Something Very Bad Takes Way Too Long to Happen

Netflix allows users to change the playback speed of its videos. I hate this feature. Timing, pace, and duration are crucial parts of audiovisual storytelling; sure, youcanwatchGilmore Girlsat half speed, but you'll miss the rapid-fire dialogue that gives the show its bounce. Yet as I was watchingNetflix'snewhorror seriesSomething Very Bad Is Going to Happen, I had to fight the urge to toggle up the speed to 1.5x. By the third aimless episode, I felt more dread about having five more installments to go than I did about anything that was happening to the characters.

Created by Haley Z. Boston (and, flaws aside, a big improvement on her broad Netflix horror noirBrand New Cherry Flavor),Somethingis notable for being executive producers theDuffer brothers'first new series in the decade sinceStranger Thingsdebuted. But don't be fooled by their involvement; this is not a family show. It is, rather, a showaboutfamily—and specificallymarriage. What makes two peoplesoulmates, if such a phenomenon even exists? How do parents or siblings or household lore about love influence ourromantic relationships? How can you really know, by the time you exchange vows, that you'vefoundyour person?These could have been rich ideas to explore through horror, if only the show didn't take so long to raise the questions and then hide its lack of insightful answers behind a dozen mostly predictable twists.An eerie wedding opens the premiere. As a beautiful, palpably anxious bride,Camila Morrone's Rachel, walks down the aisle to her adoring groom, Nicky (Adam DiMarco), the sound of labored breathing nearly drowns out the music. There are point-of-view shots filtered through the gauze of Rachel's veil. A montage of the couple's past flashes by. We note the slightest hint of hesitation. Ominous vibes aside, it's all pretty typical wedding stuff. Cut to a wolflike creature stalking darkened hallways, empty except for a wide stream of blood, to a chorus of screams.

This is a flash-forward. The story unfolds in the five days leading up to it; when you title your showSomething Very Bad Is Going to Happen(which, when you think about, could be the name of just about any story), there's no need to pretend that everything's going to go off without a hitch. Rachel and Nicky are driving to his family's rural vacation home, where they are planning to have a very low-key winter wedding. In an echo of DiMarco'sWhite Lotuscharacter, he's the sweet, coddled baby boy of the kind of rich clan who call their lush woodland compoundscabins. She is the opposite—a young woman with no family support and little backstory. Shrewd, guarded, and a smidge gothy, Rachel is our audience surrogate and Morrone's self-possessed performance the show's greatest asset. For her, the bad juju begins on the road, and not just because Nicky is trying to persuade her that they should have kids. ("I don't wanna be torn open," she protests.) A gory rest-stop bathroom tableau and a cavernous,David-Lynch-literoadhouse raise the possibility that she's seeing things that aren't really there.

Advertisement

Nicky's family is weird, too. Matriarch Victoria (a thrillingly creepy Jennifer Jason Leigh) doesn't seem to be all there, saving her moments of coherence for morbid speeches about love. "Time is an unstoppable force, and it will do whatever it can to destroy you. And ultimately it will win," she reminds her kids and their partners. "Marriage is a powerful merging of souls. It's like being sewn together." When he isn't holed up doing taxidermy, her protective physician husband (Ted Levine) stalks around the cabin angrily. Their older son, Jules (Jeff Wilbusch), has struggled to recover from a traumatic childhood experience in the woods outside the cabin but is now married to a patient ex-girlfriend of Nicky's, Nell (Karla Crome), and father to a curious boy, Jude (Sawyer Fraser). Nick and Jules' sister Portia is a real trip, an alternately flighty and haughty mean girl played to devilishly effervescent perfection byDickinsonscene stealer Gus Birney.

It's a promising cast of characters, one that riffs on stock horror types without repeating them and, in its portrait of a rich family, avoids defaulting to scarySuccession. (Netflix has already done that, well, withMike Flanagan'sThe Fall of the House of Usher.) With eight episodes' worth of time to fill, Boston could have really dug into the relationships between fiancés and spouses, parents and children, sisters and brothers, idealized romance and the reality of spending most of your life with a person. None of this would've necessarily contradicted the conventions of the genre. Instead, she gives us what might have been enough character development for a feature film and spends the bulk of the season—and especially those first three prefatory episodes—loading up on generically spooky atmospherics: jump scares, darkened corners, found-footage framing, heavy breathing and other unnerving sounds, sudden spurts of blood and abrupt bursts of violence. There's even some textbook kiddie nightmare fuel, in the form of a local frozen custard (not ice cream!) business founded by a psycho killer, whose logo is a swirl of white soft serve dipped in something revoltingly red. It's a stylish yawn.

