Our users love us because we win them their mini-league.* See a sneak peak of the Hub in our demo video.

Results, not features

Rebuilt from scratch. Faster. Smarter. Native. Start now and get it first.

A New App. Built to Win.

Rebuilt from scratch. Faster. Smarter. Native. Start now free and get it first.

Start climbing the ranks with a 7-day free trial - cancel anytime

<p>Who are the best World Cup Fantasy players for the second round of group games of the 2026 tournament?</p>
<p>We take an early look at the best options, using match projections to help inform our selections.</p>
<p>Round 1 ends with Colombia v Uzbekistan at 3:00 UK time on Thursday, with Czechia v South Africa kicking-off Round 2 at 17:00 the same day.</p>
<p>With many teams still to play in Round 1, we will update this article on Thursday ahead of the next deadline.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>🏆 </strong><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/world-cup-fantasy-tips-ultimate-guide"><strong>World Cup Fantasy Ultimate Guide</strong></a><strong> 🏆</strong></p>
<h2>World Cup Fantasy Matchday 2: Fixtures and projections</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>⚽ Target for goals: </strong>Brazil (3.11), Spain (2.96), France (2.96), Ecuador (2.95), Portugal (2.47)</li>
<li><strong>💪 Target for clean sheets: </strong>Spain (68%), France (67%), Ecuador (66%), Brazil (60%)</li>
</ul>
<p>Spain are once again a team to pile in on according to the market projections, collated by <a href="https://www.fpljoe.com/?mode=world-cup&amp;stage=group">FPL Joe</a>.</p>
<p>No team has a better chance of a clean sheet than the Spaniards, who face Saudi Arabia, while their goalscoring odds are also among the best.</p>
<p>Brazil had a difficult Round 1 match against Morocco but the odds are much more in their favour against Haiti, who are coming off a loss to Scotland.</p>
<p>France were another team who were not highly fancied in Round 1 but it&#8217;s a completely different story against Iraq, with attackers and defenders looking good to own.</p>
<p>And Ecuador will look to bounce back from a late defeat to Ivory Coast. They play Curacao, who were hammered 7-1 by Germany.</p>
<div id="attachment_79734" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-79734" class="size-full wp-image-79734" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Round-2-Fixtures.png" alt="Round 2 fixtures" width="1024" height="927" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Round-2-Fixtures.png 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Round-2-Fixtures-300x272.png 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Round-2-Fixtures-768x695.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-79734" class="wp-caption-text">Round 2 fixtures</p></div>
<h2>Best players for World Cup Fantasy Round 2</h2>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px;">Here are our top selections for Round 2 of World Cup Fantasy 2026.</span></p>
<h3>Vinicius Junior ($10.0m) &#8211; Brazil</h3>
<p>Brazil were not at their best in Round 1 but their projections suggest it&#8217;ll be a different story against Haiti.</p>
<p>Vinicius dragged his country back into the game against Morocco, cutting in off the left and firing home in the 32nd minute.</p>
<p>He also created two chances for his teammates &#8211; although it looks like <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fifa-world-cup-fantasy-2026-how-to-play-guide">big chances</a> are needed to earn an extra point for &#8216;two chances created&#8217;.</p>
<p>Many managers will be looking to double up on the Brazilian attack, potentially using the 12th Man booster to bring the expensive Vinicius in alongside <strong>Raphinha ($8.2m)</strong>.</p>
<p>Raphinha created three chances and had one shot on target &#8211; but owners will be expecting more here.</p>
<div id="attachment_50793" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-50793" class="size-full wp-image-50793" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1426894924.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1426894924.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1426894924-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1426894924-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1426894924-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-50793" class="wp-caption-text">Vinicius Junior. Picture by Getty Images.</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Kylian Mbappe ($10.5m) &#8211; France</h3>
<p>Mbappe was in about half of teams as the first World Cup Fantasy deadline passed.</p>
<p>Unless there&#8217;s a disaster in the Senegal game, yet to take place at the time of writing, it&#8217;s likely the Real Madrid striker&#8217;s ownership will rise further.</p>
<p>Having more than one France player in your team is a solid strategy for Round 2, with Iraq expected to be no match for Didier Deschamps&#8217;s squad.</p>
