+ Group H: Spain–Cape Verde, tonight, 6:00 PM
Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
SVT/P4 Radio Sport
+ Injured Spanish stars
Lamine Yamal, 18, is in line to play at the World Cup. This was confirmed by national team captain Luis de la Fuente earlier this week. In addition to Barcelona’s teenage star, Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, 23, and Osasuna’s Víctor Muñoz, 22, suffered injuries at the end of the club season. But all look set to be able to play in the opener.
+ Group G: Belgium–Egypt, tonight, 9:00 PM
Seattle Stadium, Seattle, Washington
SVT/P4 Radio Sport
+ The veterans’ renewed duel
Kevin De Bruyne, 34, and Mohamed Salah, 33, personified Manchester City and Liverpool and their rivalry for several Premier League seasons. Now the veterans are pitted against each other again – in the colours of their home countries. De Bruyne, who plays for Manchester City in the Premier League, leads a fading golden generation that has yet to win gold at senior level, though they did win bronze at the 2018 World Cup. Egypt’s hopes largely lie with Salah – despite his lack of playing time and injury problems during his final season at Liverpool.
+ Group H: Saudi Arabia–Uruguay, tonight, 12:00 AM
Miami Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
TV4/P4 Radio Sport
+ Uruguay’s hope – despite a difficult debut season
Darwin Núñez left Liverpool after the Premier League title last season to play for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. In his debut Pro League season he played just under half of the league matches (16 of 34) and scored six goals for the 26-year-old Uruguayan. Al-Hilal finished second in the league behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and missed out on the title for the second year in a row. It has been rumored that Núñez could be on his way back to Liverpool this summer, but Barcelona are also rumored to be interested. First, the striker will lead Uruguay at the World Cup.
+ Group G: Iran–New Zealand, tonight, 3:00 AM
Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California
TV4
+ Flown in because of the war
Iran is not competing under normal circumstances, and the team’s participation in the tournament had been uncertain. The country has strained relations with the United States and Israel. The national team will play its three group matches in the United States. Because of those tensions, Iran has based its World Cup camp in Tijuana, Mexico, instead of Tucson, Arizona, and will fly in only to play its group matches in Los Angeles and Seattle.