The back half of the season is better overall. The ending isn't revelatory, in the sense that it doesn't quite completeSomething's thoughts on matrimony or family or inherited attitudes toward either, but it's clever and kind of exhilarating. Characters like Nell and Jules gain some depth. There are a few well-executed twists among the many that are easy to anticipate. But those developments create new problems, pulling our attention away from any mysteries we've managed to become invested in and discarding them as empty misdirection. There are still episodes, too, like one set at Rachel and Nicky's rehearsal dinner, whose substance could've been covered in a scene. A fine line separates suspense from boredom. Draw out a plot beat for too long or keep repeating an effect that was scary the first time, and you're bound to cross it.

byAnio Baumeister

in

March 26, 2026

Something Very Bad Takes Way Too Long to Happen

Netflix allows users to change the playback speed of its videos. I hate this feature. Timing, pace, and duration are cru...

Read More

Jaylen Brown, Celtics make statement against Thunder: 'I guess that was a little payback'

BOSTON — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in the building, but the MVP chants were not for him.

They rained down from the TD Garden rafters each time Celtics forward Jaylen Brown took the free-throw line in a119-109 winover Gilgeous-Alexander's reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder. He took the stripe a lot — a game-high 14 times in total — en route to 31 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, outperforming the NBA's returning regular-season and Finals MVP.

Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season

Brown even beat Gilgeous-Alexander at his own game, baiting him into a foul — and the bucket — midway through the fourth quarter. Brown was all smiles; all SGA could do was shake his head. He has, after all, made a nice living out of forcing opponents into compromising positions.

"I guess that was a little payback," said Brown.

Of course, Brown has a Finals MVP award of his own. He also made an All-NBA Second Team as Jayson Tatum's co-star in 2023. We knew he was good. Just didn't know he was this good. In the absence of Tatum, who ruptured his right Achilles last May, Brown kept the Celtics in the hunt, performing at a level that warrants his consideration on ballots for MVP and All-NBA First Team.

"We all knew he could do it," said Tatum.

Not like this. We figured him for a second option on a title team, because we have seen him do it before in 2024, but after Wednesday's convincing win over the Thunder we have to ask: Can Jaylen Brown be the best player on a team that wins the championshipthisseason?

Tatum is back in remarkable time from surgery, but he is not inhisAll-NBA First Team form, and that is OK. It's actually a good thing, because now the Celtics know a new pecking order. It just looks different from what we're used to seeing. Brown is their No. 1 option. Tatum is the co-star.

And he looked the part against the Thunder, totaling 19 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals over 35 minutes of this battle between the league's last two champions.As he has since his return, Tatum looked a lot like himself, only with a little less bounce and a lot more rust.

"I didn't lose any of my game," the superstar declared after only his ninth game back. The Celtics are 7-2 with him. "I'm just kind of rusty right now and finding my wind and my rhythm."

He is only getting stronger, and there are more than two months before these two teams could meet again in the NBA Finals. The Celtics must be thinking that way, or else they may not have brought Tatum back, as the Eastern Conference is up for grabs. The Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers will not scare Boston, especially not if these Thunder couldn't.

Advertisement

"That was a great, encouraging game for JT," Brown said of Wednesday's effort. "They're a high-level intensity, physical team, and I felt like it was a step in the right direction. We're still encouraging him to get back to that level of aggression we know and are used to, but tonight was a great game of him making the right plays, the right reads and being Jayson Tatum."

That's right: The Brown-Tatum duo, which has yielded five trips to the Eastern Conference finals and a pair of NBA Finals appearances in eight seasons, is morphing into a new form. It may still be the best tandem in the NBA if Wednesday's performance against OKC was any indication.

