Another day, and we have another slate of games to sit back and enjoy. Yesterday’s midnight kickoff brought a surprise result, with Australia picking up a 2-0 win over Türkiye, who had been viewed as contenders to win Group D, featuring players like Arda Güler (Real Madrid) and Kenan Yıldız (Juventus). Germany put a 7-1 pasting on Curaçao, but Curaçao can take pride in scoring (their goal came in the 21st minute, at that point it was an equalizer), and holding Germany to 1-1 until the 38th minute.
They truly did their country proud, despite the final scoreline. Netherlands and Japan had a quiet first half followed by an exciting second half that ended with a Japan equalizer for a 2-2 draw. Ivory Coast took a surprise 1-0 win over Ecuador in Group E, and Sweden dropped a 5-1 result on Tunisia in the late kickoff.
Today, we move to Groups G and H. Spain gets things kicked off against Cape Verde at noon. This one could be over quickly. All eyes will be on young Spanish phenom Lamine Yamal, who has been working his way back from a hamstring injury picked up with FC Barcelona in April. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has said Yamal is in “ideal condition”, but the plan is to ease him in off the bench. This opening match vs Cape Verde (where the scoreline could be silly at halftime) seems like a perfect game to get Yamal going again.
Belgium and Egypt meet at the 3pm kickoff in Group G, with eyes focused on Mohamed Salah to see if he can provide a moment of magic for Egypt against a strong European side featuring players like Kevin De Bruyne. Uruguay meets Saudi Arabia at 6pm in Group H, Uruguay will be looking to consolidate power to compete with Spain at the top of the group. The evening kickoff is Iran and New Zealand in Group G. On paper, they look like the weakest teams in the group, and both will be urgently looking to collect points against each other before they have to face Belgium and Egypt.
So, what will the games have in store for us today? Stick around, drop your comments, and have a great time.
How to watch
Spain vs Cape Verde (Group H)
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Kick-off time: 12 pm Eastern, 9 am Pacific
TV and streaming: FOX, Telemundo, Peacock, FOX One, Fubo (free trial)
Belgium vs Egypt (Group G)
Location: Seattle, Washington
Kick-off time: 3 pm Eastern, 12 pm Pacific
TV and streaming: FOX, Telemundo, Peacock, FOX One, Fubo
Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay (Group H)
Location: Miami, Florida
Kick-off time: 6 pm Eastern, 3 pm Pacific
TV and streaming: FS1, Telemundo, Peacock, FOX One, Fubo
Iran vs New Zealand (Group G)
Location: Los Angeles, California
Kick-off time: 9 pm Eastern, 6 pm Pacific
TV and streaming: FS1, Telemundo, Peacock, FOX One, Fubo
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