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SOCCER · World Cup Knockouts · 7/1/2026

World Cup Knockouts — The CourtEdge Soccer Playbook

Three knockout ties, two heavy favorites, and a set-piece edge most of the field ignores. Here are the studs, the core, the value guys, and the ownership board — built to win cash and tournaments.

By Courtedge Research·Knockout Round · Day 2·Powered by the CourtEdge Projection Engine

The Slate: two favorites, one coin-flip

Three knockout matches on the board, and the betting markets are screaming the shape of it: France are massive favorites over Sweden (−375), Norway are slight favorites over Ivory Coast, and Mexico/Ecuador projects as a cagey, low-scoring coin-flip likely headed toward extra time and penalties.

In knockout soccer DFS, three things drive scoring: goals/assists (the studs in high-total games), set pieces (the designated corner/free-kick taker collects bonus equity every dead ball), and clean-sheet defenders/keepers (cheap points when a favorite shuts the door). The winning rosters pair a stud or two from the smash game with set-piece value and a clean-sheet GK.

The set-piece edge.

Every corner and free kick funnels through one or two players per team. Rostering the set-piece taker is free fantasy equity — crosses, shots, and assist chances the box score rewards. Tonight's takers: Diomandé/Pépé (IVC), Ødegaard/Berg (NOR), Olise/Doué (FRA), Ayari/Stroud (SWE), Alvarado/Gutiérrez (MEX), Yeboah/Vite/Angulo (ECU). Several of these double as your best value plays.

Top of the board (free)

PlayerTeamPosDK $Proj
Erling HaalandNORF$9,90030.6
Kylian MbappéFRAF$11,10029.2
Ousmane DembéléFRAM/F$9,80024.7
Alexander IsakSWEF$6,60016.9
Michael OliseFRAM$10,10015.7
Viktor GyökeresSWEF$7,30015.7
Julián QuiñonesMEXF$8,30015.3
Martin ØdegaardNORM$8,40014.5

Below the paywall: the full studs tier, the CourtEdge Core, the value board, the ownership ranking, game-by-game breakdowns, GK targets, and cash vs. GPP construction.

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