"Obviously, there are still going to be some ups and downs," Brown said of their partnership. "We're still working some kinks out, getting our flow. We've got 10 games left, and we need each one of those to get ready for the playoffs, but I think today was a very huge step for us."

"We can compete with anybody in the NBA," said Boston's Baylor Scheierman.

Scheierman is one of the Celtics who stepped up in Tatum's absence, along with Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh, among others. And now those guys are ready to contribute, too. Scheierman scored 11 points off the bench against the Thunder and looked like he belonged.

What was so striking against Oklahoma City: Boston was every bit as deep. The Thunder come at teams in waves, rolling out role player after role player who could start for most other teams. Now, with Tatum making them a complete roster, the Celtics likewise have no end to a rotation.

"This team has just been awesome all year," said Brown. "It's been a very fun season. Our guys have really developed from trying to find their footing in this league, trying to find a rhythm, trying to find their confidence, to really competing against some of the best teams in the league."

More concerning for the Thunder is the health of Jalen Williams, who scored seven points on nine shots and was a nonfactor in the loss to Boston. He recently made his second return from a hamstring strain, and he missed the first 19 games of the season to wrist surgery. He has played only 27 games. That Tatum looks every bit as healthy as Williams at this point is surprising.

All of a sudden, we might have to recalibrate who we consider the NBA's best pairing heading into the playoffs. The Celtics, for their part, are eager to see how far Tatum can help take Brown.

"It's super exciting," said Scheierman. "We've just taken it a day at a time, not really knowing what to expect throughout the course of the season, but now that we have him back and integrated into our team, which has been an easy transition for us, it's super exciting for what's to come. We're super excited and super confident in what we can do moving forward."

This isn't to say the Celtics are favorites from one win against the Thunder. Nor was the TD Garden crowd saying that Brown is the actual MVP over Gilgeous-Alexander. He can be on a given night, though, and if he can do it four times in seven tries, he might be a champion again.

byAnio Baumeister

in

March 25, 2026

Jaylen Brown, Celtics make statement against Thunder: 'I guess that was a little payback'

BOSTON — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in the building, but the MVP chants were not for him. They rained down ...

Read More

Tony Vitello backed by legendary manager, Giants crushed in MLB opener

SAN FRANCISCO ― It was a beautiful day in the Bay and a perfect evening for Major League Baseball as a sold-out Oracle Park had all the vibes on a 65-degree peak day.

Red, white and blue streamers dropped in the stands to celebrate the start of the new season.

Opening Day was highly anticipated for the 40,856 in attendance, but the home fans left disappointed as theNew York Yankeesshut out theSan Francisco Giants, 7-0.

There's been lots of commotion surrounding the Giants' offseason splash hire to bring inTony Vitello as new managerwith no prior major league experience. Vitello had a stellar stint atTennessee where he led the Volunteersto multiple College World Series appearances and won the national title in 2024.

His debut in the majors wasn't as favorable – a lopsided loss.

"On a personal level, but also the whole team, everybody would like a better result, but the results are going to fluctuate," Vitello told reporters after the game. "I think the biggest thing is, I guess ... a more competitive effort would have been better."

A general view as a smoke flag fires during the national anthem before the game between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees on Opening Day at Oracle Park on March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, Calif.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Baseball returns as Yankees, Giants face off in start to MLB season

A general view as a smoke flag fires during the national anthem before the game between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees onOpening Dayat Oracle Park on March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, Calif.

More MLB:Yankees blank Giants in blowout MLB Opening Day win: Score, highlights

Pitching disparity: Webb vs. Fried

The starting pitchers for Opening Day were the Yankees' Max Fried and Giants' Logan Webb. It was a vast difference in performance with Fried allowing only two hits and no runs.

Webb, on the other hand threw 86 pitches, 58 strikes with seven strikeouts in total. He allowed nine hits and seven runs. The only positive takeaway from Webb's day was that he struck out Judge three times in a little over five innings. But he couldn't "care less" if it doesn't come with a win.

"I did a bad job today," Webb said. "It just sucks that I put our team in the position that we were in. First inning was great. Second inning get [Ben Rice] to ground out on the first pitch of the inning. Then just all hell broke loose."

The Yankees did the majority of their damage in that second inning. He allowed five hits, resulting in five runs, giving the Yankees a 5-0 lead and they never looked back.