<p><strong>Michael Olise ($9.5m) </strong>is another Frenchman to consider and could rival Vinicius as a 12th Man contender.</p>
<div id="attachment_50848" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-50848" class="size-full wp-image-50848" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-987938754.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="677" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-987938754.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-987938754-300x198.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-987938754-768x508.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-987938754-610x403.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-50848" class="wp-caption-text">Kylian Mbappe won&#8217;t be out of our team for long. Picture by Getty Images.</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Joel Ordonez ($3.9m) &#8211; Ecuador</h3>
<p>Ecuador went into their first group game unbeaten in 19, keeping 13 clean sheets in that time.</p>
<p>That run looked set to continue, having kept the attacking talents of Ivory Coast at bay for 89 minutes, only for <strong>Amad </strong>to slot home a 90th minute winner for the Elephants.</p>
<p>Ecuador defenders were popular among the fantasy community in the build-up to the tournament.</p>
<p>And while a Round 1 clean sheet would have been a bonus, for many it would have been Matchday 2 which was the main target.</p>
<p>Only Spain and France have better clean sheet odds than Ecuador, who will fancy their chances of overcoming Round 1 strugglers Curacao.</p>
<p>Ordonez is a budget-friendly route into the Ecuador backline and played 90 minutes against Ivory Coast. He also qualifies for Scouting Bonus due to his low ownership, with a clean sheet worth nine points.</p>
<p>From an attacking perspective, <strong>Enner Valencia ($5.9m) </strong>is the focal point up top and is also eligible for Scouting Bonus.</p>
<p>A likely early substitution is a drawback however, with the 36-year-old hooked after 77 minutes against Ivory Coast.</p>
<div id="attachment_79737" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-79737" class="size-full wp-image-79737" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Ordonez.jpg" alt="Joel Ordonez. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Ordonez.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Ordonez-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Ordonez-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-79737" class="wp-caption-text">Joel Ordonez. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Mikel Oyarzabal ($8.1m) &#8211; Spain</h3>
<p><strong>Lamine Yamal&#8217;s </strong>fitness was a key talking point ahead of Round 1 &#8211; but regardless of the Barcelona teenager&#8217;s expected minutes against Saudi Arabia, Oyarzabal remains an excellent pick.</p>
<p>Yamal came off the bench against Cape Verde, playing 19 minutes. Luis de la Fuente has insisted his star forward is in &#8216;perfect condition&#8217; &#8211; but it seems unlikely he will play 90 minutes.</p>
<p>Oyarzabal was Spain&#8217;s joint top scorer in qualifying. He contributed six goals and three assists &#8211; more goal involvements than any of his countrymen &#8211; and took two penalties.</p>
<p>Fantasy managers may want both Oyarzabal and Yamal in their Matchday 2 teams but the former&#8217;s price is much easier to accommodate &#8211; and their failure to score against Cape Verde may limit those looking to double up.</p>
<div>
<div id="attachment_79703" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-79703" class="size-full wp-image-79703" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Oyarzabel.jpg" alt="Mikel Oyarzabal. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Oyarzabel.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Oyarzabel-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Oyarzabel-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-79703" class="wp-caption-text">Mikel Oyarzabal. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
</div>
<div></div>
<h3><strong>Follow the Hub</strong></h3>
<p>🐤<a href="https://twitter.com/FFH_HQ">Twitter</a><br />
📱<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ffootballhub/">Facebook</a><br />
💻<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/FantasyFootballHub/?sub_confirmation=1">YouTube</a><br />
🤳<a href="https://www.instagram.com/FFH_HQ/">Instagram</a><br />
⏰<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@FFH_HQ">Tiktok </a></p>
<p>And view all our latest fantasy football tips on our <strong><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/" aria-label="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/">homepage</a></strong></p>


Best players for World Cup Fantasy 2026 Round 2

Win at FPL

Community & tools