World Cup Fantasy Round 1: Best Fixtures & Players to target

In this article, we take a look at the best fixtures and players to focus for World Cup Fantasy Round 1. There are plenty of matches in the new system of the tournament (48 teams / 12 groups), and there are plenty of good fantasy options as well to target for your teams. To make it efficient and brief, this blog focuses on the best assets in the most interesting games (maximum two per day) quickly. The base is the Predicted Goals (For & Against) for teams, In-Form Players during the season, and the recent friendly matches.

Link to all our 2026 World Cup Fant asy blogs in one place, including position-wise players to target, Group previews, Differentials, Captaincy, Chip strategy, Budget Enablers, Tips, and more. Completely free to access as well!

World Cup Fantasy Round 1 Guide

Mexico vs South Africa (11 June)

Mexico plays the first match of the tournament as one of the three hosts, with R. Rangel ($3.9m-GK) available at such a good price in their goal. J. Vasquez ($4.7m-DEF) is such an interesting option among defenders with two goals in the last two friendly matches, while R. Jimenez ($7.0m-FWD) is their main striker (also on penalties) and one of the best cheap forwards in the game.

Further Read: FIFA World Cup 2026 – Predicted Line Ups of All 48 Teams

Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (12 June)

Canada is the other host with such affordable options in different positions: M. Crepeau ($4.0m-GK) is the number one who recently saved a penalty in a friendly match, A. Davies ($4.9m-DEF) will be such an interesting asset with attacking threat (and also on free kicks) if he is fit to start the game, and J. David ($7.0m-FWD) is a similar pick to Jimenez, a cheap main striker who is on penalties.

Further Read: World Cup 2026: Most In-Form Players in Each Position – Interactive Table

Scotland vs Haiti (13 June)

Scotland has their easiest fixture in World Cup Fantasy Round 1 and it’s the best time to take advantage of it. A. Gunn ($3.6m-GK) is probably the cheapest goalkeeper with a good fixture in this round, A. Robertson ($5.0m-DEF) is their best defender with too much potential for attacking returns considering his role in the team, and S. McTominay ($6.5m-MID) is the best Scottish player overall who is available at such a price for managers who want to invest in them.

Further Read: Best 2026 FIFA World Cup Fantasy MD1 Drafts

Switzerland vs Qatar (13 June)

Switzerland is the best team in their group and they have their easiest match in Round 1. R. Rodriguez ($4.5m-DEF), N. Elvedi ($4.3m-DEF), and S. Widmer ($4.2m-DEF) are all great options in their defense, while G. Xhaka ($6.2m-MID) and B. Embolo ($7.5m-FWD) are two players if you want to pick attacking assets from Switzerland, as both are available at such a good price.

Further Read: FIFA World Cup 2026 – Predicted Line Ups of All 48 Teams

Ecuador vs Ivory Coast (14 June)

Ecuador had a great record during the qualifying with a fantastic defensive performance, which makes H. Galidanez ($4.2m-GK), P. Estupinan ($4.8m-DEF), and J. Ordonez ($3.9m-DEF) all interesting options. Estupinan is more expensive and has more attacking potential, while Ordonez has the best possible price as a defender. E. Valencia ($5.9m-FWD) is also their best attacker and clearly underpriced in the game.

Further Read: World Cup Fantasy 2026: Best Options for “12th Man” Booster

Germany vs Curacao (14 June)

The best fixture in the first round belongs to Germany and these are the best players to consider: J. Kimmich ($5.5m-DEF) is probably the best defender in the game who is also on free kicks and penalties, J. Musiala ($8.0m-MID) and F. Wirtz ($7.5m-MID) are the midfielders to focus, and K. Havertz ($7.8m-FWD) is the most-trusted German forward who might also be on penalties. No matter which other players you pick, it’s recommended to own at least two German players for this match.

Further Read: World Cup Fantasy 2026: Comprehensive Booster Strategy Guide

Uruguay vs Saudi Arabia (15 June)

An easy match for Uruguay in the first round and a perfect time for their fantasy assets to be picked. S. Rochet ($4.1m-GK) is one of the best cheap goalkeepers, and both M. Olivera ($4.3m-DEF) and G. Varela ($4.2m-DEF) are their defenders to focus on. F. Valverde ($7.5m-MID) is the main player of the team with contributions in attack and defense, while D Nunez ($7.5m-FWD) is a risky pick due to his unsecured playing minutes.