"It's quirky how it worked out for Webby, because a couple of those innings, he absolutely rolled," Vitello said. "And then again, they seem to have had the formula for stacking hits tonight. ... Maybe we look back as a group and the excitement of being the home team and the hype going into it and kind of a new vibe and things like that."

He added: "You certainly want to make adjustments, because we want to perform better and make it a more competitive situation, no matter what night it is or who the opponent is."

Advertisement

More SF Giants:Bold predictions for San Francisco Giants' 2026 season

Giants all-in on Vitello

There was a lot going into the game. Opening Day fireworks. Yankees in town. Netflix making its MLB broadcast debut and the ABS challenge replay system going into effect.

But the talk around San Francisco was the debut of Vitello.

His hire raised questions for some around baseball, but the Giants dugout only has positive reviews.

"We wanted to win today for a number of reasons," Giants third baseman Matt Chapman told USA TODAY Sports. "[It'd] be cool to get Tony that first win on Opening Day, but it didn't happen. The thing that Tony's been great with, he does bring a lot of energy. He's the same guy every day."

He added: "He knows winning baseball, he doesn't have professional experience, but he came in and kind of hit the ground running. For guys that have been around for a long time, we're on board with everything he's doing. He seems like he's been here before, you know, even though he hasn't. That's why Buster [Posey] picked him. And I fully expect you guys to see throughout the course of the season, you know, why he's here."

A legend's encouragement

If there's anyone who can relate to the nerves that Vitello felt before his Major League debut, it's baseball legend Dusty Baker.

Baker, cooler than the Pacific Ocean breeze sweeping through Oracle Park, kicked back in the Giants' dugout just hours before the first pitch to lead off another MLB season and their 69th year in San Francisco.

"This is the start of the long race. ... you know, you hope that you're still playing in late October. And this is a beautiful day to start the season, a beautiful place," Baker told USA TODAY Sports.

Baker is no stranger to San Francisco. He's coached the Giants from 1988 to 1992, before being named manager from 1993 to 2002. Unlike Vitello, Baker played in the big leagues, carving out an 18-year career cemented with a World Series ring.

"I'm sure he's nervous. I was nervous before my first game," Baker said. "I remember what it was like. You wonder if you're going to win or not, start off 1-0, and it was against Tony LaRussa and the Cardinals, and, man, we beat them."

Vitello didn't have the same start to his managerial career but Baker advised those rooting for the orange and black to give him time.

"I know he doesn't have any experience at the major league level, but he has he has a lot of experience at the college level. And any experience is better, no experience," Baker said. "There are quite a few managers around don't have any experience doing anything. So, I think he's gonna be fine because there are a lot of managers that don't have the experience that he has."

He added: "You just gotta give him a chance. That's the thing. You know, just give him a chance and then you got to give him more than a year to make the adjustment. That's why they gave him a three-year contract."

The Giants are 0-1, but on a positive note there are 161 more chances for Vitello to nab that covenant first MLB win as manager.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Giants crushed by Yankees in manager Tony Vitello's MLB debut

byAnio Baumeister

in

March 25, 2026

Tony Vitello backed by legendary manager, Giants crushed in MLB opener

SAN FRANCISCO ― It was a beautiful day in the Bay and a perfect evening for Major League Baseball as a sold-out Oracle P...

Read More

“Twilight” Star Robert Pattinson Jokes That 'No One' Is Team Jacob After Zendaya Shares Her Allegiance

Zendaya revealed she was Team Edward in support of her The Drama co-star

NEED TO KNOW

• Robert Pattinson quipped that Team Jacob "was a marketing thing" for Twilight in a recent interview with a French media outlet

• Pattinson played vampire Edward Cullen in the hit vampire romance franchise

Robert Pattinsonstill can't believe how anyone could be Team Jacob.

In an interview with French outletCanal+ahead of Pattinson andZendaya'supcoming filmThe Drama, a reporter brought up the age-old question surrounding the hitTwilightfranchise that launched Pattinson, 39, to stardom. In the movies, Pattinson's Edward Cullen, a vampire, competed with Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a werewolf, for the affections of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart).

"I'm Team Edward all day, let's go," Zendaya, 29, answered.

