Today's top football picks for 3 Jul 2026: analysis of 3 key matches in the World Cup 2026 Round of 32 and today's match schedule.
On 3 July 2026, the final day of the World Cup 2026 Round of 32 arrives. Highlights focus on the defending champion Argentina, Egypt, and Colombia. Let's follow the match analyses and predictions for these three games.
- World Cup 2026 Round of 32 / Kickoff at 01:00 (early morning 4 Jul Thailand time)
*Live broadcast on Monomax and Monomax Sports Channel 29
Australia reached the World Cup knockout stage for the third time after beating Turkey 2-0, losing to co-host USA 0-2, and drawing Paraguay 0-0, finishing second in Group D. Their 7 matches this year show moderate form: 3 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses, including 3 clean sheets (2 wins, 1 draw). Latest squad news indicates two injured players, Matthew Leckie and Jacob Italiano, but key players remain: Lucas Herrington, Jackson Irvine, Christian Volpato, Conor Metcalf, and Nestory Irankunda.
Egypt reached the knockout stage for the first time in their 4th World Cup appearance after drawing Belgium 1-1, beating New Zealand 3-1, and drawing Iran 1-1, finishing second in Group G. They lost the goal difference tiebreak with Belgium by only 2 goals, both having 5 points. In 11 matches this year, they have 5 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses. Egypt beat Australia 3-0 in a 2010 friendly, but this match sees five injured players, including key striker Mohamed Salah (hamstring), though he is expected to be fit enough to play alongside Omar Marmoush, Emam Ashour, and Mahmoud Trezeguet. This lineup could pose a renewed threat to Australia.
Match Prediction Egypt narrowly edges Australia to advance.
- World Cup 2026 Round of 32 / Kickoff at 05:00 (early morning 4 Jul Thailand time)
*Live broadcast on Monomax
Defending champions Argentina are fully aiming for their 4th World Cup title after winning all matches: Algeria 3-0, Austria 2-0, and Jordan 3-1, securing 9 points to top Group J. "La Albiceleste" have a 10-match winning streak in all competitions, scoring 29 goals and conceding only 2, with 8 clean sheets. Lionel Messi, top scorer with 6 goals tied with Kylian Mbappe (France), returns to the starting lineup, alongside Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, and Enzo Fernandez.
Cape Verde is the only one among four World Cup newcomers to reach the knockout stage after drawing Spain 0-0, Uruguay 2-2, and Saudi Arabia 0-0, finishing second in Group H against expectations. In 7 matches this year, they lost only once and remained unbeaten in the last 6 games (2 wins, 4 draws). Jamiro Montero and Kevin Pina are expected to recover from injury to join captain Ryan Mendes, Dylon Livramento, star forward Willy Semedo, and goalkeeper Vozinha. However, their squad quality is clearly inferior to Argentina, likely ending their fairy-tale run here.
Match Prediction Argentina wins easily to continue defending their title.
- World Cup 2026 Round of 32 / Kickoff at 08:30 (morning 4 Jul Thailand time)
*Live broadcast on Monomax and Monomax Sports Channel 29
Colombia reached the knockout stage for the 4th time in 7 World Cup appearances after beating Uzbekistan 3-1, DR Congo 1-0, and drawing Portugal 0-0, finishing first in Group K. They remain unbeaten in 5 consecutive matches in all competitions (4 wins, 1 draw) and aim to reach the quarterfinals as in 2014. This is their first meeting with Ghana. Colombia’s squad is fully fit, fielding a strong lineup led by Luis Diaz, Luis Suarez, James Rodriguez in attack, with attacking fullback Daniel Munoz and tough midfielders Jefferson Lerma and Jon Arias.
Ghana reached the knockout stage for the 3rd time in 5 World Cup appearances after beating Panama 1-0, drawing England 0-0, and losing to Croatia 1-2, finishing third in Group L. They qualified as one of the best eight third-placed teams out of 12 groups. However, their form over the last 9 matches is poor: 1 win, 2 draws, 6 losses. Under experienced coach Carlos Queiroz, the last 4 matches show slight improvement: 1 win, 2 draws, 1 loss. Key winger Antoine Semenyo is expected to recover in time to play alongside Jordan Ayew, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Elisha Owusu, and Kwasi Sibo. Individually, Colombia looks stronger and is favored to narrowly advance.
Match Prediction Colombia edges out Ghana.