Further Read: Best 2026 FIFA World Cup Fantasy MD1 Drafts

Spain vs Cape Verde (15 June)

Spain has the second-best fixture of World Cup Fantasy Round 1 (after Germany) with U. Simon ($5.0m-GK) as one of the few premium goalkeepers who might be worth spending your budget on. M. Cucurella ($5.1m-DEF) is their best defender with goal contribution potential, while P. Cubarsi ($5.1m-DEF) comes next with his good form in recent friendlies. In midfield, D. Olmo ($7.7m-MID) can return big numbers with Yamal’s injury situation, and Pedri ($8.1m-MID) is the pick for those who wish to go risky. M. Oyarzabal ($8.1m-FWD) is the most secure Spanish attacker with such a great record in qualification matches.

Further Read: World Cup 2026: Most In-Form Players in Each Position – Interactive Table

Norway vs Iraq (16 June)

Norway will face their weakest opponent in Round 1 and it’s the best time to own their players: O. Nyland ($4.2m-GK) comes at a good price, but J. Ryerson ($4.2m-DEF) is their best defensive pick for sure, considering his two assists in the recent friendly matches. M. Odegaard ($7.7m-MID) might be overlooked as a fantasy asset, but he is an interesting choice as a midfielder for this round. E. Haaland ($10.5m-FWD) is clearly the top player here and the most predicted fantasy points in Round 1 belong to him, which makes him the most essential player of the round.

Further Read: World Cup 2026: Predicted Goals (For & Against) – Interactive Table

Austria vs Jordan (16 June)

Austria plays their favorable opponent of the group in this round, and their attacking options can return fantasy points for their managers. M. Sabitzer ($6.8m-MID) is the first option as their talisman, who is on penalties and free kicks, while M. Arnautovic ($6.0m-FWD) has done well during the qualifying matches as the main striker of the team.

Further Read: Best Budget Enablers for FIFA World Cup Fantasy 2026

Portugal vs Congo DR (17 June)

One of the best fixtures to focus in World Cup Fantasy Round 1, where Portugal faces an easy opponent and their players can collect big fantasy points. D. Costa ($4.9m-GK) is the best premium goalkeeper (alongside Simon) for this round, and both N. Mendes ($5.8m-DEF) and J. Cancelo ($5.3m-DEF) are great picks with too much attacking threat as the fullbacks. B. Fernandes ($8.5m-MID) is one of the best midfielders in the game and in the world at the moment, and of course, C. Ronaldo ($10.0m-FWD) and his eternal thirst for scoring goals in attack are the two best assets among the attackers.

Further Read: FIFA World Cup 2026- Penalty and Set Piece Takers for all 48 Teams

Colombia vs Uzbekistan (17 June)

An easy fixture for Colombia in the first round and the interesting assets they have: C. Vargas ($4.3m-GK) is available at such a good price, while both D. Munoz ($4.6m-DEF) and J. Mojica ($3.9m-DEF) are good options in defense, depending on the budget and relatively attacking return expectation. L. Diaz ($8.1m-MID), J. Rodriguez ($6.5m-MID), and J. Arias ($6.3m-MID) can produce big fantasy returns considering their form, set-piece roles, and performances in recent friendlies, respectively.

Further Reads from AAFPL ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Fantasy Season

Link to all our FIFA World Cup Fantasy blogs in one place, including group previews, tips, and rules guide, differentials, chip strategy, best drafts with pros and cons, and more. Completely free to access as well!

Thanks for reading the “World Cup Fantasy Round 1 Guide” blog. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for regular blogs. Also, follow our 220,000+ community on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, & Twitter/X to stay updated on regular Posts and World Cup fantasy updates.

What’s next from AllAboutFPL ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Fantasy Season?

We’ll be covering group previews, tips and rules guide, differentials, chip strategy, position-wise players to target, best drafts with pros and cons, plus a lot more content. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for all our blogs. We’ll also be posting regularly about the same on our social media accounts, so follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and keep our notifications ON.

Our content is always free, and if you like our content, do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)

**Link to all our 2026 World Cup Fantasy Content** in one place

Our content is always free, and if you like our content, do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)

World Cup Fantasy Round 1: Best Fixtures & Players to target

World Cup Fantasy Round 1: Best Fixtures & Players to target