After hilariously questioning if he himself was Team Jacob, Pattinson offered a witty response to the "Team Edward or Team Jacob" question.

"No one's Team Jacob," Pattinson said with a laugh. "That was just a marketing thing."

"I was," the reporter tells Pattinson in the clip, who jokingly replies "sorry" as Zendaya is heard laughing. "That's crazy," Pattinson adds.

"Yeah, I need to get, you know, the merch," Zendaya chimed in. "I need to get the whole thing."

"There's a revival ofTwilightat the moment," the reporter tells the pair, to which Pattinson replies, "I know, it's crazy."

Advertisement

Pattinson's other recent co-star,Jennifer Lawrence, echoed Zendaya's Team Edward opinion in an interview withEsquirein 2025 ahead of the release of their filmDie My Love.

"Team Edward or Team Jacob?" Pattinson asked her. "In the books, Jacob," Lawrence, 35, answered. "In the movie, Edward."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE'sfree daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

As he continues to build his resumé of eclectic roles, Pattinson said several years ago that he was still surprised at theTwilightfranchise's popularity.

"I mean, it's a weird story,Twilight. It's strange how people responded," Pattinson told Jennifer Lopez forVariety'sActors on Actors series in 2019. "They are very romantic, but at the same time, it's not likeThe Notebookromantic.The Notebookis very, very sweet and heartbreaking and stuff.Twilightis about this guy who finds the one girl he wants to be with, and also wants to eat her. Well not eat her, drink her blood, whatever."

"I thought there were definitely bits that were very romantic," he continued at the time. "But to me, I thought it was a pretty weird story. and even when I was promoting it, I was pretty open about how strange I thought it was when I was doing it."

The Dramahits theaters on April 3. Pattinson and Zendaya also have roles inThe Odyssey, out on July 17, andDune: Part Three, out on Dec. 18.

Read the original article onPeople

byAnio Baumeister

in

March 25, 2026

“Twilight” Star Robert Pattinson Jokes That 'No One' Is Team Jacob After Zendaya Shares Her Allegiance

Zendaya revealed she was Team Edward in support of her The Drama co-star NEED TO KNOW Robert Pattinson quip...

Read More

Ultimate 2026 World Cup betting preview: Odds, best bets for every group, Golden Boot and winner

The2026 World Cupwill be the biggest sporting event held in the United States since sports betting was widely legalized in 2018, meaning a huge amount of American eyeballs and money will be on these games.

We're still several months out from first kick on June 11, but there are plenty of betting options available for casual and sophisticated punters alike.

Below is a bet I like in every group, along with my value bets for the Golden Boot and 2026 World Cup title winner.

Odds courtesy ofBetMGM.

Group stage

A reminder about the format for this newly expanded tournament. The 48 teams were drawn into 12 groups of four. After round-robin group play, the top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 32, as do the eight best third-place teams.

From a betting perspective, this means odds to advance will be less enticing, since most groups will have only one team with plus-odds to go through.

Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season

Also remember that six groups include a team yet to be determined, as those spots will be filled in March by playoff winners. That may affect the odds drastically. In Group B for example, the playoff winner could be four-time champion Italy or a Northern Ireland side that hasn't made the World Cup in 40 years.

Here are my current best bets for every group. I'll update this file as more teams are determined via the playoff winners.

Group A

• Mexico +130

• TBD +150

• South Korea +350

• South Africa 12-1

Group A may have the most question marks of any group. Host Mexico's squad is rife with injuries, including defensive linchpin Edson Alvarez, who had ankle surgery last month.El Trialso haven't yet replaced Guillermo Ochoa in goal, leading to speculation that Ochoa could return for a sixth World Cup. All of those issues scare me away from taking Mexico to win Group A (+130). Plus, the quality of the to-be-determined team could range from a group favorite in Denmark to another relative minnow in North Macedonia.

I don't love any Group A play at the moment, thoughSouth Korea (+350)would be my choice for group winner if I had to make one now.

