The opening week of the World Cup closes the way it has to. Two last groups, four last debutants on the Matchday 1 board, and a full-blown Cristiano Ronaldo cameo before lunch on the East Coast. Portugal start at noon in Philadelphia. England close the night at SoFi. In between, two of the most interesting unseeded sides in the tournament — Colombia and Uzbekistan — get a stage of their own. By the time Estadio Akron empties out tomorrow morning, every team in the World Cup will have played at least one match.
Portugal vs DR Congo · Lincoln Financial Field · 12:00 PM ET
Roberto Martínez's Portugal side is the version of this generation that has finally been allowed to break apart. Bernardo Silva pulls strings from the left of midfield. Bruno Fernandes runs the right. Rúben Neves anchors the base. Up front, Rafael Leão starts wide left, Bruno Jordão has been preferred on the opposite flank, and Cristiano Ronaldo — at 41 — leads the line for what is almost certainly his last World Cup minute. The question is not whether Portugal win this match. They almost certainly do. The question is how Martínez balances the Ronaldo factor against the more fluid attack the side looks like when Gonçalo Ramos plays through the middle.
DR Congo, under Sébastien Desabre, are in their first World Cup since 1974. The squad is built around a hard-running midfield — Yoane Wissa pulling the press, Cédric Bakambu still useful as a link forward — and a defence that did remarkably well in qualifying. The route to a result here is to make the match a set-piece grind and steal a moment. Most likely outcome is a comfortable Portugal win. The headline you should watch for is Ronaldo's minute count: if Martínez pulls him at the hour, that is the tournament template.
Uzbekistan vs Colombia · Lumen Field · 3:00 PM ET
The most underrated match of the day. Uzbekistan are the only first-time qualifier left on the board, and Srećko Katanec has built a side that does not look like a debutant. The shape is a patient 4-2-3-1, Eldor Shomurodov leading the line, Jaloliddin Masharipov in the hole behind him. The midfield two of Otabek Shukurov and Abbosbek Fayzullaev is mobile enough to disrupt better-rated teams. Uzbekistan won their qualification group with a goal difference of plus fifteen.
Colombia, under Néstor Lorenzo, are the team few people are shouting about but everyone in the federation believes can go deep. Luis Díaz on the left is the difference-maker. James Rodríguez — yes, still — is the architect, and is on the form of his life again at thirty-four. Jhon Durán is the line-leader, Daniel Muñoz drives the right flank, and the centre-half pairing of Davinson Sánchez and Jhon Lucumí is more comfortable on the ball than at any point in a decade. Colombia should win this. Whether they win it cleanly depends on how patient they stay against a side that thrives on slowing the tempo.
England vs Ghana · SoFi Stadium · 6:00 PM ET
The headline match of Day 7. Thomas Tuchel's England side carries the same generational core fans have been hearing about for three tournaments — Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer — and a new question over how Tuchel arranges them. The friendlies suggest Bellingham at the base of a three with Declan Rice, Foden floating, Saka and Marcus Rashford providing width, and Harry Kane through the middle. Trent Alexander-Arnold is in at right-back ahead of Reece James. John Stones and Marc Guéhi are the central pair. The structure is more aggressive than Gareth Southgate ever risked.
Ghana are a Black Stars side that has rebuilt around a new generation rather faster than expected. Mohammed Kudus is the marquee creator, drifting in from either flank. Antoine Semenyo gives them the running threat in transition. Thomas Partey, now back from his most recent injury cycle, will sit and break England's first wave. Otto Addo's plan, almost certainly, is to cede possession, stay compact, and ask Kudus and Semenyo to do something on the counter. England should win comfortably. They historically do not, and the SoFi crowd will get nervous if the first half stays scoreless. Watch the early Foden touches — if Tuchel has unlocked him in the half-spaces, the match opens up fast.
Croatia vs Panama · Estadio Akron · 9:00 PM ET
Croatia's tournament begins where every Croatia tournament begins: with Luka Modrić, at thirty-nine, dictating the tempo for as long as his lungs allow. Zlatko Dalić has trimmed the squad around him — Mateo Kovačić alongside in midfield, Joško Gvardiol leading the back line, Andrej Kramarić ahead of Mario Pašalić in the front three. The shape is the familiar Croatian 4-3-3 that looks slow in the first half hour and turns games inside out by the seventieth minute. It is a known quantity. The depth chart is thinner than it was three years ago.
Panama, under Thomas Christiansen, are the second-time qualifiers who arrive with the kind of organised, disciplined low block that gives Croatia indigestion. Aníbal Godoy patrols the front of the back four. José Fajardo is the focal point in attack. The plan will be to invite Croatia onto them, win the first hour ugly, and look for a set-piece moment. The most likely outcome is a 1-0 or 2-0 Croatia win that takes eighty minutes to settle. The most interesting subplot is whether Modrić plays the full ninety. Dalić has said in the last week that he wants to manage the captain's minutes carefully. Wednesday night is when that promise meets reality.
What's at stake by Thursday morning
The full tournament finally fits on one bracket page. Twelve groups, forty-eight teams, every side with one match played. The three subplots that carry through the day:
- Ronaldo's minutes. The Portugal coach has not committed publicly to a workload for his thirty-eight-year-old captain. The hour mark is the number to watch.
- Tuchel's England template. Two friendlies under the new manager were promising and hard to read. The opening forty-five minutes against Ghana is the first real evidence.
- Modrić's last ride. Croatia have built around him for a decade and a half. The cadence of his cameo at thirty-nine — full match, or controlled stint — is the tournament-defining question for this side.
Live scores, group tables and Round of 32 projections all on the Scorelisto soccer hub through the day. Daily recap on the blog index by Thursday morning.
FAQ
Where can I watch England vs Ghana? Fox in the US, Telemundo in Spanish, ITV in the UK, GTV in Ghana. The FIFA+ pass carries the slate in most other markets.
Is Cristiano Ronaldo starting for Portugal? Yes. Roberto Martínez confirmed Ronaldo in the starting eleven at the pre-match press conference. Whether he completes the match is the live question.
Is Luka Modrić starting for Croatia? Yes. Dalić has not started a competitive Croatia match without him since 2007.
How do tiebreakers work in this 48-team format? Points first, then goal difference, then goals scored, then head-to-head, then fair-play points, then drawing of lots. The full breakdown sits on the Scorelisto blog.