The World Cup is one of the most famous and storied sporting competitions in history and is up there with the Olympics when it comes to greatness and competitive integrity. This summer the tournament will take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada and fans everywhere are excitedly counting down the days to the big kick-off. While Nigeria may not appear at the competition, many enthusiasts across the nation will be tuning into the feast of football.

Some followers will look to place wagers during the World Cup in order to boost the ways in which they engage with each game. If you are keen to look for betting opportunities during this summer’s tournament, this article will provide guidance on strategies to follow in order to make smart and informed decisions throughout the competition.

Get to Grips with the Odds

As a football follower, it can be tempting to dive straight into the matches but it’s imperative that you first develop a strong understanding around the betting requirements. Take the time to conduct thorough research around online betting odds and get to know the process of placing wagers if you are a beginner. Learning which nations are the favourites and the countries who are relative underdogs will help you to find value based on the odds for each team.

With the Premier League, Champions League and MLS among hundreds of competitions currently being played domestically and abroad, this could provide you with an opportunity to practice following the odds and placing bets. However, it’s imperative you gamble responsibly by setting a budget and not chasing losses. Look out for promotions and offers like welcome bonuses as these can allow you to make a practice move without the usual financial risks associated with online soccer gambling.

Learn about every Nation

Once you have developed a strong grasp on betting requirements, then comes the time to boost your learning around the teams competing in the World Cup. Building an encyclopaedic knowledge of the nations, players and fixtures will put you in a position of authority when it comes to making decisions. Being in the know should allow you to make educated guesses as opposed to making blind picks based merely on assumptions.

Start by checking out online resources to start profiling each nation. Gather information about the country’s previous World Cup appearances while focusing in on the manager, the starting eleven, squad and possible match-ups. It’s also a smart move to assess statistics as this reveal the strengths and weaknesses of each player and assist you in building a picture of how each side might perform during the tournament.

Assess the Group Stage

While there are play-off games still to be played on each continent, the group stage draw for the World Cup has already been conducted and so it’s possible to start comparing sides and picking out possible winners and losers. Be sure to note the new format, with 48 teams in 12 groups as opposed to 32 in eight as this could impact the route for sides when it comes to the knockout stages.

Brazil, the nation with the most World Cup victories in history after lifting the famous trophy five times, will face Morocco, Haiti and Scotland while Germany are set to take on Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curacao. History, team quality and recent standings suggest Brazil and Germany will top their respective groups but it is important to research the opponents in order to properly assess their chances before wagering.

Don’t Miss Team News

As nations must must pick 23 to 26 players in their World Cup roster, knowing which players make the grade is crucial when it comes to analysing the squads during the tournament. During the competition, managers likely won’t make major changes to their side from game to game which makes it even more important to focus on the main eleven when making your picks.

World Cup coaches will never reveal their starting line-up but that’s not to say you can’t gather clues during the tournament. Ahead of each game, managers will address the media at a pre-match press conference and confirm which players are absent due to suspensions or injury. With this information, you can then start to assess the likely possible team by looking at the squad list and working out which player is likely to deputise. Knowing the team will allow you to make an educated guess which wouldn’t be possible if you were unaware that a star man, for example, had been ruled out.

Explore Different Markets

While the obvious bets to place on the World Cup are match results and the eventual winners, there are a number of markets available which can offer value. The Golden Boot, awarded to the top scorer, is a popular choice while picking out first scorers in individual matches can also prove a clever move.

Looking deeper into the options, fans can wager on the number of shots a team records in a game while also betting on the amount of corners in a match. Yellow and red cards are also available to predict and so it’s always worth assessing the choices during the tournament.

Wrapping Up

Overall, devising strategies when betting on the World Cup will help you to make savvy decisions and ensure you are not making picks based on zero information. In the build-up to the tournament, taking time to conduct research can help you to build your knowledge before wagering.

Sidelined with a hamstring injury, Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe has sparked anger among a section of the club’s supporters after a holiday in Sardinia, triggering a fresh media storm ahead of Sunday’s Clasico against Barcelona.

