World Cup Group Stage Winding Down, WSOP Hits the Halfway Mark
Two of the biggest events on the entire sports calendar are both deep into their runs right now. The World Cup group stage is entering its final week with the knockout picture taking shape, and the World Series of Poker just crossed the halfway point with more than half its bracelets already awarded. Here is everything happening across both right now.
World Cup 2026: USA and Mexico Both Punch Their Tickets to the Knockout Round
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is in the back half of group play and the co-host nations have both delivered. The United States became the second team to clinch a spot in the round of 32, improving to 2-0-0 in Group D following a 2-0 win over Australia. It is the first time the USA has won its group at a World Cup since 2010. Mexico got there first, winning Group A after just two games behind a 2-0 win over South Africa to open the tournament and a 1-0 victory over South Korea. Canada has also made a statement, crushing Qatar 6-0 after an opening draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina -- North America is having a strong opening act in its own backyard.
Elsewhere, Germany secured their spot in the knockout rounds behind a dramatic stoppage-time winner from super-sub Denis Undav against the Ivory Coast in Toronto. Sweden put on the most lopsided offensive showing of the tournament so far, beating Tunisia 5-1 behind goals from Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres, Yasin Ayari and Mattias Svanberg. Norway's Erling Haaland scored twice on his World Cup debut in a 4-1 win over Iraq. France beat Senegal 3-1 behind an inspired second-half from Michael Olise. Lionel Messi opened Argentina's tournament with a hat trick.
Not everything has gone to script. Spain were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by World Cup debutants Cape Verde -- widely described as the biggest upset of the tournament so far and the single largest lost bet of the event -- before bouncing back in their next match with a 4-0 rout of Saudi Arabia, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring twice and Lamine Yamal netting his first World Cup goal. Belgium have struggled to find any rhythm, drawing 0-0 with Iran after going down to ten men on a second-half red card, leaving their group-stage survival on the brink for the second straight tournament. Turkiye have already been mathematically eliminated after a shocking 1-0 loss to Paraguay, a game that also saw Miguel Almiron become the first player in football history sent off for covering his mouth while talking to an opponent.
With the expanded 48-team format, eight third-place finishers also advance to the round of 32 alongside all 24 group winners and runners-up. Sweden currently sits atop the third-place standings, followed by Scotland and Paraguay. The final round of group matches wraps up this week, with the round of 32 kicking off June 28. Mexico, having already clinched their group, will face a third-place finisher from one of five different groups on June 30 at Mexico City Stadium -- a genuine X-factor matchup that will not be known until the final group games are played.
From a betting standpoint, this final week of group play is rich with opportunity. Teams already through to the knockouts -- like the USA and Mexico -- sometimes rotate lineups in their final group game, which shifts moneylines and totals in ways the public market is slow to adjust to. Meanwhile, win-or-go-home matches like Argentina vs Austria and Jordan vs Algeria carry a different psychological weight than anything seen so far in the tournament. Check bonusdrop.io for the latest World Cup odds and sportsbook promos available in your state before this week's final group-stage matches kick off.
WSOP 2026: Past the Halfway Mark -- 55 of 100 Bracelets Awarded
The 57th World Series of Poker has now passed the halfway point of its bracelet schedule. As of this week, 55 of the 100 scheduled bracelets have been awarded across 60 events, with 127,440 total entries logged at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. This has been one of the most competitive and historic summers in WSOP history.
The most recent winner is Joao Simao, who took down the $50,000 High Roller PLO for $1,368,700 -- his fourth career bracelet -- rallying from behind heads-up to defeat Santhosh Suvarna. Simao's aces held twice in the heads-up match, including the decisive final hand where he flopped top set. The win pushed his career tournament earnings past $20 million.
Week three of the series was the most prolific stretch of the entire summer, producing 18 bracelets across seven days. The headline performance belonged to Yuri Dzivielevski, whose victory in the $100,000 High Roller earned him $2,841,432 -- the single largest score of the series so far -- and his sixth career bracelet. Artur Martirosian, just 28 years old, claimed his fourth bracelet in the $25,000 High Roller for $1,286,285. Richard Alsup outlasted a massive 11,933-entry field in the Monster Stack to win $1,302,125. Santhosh Suvarna took the $50,000 High Roller for $1,922,870 before his runner-up finish to Simao this week. Nathan Gamble made history by becoming the only player ever to win three separate PLO Hi-Lo bracelets in WSOP history.
The biggest individual milestone of the summer came earlier when Adrian Mateos won his sixth career WSOP bracelet, making him the youngest player in history to reach that total at just 31 years old. Poker power couple Alex Foxen and Kristen Foxen have both added bracelets of their own this summer -- Alex's fourth came in Event 44 for $594,246, while Kristen's sixth came in a $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em event, the biggest tournament win of her career. Foxen currently leads the WSOP Player of the Year race with 2,720 points. Naoya Kihara -- who memorably said this summer's run convinced him to keep playing tournaments for a few more years instead of retiring -- sits fourth in the standings after a deep run in the $50,000 PLO High Roller.
There have also been plenty of breakout stories at the lower-stakes tables. Omar Zazay, Jason Zipfel, and Sebastian Pauli all captured their first career bracelets this summer, while Nick Schulman won his eighth career bracelet in the HORSE championship for the fourth consecutive year -- a remarkable run of mixed-game dominance.
Looking ahead, the $10,000 Main Event begins July 2 with four starting Day 1 flights. In a notable change for 2026, the final table will not play out immediately after the bulk of the field is eliminated -- a new multi-year media deal with ESPN means the final nine players will return after a three-week delay, with the champion crowned August 5. If you want a shot at the Main Event without traveling to Las Vegas, the WSOP Online Bracelet Series is running in parallel through July 14 with $7 million in guaranteed prize pools across 30 events, plus two $215 Scramble tournaments on June 28 and June 30 that award 25 Main Event seats each. The WSOP is also giving away a free $10,000 Main Event seat to a YouTube subscriber, with the winner announced during the Main Event Countdown Show on June 28. Head to the Poker section at bonusdrop.io for the best platforms to qualify or play online right now.
What to Watch This Week
The World Cup group stage wraps up this week with several win-or-go-home matchups and the round of 32 begins June 28 -- circle that date for the start of true knockout-stage drama. On the poker side, the WSOP continues its march toward the Main Event on July 2, with several high-stakes events still on the schedule including another shot at a $100,000 buy-in bracelet later this summer.
Before placing any bets this week on World Cup group finales or exploring the WSOP Online satellites, compare lines and grab the best promos across all the top sportsbooks available in your state. Check bonusdrop.io for the latest odds boosts and World Cup offers -- and visit our Poker section for everything WSOP-related.