The FIFA Football World Cup has already witnessed three exciting opening ceremonies featuring performances by singers and dancers such as Shakira, Nora Fatehi and others. All three host nations — the United States, Canada and Mexico — remained unbeaten as they launched football’s biggest and most prestigious tournament on home soil.
However, millions of football fans across India and around the world are eagerly waiting to watch superstar players such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in action. Moreover, if we momentarily set aside traditional powerhouses like five-time champions Brazil and 2014 winners Germany, most fans are especially keen to watch the tournament favourites — Argentina, Portugal, France, Spain and Croatia. And that moment is now just around the corner.
You may remember how Spain stunned the football world by winning the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In the final against the Netherlands, neither team could score for 115 minutes. The match remained locked at 0-0 and appeared destined for a penalty shootout. However, in the 116th minute, Andres Iniesta scored the decisive goal to hand Spain a historic and unforgettable victory.
That same dark-horse Spain side begins its Group H campaign this time on Monday at 9:30 pm IST against the tiny nation of Cape Verde. Then, on Tuesday, heavyweight teams Belgium and Uruguay will open their respective campaigns against Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Later, the clash involving Iran will become significant for reasons extending far beyond football. Iran is still engaged in conflict with the United States, and amid that tense situation, the Iranian football team will play a World Cup match on American soil. When Iran’s players take the field at Los Angeles Stadium in California on Tuesday morning (6:30 am IST), a new chapter in sporting history will be written.
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The reason is simple: it will be the first time that a national team from a country involved in an active conflict plays a World Cup match on the soil of its adversary. Extraordinary security arrangements will be in place for the match, while millions of television viewers around the world will closely follow the Iranian players.
The real FIFA battle, however, begins after midnight on Tuesday.
You probably know why.
Yes, at 12:30 am IST on Tuesday night, Kylian Mbappe’s France will take on Senegal. That will be followed by Erling Haaland’s Norway facing Iraq at 3:30 am IST. Just as fans begin recovering from the excitement of those two encounters, Lionel Messi will once again capture the imagination of millions when Argentina takes the field at 6:30 am IST on Wednesday.
Messi is slightly unfit, but fans will hope he features right from the opening match. By the way, this could well be his final World Cup appearance. Argentina will leave no stone unturned against Algeria as they seek to uphold their reputation as defending champions.
After the Austria-Jordan match at 9:30 am IST on Wednesday, the World Cup schedule will go quiet for nearly 12 hours. Then, at 10:30 pm IST, the match that millions of football fans have been waiting months for will finally begin.
Yes, Cristiano Ronaldo is determined to fulfil his long-cherished dream of leading Portugal to World Cup glory. Portugal will face the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ronaldo’s side will be wary of avoiding the kind of upset that Cameroon famously produced on the world stage in the 1990s.
Also, do not miss the Croatia-England clash scheduled for 1:30 am IST after midnight on Wednesday. It promises to be another thrilling encounter.
So, get ready to enjoy the most exciting matches of the 23rd FIFA World Cup.
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