Macau Black Knights’ Jenning Leung during a game against Phoenix Fuel Masters in the 2026 PBA Commissioner’s Cup. –PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Macau Black Knights didn’t have the best campaign in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, but that didn’t stop them from making noise in their final game of the conference.

The eliminated Macau stunned the playoff-hungry Phoenix, 105-98, at Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday to shake up race for quarterfinals positioning.

“I’m feeling like we just ended on a great note,” coach Marcus Elliott said. “Everybody was hyped, everybody was cheering on each other, our morale is high and we’re looking forward to seeing what’s next but to end on this note is perfect.”

With the Black Knights’ victory, the Fuel Masters dropped to a 6-5 record for a three-way tie at fifth place alongside TNT and Magnolia.

After leading by as much as 20, the Black Knights found themselves trailing in the fourth quarter, 89-83.

Macau, though, pulled the rug out from under Phoenix with an 18-4 run capped by layup from Jenning Leung with  2:40 to play for a decisive 101-93 lead.

Leung top-scored for the guest team with 32 points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Ramon Cao fired 23 while import Tony Mitchell tallied a double-double 13 points and 24 rebounds.

Elliott said they will be more than happy to participate again if invited again by the PBA.

“We’re looking forward to the future, we’ll see what happens, we’ll build a strong relationship with management and see what happens next, really,” the player-turned-coach said.

Phoenix played without star Ricci Rivero due to a hand injury.

Ken Tuffin led the Fuel Masters with 27 points. Johnathan Williams III had 20 points and 22 boards while Jason Perkins registered 20 and 10.

Away-game victories are what set the best college football program apart and often correlate with championship teams.

The tables below show the wins, losses, and win percentages for the region’s top programs over the last five seasons.

They are preceded by a breakdown of those stats by program.

Breakdown of Away Win-Loss Records by Program from 2021-2025

2025 Away Win-Loss Records

2024 Away Win-Loss Records

2023 Away Win-Loss Records

2022 Away Win-Loss Records

2021 Away Win-Loss Records

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Steven Pateman had trainer Ciaron Maher’s pre-race guidance resounding as he rode Stern Idol to the bottom of the incline in the Brierly Steeplechase at Warrnambool.

On Tuesday’s $2.10 elect at the Tozer Road double, Pateman handled the 3450m steeplechase, the marquee attraction on day one of the three-day Warrnambool Carnival.

“When I’m in a race, I can hear Ciaron’s instructions in the back of my mind,” Pateman told racing.com.

“And Ciaron actually said, don’t be dragging him around that turn, a big horse and with that recent rain on the ground.

“He did slip a little bit on the ground, and it was probably lucky that Aaron Lynch booted up (on Castrofrancaru), and I didn’t start pulling him around.”

Tuesday saw Stern Idol pack a current record 75kg to secure the win, exceeding his 73kg carry from the victorious 2024 edition.

Having led to the hill’s base before being headed, Stern Idol seized control again with 1000m to go and held on for a 4-½ length margin over Hit The Road Jack ($2.60), followed by Castrofrancaru ($15) another 2-½ lengths adrift in third place.

Pateman explained that the gelding got a surge when overtaken beyond the Tozer Road double.

“Once they headed him, he said ‘hang on a minute’,” Pateman said.

“He felt like he had 55 kilos on his back, not 75 (kg). He’s a big unit and I’m just lucky.

“He’s super special.”

Maher has a special affinity for Warrnambool returns yearly, having developed there first as a jumps pilot and then managing a compact group at the beach town.

His stable ranks among Australia’s elite in size, but his fondness for jumpers persists, evidenced by Stern Idol delivering his fifth Brierly Steeplechase victory.

Maher owned up to nerves watching the placers dart inside Stern Idol onto the true course but applauded Pateman’s steadiness.

“I was a bit nervous at the bottom of the hill, but Steve was cool, calm and collected,” Maher said.

“He’s been such a good horse over a number of years, and it is a credit to the entire team and the owners as well.”

Discover leading racing betting markets for the Brierly Steeplechase at trusted sites.

