, doesn’t work out alright for Portugal.

For similar reasons, I would pass on Olmo. And while Rodri is still important for Spain, he’s been a little sluggish.

Maybe Belgium will finally snap out of its funk against USA. But, judging by performances, I don’t see any reason to spend big on De Bruyne or De Ketelaere. I’ve also praised Vanaken’s potential before, but have been proven wrong so far. Why would things change now?

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