Messi at 4 a.m.: the World Cup matches you cannot miss
The World Cup will feature 72 matches in the group stage, the most ever. On the one hand, that is a celebration. On the other hand, it is also a serious test of character for anyone who has to get up in the morning, go to work, function, and feel guilty about watching Ghana against Panama at 2:00 a.m. Still, a World Cup is a World Cup. Even if the hours are impossible, even if some of the matches feel like FIFA’s punishment for complaining that there is not enough football, there will be games you simply cannot miss. And so you do not miss anything, you can download the schedule to your phone.
10. Canada - Bosnia | 12.6, Friday | 22:00 We will all watch this match because it is on Friday at 22:00 and the World Cup has only just started. There is really nothing else to do. Let us be optimistic, the Canadians will bring a hockey atmosphere, the Bosnians, as usual, will throw themselves at victory, and something nice might come out of it. It could also be 0:0. On the other hand, what is there to do on Friday night, watch the news?
9. Germany - Curaçao | Sunday, June 14 | 20:00 Ranked 10th in the world against a team built over recent years and ranked 82nd. There is potential here for a handsome thrashing, and even 0:5 is fun to watch in the group stage. We will not be greedy, we will just say it is possible. A World Cup needs a good group-stage rout, with goals that are too funny or too easy. It needs the cliché, “even in training it was harder.” And if there is an upset, even better. Oh, and look at the wonderful time, 20:00.
8. USA - Turkey | 25.6, between Thursday and Friday | 5:00 The host gets a strong and annoying team in the final round. Will Erdoğan come and sit next to Trump? Is Pulisic really as good as the stories in the American media say, or is it just excited because his name sounds European? During the broadcast, will they say Turkey is the “dark horse”? Probably yes.
7. Portugal - Colombia | 28.6, between Saturday and Sunday | 2:30 The player who appears once every four years, known as James Rodríguez, against the machine called Cristiano Ronaldo. But Portugal has long been more than just Cristiano, it also has Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and João Neves. On paper, this is a squad that should go all the way. In practice, it is a first real test. Notable drawback, a very difficult hour.
6. Japan - Netherlands | 14 June, Sunday | 23:00 We all still hold the Netherlands in fond regard from the Cruyff days, even though this time it is arriving mainly with a frighteningly defensive squad. The last Euros were fun with the Dutch, and with Japan it is almost always an attacking, naive celebration. It can beat Germany and Spain, then lose in the round of 16 as if that were part of the tradition. On the other hand, with the number of Israelis who fly to Japan every year, maybe it is time we start supporting them.
5. Uruguay - Spain | 27 June, between Saturday and Sunday | 3:00 Spain is one of the favorites, plays wonderful football and has Lamine Yamal and his beloved partner Nico Williams. True, Yamal irritated all of us during Barcelona’s title celebrations, but it is still hard to miss one of his matches against the toughest opponent in the group. Uruguay, without Luis Suárez but with Federico Valverde, will bring its usual iron defense, nerves and the feeling that every tackle is a matter of national honor.
4. Argentina - Algeria | 17 June, between Tuesday and Wednesday | 4:00 Why? Because Messi. That is why. Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the previous World Cup, and everyone knows how that ended, but they also remember the hysteria that followed the defeat. As if Messi were finished, as if it would never happen again. It is worth getting up for the possibility of a surprise. In the worst case, we get a generic 3:1 win for Argentina and move on. Besides, how will a football fan explain to himself in 20 years if this is Messi’s last ever World Cup goal? “Was I asleep?”
3. Brazil - Morocco | 14 June, between Saturday and Sunday | 1:00 Remember that Morocco was the breakout story in Qatar and reached the semifinals? Fine. But that is not really the story here, it is mainly a worthy opponent for Brazil’s opening match. Everyone will want to see how Carlo Ancelotti has influenced them, and how the combination of Vinicius and Raphinha will look. This is exactly the kind of match that can end in a Brazilian statement of intent, or in a game that shows how much trouble they are in. The hour is not easy, but half the country sleeps through Saturday afternoons anyway, so there will be energy.
2. England - Croatia | 17 June, Wednesday | 23:00 One of the iron laws of every World Cup is that Croatia “surprises.” Somehow, everyone is still surprised that it is a top team as if the year were 1998. So no matter that Modrić is 40, the English must not take them lightly. It is also a replay of the 2018 semifinal, which ended with Croatia’s historic run to the final. The time is perfectly reasonable, and there is one more thing to note, Harry Kane is the best player in the world coming into the World Cup in insane form.
France - Norway | 26 June, Friday | 22:00 In the world, people may still think Norway is Haaland and ten others, but the qualifiers showed what it is capable of, although that is not exactly a genius test against Israel. Opposite them stands the runner-up world champion, with Kylian Mbappé, who is already one of the greatest World Cup players. The rivalry between Haaland and Mbappé was supposed to define this decade, and it has not really happened yet. Maybe this time. Great hour, weekend. There is absolutely no reason to miss it.