Best bet: South Korea to win Group A (+350)

Group B

• TBD +110

• Switzerland +125

• Canada +450

• Qatar 33-1

Classic Swiss consistency is a strength and a weakness for a side that has always been steady but rarely spectacular in recent tournaments. They've reached three straight World Cup knockout stages but gone out in the Round of 16 each time. However, they may have turned a corner at Euro 2024, where Murat Yakin's side trounced Italy in the Round of 16 and outplayed England in the quarterfinals before going out on penalties.

Even if Italy qualifies from the playoff, Switzerland will be the most reliable team in the group, and host Canada doesn't have the depth or ceiling to keep up.I'll take the Swiss to win the group, with Breel Embolo (still only 29!) to at least match his two goals from the 2022 World Cup.

Best bet: Switzerland to win Group B (+125)

Group C

• Brazil -550

• Morocco +450

• Scotland 12-1

• Haiti 66-1

Five-time winner Brazil and 2022 semifinalist Morocco are understandably clear-cut favorites to be the top two teams in Group C. I don't understand why Haiti is such a heavy favorite to finish last in the group (-575), soI love Scotland's price to finish bottom (+500).

Haiti and Scotland face off in the opener, where the Haiti double chance is only +185. With a point or more there, Haiti will be in good position to double down on their defend-and-counter strategy that has frustrated Concacaf giants. Head coach Sébastien Migné was a Cameroon assistant at the 2022 World Cup, and his experience should help Haiti maintain a decent goal difference against the group favorites, and perhaps even sneak through to their first World Cup knockout stage behind Brazil and Morocco.

Best bet: Scotland to finish last in Group C (+500)

Group D

• United States +100

• Paraguay +260

• TBD +320

• Australia +800

The United States got a great draw in that Group D doesn't feature any team definitively better than the Americans, with the possible exception of Türkiye should it qualify via the playoff. On the other hand, the U.S. is not head-and-shoulders above any of its opponents either, with the possible exception of a rugged yet limited Australia.

Unless Kosovo qualifies, the Aussies will have the lowest ceiling in the group, soI'll take them to finish last (+145). They did get out of their group in 2022, but only by scraping 1-0 wins against Tunisia and Denmark. I'll bet against their potentially stout defense holding up that well again, and Tim Cahill isn't walking through the door to spearhead the attack.

On home soil and assuming enough key players are healthy, the U.S.shouldwin this group, but I'm definitely not betting them at +100. Theyshouldthen have a winnable Round of 32 game against a third-place team before potentially meeting Belgium or Egypt in the following game, so I don't mind playing the U.S. to get eliminated in that round (+240) or in the quarterfinals (+500) if you're more optimistic.

Best bet: Australia to finish last in Group D (+145)

Group E

• Germany -325

• Ecuador +350

• Ivory Coast +750

• Curaçao 66-1

The biggest shock at the previous two World Cups was Germany going out in the group stage atbothtournaments, ending a mind-boggling streak of reaching at least the quarterfinals at 16 straight World Cups. Germany still doesn't have the usual cupboard of world-class talent, but with the forgiving format, I don't see the four-time champs missing out on a third straight knockout stage.

2026 World Cup countdown: 100 days of facts, stats and stories

I do likeEcuador to win Group E (+350). In 18 qualifiers, Ecuador posted 13 shutouts and conceded a total of five goals, tying the CONMEBOL record low for a qualifying campaign. Chelsea's Moises Caicedo may be Ecuador's best-ever player, and he fronts a rock-solid back line that includes Willian Pacho (PSG), Piero Hincapie (Arsenal) and Pervis Estupiñán (Milan). The seemingly ageless Enner Valencia will have to keep scoring, but with six goals in qualifying, the 36-year-old appears to have the legs for one more run.

Best bet: Ecuador to win Group E (+350)

Group F

• Netherlands -140

• Japan +300

• TBD +400

• Tunisia +900

Four years ago, Japan finished atop a group that included Spain and Germany, so winning this group should be easy, right? It's not that simple of course, given the talented and justifiably favored Dutch side, but I don't see value in Netherlands at -140.

I'd rather takeJapan to win the group again (+300). Hajime Moriyasu remains the head coach, and his deep squad is filled with players scattered across Europe's top leagues, including Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo and Eintracht's Ritsu Doan. This team can do the things expected from a Japanese team, stylistically stringing passes together, and it can also be fast and physical in attacking and pressing. They have better odds than +300 at topping Group F.

