Note: This is story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here.
Take a bow Lionel Messi. A hat-trick from the greatest player in history is just what this World Cup needed and capped off a brilliant day of action yesterday. Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland also played a wonderful supporting role with two goals each as the superstars took center stage in North America.
You get the sense that that was perfect motivation for another living legend who is set to make his first appearance at this summer’s World Cup today. Cristiano Ronaldo continues to ignore Father Time and he’ll have his chance to shine as Portugal plays in the first game of the day.
But that match will likely mean more than just the result, with it being the team’s first World Cup game since the death of Diogo Jota. Wednesday also sees England play its opening group match, as the soccer-mad nation hopes for its first World Cup win since 1966.
All that plus a host of other news from the last 24 hours in today’s bumper edition.
Main Thing: Portugal plans to honor Diogo Jota in its World Cup opener
The sport of soccer was put into perspective when Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota died, alongside his brother André Silva, in a car crash last year.
The shocking reality was scarcely believable at the time and its impact is still felt by those who were closest to him. Jota had only married his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, with whom he has three children, less than two weeks before the crash.
It also had a real impact on his teammates, with Liverpool stars admitting that they struggled to focus on the sport this season while trying to properly grieve for their friend.
It means Portugal’s players not only carry the weight of expectation on their shoulders this tournament, but also the weight of grief for a teammate who would have been among them this summer.
Jota was actually named as an honorary member of the team when manager Roberto Martínez selected the squad this year, and Portugal’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro recently gifted every player a bracelet with their names next to Jota’s.
The team wored them out in its first game of the tournament against DR Congo, which ended in a shocking 1-1 draw in Houston.
“They made sure that it was a wristband that we could wear on the pitch,” Portugal midfielder Vitinha told reporters.
“He let us choose if we wanted to use it or not, during the day or during the match. We received it with a lot of affection and we chose to use it.”
But the pain of loss will be a real test for this Portuguese team. Carrying the hopes of not only a nation but also the dreams of Jota who had always dreamed of playing at a World Cup.
“We feel this and we want to win it, not just because it’s a World Cup and it’s everybody’s dream, but for him as well,” Vitinha told CNN Sports earlier this year.
You can read more of Vitinha’s interview and the impact of Jota’s death here.
When? 1 p.m. ET
Where? Houston Stadium (NRG Stadium), Houston, Texas, USA
While Portugal will honor Jota for this game, it will also hope to get three points on the board. And attention on the pitch will no doubt turn to Ronaldo.
The superstar may be a shadow of his former self on the field, but he will still feature for a Portuguese side brimming with fresh talent.
The midfield of Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Bernardo Silva and João Neves is most likely the best in the tournament, but questions remain whether Ronaldo will bolster or diminish the impressive core of the team.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was poor in Qatar 2022 and was eventually dropped, but you’d be a brave man to drop him again for the tournament opener here. As Messi proved last night, class is permanent and Ronaldo certainly knows where the back of the net is.
Portugal’s opponent DR Congo will offer plenty of threat, despite being the underdog. Striker Yoane Wissa is likely to be the star man and biggest source of goals, while the rest of the team focuses on structure and being compact.
England vs. Croatia
When? 4 p.m. ET
Where? Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium), Arlington, Texas, USA
These two familiar foes meet again in what’s one of the most enticing matchups of the group stage (it was, in fact, chosen as one of our 10 best to watch).
England will once again enter the World Cup with expectations on its shoulders. It’s been 60 years since the soccer-mad nation won the tournament and, yet again, the Three Lions should have the talent to go far this summer.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has prioritized team spirit over individual talent, opting to leave some big names out of his squad, such as Cole Palmer and Phil Foden. Yet the likes of Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane will be in North America, leading the light for the country.
England comes up against a Croatia team that’s been its nemesis over the years, notably knocking it out of the World Cup semifinals in 2018. With 40-year-old veteran midfielder Luka Modrić still pulling the strings, the Vatreni will be confident of troubling England yet again.
Note: I’m an England fan and am so excited for this one. I tried to keep it professional, can you tell?
A very humble take from Lionel Messi after he tied Miroslav Klose for most goals in World Cup history, following his hat-trick against Algeria yesterday.
In truth, Messi probably can’t keep track of every record he breaks. He seems to set a new bar in almost every game he plays.
Fun fact: Messi has scored five World Cup goals from outside the box, equaling the record held by Brazilian Rivellino.
Fans react to Messi’s first World Cup hat trick
Fans in Buenos Aires celebrated as Lionel Messi began Argentina’s World Cup campaign with his first hat trick in the competition, defeating Algeria 3-0.
Also available to watch is the new CNN FlashDoc “Chasing Soccer Glory: America’s Long Game,” which explores the world’s biggest sporting event, the World Cup, as it returns to US soil.
Stream the special now on the CNN app.
Oh England, my England – our fearful trip is not done
Take it from me, the World Cup and soccer in general mean so much to England. I’ll let my CNN Sports colleague and fellow Englishman Glen Levy show you just how much in a letter he penned to the national team ahead of its opener against Croatia.
Dear England,
We’ve been here before, haven’t we? Our relationship is equal parts love story and heartbreak. Wait, who am I kidding? I extend my heart every other year, provided you qualify for a major tournament, and it always ends in tears. The first World Cup I can remember is Mexico 1986 and Diego Maradona’s Hand of God left me crying (you’re off the hook for that one, lads). Four years later in Italy, the waterworks went again, as those infernal penalty kicks tripped us up against West Germany in the semifinal.
