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The group stage of the World Cup is over – but now the serious stuff begins with the knockout rounds.
It’s time for the next tournament in the free-to-play Sport.Fun World Cup game, which combines Fantasy Football and trading for a $30k prize pool.
HOW TO PLAY
Ultimately, it’s about ending on as many Skill Rating (SR) points as possible, which can be earned from moments like goals, assists, clean sheets, saves, shots on target and big chances created. But be careful – some negative actions are also punished.
- Start with 2,800 Gold to buy shares and build an eight-man squad.
- Player values are currently between 0.99 and 7.88 Gold per share, ready to rise and fall depending on tournament popularity. This allows more money to be raised.
- Select five of your squad for each Matchday (provided you own 100+ shares of that individual).
- In emergencies, you can temporarily loan another player, where points have a slight penalty.
- READ MORE: How to play Sport.Fun during World Cup 2026
TOP PICKS FOR MATCHDAY 4
So, with Matchday 4 about to commence, Fantasy managers now have insights into which players could thrive.
Here are six players to spend Gold on.
Matt Freese (USA) – 1.01 per share
Freese will very likely be back between the posts after his Matchday 3 rest.
We’re hoping for a repeat of his Matchday 2 return when he helped the co-hosts to a well-earned clean sheet.
Of the teams that made it through to the knockout rounds, Bosnia and Herzegovina – who the US face – are third-bottom for xG (2.00).
Daniel Munoz (Colombia) – 2.01 per share
Munoz’s eye-catching display in Matchday 2 was the Crystal Palace defender at his gung-ho best.
He scored one and could have more, hitting the post and having a goal chalked off for offside.
Nicely rested in Matchday 3, he’ll now face Ghana, who have had fewer shots (15) than any other World Cup nation to date.
Florian Wirtz (Germany) – 2.89 per share
Reasonably priced is Germany’s arch-creator.
No one in Nationalmannschaft’s squads has made more key passes (eight) than Wirtz so far this summer. Two have led to assists.
And he’s been unlucky not to score: none of his teammates can better his total of eight shots, either.
Germany now take on Paraguay, who looked vulnerable defensively when the United States beat them 4-1 in the opening Matchday.
Declan Rice (England) – 3.02 per share
Having not been risked in Matchday 3 to protect his back, Rice should return to the England XI against DR Congo.
Despite missing the last game, he’s still way out in front as the Three Lions’ leading chance creator with 10.
That could help him prosper in Sport.Fun’s scoring system, which rewards big chances created.
Leon Balogun (USA) – 2.05 per share
One of the stand-out bargain forwards this round is Balogun.
Having been rested in the Matchday 3 dead rubber with Turkiye, he’ll now almost certainly return to the front line to spearhead the co-hosts’ attack.
He’s had seven shots in just two appearances so far, and is top of the US charts of xG.
Two of those seven attempts have found the net.
Ousmane Dembele – 6.17 per share
There are any number of premium forwards to pick from in Matchday 4.
Dembele is still cheaper than teammate Kylian Mbappe, despite his recent heroics.
Even ignoring his hat-trick in Matchday 4, he faces a Sweden side that has never kept a clean sheet under Graham Potter.
The Swedes looked wide-open in their last serious test against the Netherlands and have some injury issues at the back.