TAB WEEKEND SOCCER HIGHLIGHTS: 10 – 12 JULY 2026
QUARTER-FINAL CLASHES HEADLINE THE WEEKEND
World Cup last-eight games headline the action in TAB soccer bets this weekend with quarter-final clashes included in both tonight and tomorrow’s R150,000-added Soccer 10 pools. The last two quarter-finals are also included in tomorrow’s Soccer 13, which offers a bonanza R16.5-million jackpot in the event of one outright winner.
BELGIUM SET TO PROVE SPAIN’S FIRST REAL TEST
Tournament favourites France are already through to the semis after a comfortable 2-0 success over Morocco last night, when Kylian Mbappe made a hash of a first-half penalty but made amends later with a glorious curling top-corner strike that put the French 1-0 ahead.
The game had the makings of one of the best clashes of the tournament, but turned into a tame affair with Morocco opting for an out-of-character, safety-first approach that led them down a road to nowhere.
The second semi-final clash pits Spain against Belgium at 21:00 tonight and the Spanish are hot favourites at 7-10 with their rivals at 5-1 and 3-1 the draw. It’s hard to argue against the betting. Spain have not been overly impressive at this tournament, but they have got the job done and have not conceded a goal in their five games.
That said Spain’s only opponent of note to date was a lacklustre Portugal in the round of 16, a match that was heading into extra time until Mikel Merino’s last-minute winner. Full credit to Spain for avenging last year’s UEFA Nations League final defeat, but Belgium are likely to prove a different kettle fish and should give the Spanish defence its first real test in this tournament.
Belgium have improved as this tournament has gone on and they are not short of talent. They have a potent mix of experience and youth with ageing stars Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku to guide a bevy younger players like Youri Tielemans, Jeremy Doku and Charles de Ketelaere.
ERLING HAALAND VERSUS HARRY KANE IN MIAMI
Tomorrow two of the best strikers on the planet go head to head in the third quarter-final in which Norway and England clash in the heat of Miami.
Both Norway and Manchester City marksman Erling Haaland and England and Bayern Munich goal machine Harry Kane have made a major impact on this World Cup.
Haaland has seven goals to his credit in just five games and Brazil twice took their eyes off him for a split second and found themselves on a plane home.
Kane, meanwhile, at 32, is in the form of his life and has scored 73 goals this season for club and country, a haul that has only ever been bettered in a single campaign by Lionel Messi.
Who wins? Bookies have England at 9-10 (Norway 4.5-1; draw 3-1) and that looks a fair assessment because when the chips are down the likes of Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka should give the Three Lions the edge.
COUNT ON ARGENTINA TO STEP UP ON LAST TWO WINS
Argentina are 7-10 favourites to beat Switzerland (5.4-1) in the last of the quarter-finals and on paper this is a contest the South Americans should win eight times out of 10. The concern is that Argentina also looked cast-iron certs on paper against Cape Verde and Egypt in the two earlier knockout rounds and ended up battling in both games.
Switzerland should prove tougher rivals than either Cape Verde or Egypt, but Argentina have the inherent ability to play a lot better than in their last two matches and should come out tops.
Recommended banker bets in tonight’s R150,000-added Soccer 10 are home victories for Cork City and Dundalk in the Irish Premier League, as well as a home win for Recife over Botafogo in a Serie B encounter in Brazil.
In tomorrow’s cash-added Soccer 6 and 10 bets we are going to rely on wins by England and Argentina, and on Sunday banker Craiova and GAIS to win at home in the first Soccer 10 of the day.
MATCH PREVIEWS OF R150,000-ADDED SOCCER 10 POOLS
Friday 10 July – S10 V1
M1 Athlone Town vs Cobh Ramblers: R150,000-added Soccer 10 to get the weekend off on the right foot. Athlone winless in 10 games and Ramblers have lost two in a row. Ramblers won last meeting 1-0 in May and are fourth in Ireland’s Division 1, seven points ahead of Athlone in eighth.
M2 Bray Wanderers vs UC Dublin: Bray have won seven of last 10 games, while UCD have lost five of last eight. Bray won last meeting 4-3 away but are two points behind second-placed UCD on the log.