We took an unwanted break in 1994 – nice of you to show up to the party in North America 32 years later – and David Beckham contrived to get himself sent off against Argentina at France ‘98. “10 heroic lions, one stupid boy” was the infamous front-page newspaper headline the day after Becks saw red, England crashed out on penalties, and I was left bereft.
Record scratch. There’s a reason David Baddiel and Frank Skinner sing about “hurt” and being “so sure that England’s gonna throw it away” in the Three Lions song that’s become an anthem for the national team. We know how this ends and fixating on “It’s coming home” misses the point entirely, especially as “home” was referring to England hosting the EURO 1996 tournament.
From the 2002 World Cup onwards, I’ve juggled the trials and tribulations of supporting you, with covering events in a professional capacity. A freak goal from Ronaldinho did us in that year in Japan, and then I was inside the stadium in Germany to see another knockout loss on spot kicks to Portugal in 2006. Frank Lampard’s ghost goal against Germany arguably resulted in VAR and most certainly resulted in an early exit at South Africa 2010. We then couldn’t even get out of the group in Brazil in 2014. Sheesh.
But thank you former England manager Gareth Southgate for bringing back some much-needed pride, and a dash of verve, in reaching the last four in Russia in 2018, an agonizing final loss at Euro 2020 and quarterfinals in Qatar in 2022.
“I’m desperately keen before I die to see England win a World Cup.” That could be me speaking, but it’s actually the words of legendary England striker Gary Lineker, speaking to CNN Sports ahead of the 2026 tournament.
That’s what supporting England does to us: You’re an equal opportunity heartbreaker. Please give us a reason to love you forever next month.
Yours sincerely,
Glen (49 years of hurt and counting)
No team has had more logistical headaches than Iran this summer. Given the ongoing political tensions, you may remember that the national team has had to base itself in Mexico and travel into the US for its games. However, one player discovered his visa to do so had run out after the first match.
But now winger Mehdi Torabi has been granted a new multi-entry visa, which will allow him to participate in as many matches as required this tournament.
“This issue has been resolved,” a State Department official told CNN’s Jennifer Hansler on Tuesday. “As soon as we became aware of the issue, we worked to ensure that the player can participate in every game.”
When? 7 p.m. ET
Where? Toronto Stadium (BMO Field), Toronto, Canada
Panama – which is making its second appearance at a men’s World Cup – struggled last time out in 2018.
Los Canaleros finished bottom of their group with three losses from three games, including a heavy 6-1 defeat against England. Panama fans will be hoping to pick up their first ever World Cup point and may see the team’s opener against Ghana as the best opportunity to do so.
For a while, it seemed as though Ghana had the best chance of becoming Africa’s first World Cup winner. But since its controversial quarterfinal exit in 2010, the team has not kicked on – failing to make it past the group stage since.
This Black Stars team doesn’t have the firepower of previous iterations, but with Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo firing on all cylinders, they have a real chance of securing three points in their opening matchup.
Ghana will be without midfielder Thomas Partey for its opener, though. The 33-year-old saw his visa application rejected and the decision was upheld by a Canadian federal judge earlier this week, according to the Associated Press.
Partey is awaiting trial on rape charges in the United Kingdom but will still be able to play in his nation’s remaining two group games in the US.
When? 10 p.m. ET
Where? Mexico City Stadium (Estadio Azteca), Mexico City, Mexico
Uzbekistan is the last debutant to make an appearance at this year’s World Cup and will try to be the only one of the four new teams to manage a win in its opening match. Led by Italian legend Fabio Cannavaro, who lifted the World Cup as a player for Italy in 2006, the White Wolves might well surprise a few people at the tournament.
Defender Abdukodir Khusanov is the most recognizable and best player on the team. The 22-year-old is now a regular starter for Manchester City and has impressed in both the Premier League and Champions League.
They’ll come up against an experienced team in Colombia, which boasts several names that have excelled at previous iterations of the tournament. James Rodríguez, who burst onto the World Cup scene in 2014, is still its main creative force in the middle of the pitch and will be supported by winger Luis Díaz who has been one of the most in-form players on the planet this season.
We’ll leave you today with a small report from our colleagues in CNN Health, who have been monitoring the Ebola outbreak in the runup to this year’s World Cup. There is particular concern within DR Congo, and now its national team is about to make its debut at this summer’s tournament.
The head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warned this week that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo could be the “worst ever” in the area if it’s not contained. More than 800 Ebola cases have been confirmed in the DRC as of Monday.
This is a complicated outbreak to contain. The affected area of the DRC is remote, densely populated and facing ongoing insecurity and humanitarian crises. The outbreak is also caused by the Bundibugyo version of the virus, which doesn’t have any specific treatments or vaccines to stop it.
In response to the outbreak, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and US Department of Homeland Security have implemented entry restrictions and screening of passengers from the DRC, Uganda and nearby South Sudan. No cases have been identified in the United States. The World Health Organization has warned that the risk of Ebola is very high in the DRC but low globally.
During the World Cup, US health officials are monitoring outbreak risks for many viruses, but Ebola isn’t the chief concern. Early in an infection, Ebola doesn’t spread easily. Once a person is very sick, with a lot of virus built up in their body, it takes only a small amount of bodily fluid to potentially spread the infection. But at that point, a patient wouldn’t feel well enough to move around or attend a soccer game.
