[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-sutton-world-cup-2026-opening-group-predictions":82,"category-counts-nav":94,"related-sutton-world-cup-2026-opening-group-predictions":105},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":15,"badge":85,"author":86,"excerpt":87,"date":88,"readTime":89,"image":90,"imageAlt":83,"tags":91,"body":92,"_path":93},"Sutton's 2026 World Cup Predictions: Early Shocks Incoming?","sutton-world-cup-2026-opening-group-predictions","Opinion","Marcus Vine","Chris Sutton delivers his score predictions for the opening group games of the 2026 World Cup, eyeing potential early upsets.","2026-06-18","1 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002Fda24\u002Flive\u002F94353bc0-641a-11f1-8546-8f19e4fe30f4.jpg",[9],"## Sutton Breaks Down the Openers\n\nBBC Sport's Chris Sutton has rolled out his highly anticipated score predictions for the opening round of the **2026 World Cup** group stage. With the tournament expanding to **48 teams** for the first time, the landscape for early upsets has never been more fertile.\n\nSutton's forecasts dive straight into the opening fixtures, analyzing team form and historical trends to map out the first wave of results. The expanded format guarantees fresh faces on the biggest stage, significantly raising the ceiling for Day 1 chaos.\n\n### The Expanded Format Factor\n\nThe new **48-team structure** introduces **12 additional nations** into the mix. This fundamental shift forces traditional heavyweights to navigate uncharted waters against unfamiliar opponents.\n\n- **104 total matches** will be played across the tournament\n- **16 groups** of three teams each replace the traditional four-team format\n- **8 best third-placed teams** will now advance to the knockout rounds\n\n> \"Whenever the World Cup opens up, you always get a surprise. With even more teams involved, the shocks are almost guaranteed.\" — Chris Sutton\n\n## Bigger Picture for the Favorites\n\n Sutton's predictions pinpoint exactly where the early vulnerabilities lie for the tournament's elite. Strategically, dropping points in game one is now a catastrophic scenario under the new format. A single slip could mathematically end a favored team's tournament before it even begins.\n\nEvery predicted scoreline carries immense weight. The margin for error has evaporated, making Sutton's opening-round picks the most crucial forecasts of the entire competition.","\u002Farticles\u002Fsutton-world-cup-2026-opening-group-predictions",[95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104],"analysis","basketball","cricket","f1","football","general","golf","mma","long-reads","tennis",[106,117,129],{"id":107,"stem":107,"path":108,"title":109,"category":15,"badge":55,"badgeType":110,"author":111,"authorRole":112,"authorInitials":113,"date":88,"readTime":89,"image":114,"imageAlt":109,"tags":115,"excerpt":116},"wolves-sack-rob-edwards-after-seven-months","\u002Farticles\u002Fwolves-sack-rob-edwards-after-seven-months","Wolves Sack Rob Edwards After Seven Months","category","Marcus Ward","SportPulse Contributor","MW","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F0f7e\u002Flive\u002F5d2e1740-6565-11f1-a1f9-afd6f3de9cfa.jpg","Championship","Wolves have parted ways with head coach Rob Edwards just seven months after his appointment at the club.",{"id":118,"stem":118,"path":119,"title":120,"category":15,"badge":121,"badgeType":122,"author":123,"authorRole":112,"authorInitials":124,"date":125,"readTime":89,"image":126,"imageAlt":120,"tags":127,"excerpt":128},"hammers-relegated-final-day-victory-leeds","\u002Farticles\u002Fhammers-relegated-final-day-victory-leeds","Hammers Relegated Despite Final-Day Victory Over Leeds","Match Report","tag","Tommy Holt","TH","2026-06-09","https:\u002F\u002Fimages.unsplash.com\u002Fphoto-1574629810360-7efbbe195018?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1920&q=80","Premier League, Championship","Despite beating Leeds on the final day, West Ham are relegated from the Premier League after 14 years.",{"id":130,"stem":130,"path":131,"title":132,"category":15,"badge":55,"badgeType":110,"author":133,"authorRole":112,"authorInitials":134,"date":135,"readTime":136,"image":137,"imageAlt":132,"tags":9,"excerpt":138},"puma-world-cup-shirt-tearing-epidemic","\u002Farticles\u002Fpuma-world-cup-shirt-tearing-epidemic","Unraveling the Threads: Puma's World Cup Shirt Tearing Epidemic","Alexi Petrosian","AP","2026-06-23 05:52:51","7 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F475b\u002Flive\u002F52cb23c0-6e5b-11f1-b61d-912ade7054bd.jpg","Four Puma shirts have ripped mid-match at the World Cup, exposing a systemic failure in kit design or manufacturing."]