A short wait was all Tony and Maddysen Sears needed to endure before their stable ace Yellow Brick secured The Archer at Rockhampton, making the delay entirely justified.

The $1 million showcase race, planned for Sunday, faced a rescheduling due to track troubles in the home straight sections – areas at 200m, 150m and 80m were heavy, unlike the good stand elsewhere.

With jockey Tommy Berry still in place for the new date, he guided the $3.40 top pick away from interference on the bend, leaving the Group 1 runner with plenty of runway in the long Rockhampton finish.

Local runner Cherry Rose hit the front strongly entering the final 300m, however class held firm as Yellow Brick powered to a length victory ahead of Anemacore ($19), Boomtown Boss ($10) just a head behind in third.

Maddysen Sears, partnered with her father in the stable, shared that the win carried deep emotion for the family featuring their banner carrier, who boosted earnings above $3.7 million with his tenth success.

“It’s just really special,” Sears said.

“My grandma’s here to watch, all my family come out to do it.

“We brought the right horse up and someone told me a couple of days before, a very good trainer in Melbourne said he’s going to win for fun and he did.

“He’s the pivotal horse for my career. Anyone that knows me, knows my family, this horse is this horse is so special.”

Berry expressed ongoing assurance in the mount, crediting a leading rider for the opportunity aboard Yellow Brick up north.

“They just wanted me to make sure I got room,” Berry said of the instructions.

“He’s a big horse and he takes a little bit of winding up, but it was a good effort today. Because he was first up and he was a little bit keen in the run and being on the fresh side.

“Great effort by the team to get him ready, to get him ready twice too for today. It was worth coming back for, for the second time.

“He’s definitely got a good carnival ahead. They’ve got some nice races mapped out for him. Thanks to James McDonald, he’s the one who got me up here, so I’ll try and keep it, and you can ride something else from now on, that’d be nice.”

Visit betting sites to find racing odds for The Archer.

A second-round series in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs gets underway on Wednesday as the Buffalo Sabres host the Montreal Canadiens. Buffalo (50-23-9) defeated Boston in six games in the first round for its first series win since 2007. Montreal (48-24-10) knocked off Tampa in seven games in a series in which the teams alternated wins throughout. This is the eight postseason matchup between these franchises, with Montreal holding the 4-3 series edge.

The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET from KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. These teams split their four regular-season matchups. The latest Canadiens vs. Sabres odds have Buffalo as the -130 favorite on the money line (risk $130 to win $100), while the over/under for total goals scored is 5.5. Before making any Sabres vs. Canadiens picks, check out the NHL predictions and betting advice for Canadiens vs. Sabres from the SportsLine Projection Model.

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The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NHL game 10,000 times. The model entered the second round of the 2026 NHL playoffs with a +668 return on top-rated money-line NHL picks. Anyone following its NHL betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.

Now, the model has simulated Canadiens vs. Sabres 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NHL picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NHL odds and trends for Sabres vs. Canadiens:

Top Canadiens vs. Sabres predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Sabres vs. Canadiens, SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (5.5). Each of their four regular-season matchups had at least six total goals scored, but these high-scoring affairs date back beyond that. At least six goals have been scored in eight straight meetings between these teams, with an average of 7.3 combined goals over this span.

Both teams saw Game 1 of their first-round series eclipse the total. Jakub Dobes of Montreal ranks just 29th in GAA, but Buffalo’s Alex Lyon isn’t much better at 28th. The model projects Cole Caufield and Tage Thompson to combine for 1.02 goals, on average, while there are five others in this game forecasted to have at least 0.30 goals. The sims call for 5.9 combined goals, making the Over the value play in over-under betting. See the model’s Canadiens vs. Sabres predictions at SportsLine.

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How to make Sabres vs. Canadiens picks 

After simulating each shift of Canadiens vs. Sabres 10,000 times, the model also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NHL picks. 

So who wins Sabres vs. Canadiens, and which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Canadiens vs. Sabres money line to back, all from the model that has returned over $550 on top-rated NHL picks, and find out.