28 Jun 2026

World Cup Fantasy Picks – Round of 32

The group stage has flown by, and the World Cup enters its most exciting phase: the knockout rounds. The Round of 32 brings a completely different fantasy challenge, where every decision carries more weight, and there is no room for players who might disappear after one disappointing performance. The group stage was full of massive surprises, but now the Round of 32 offers some serious mismatches due to this new expanded format of the World Cup, which we have to take advantage of.

The biggest stars have to take matters into their own hands, as we’ve entered the stage where there are no second chances. Let’s take a look at the players who have the potential to make the biggest impact in the Round of 32.

Formation: 3-5-2

Emiliano Martínez (Argentina vs Cape Verde) – €5.5m

The Argentine goalkeeper is the definition of a knockout-round specialist. When the pressure rises, Martínez somehow finds another level, whether it is pulling off a ridiculous save, turning a dangerous attack into a meme, or getting inside an opponent’s head before they even take the shot. Luckily, Cape Verde isn’t like a Kolo Muani save in the 120th minute of the World Cup final.

In Fantasy football, you usually want a goalkeeper who is either extremely busy or extremely unlikely to concede. We’re banking on the latter. Congratulations to Cape Verde, a truly fantastic and historic achievement, but now it’s time for the big boys to play.

Noussair Mazraoui (Netherlands vs Morocco) – €6.1m

Noussair Mazraoui hasn’t needed goals or assists to matter, he’s been one of Morocco’s most consistently involved players just by how often he ends up in the middle of everything. So far at this World Cup: 2 matches, 186 minutes, and a role that keeps shifting between right-back, inverted midfielder, and emergency outlet whenever Morocco needs to escape pressure.

With a 7.03 Sofascore Average Rating, he’s Morocco’s third-highest-rated player at this World Cup behind Hakimi and El Khannouss. Our final point may not directly relate to football, but as a Dutch-born Moroccan, Mazraoui will have all the motivation in the world to give it his all against the Netherlands.

William Saliba (France vs Sweden) – €7.0m

William Saliba is the kind of defender fantasy managers love: the one who makes a difficult job look completely routine. The French centre-back has been one of the most reliable performers at the back for France, combining elite positioning with the pace to recover when opponents do manage to find space. He rarely needs to make desperate tackles because he is usually in the right place before the danger arrives. He’s simply world-class and maybe the best centre-back in the world, while France are one of the best national teams in the world.

And Sweden isn’t… Saliba offers exactly what you want from a knockout-round defender: a strong chance of a clean sheet and a high floor of defensive contributions. France have looked comfortable defensively throughout the tournament, while Sweden will need to take more risks if they want to pull off an upset.

Alistair Johnston (South Africa vs Canada) – €4.5m

After the opening match of the World Cup, few people would have predicted South Africa to be here still, and even fewer would have expected them to arrive looking as vulnerable as they have. Their run to the Round of 32 has been one of the tournament’s biggest surprises, considering their truly terrible display vs Mexico. Still, Canada’s form suggests their underdog story could be coming to an end.

Alistair Johnston has been one of Canada’s standout performers, offering the perfect balance of defensive reliability and attacking involvement from right-back. His energy on the flank gives Canada an extra outlet going forward, while his work rate makes him difficult to beat when they lose possession. The hosts will press them from the very start, and we predict a comfortable win for Jesse Marsch’s side.

Felix Nmecha (Germany vs Paraguay) – €5.8m

Felix Nmecha’s tournament so far has been a mix of quiet involvement and steady, functional midfield work, the kind that doesn’t always show up immediately in Fantasy scores, but still has value in a system as structured as Germany’s. And to address the elephant in the room, let’s disregard his 5.9 Sofascore Rating vs Ecuador; that match was a friendly for the Germans as they had confirmed their top spot after two rounds.

Against Paraguay, the setup looks more favourable. Germany should control the tempo again, but with more attacking phases and more space opening up between the lines — exactly the kind of environment where Nmecha can contribute with recoveries, progressive carries, and occasional late runs into the box.

Ismael Saibari (Netherlands vs Morocco) – €6.7m

I know what you are thinking… Ismael Saibari? A midfielder? Yeah, I don’t make the rules. Don’t tell anybody and run with it. 3 games. 3 goals. The Moroccan madman is on absolute fire, and the pattern is very simple. If Morocco scores, there’s a good chance Saibari is involved. If the game is tight, he’s usually the one breaking it open.

Now comes the Netherlands, a much more controlled and structured opponent. This is going to be quite the fixture, but Morocco is playing amazing football, and we believe that they are going to repeat their magical run of 2022.

Martin Ødegaard (Côte d’Ivoire vs Norway) – €8.0m

Norway has been a joy to watch at this World Cup (except their last match vs France where they practically rotated their entire XI). Martin Ødegaard’s performances have also been brilliant, with an assist in both of the matches he has played. Arsenal’s captain has been Norway’s main control switch in midfield, dropping deep to build, drifting wide to escape pressure, and constantly setting the tempo so Haaland can stay high where it matters.

Ivory Coast has already shown they can frustrate stronger teams, but also that they struggle when forced to defend long, sustained possession phases. That’s exactly where Ødegaard operates, not with highlight actions every minute, but with constant pressure through passing angles, tempo changes, and final-third delivery.

Rodri (Spain vs Austria) – €7.5m

Rodri has been one of Spain’s standout players thus far at the World Cup, with a Sofascore Average Rating of 7.90, dictating every single match. Spain comes into the Round of 32 having already shown their usual pattern: heavy control, long spells of possession, and a defence yet to concede. A 4–0 win over Saudi Arabia and a controlled 1–0 victory over Uruguay, showing character after a highly unexpected draw against Cape Verde

Rodri sits at the centre of that structure. He isn’t there for Fantasy fireworks, he’s there for control, recoveries, and ensuring Spain never lose their shape when the game gets stretched. Even in matches where Spain dominate territory for long stretches, it is often Rodri who decides how quickly (or slowly) they turn pressure into control again.

Johan Manzambi (Switzerland vs Algeria) – €6.0m

The twenty-year-old Swiss midfielder has been one of the breakout stars of the World Cup. With 25 Fantasy points amassed, three goals, and an assist in 129 minutes played, Manzambi is extremely dangerous and will be a headache for the Algerian defense, just like he was for Bosnia & Herzegovina and Canada. While it took a while for Murat Yakin to believe in him, after this group stage, there shouldn’t be any more doubts.

Since then, his role has grown from an impact sub to someone Switzerland actively tries to get into the game earlier, and alongside Granit Xhaka and Breel Embolo, he will be their focal point in attack against a very compact Iran side. If Manzambi has his day yet against, it’s going to be a long 90 minutes (and maybe more) for Algeria.

Kylian Mbappé (France vs Sweden) – €12.5m

Mbappé has reached a point in his career, especially when he wears a France shirt and when the occasion is a World Cup, where you really just can’t prepare for him. There’s basically no stopping him, and if you manage to stop him as a Swedish defender, well then you also have Dembélé, Olise, and co. Just like in 2018 and 2022, Mbappé is inspired and elite. Four goals and two assists in the group stage, an 8.23 Sofascore Average Rating, and 39 accumulated Fantasy points. What is there more to say?

Even these three sentences were too much of an explanation as to why Mbappé has to be in your Fantasy XI. But at the end of the day, Mbappé still isn’t at that level where his name speaks volumes and requires no further justification. As a matter of fact, there is only one player at this World Cup, and in the history of football, who has that privilege, and that is…