Tuesday's Matches
Six group stage openers and continuation games fill the Tuesday slate, with every listed fixture airing on Fox and Telemundo unless noted below.
- France vs Senegal at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., noon Pacific on Fox and Telemundo. France, ranked third in the world by FIFA, played in the last two World Cup finals and is favored to make it back again this year. Captain Kylian Mbappé, the team's best player, holds the tournament record with four goals in World Cup finals, including a hat trick in Qatar four years ago. Senegal is led by former African player of the year Sadio Mane, the country's all time leader in goals. Senegal made the quarterfinals in 2002 and the round of 16 in Qatar.
- Norway vs Iraq at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., 3 p.m. Pacific on Fox and Telemundo. Norway is playing in the World Cup for the first time this century, which means Manchester City's Erling Haaland finally will make his tournament debut. A three time Premier League scoring champion, Haaland has more goals for club and country at 25 than either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo had at that age. Iraq has gone even longer between World Cups, making its only appearance in 1986 when it lost all three games. Iraq its way back with a 2 1 victory over Bolivia in an inter confederation playoff in March. The winning goal came from forward Aymen Hussein, the team's active leader in goals and appearances among outfield players.
- Argentina vs Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., 6 p.m. Pacific on Fox and Telemundo. Top ranked Argentina was upset by Saudi Arabia in its World Cup opener four years ago, then did not lose again to give Lionel Messi the one title he was missing. Argentina returns 17 players from its world championship team, among them Messi, the Golden Ball winner; goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, the Golden Glove winner; and midfielder Enzo Fernández, the 2022 tournament's best young player. Algeria is ranked 28th in the world, its best ranking in more than a decade, and has lost just twice in the last two years. Its roster features 16 players from first division clubs in Europe.
- Jordan vs Austria at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., 9 p.m. Pacific on Fox and Telemundo. Jordan played its first international match in 1953 but has not played in the World Cup, finally qualifying by finishing second to South Korea in its Asian group. Its best player is captain Musa Al Taamari, a dynamic winger known as the Jordanian Messi who shares the lead among active players with 92 international caps. Austria is playing in the World Cup for the first time this century and has not a game here since 1990. Its best player is Real Madrid defender David Alaba, a four time Champions League winner and 10 time Austrian footballer of the year.
Wednesday's Group K Games
Group K action opens Wednesday with one fully detailed fixture in Houston and a late evening match in Mexico City.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo vs Portugal at NRG Stadium in Houston, 10 a.m. Pacific on Fox and Telemundo. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is back in the World Cup for the first time since 1974, when the country was known as Zaire, and in its first game it faces fifth ranked Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, the greatest goal scorer in soccer history. Ronaldo, 41 is playing in the tournament for a sixth time, and this likely is his last chance to win the one prize that has eluded him: a World Cup title. The Congo qualified by beating Jamaica in extra time of an inter confederation playoff in March. Its final pretournament tuneup with Chile this month was canceled in Spain because of health concerns linked to the Ebola outbreak in Congo, then relocated to France, where Les Leopards lost 2 1. Before that, the team's only two losses in the last year had been to World Cup qualifiers Senegal and Algeria.
- A match at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City is scheduled for 7 p.m. Pacific on FS1 and Telem.
With the opening five days complete and more teams still waiting for their first World Cup action, Tuesday and Wednesday carry a heavy slate of debuts, returning champions, and long awaited returns to the global stage.
