Keagan Smith gives his best bet on DraftKings Sportsbook along with a prediction and pick for Monday’s FIFA World Cup match between Argentina and Austria.
As the Group Stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues, we’re diving into each and every matchup to find value for bettors. On Tuesday, a duel between England and Ghana may prove decisive in Group L — both sides have three points apiece in the standings, meaning the outcome of this fixture could easily decide who eventually advances to the knockout rounds.
Kickoff for England vs. Ghana is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23 at 4 p.m. ET in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Let’s dive in for a top prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for this 2026 FIFA World Cup match.
It goes without saying that football is an essential part of English culture, so the national team’s status comes as no surprise. Per the latest FIFA world rankings, the Three Lions are listed as the No. 4 team on the planet. Plus, they’re third in odds to be crowned champions at +600 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
England hasn’t lived up to expectations in the World Cup in recent years, falling short in the Quarter-final back in 2022 and dropping a third-place match in 2018. That was the farthest the side has advanced this century, but there’s a growing feeling that could change now. Sure, the English showed some growing pains in their first two friendlies this year with a 1-1 draw vs. Uruguay and a 1-0 loss to Japan back in March. However, things began looking up in the summer with 1-0 and 3-0 wins against New Zealand and Costa Rica. Now, Thomas Tuchel’s squad seems to be finding its form in his first World Cup at the helm.
In the opening game of the Group Stage, England downed Croatia 4-2 in fairly dominant fashion. In that game, the Three Lions posted 20 shots with 12 on target, generating relentless pressure with a highly talented group of attackers. Harry Kane remains one of the best pure goalscorers in the world and had a brace with a penalty in that outing, complemented by Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford. Declan Rice and Anthony Gordon also play key roles in a stacked midfield, while Reese James and John Stones are major pieces in the back line. Jordan Pickford remains a stabilizing presence in the net, too. This starting XI is built to contend with more upside than most other nations bring to the table.
Since their first-ever World Cup appearance in 2006, Ghana has become something of a mainstay on this stage. The nation has been to five-of-six tournaments since then, only missing out on qualifying in 2018 over this span. However, they currently sit just 65th in the FIFA rankings after moving up eight spots.
Ghana’s results this year aren’t much to write home about, however, they didn’t play an easy schedule through the friendlies by any means. They lost 5-1 to a strong Austrian team and then dropped another game 2-1 to Germany a few nights later. In May, they faced Mexico and lost 2-0 before a 1-1 draw against Wales to start June.
Little of that matters now, though. In the Ghanaians’ opening fixture of the World Cup, they emerged with a 1-0 victory over Panama. It was a hard-fought one given that they held possession for just 37% of the match and were outshot with just eight on the night with three on target, also logging a pass accuracy of 84%. The game-winning goal came in thrilling fashion in the 95th minute off the foot of Caleb Yirenkyi. Antoine Semenyo and Jordan Ayew are the two most important attackers up front, so Ghana will go as they go in terms of scoring. It’s the Black Stars’ defense that stood out in qualifying stages though, and they’ll continue to put that side of the ball first.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, England is a -450 favorite on the Moneyline. Ghana holds +1300 odds for an upset. Bettors can also get a draw at +550 value.
The Ghanaian side makes for a nice story, but this game shouldn’t even be close. Perhaps the defense can hold strong for a while, but at some point, England will break through. It seems likely to come at some point in the first half, especially given how this English squad has produced chances at a high rate in its last couple of outings dating back to the friendlies. There’s also just far more talent in the Three Lions’ squad anyways, bringing significantly more depth to the equation as well. Under the direction of Tuchel and his tactics, this talent should win out in all phases and score at least once in each half. They’re simply too good to not take advantage of the matchup.
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