Wondering which games to watch at the World Cup? These are the 10 best group stage matches

 

United States fans show their support ahead of a Qatar 2022 match against Wales at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 21, 2022 in Doha.

Buda Mendes/Getty Images

The 2026 World Cup is almost here in all its glory and that means non-stop action for fans to watch during a newly expanded tournament.

A record 48 teams will be playing a total of 104 matches across three countries for the most prized trophy in world soccer. Of those 104 contests, 72 matches make up the group stages of the tournament – the most ever in a World Cup.

With that many games across 17 days, it’s hard to keep track of which ones you should watch. If you’re like us at CNN Sports (well, at least myself and my colleague Ben Church), you’re likely to try to watch every single match at the tournament – even if the time zones are not friendly. Unfortunately, if you’re not really a big soccer fan or you’ve just gotten into “The Beautiful Game,” that’s probably not an option.

Have no fear, we’re here to give you some suggestions on which matches are likely to be the best contests on the pitch, so you can tune in and catch the most interesting games of the group stage. Remember, these are the 10 best games of the group stage, not necessarily all the notable storylines (like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo’s first matches of the tournament).

Brazil vs. Morocco (Group C)

Casemiro and Vinícius are two of Brazil's key men in this World Cup.

Buda Mendes/Getty Images

When: Saturday, June 13 @ 6 p.m. ET

Where: New York/New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium), East Rutherford, New Jersey

Why: Five-time winner Brazil heads into the competition on somewhat of an up-and-down trajectory: The Seleção finished fifth in Conmebol qualifying and had played lackluster soccer. However, the team has looked much better recently, winning three in a row. It also features some of the game’s biggest talents in Vinícius Jr., Raphinha and Endrick, along with star veterans like Neymar Jr. and Casemiro. Morocco, meanwhile, is the current African champion (controversially) and is a very well-balanced team – featuring names like Brahim Díaz, Achraf Hakimi and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou – that made the World Cup semis in 2022.

Netherlands vs. Japan (Group F)

Japan's squad is very balanced and experienced on the international stage.

Alan Poizner/IMAGN IMAGES/Reuters

When: Sunday, June 14 @ 4 p.m. ET

Where: Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium), Arlington, Texas

Why: The Netherlands is one of those teams that fans always proclaim as a dark horse – and for good reason. The Oranje has a lot of talent in both attack and defense and has recently progressed deep into the knockout rounds in both the Euros (semifinalists in 2024) and World Cup (quarterfinalists in 2022). Meanwhile, Japan is the best team from Asia and comes into the tournament on a six-match win streak. The Samurai Blue topped their group – which featured powerhouses Spain and Germany – in the 2022 World Cup, so they will be afraid of no one in North America. This game will likely decide who is top of Group F.

France vs. Senegal (Group I)

Kylian Mbappé and France will be difficult to beat in North America.

Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP/Getty Images

When: Tuesday, June 16 @ 3 p.m. ET

Where: New York/New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium), East Rutherford, New Jersey

Why: This battle of Francophone nations, in what is arguably this tournament’s Group of Death, will be electric. France is one of the favorites heading into the tournament with the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki in its squad. Senegal, meanwhile, was the 2025 AFCON champion before a bizarre sequence of events stripped it of the title. The Lions of Teranga have a talented squad and will likely progress to the knockout stage, either as the runner-up or one of the best third-place teams.

England vs. Croatia (Group L)

Luka Modrić is likely making one last appearance at a World Cup this year.

Antonio Bronic/Reuters

When: Wednesday, June 17 @ 4 p.m. ET

Where: Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium), Arlington, Texas

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Explaining the World Cup’s newest rules

 

Referee Ivan Barton shows a red card to Paraguay's Miguel Almiron.

Carlos Barria/Reuters

Note: This is story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here.

You’re still thinking about the USA potentially winning the World Cup, aren’t you? Well, that’s going to have to wait a while longer because we’ve got plenty of games to think about until the USA’s next group match.

Spain is back in action today which means we might get a proper look at Lamine Yamal. The teenager will be desperate to start the match as his nation looks to recover from that shocking draw in its first game. Plus, because its Father’s Day, we have a special shoutout to a new dad over in the Norway squad.

But first, it’s time to whip out the rulebook and get studying the new rules in play at this year’s World Cup.

The Main Thing: Why a player was sent off for covering his mouth

Miguel Almiron of Paraguay reacts after receiving a red card for covering his mouth while talking to another player.

Stu Forster/Getty Images

We understand that some people reading this newsletter are dipping their toes into the sport for the first time and might still be learning some of the game’s more confusing nuances. But fear not: even we soccer natives are trying to catch up with a host of new rules introduced for this summer’s tournament.