Advertisement

Best bet: Japan to win Group F (+300)

Group G*

*Sportsbooks have pulled Group G odds due to the uncertainly surrounding if Iran remains in the World Cup, something that is up in the air amid current world events. We'll update this group when odds are reposted.

Group H

• Spain -500

• Uruguay +350

• Saudi Arabia 22-1

• Cape Verde 50-1

Spain and Uruguay are understandably massive favorites in Group H, leaving Saudi Arabia and debutant Cape Verde dueling to avoid finishing bottom.

Cape Verde's Blue Sharks have little pedigree on the world stage or in top leagues, but they've been on the rise in Africa recently, making three Cup of Nations knockout stages since 2013 and nearly qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. With a flexible attacking system, they also have more upside than Herve Renard's conservative Saudi side. I'll bank on Cape Verde's energy being the difference and betSaudi Arabia to finish last (+125).

Also, I haven't yet seen a price on Spain to win all three group games, but I'm planning to play that. Spain was the clear-cut best team at EURO 2024, and they've only gotten better since then.

Best bet: Saudi Arabia to finish last (+125)

Group I

• France -220

• Norway +275

• Senegal +700

• TBD 25-1

France may be the deepest team in the tournament, with an entire second squad that might be favored to win this group. The price isn't terrible (-220), but I'd rather look past second favorite Norway to reigning African champion Senegal, loaded with experience at top club and international levels.

The 34-year-old Sadio Mané leads a dangerous and fluid front line alongside Nicolas Jackson (Bayern) and Iliman Ndiaye (Everton), with Pape Sarr (Tottenham) and Idrissa Gueye (Everton) sitting behind them. Two former Chelsea men lead a strong defense, with Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal) at center back in front of standout keeper Edouard Mendy (Al-Ahli). They won't be intimidated by France or Norway's Erling Haaland, and the ceiling is there for Senegal to replicate its 2002 shock win over France and better its group runner-up finish from four years ago,especially at the long-shot price (+700).

Best bet: Senegal to win Group I (+700)

Group J

• Argentina -300

• Austria +450

• Algeria +550

• Jordan 33-1

Defending champion Argentina is the obvious big favorite to top Group J (-300), with Austria the joint-longest second favorite in any group (+450).

Regardless of Lionel Messi's contributions, Argentina should still win Group J with ease, and I don't see much difference between Algeria and Austria for second. Algeria features strong wingers including 34-year-old Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli), Rayan Ait-Nouri (Man City) and Mohammed Amoura (Wolfsburg), and they should be able to find space behind Austria's Red Bull-style press. That would put the Desert Warriors in fine position to finish ahead of Austria, so give me theexacta of Argentina winning Group J and Algeria coming in second (+190).

Jordan also looks completely outclassed at its first World Cup, so taking Jordan to finish last is appealing — even at -200 odds.

Best bet: Argentina wins Group J, Algeria second (+190)

Group K

• Portugal -220

• Colombia +185

• TBD 18-1

• Uzbekistan 33-1

After reaching the quarterfinals four years ago and winning Nations League last June, Portugal enters the World Cup as the sixth favorite (+1100). Roberto Martinez's side has as much top-end talent and versatility as any nation, giving him plenty of tactical options, for better and worse. YetI'd rather play Colombia to win the group at +225(be sure to shop around) than pay the juice on Portugal at -220.

As mentioned above, Colombia has veteran big guns including Bayern'sLuis Diaz, Palmeiras' Jhon Arias and Benfica's Richard Rios, with Minnesota United'sJames Rodríguezstill pulling the strings. Debutant Uzbekistan and the playoff winner (DR Congo, Jamaica or New Caledonia) shouldn't pose much of a challenge, so the Colombia-Portugal group finale will likely decide which team wins the group.

With the game in Miami, I see a heavily pro-Colombia crowd cheering their team to the top of Group K.

Best bet: Colombia to win Group K (+185)

Group L

• England -325

• Croatia +350

• Ghana +900

• Panama 33-1

England is the second tournament favorite (+550) and reasonably so given the talent on the field and new manager Thomas Tuchel, who wants to play a more aggressive style than England's often ponderous play under Gareth Southgate. He has the players to do so, and it's hard for me to see any other team topping this group, though I'm not rushing to play England at -325.

