World Cup 2026 Betting Tips: Monday 22 June’s Four Matches

Monday is a marathon, not a sprint. Four Group I and Group J fixtures stretch from teatime in Ireland deep into the small hours, and if you are planning to follow all of them you should plan your evening — and your staking — accordingly. The first ball is kicked at 6:00pm Irish time; the last whistle of the night will not blow until the milkman is nearly out. Below is my reading of where the value sits across the card, with every price taken from the consensus market as of roughly 3:00pm Irish time on 22 June. Treat those numbers as indicative — the group stage moves them by the hour — and always confirm the live price before you commit.

Four fixtures across Groups I and J make Monday a full evening’s viewing for Irish punters. Photo for illustration.

Argentina vs Austria (6:00pm IST)

The defending champions open the Irish evening at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, and they do so on an eight-match winning run with a Lionel Messi who tied Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record with his hat-trick against Algeria. Austria are no pushovers — they beat Jordan 3–1 and captain David Alaba spoke this week of knowing "what kind of quality they have in their ranks, even besides Messi" — but the gulf in class is reflected in a consensus line of around 4/7 (1.58) for Argentina, with the draw at 13/5 (3.65) and Austria out at 22/5 (5.38).

At those odds, backing Argentina to win alone is thin. The Opta-style projections give the holders something close to a two-in-three chance, which is roughly what 4/7 implies, so there is no edge in the straight result. My interest is in the Argentina-to-win-and-over-2.5-goals angle, which marries their attacking momentum to the likelihood that Austria, needing points themselves, cannot simply park the bus.

My pick: Argentina to win, used as the banker leg of a multiple rather than a standalone single. The price is too short to excite on its own.

France vs Iraq (10:00pm IST)

France against Iraq at Lincoln Financial Field is, on paper, the most lopsided fixture of the night. Iraq are at their first World Cup since 1986, arrived on the back of a 4–1 hammering by Norway, and meet a France side whose Kylian Mbappé became his country’s all-time leading scorer with a brace against Senegal. The market agrees emphatically: France are 1/12 (1.08), the draw a distant 20/3 (7.68), Iraq a lottery-ticket 27/1 (27.84).

There is no value in 1/12. The only sensible French angles are in the goals and handicap markets, where the question is not whether they win but by how much. With Malo Gusto a doubt and France rotating, I would be wary of stacking a heavy handicap, but France to win to nil is the kind of leg that has held up across their tournament so far.

My pick: France to win to nil, again as a multiple leg. Singles at this price are not betting; they are lending the bookmaker money.

Norway vs Senegal (1:00am IST)

Here is the night’s genuine contest, and the one worth staying up for. Norway have won eleven straight competitive matches, Erling Haaland has scored in eleven consecutive Norway games, and they opened with a 4–1 win over Iraq. Senegal lost 1–3 to France but carry enough quality, with Kalidou Koulibaly fit again, to make this a real fight. The consensus has Norway at 21/20 (2.04), the draw at 12/5 (3.41) and Senegal at 11/5 (3.22).

Opta-style projections lean Norway’s way but only modestly — somewhere around 45% to Norway, 30% to Senegal — which makes the Senegal price interesting and the draw more interesting still. When two sides this evenly matched both need points, the half-time scoreline is often level. My value play is Haaland anytime goalscorer, given his streak, paired with a small interest in the draw.

My pick: Haaland anytime goalscorer is the standout. For the result, Senegal at 11/5 holds genuine each-way appeal in a coin-flip fixture.

Jordan vs Algeria (4:00am IST)

Only the truly devoted will be awake for this one. Algeria, beaten 0–3 by Argentina, are strong favourites at 8/17 (1.47) with Riyad Mahrez expected to return to the XI; Jordan, 1–3 losers to Austria but buoyed by Ali Olwan’s first-ever World Cup goal, are 21/4 (6.24), the draw 3/1 (3.98). Algeria’s quality should tell, but tired legs and a 4:00am Irish kick-off make this the most skippable fixture of the card.

My pick: Algeria to win, but at a price this short and an hour this unsociable, this is one to leave alone unless it completes a multiple.

If you intend to build a multiple from the two short favourites, a couple of the euro-facing books in our pool — Blitz.bet and ZotaBet among them — price acca-boosts on World Cup group games, which can squeeze a little extra from legs as short as France’s. Just remember the obvious truth that every accumulator hides: one slip in Arlington and the whole night’s work is gone before Norway have even kicked off.

Odds cited are consensus market values recorded at approximately 10:00am ET (about 3:00pm IST) on 22 June 2026 and are indicative, not confirmed. 18+. Gamble responsibly — visit gamblingcare.ie.