We are two weeks into the World Cup and things are heating up.
Every team has now played twice, delivering massive sporting upsets, sensational goals, and iconic moments.
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With the extended 48-team format, a record-breaking number of goals have been scored throughout the group phase, with the previous total being smashed well ahead of schedule.
Football fans have been reminded this tournament that Lionel Messi remains world class at 39, with the Argentine currently leading the Golden Boot ranks.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score at six World Cups after netting twice for Portugal against Uzbekistan, and Kylian Mbappe has become France’s all-time top goalscorer.
Erling Haaland has been at his best during his international tournament debut, guiding Norway into the round of 32, while Harry Kane has already equaled Gary Lineker’s England World Cup record.
As we round off the group stage, these are the five most exciting matches, as chosen by eSPORTY.com…
Scotland v Brazil
When: Wednesday, June 24 at 11pm (BST) Group C
As the Tartan Army prepare to take on the iconic yellow shirts of Brazil, they know a draw is enough to reach the knockout stage.
Potentially, even a narrow defeat could be enough for Scotland to progress as one of the best third-place sides.
However, playing for a draw is a dangerous game for Steve Clarke’s side. A win would not only be historic but could also gift the team a more favourable round of 32 fixture.
It promises to be one of the most important days in Scottish football history as they travel to Miami, albeit without having a shot on target since the first-half of their opening game against Haiti.
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Meanwhile, if Brazil can get a point or more, they are confirmed to reach this year’s knockout round.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side will still want to prove they remain top tier contenders despite drawing 1-1 with Morocco in their first game of the tournament.
Also, Neymar could be making his return to international competition after nearly 700 days away, giving the Brazilians an extra boost of experience and flair.
Norway v France
When: Friday, June 26 at 8pm (BST) Group I
Both squads have various superstars representing them on the world’s stage; however, two that stand out are Mbappe and Haaland.
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Both players will go head-to-head in Boston having scored four goals in two games at the World Cup.
It will be a face-off to decide who tops Group I, as both teams are locked on six points, with France only sitting top due to a marginally superior goal difference.
Both have secured their spot in the next round, but there’s a lot to play for, with the loser on Friday risking a treacherous route to the final.
The Vikings’ manager Stale Solbakken has backed Manchester City star Haaland as the best striker at the tournament.
He said: “I mean, he is the best striker — he is not playing for France or Argentina, he scores for Norway.
“He’s scored four goals now, two braces on the biggest stage. It’s easier to win the Golden Boot when you play for France and Argentina. But we’ll try to give Erling more games, and more help also in the next games.
“So he’s on fire and I’m very happy for him that he can score on the biggest stage.”
Uruguay v Spain
When: Saturday, June 27 at 1am (BST) Group H
Spain sit two points clear at the top of Group H and can finish top with a win or a draw against the South Americans.
However, Uruguay cannot afford to be passive as they are fighting for tournament survival.
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Marco Bielsa’s team remains undefeated at the 2026 World Cup, but they have recorded two draws against teams who are much more heavily lower ranked.
They drew 2-2 with Cape Verde and 1-1 with Saudi Arabia.
Cape Verde v Saudi Arabia
When: Saturday, June 27 at 1am (BST) Group H
Cape Verde have provided one of the biggest shocks of the tournament after they held European champions Spain to a goalless draw in their first game at a World Cup.
They even went a step further by securing another hard-earned point against Uruguay which has gifted the African nation something to play for in the third round.
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Head coach Bubista said: “Thanks to what we have already done with two teams of top world level, we have to obviously think about wanting to qualify.
“I think it is legitimate because of everything we have done, the way the points are in the group, we have all that legitimacy. We also know that any one of those teams also has possibilities of advancing to the next stage.”
The underdog nation has captured the world’s hearts, most specifically the 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, after he delivered a heroic clean sheet against Luis de la Fuente’s side.
The Cape Verdean started the tournament with 50k followers on social media and reached above 15 million overnight.
Additionally, it could be important for England fans to pay attention to the game because, as it stands, the Three Lions will face the island nation in the round of 32 in Atlanta.
Colombia v Portugal
When: Sunday, June 28 at 00:30am (BST) Group K
When groups were drawn, this was instantly marked as a highly-anticipated clash by fans during the group stage.
So far, Colombia have looked comfortable by securing wins against DR Congo and Uzbekistan – Crystal Palace’s Daniel Munoz has scored twice for his country.
An attacking trio of James Rodriguez, Sporting Lisbon’s Luis Suarez and Bayern Munich star Luis Diaz will propose an array of issues for Portugal.
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Roberto Martinez’s team opened their campaign with a disappointing draw against DR Congo, with Ronaldo having a sub-par performance which led to widespread criticism of the Portuguese icon.
However, the Real Madrid legend was back to winning ways after securing a brace against Uzbekistan and will hope to prove people wrong by delivering against a strong side.
After the game, Ronaldo said: “We’re getting better. That’s how life is. There are ups and downs in life and in matches and the aim is always to get better.
“It’s been a hard week, a very difficult week. Public opinion has been very hard on us, on all the players and especially on me and on the manager.
“But it doesn’t matter because as you can guess I’ve been in the profession for 23 years and it’s always when things are going well, ‘Cristiano is good’, and when things are going badly, it’s ‘he’s retired, he’s old.’
“It’s always like this. But me and my teammates responded well and it’s what we wanted.
“We’re in a good position, we played well, we played attacking football and it’s difficult to stop Portugal when we’re like this, and it came together for us to score five goals.
“Honestly I’m very happy and now it’s time to recover and get ready for the next one.”
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