World Cup Daily: Matches and storylines for June 17
Only eight teams of the 48 in the tournament haven't played a World Cup game yet. That changes on Wednesday, as England's group and Portugal's group get started.
Wednesday marks the last day of first group stage game, as Groups K and L get going — which means, the day after Lionel Messi put up his first hat trick in a World Cup game, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane get their 2026 World Cup stories started.
Portugal is in a truly international group, with Colombia, DR Congo, and Uzbekistan (can you name all their capitals without Googling), while England is in a group with Croatia, Ghana, and Panama, which is not quite as far-flung as Portugal's but decently diverse.
After Wednesday, we'll start in on the second matches and get a better sense of how the tournament is shaping up — initially for the hosts, but then for some of the favorites.
Group K
Predictions
Projected winner: Portugal (5)
Projected runner-up: Colombia (14)
Projected 3rd-place team: DR Congo (45)
Projected 4th-place team: Uzbekistan (50)
Today's matches
Portugal vs. DR Congo, Wednesday, June 17, noon (Houston)
Uzbekistan vs. Colombia, Wednesday, June 17, 9 pm (Mexico City)
Future matches
Portugal vs. Uzbekistan: Tuesday, June 23, noon (Houston)
Colombia vs. DR Congo: Tuesday, June 23, 9 pm (Guadalajara)
Colombia vs. Portugal: Saturday, June 27, 6:30 pm (Miami)
DR Congo vs. Uzbekistan: Saturday, June 27, 6:30 pm (Atlanta)
Most compelling narrative
Both Portugal and Colombia have stars that are deep into their careers and peaked in World Cups held eight and 12 years ago ... how will the teams transition into featuring their prime-age talent, and just how much of a role will Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez have in this group stage ... especially with Messi showing that he's still highly relevant?
Player to watch
To that effect, I'm curious how much of the leadership mantle for Os Navegadores shifts to Bruno Fernandes — who himself is 31 and theoretically slips into the veteran leader role once C-Ron does hang it up.
Group L
Predictions
Projected winner: England (4)
Projected runner-up: Croatia (11)
Projected 3rd-place team: Panama (34)
Projected 4th-place team: Ghana (73)
Today's matches
England vs. Croatia, Wednesday, June 17, 3 pm (Jerryworld)
Ghana vs. Panama, Wednesday, June 17, 3 pm (Jerryworld)
Future matches
England vs. Ghana: Tuesday, June 23, 3 pm (Foxborough, Mass.)
Panama vs. Croatia: Tuesday, June 23, 6 pm (Toronto)
Panama vs. England: Saturday, June 27, 4 pm (East Rutherford, N.J.)
Croatia vs. Ghana: Saturday, June 27, 4 pm (Philadelphia)
Most compelling narrative
Is it "coming home?" England fans have reason to believe that 2026 will be the deepest the Three Lions go since they won it all hosting 60 years ago. It's arguably the most talented team they've ever had, and their No. 4 world ranking shows they're in the mix, but what happens when they draw one of the top three, or an upset-minded dark horse?
Player to watch
Theoretically, a Panama team who is adept at the ways of Concacaf could have enough of a run to sneak into a knockout round, but it's contingent on how much Adalberto Carrasquilla can contribute — and he's questionable for this key opening match against Ghana, which likely sets up the winner (if there is one) for the inside track to 3rd place.
Where to watch
Howard's Bar and Club in Clarksville (1130 W. 6th Street) has declared itself England's hub for World Cup watching in Austin. From its Instagram account: "Join us at Howards for every England match throughout the World Cup, featuring Pimm’s Cups all tournament long and housemade sausage rolls with HP sauce when the England games are on." Well, if it's housemade sausage rolls with HP sauce we're talking about ...
What to read
Thomas Tuchel is prepared to meet American summer heat with steely British resolve. Let's see how that works out for them!
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
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Wednesday marks the last day of first group stage game, as Groups K and L get going — which means, the day after Lionel Messi put up his first hat trick in a World Cup game, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane get their 2026 World Cup stories started.
Portugal is in a truly international group, with Colombia, DR Congo, and Uzbekistan (can you name all their capitals without Googling), while England is in a group with Croatia, Ghana, and Panama, which is not quite as far-flung as Portugal's but decently diverse.
After Wednesday, we'll start in on the second matches and get a better sense of how the tournament is shaping up — initially for the hosts, but then for some of the favorites.
Group K
Predictions
Today's matches
Future matches
Most compelling narrative
Both Portugal and Colombia have stars that are deep into their careers and peaked in World Cups held eight and 12 years ago ... how will the teams transition into featuring their prime-age talent, and just how much of a role will Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez have in this group stage ... especially with Messi showing that he's still highly relevant?
Player to watch
To that effect, I'm curious how much of the leadership mantle for Os Navegadores shifts to Bruno Fernandes — who himself is 31 and theoretically slips into the veteran leader role once C-Ron does hang it up.
Group L
Predictions
Today's matches
Future matches
Most compelling narrative
Is it "coming home?" England fans have reason to believe that 2026 will be the deepest the Three Lions go since they won it all hosting 60 years ago. It's arguably the most talented team they've ever had, and their No. 4 world ranking shows they're in the mix, but what happens when they draw one of the top three, or an upset-minded dark horse?
Player to watch
Theoretically, a Panama team who is adept at the ways of Concacaf could have enough of a run to sneak into a knockout round, but it's contingent on how much Adalberto Carrasquilla can contribute — and he's questionable for this key opening match against Ghana, which likely sets up the winner (if there is one) for the inside track to 3rd place.
Where to watch
Howard's Bar and Club in Clarksville (1130 W. 6th Street) has declared itself England's hub for World Cup watching in Austin. From its Instagram account: "Join us at Howards for every England match throughout the World Cup, featuring Pimm’s Cups all tournament long and housemade sausage rolls with HP sauce when the England games are on." Well, if it's housemade sausage rolls with HP sauce we're talking about ...
What to read
Thomas Tuchel is prepared to meet American summer heat with steely British resolve. Let's see how that works out for them!
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
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