Croatia is the second group favorite (+350), but surely this is the tournament the fountain of youth expires for 40-year-old Luka Modric & Co., right?! Croatia may end up relying on five or more 30-somethings, and that's a bridge too far for me to take them.

Instead, I'll takePanama to advance (+220), trusting head coach Thomas Christiansen, who has led the team since 2020. Panama played like Concacaf favorites in qualifying, controlling games against inferior opposition, and they've also shown a cohesive ability to play against favored teams like the U.S. and Mexico. Powered by Coco Carrasquilla in midfield, Panama can pull an upset and get to the Round of 32.

Best bet: Panama to advance (+220)

World Cup winner

The last World Cup champion to open the tournament with title odds longer than 10-1 wasItaly in 1982, so that leaves us with five real contenders, maybe two or three more if we stretch the number a bit to include Portugal (11-1), Germany (12-1) and Netherlands (16-1).

No country has successfully defended its World Cup title since 1962 Brazil, and Argentina (+800) won't join that list. Brazil (+800) obviously has the talent but looked average in finishing fifth in CONMEBOL qualifying. Perhaps Carlo Ancelotti can work his magic, but I won't believe that until I see it. There's a strong case for England, but I'm not touching Thomas Tuchel at his first international tournament, especially at +550 odds.

That leaves favorite Spain (+400) and France (+700). Spain is the best team, and France has the most high-end talent, though Didier Deschamps is often too pragmatic in major tournaments. He knows how to navigate a group and a bracket though, and the price gap between these two teams shouldn't be this large.I'll make France my official pre-tournament title pick (+700).

If I had to go off the board, the long shot I like most is Colombia (33-1), which has as much upside as any team outside the favorites.Los Cafeterosare tournament-tested after reaching the Copa América 2024 final riding a team-record 28-game unbeaten streak, and they have multiple players who can carry a team, all poised to make a leap to stardom or superstardom. Playing in their hemisphere in a climate to which they're more accustomed, I don't mind a sprinkle on Colombia or even Ecuador (66-1) if you want to get nuts.

Best bet: France to win 2026 World Cup (+700)

Golden Boot

Let's start with a few intuitive ground rules to determine worthy wagers for the Golden Boot market. The winner will likely:

• Play for a top team. Five of the last six winners have come from traditional powers, and the exception (Colombia's James Rodriguez in 2014) was from a second-tier contender playing on its home continent.

• Go deep in the tournament. Related to the first point, the team of every winner since 1998 has made at least the quarterfinals, and with the additional knockout round this tournament, reaching the Round of 16 and playing five games is the baseline for picking a Golden Boot winner.

• Take penalties. For Golden Boot purposes, penalties count the same as any other goal, and the last three winners have all converted at least one penalty.

The two players who best check those boxes are understandably the two favorites: France's Kylian Mbappé (+600) and England's Harry Kane (+700). Mbappé won the Golden Boot in 2022, and Kane did so in 2018. They play for two of the three favorites, and either is a reasonable choice again, though the odds are too short for me. A 38-year-old Lionel Messi (12-1), the 2022 Golden Boot runner-up, would be tempting if significant playing time were guaranteed, as would his teammate Lautaro Martinez (20-1) if Messi's status were known.

I'm looking farther down the list at a couple long shots, though. Spain is justifiably the tournament favorite (+400), and Mikel Oyarzabal is the leading candidate to start at center forward. He shared the team lead with six goals in qualifying, taking two of Spain's three penalties. A33-1 price on the top scorer for the best teamis too good to pass up, especially with group matchups versus the relatively weak Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde. I also likeBrazil's Raphina (33-1), as the most likely penalty taker for a Brazil side that gets Scotland and Haiti in the group stage. Neither player's starting spot is completely certain, though few are at this point in the calendar.

Best bets: Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal (33-1), Brazil's Raphina (33-1)

byAnio Baumeister

in

March 25, 2026

Ultimate 2026 World Cup betting preview: Odds, best bets for every group, Golden Boot and winner

The2026 World Cupwill be the biggest sporting event held in the United States since sports betting was widely legalized ...

Read More