M3 Cork City vs Longford Town: Cork are on a 10-game winning streak and have a commanding lead in the table, 26 points ahead of fifth-placed Longford. Cork won last meeting between the sides 2-0 away.
M4 Dundalk vs Drogheda United: Dundalk have lost last two matches but are fourth in the Irish Premier League and 13 points ahead of Drogheda, winless in their last eight. Last meeting ended 1-1.
M5 Finn Harps vs Treaty United: Harps have lost five of their last 10 and Treaty four of their last seven. Treaty won last meeting 3-0 but Harps are ninth and two points ahead of their rivals on the log.
M6 Wexford FC vs Kerry FC: Wexford are winless in five games whereas Kerry have won five of nine. Kerry won the last meeting 2-1 but they are seventh and two points behind Wexford, who have won eight of the last 14 clashes between the two with four draws.
M7 Waterford FC vs St Patrick’s Athletic: St Pat’s are third on the log and 21 points ahead of ninth-placed Waterford who have improved and are going for their third win in a row. St Pat’s have won five of their last 10.
M8 Spain vs Belgium: World Cup quarter-final clash. Both are unbeaten in their last 10 games, but Spain have yet to concede at this tournament and could have the edge.
M9 Juventude vs Vila Nova: Vila Nova have won five of their last seven and lead Brazil’s Serie B by a point. Juventude are unbeaten in their last four games and are only five points behind Vila Nova.
M10 Sport Recife vs Botafogo SP: Recife are winless in their last five games and Botafogo have lost five of their last eight. Recife are eighth on the log and six points ahead of Botafogo.
Saturday 11 July – S10 V3
M1 All Boys vs Almirante Brown: Another R150,000-added pool comprising mostly Argentine second division games and two World Cup clashes. Almirante are six places and nine points ahead of All Boys in the table and on a three-game winning streak.
M2 Atletico Rafaela vs Deportivo Maipu: Rafaela are winless in their last five games while Maipu have won five of their last 10. Rafaela are sixth with 27points, two more than Maipu who won the last meeting between the sides 2-1 in February.
M3 CA Estudiantes vs CA Mitre: Estudiantes are unbeaten in last five games and are eighth on the log with 27 points, nine more than Mitre, winless in their last six. Mitre won last meeting between them 1-0 in February.
M4 Deportivo Moron vs Deportivo Madryn: Moron have lost twice running and are second in the table, six points ahead of Madryn who are unbeaten in eight of their last 10. Last meeting ended 1-1 in February.
M5 Los Andes vs Ciudad Bolivar: Los Andes have lost last two games and Bolívar won five of their last 10. Bolivar are fourth with 30 points, just one ahead of Loss Andes. Last clash between them ended 1-1.
M6 San Miguel vs Ferro CO: Ferro lead the Group A table and are 12 points ahead of San Miguel in 10th. Both teams are in hot form with Ferro unbeaten in their last nine games and San Miguel in their last six. Last clash ended 1-1 in February.
M7 San Telmo vs Chaco For Ever: Both are winless in recent games with San Telmo 13th on the log and seven points clear of Chaco. Last meeting ended 2-2 and in their last six clashes both have won twice with two draws.
M8 Tristan Suarez vs Nueva Chicago: Suarez unbeaten in six of last seven matches, while Chicago are winless in eight of their last 10. Suarez are third with 30pts, five ahead of Chicago in ninth. Last clash between them ended scoreless.
M9 Norway vs England: Norway have won five of their last seven games and knocked out Brazil in the round of 16 to reach the World Cup quarters. England unbeaten in last seven and scored a gallant win over Mexico in the last 16. England need to up their game now and should win if they can neutralise Haaland.
M10 Argentina vs Switzerland: Both teams last-gasp quarter-finalists. Argentina, one of big pre-tournament favourites, have come perilously close to exiting in last two matches and Switzerland prevailed on penalties after a 0-0 draw with Colombia. Argentina should win and are 7-10 favourites to win at 90 minutes with Switzerland 5-1, but likely to be a close game.