For example, a lot of fans were a bit confused on Friday after watching Miguel Almiron be sent off in the first half of Paraguay’s win against Turkey.

At first glance, it was hard to see what the Paraguayan midfielder had done. He hadn’t fouled anyone, nor had he been involved in any physical confrontation with an opponent. And yet, just before halftime, referee Ivan Barton showed him a red card.

It wasn’t until we saw the replays that we realized that Almiron had actually made history, albeit unwanted, by becoming the first player to receive a red card for covering his mouth.

On the face of it, this new law might seem a bit strange, but it actually serves a distinct purpose. FIFA decided that, starting at this World Cup, a player could be sent off for “covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent.”

Almiron did just that, exchanging what appeared to be slightly heated words with Turkey’s Mert Mulder while putting his hand over his mouth.

But the question you’re probably asking is why such a seemingly innocent action warrants such a serious punishment. Well, it all stems back to a Champions League game in February.

In that controversial match, Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior had alleged that Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni had racially insulted him. Replays showed Prestianni saying something to Madrid forward but, because he had covered his mouth, it was impossible to know what exactly he said.

It prompted FIFA to push through this new rule which hopes to prevent players from hiding their insults. It hopefully means that the appropriate punishment could be handed out depending on what a player says.

It’s important to note that there was no suggestion that Almiron had used racial language on Friday, but the winger fell afoul of the new law. You’d think that would be enough of a lesson to prevent others from doing the same.

That is just one of several new rules introduced for this World Cup. In truth, there are too many to list here, but these are some examples.

Players can now be sent off if they leave the pitch in protest of a refereeing decision (shoutout to the insane Africa Cup of Nations final for that one).

There are now five-second countdowns for goal kicks and throw-ins to stop time-wasting. If a player runs out of time on a throw-in, possession flips to the opponent. If they run out of time on a goal kick, the opposition is awarded a corner.

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) also has plenty of new powers, including the ability to overturn an incorrectly awarded corner kick.

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Trump’s most tone-deaf comments on Iran and the economy, ranked

 

President Donald Trump at the Capitol on February 24, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Kenny Holston/Pool/Getty Images

On Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump responded to Iran downing a US Army Apache helicopter during a ceasefire by telling the Wall Street Journal that it “wasn’t a big deal.” About 24 hours later, he responded to inflation surging above 4% for the first time in three years by saying, “I love the inflation.”

The one-two punch of flippant comments epitomizes Trump’s increasingly tone-deaf approach to addressing Americans’ concerns about the Iran war and the economy.

Repeatedly in recent months, Trump has responded to Americans’ growing concerns not with empathy, but by pretending their pain didn’t exist — or that it was actually good.

And he’s now assembled a remarkable list of ham-fisted comments.

Below are some of the most prominent examples, ranked by how insensitive they were and how politically troubling they could be for Trump’s party ahead of November’s midterms.

9. His comments about troop deaths

Trump has often struggled to speak tactfully about the sacrifices of American troops, and that’s surely the case now that he’s personally sent them to war.

After the first three deaths in the Iran war were reported, Trump immediately seemed to insert the deaths into a cost-benefit analysis.

“We have three, but we expect casualties,” Trump told NBC News. “But in the end, it’s going to be a great deal for the world.”

In a later video, Trump seemed to ad-lib while talking about the deaths, saying, “That’s the way it is,” and wagering there would be more deaths.

Democrats quickly pilloried him for the quote.

8. Saying rising oil prices are kind of a good thing

Trump has occasionally suggested that rising oil prices are actually good because the US is producing more of it.

“The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money,” Trump said on social media back in March.

Of course, certain people will benefit. But the vast majority of Americans don’t work in the oil industry, and thus the rising prices are a burden.

7. His weird comments about dolls and pencils

Trump last year repeatedly suggested that Americans dealing with rising prices in part due to tariffs could simply buy their children fewer dolls and/or pencils.

“Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know,” he said in April 2025.

Trump later made a similar argument about pencils.

“You know, you can give up certain products,” he said. “You can give up pencils, because under the China policy, you know every child can get 37 pencils. They only need one or two.”

6. Telling rich people in Davos he was making them lots of money

Trump’s populist political movement is supposed to be about helping the working class and pushing back on the moneyed interests, the fat cats and the globalist crowd that gathers for an annual economic conference in Davos, Switzerland.

But there he was in Davos in January, amid significant economic pains back home, bragging about his policies were enriching those assembled.

President Donald Trump leaves the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on January 21.

Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

“I don’t even ask anybody how you’re doing now,” Trump told a gathering of CEOs. “It’s like everybody is making so much money.”

He added that “we’ve given you a platform where you can really put your genius to work.”

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US government softens stance on Iran’s World Cup team entering country ahead of showdown against Egypt

 

The US government is softening its stance on the Iranian national team entering the United States before its third World Cup match, allowing the team to come into the country two days before its Friday game against Egypt.

“For the Iranian team’s third match in Seattle on June 26, the team has been permitted to come into the US two days before the match,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CNN.

“The Iran team will still be required to leave the day the match ends. The overall security measures and protocol are the same. We remain committed to providing the safest tournament possible for players, staff, and fans alike.”

Iran was initially supposed to make its basecamp in Tucson, Arizona, for the tournament but was forced at the last minute to move its headquarters to Tijuana, Mexico. The war between the US and Iran has forced multiple difficulties on Team Melli, including some members of the team’s traveling delegation not receiving visas to enter the United States, being forced to enter the country one day before its first two games and then leaving almost immediately afterward.

Iran entered this tournament in an unprecedented situation – playing a World Cup inside of a nation with which it was at war. A tenuous memorandum of understanding has since been agreed to, but tensions between the two nations remain high even as hostilities have slowed somewhat.

The Iranians on the field have managed to squeeze out two draws and appear to be on track to qualify for the knockout rounds thanks to FIFA’s expanded tournament. Iran came back twice to earn a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in the opening game and then drew 0-0 with Belgium over the weekend.

Iran currently sits in second in Group G, just ahead of Belgium. If Team Melli were to beat Egypt on Friday in Seattle, then the Iranians would win the group.

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Exclusive: Downed US pilot reported seeing Iranian drones swarm in ‘jellyfish’ formation

 

This photo released by Iranian state media and geolocated by CNN appears to show the burnt out wreckage of several aircraft about 50 kilometers from the Iranian city of Esfahan on April 5, 2026. State media claimed Iranian forces shot down the aircraft seen in the images.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

A US fighter jet pilot rescued by special forces after being shot down over Iran in April described a shocking sight before ejecting from his aircraft: multiple Iranian drones hovering in the air, moving as one, in a formation that resembled a jellyfish, according to four sources familiar with the matter.

The account, which has not been previously reported, was shared by the F-15 pilot with intelligence officials during a debriefing after the incident. It immediately set off a firestorm of debate within the US intelligence community that has yet to be resolved.

If the airman really saw what he described — a formation moving in unison — it would be an alarming advance in Iranian drone capabilities.

“Multiple drones interconnected and moving as one with smaller drones below the bigger drones like legs,” one of the sources familiar with the pilot’s witness account told CNN. “Real alien sh*t.”

Another source told CNN the pilot described witnessing a “minefield of drones” in the air.

While the exact cause of the F-15 downing is still being investigated, initial reports indicated that it was possible the drone formation had in some way enabled Iran to shoot down the American jet, according to two of the sources.

The F-15 carried a crew of two — a pilot and a weapons system officer. US forces immediately launched search and rescue efforts, CNN previously reported.

The downing of the F-15 fighter jet marked the first time a US aircraft has been shot down over Iran during the conflict.

The pilot was rescued hours after ejecting from the aircraft, while the weapons systems officer evaded Iranian capture in the mountains for more than a day before also being rescued. It is not clear if the weapons systems officer also saw the drone formation.

A second aircraft, an A-10, was downed during the rescue effort but that pilot managed to eject safely outside of Iranian airspace.

US intelligence officials disagreed on how to interpret what the F-15 pilot described, and whether the pilot could recount the incident clearly.

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Trump keeps claiming Iran made concessions. Iran keeps denying them

 

President Donald Trump prepares to board Air Force One, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Tuesday.

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

Ever since releasing a memorandum of understanding last week that appeared heavily slanted toward Iran, the Trump administration has kept claiming Tehran agreed to other major concessions in ongoing negotiations.

The problem is that none of them appeared in the MOU — and Iran keeps denying them.

And given the Trump administration’s own demonstrated credibility problems, it’s not at all clear whom to trust.

The nuclear inspections

The biggest example came Tuesday morning, when President Donald Trump made the massive claim that Iran has already agreed to major nuclear inspections in perpetuity.

“… Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!),” he wrote on Truth Social. “This will insure (sic) ‘Nuclear Honesty.’ If they did not agree to this, there would be no further negotiations!”

Similarly, Vice President JD Vance at a press conference Monday in Switzerland cited a “major milestone.” He said Iran had agreed to admit inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

But Iran has rejected the idea there had been any significant movement on this front.

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