Betting the World Cup 2026 — with special guest Devin Crittenden of The Soccer Sharps

World Cup week is finally here — and before a single ball is kicked, we're getting our money's worth. Gary Striker and The Qooligan are joined by Devin Crittenden of The Soccer Sharps (and the World Cup spin-off Capping the Cup) for a betting-brain preview of Summer '26: who to back, who to fade, and where the value's actually hiding. Devin makes his case for Spain as the best team on the planet, explains why a 48-team field has quietly drained the jeopardy out of the group stage — three points now puts you through roughly 86% of the time — and breaks down the goalscorer markets that are smarter than blindly backing Harry Kane. We get into Mbappé's chase for the all-time World Cup scoring record and the cracks running through France, why Argentina are still very much a factor, Ronaldo's black-hole effect on a stacked Portugal, and a Brazil side priced far higher than they've earned. Then the fun stuff: Belgium's genuine dark-horse case (one word — Doku), Norway's frankly silly qualifying numbers, Morocco's encore, and The Qooligan's bold minnow shouts to sneak out of the group — Haiti and Cape Verde. Plus the edges nobody's pricing: the new Trionda ball, the New Jersey heat, Norway's all-black kit, and why the referee's confederation might decide your yellow-card bets. And yes — we land on what's realistic for the USA, and the coin-flip that could send them crashing into Iran in the round of 32. Place your bets responsibly. Kickoff's Thursday. Catch Devin on The Soccer Sharps and Capping the Cup (with the Designated Pundits). New episodes all tournament long at hooligan-soccer.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices