Fantasy FIFA World Cup 2026 has only just started, yet managers are already turning their attention to Round 2.

With a few standout fixtures on the horizon, this is a good moment to assess which nations offer the best potential heading into the new round.

To do this, we take a look at the new World Cup Fantasy Fixture Ticker.

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WHO HAS THE BEST FIXTURES IN ROUND 2?

Let’s start right at the top of the list with one of the stand-out fixtures of the round: Ecuador v Curacao.

Sebastian Beccacece’s men are heavily favoured to defeat the tournament minnows, with a win probability of 84.6% according to our new World Cup Stats Centre.

They sit just over 65% in the clean sheet odds list, too, which is why many Fantasy managers were so eager to include Hernan Galindez ($4.2m), Willian Pacho ($4.4m), or cheaper still, Joel Ordonez ($3.9m), in their squads.

The Fixture Ticker also fancies Spain and Brazil to do well.

Indeed, our Stats Centre gives both nations a 91%+ chance of prevailing in their ties against Saudi Arabia and Haiti, respectively.

Meanwhile, Uruguay and Switzerland both present potential in Round 2.

Uruguay head into a meeting with Cape Verde, and given their pressing and intensity under Marcelo Bielsa, players like Federico Valverde ($7.5m), Maxi Araujo ($6.4m) and Darwin Nunez ($7.5m) have a platform to deliver.

Switzerland’s opponent, Bosnia and Herzegovina, beat both Wales and Italy in the European play-off matches in March to qualify for this tournament. However, they failed to win either of their two World Cup warm-ups against Panama and North Macedonia.

Given that South Africa barely posed a threat to Mexico in Thursday’s World Cup opener, with just three shots all game, you’ll feel confident if you own Czechia’s Vladimir Coufal ($3.6m) or Ladislav Krejci ($4.4m) in Round 2.

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England (v Ghana), France (v Iraq), Belgium (v Iran) and Portugal (v Uzbekistan) also feature prominently, giving Fantasy managers plenty to assess in their matches ahead of the upcoming deadline.

WHO HAS THE WORST FIXTURES IN ROUND 2?

Of the more popular nations from a Fantasy perspective, Austria have one of the trickiest ties in Round 2.

Ralf Rangnick’s men face reigning World Cup champions Argentina, so Marcel Sabitzer ($6.8m) probably won’t be a ‘keep’ for a lot of us beyond the Jordan fixture.

Scott McTominay ($6.5m) is a popular pick, in 10.6% of squads, but Scotland could be a team to avoid in Round 2.

Morocco are a contender to make a deep run in this tournament, and defensively, they remain a robust unit, having triumphed over Belgium, Spain and Portugal en route to the semi-finals of the Qatar World Cup. They ‘officially’ won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) earlier this year, too.

Fantasy managers face a similar dilemma over Norway assets, particularly Erling Haaland ($10.5m). According to our Stats Centre, Stale Solbakken’s side have a 47.4% of winning, compared to Senegal’s 30.3%.

But rather than focus on Norway/Haaland’s prospects, it’s more about the appeal of several other forwards in Round 2, namely Vinicius Junior ($10.0m), Kylian Mbappe ($10.5m) and Harry Kane ($10.5m). The fixture outlook for those players may tempt many managers to consider a premium switcheroo.

WHO HAS THE BEST FIXTURES IN ROUNDS 2 + 3?

In this section, we’ve put together the fixture runs that teams embark on in Rounds 2 and 3.

This is primarily to help Fantasy managers who are on a Round 2 Wildcard strategy.

Belgium’s fixtures instantly jump out, with Rudi Garcia’s men set to face Iran and New Zealand. The Kiwis are the lowest-ranked nation in the World Cup (85th) and lost 4-0 to Haiti in a recent friendly.

Hossam Hassan’s Egypt encounter the same opponents in reverse order, but context is always key when looking at the ticker: even against New Zealand, their win probability is still only 57.8%.

Brazil have a couple of decent fixtures on the horizon. Haiti are one of their opponents, which is why Vinicius Junior and Raphinha’s ($8.2m) ownership levels are expected to rise quickly as we approach the upcoming deadline.

Likewise, Round 2 could be the opportune time to jump on England assets, with Ghana ranked 73rd in the world after a string of poor results.

Other nations of interest for Round 2 Wildcarders are Morocco, Croatia, Switzerland, Spain and the Netherlands.

Could Japan perhaps supply some Scouting Bonus options, too? They’ve beaten England and Brazil since securing World Cup qualification, and could be considered a dark horse this summer.

Wing-back Ritsu Doan ($5.1m), who is more of a winger at club level, racked up 18 attacking returns for Freiburg last season, while no Japan player bettered his expected goal involvement (xGI) in qualification. Takefusa Kubo ($7.0m) and Ayase Ueda ($7.0m) are the options to consider further forward.