World Cup 2026: Colombia vs Ghana Tips, Prediction & Odds

* Prices from Betway, accurate when this was written.

Colombia take on Ghana at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City in the small hours of Saturday, with the 2026 World Cup Round of 32 match kicking off at 03:30 CAT. Nestor Lorenzo's team come in as unbeaten Group K winners, while Ghana scraped through as one of the top third placed sides and are in the knockout stage for the first time since 2010. You can find every World Cup betting tips we have in our dedicated section.

Colombia

Colombia won Group K without a defeat, beating Uzbekistan 3 to 1, getting past DR Congo 1 to 0 and playing out a goalless draw with Portugal, so as I see it they come in with genuine momentum and a back line that is settled. James Rodriguez is running the show in the number ten role and Luis Diaz offers a real game changer on the flank, while Daniel Munoz has added two goals from right back. I am not aware of any new injury worries for Colombia, and I think Lorenzo will stick with the system that gave them two clean sheets in three group matches. The way I see it, this team defends solidly and has plenty of quality to unpick Ghana.

Expected Lineup: Vargas; Munoz, Davinson Sanchez, Lucumi, Mojica; Lerma, Rios; Arias, Rodriguez, Diaz; Suarez.

Ghana

Ghana did it the hard way to make the Round of 32, ending third in Group L on four points after losing 2-1 to Croatia in their last match, and this is their first World Cup knockout game since 2010. Thomas Partey holds the midfield together and how well he plays is key to dealing with Colombia's runners, while Antoine Semenyo and Kamaldeen Sulemana bring the speed to break. I think Ghana will drop deeper and try to catch Colombia on the counter instead of chasing the ball. I doubt they have enough control in midfield to keep a player like Rodriguez quiet for the full ninety minutes.

Expected Lineup: Asare; Mensah, Opoku, Senaya, Yirenkyi; Ayew, Partey, Sibu, Semenyo; Williams, Sulemana.

Colombia have the better balance, the sharper attackers and a defence that has already proved it can keep teams out, so I think they will run this game and make their chances count. Ghana will be a nuisance for a while and look to send Semenyo and Sulemana away on the break, but I cannot see them beating a defence led by Davinson Sanchez. I see Colombia winning calmly without conceding. My forecast: Colombia 2 Ghana 0.

Under 2.5 Goals (1.65)

I am going with under 2.5 goals because I think Colombia will control this game rather than go looking for a pile of goals. They had two clean sheets in the group and will be happy to score once or twice and then close it out, while Ghana have struggled to break down good defences. This has the look of a tight knockout tie, so I expect a low goals total.