2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Goalscorers to Watch This Weekend
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
England vs. Albania - Wembley Stadium
On Friday evening we head to Wembley Stadium in London where England will play host to Albania. This match will mark the debut of Thomas Tuchel in the dugout and the new boss has already made several big selection calls, including handing Newcastle United’s Dan Burn a call-up.
However, one player whose selection was never at risk was Harry Kane, who will skipper the side and will be looking to add to his 69-goal tally for the Three Lions this weekend. He has also netted 21 goals in 24 Bundesliga games this term.
Kane scored a hat-trick in his last match against Albania and was directly involved in six goals in his last two games against the Red and Blacks!
Additionally, since making his first appearance in World Cup qualifiers in 2016, the Bayern Munich talisman has scored 17 goals in 14 matches. Only Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo have scored more goals than Kane during this period, and our England vs. Albania prediction will provide you with more important stats to consider in this matchup.
Join us and follow all the action at Wembley this evening with our World Cup livescore tool.
Poland vs. Lithuania - National Stadium Warsaw
Poland will kick off their World Cup qualification campaign with a home match against Lithuania on Friday night, and this looks like a major mismatch on paper, as illustrated by the latest World Cup qualifier betting odds, which massively favours the hosts.
As such, Robert Lewandowski is one of the top candidates to get on the scoresheet this weekend by most of the best online betting sites. The Polish marksman is currently the top-scorer in La Liga this season with 22 goals, two more than Kylian Mbappe.
Lewandowski scored a brace in his last match against Lithuania!
The 36-year-old is also the Eagles’ all-time top-scorer with 84 goals under his belt and is averaging a very impressive 0.74 non-penalty XG per match over the last 12 months - not to mention, he has scored 25 goals in World Cup qualifiers.
Check out our Poland vs. Lithuania prediction ahead of kickoff!
Niger vs. Morocco - Honneur Stadium
Over in the CAF World Cup qualifiers, Morocco will be aiming to maintain their flawless record in Group E when they take on Niger on Saturday. Notably, despite this being an “away” game for the Atlas Lions, it is being played in Morocco due to Niger’s lack of a FIFA-approved stadium.
Walid Regragui's side have been on an absolute tear since their underwhelming Africa Cup of Nations performance last year. They enter this match unbeaten in their last 10 consecutive games, including winning each of their last eight, and you can take a look at our Niger vs Morocco prediction right here on SportyTrader.
Brahim Diaz has scored five goals in his last two matches for Morocco!
Indeed, since switching allegiance from Spain, the Real Madrid man has been on fire for the Atlas Lions, racking up seven goals in eight appearances. He bagged his first international hat-trick in his last match against Lesotho and netted a brace against Gabon in November last year.
Uruguay vs. Argentina - Estadio Centenario
On Saturday, Estadio Centenario in Montevideo will burst into life for one of the headline fixtures in the CONMEBOL - FIFA World Cup qualifiers, as Uruguay prepare to face off against arch-rivals Argentina in what should be an explosive matchup.
Both these sides have been in somewhat mixed form in the lead-up to this match, with the hosts having only won one of their last seven matches across all competitions, while the visitors have won just three of their six qualifiers since last summer’s Copa America triumph.
Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez are both ruled out for this match due to injury!
With his two main marksmen sidelined, Lionel Scaloni has a bit of an issue up front, but one player who has been fit and firing in recent weeks is Julian Alvarez. The 25-year-old has settled excellently in Spain this season and has netted four goals in his last four appearances for Atletico Madrid in La Liga, including against Barcelona in his last outing.
Take a look at our Uruguay vs. Argentina prediction for more insights.
Other Notable Goalscorer Options
Romelu Lukaku - Belgium are set to face Ukraine in Genk on Sunday and the Red Devils will be out for revenge after getting embarrassed by the same opponent in Spain on Thursday night. Lukaku scored his side’s only goal in that defeat and is now just 15 away from 100 goals for his country.
Bruno Fernandes - Portugal return home to face Denmark in the Nations League quarter-final on Sunday and are a goal down after losing 1-0 at Parken in the week. Keep an eye on Bruno Fernandes in this one - he has scored seven goals in his last seven games for Manchester United, and A Selecao were also the second-highest-scoring team during the group stage.
Erling Haaland - Norway get their World Cup qualifiers underway with a trip to Moldova on Saturday, and this looks like a prime opportunity for Erling Haaland to run riot. While the 24-year-old is not having his best season in the Premier League, he still ranks among the top 2% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues for non-penalty XG over the last year.
Don't forget, our football betting tips will be available for all matches throughout this weekend, so be sure to check them out!
