Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica’s Day 1 World Cup Best Bets, Picks, Predictions

“Bear Bets” are real wagers that Chris “The Bear” Fallica is actually making.

The World Cup is finally here, and what’s even more exciting is that the United States gets to co-host it right here on our home turf.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

Well, actually, it can get slightly better if we are able to cash in on the action.

Here’s how I’m wagering on Day 1 of the globe’s grandest event.

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World Cup Best Bets — Thursday, June 11

Mexico vs. South Africa

Mexico is a heavy favorite in its opener against South Africa (Getty Images).

It would be very surprising if Mexico were defeated here, but laying -1200 on the Mexico double chance is a little steep. Instead, I’ll look at the highest-scoring half of the match being the second half. My thought is that, in the first half, South Africa will be fresh and there’s a possibility of a 0-0 score going to halftime. However, the second half could be where the heat and elevation of Azteca take over, and we could see some breakdowns — or even a penalty. 

South Korea vs. Czechia

Look for Czechia’s Pavel Šulc to have his eye on the goal in their World Cup opener (Getty Images).

This is a huge match out of the blocks, as one of these two will likely be the runner-up to Mexico in the group. And who knows, maybe one could even pull an upset of El Tri and wind up winning the group. That leads me to believe these teams will go for it, especially with the match being played later in the evening in Guadalajara. Patrik Schick gets the headlines, but Pavel Šulc had an excellent season domestically for Lyon, scoring in the playoff final vs. Denmark. I can see him in search of goal-scoring opportunities here. I’ll grab the plus-money on shot attempts (which is different than shots on goal, for those new to soccer betting).