+ Group K: Portugal–Congo-Kinshasa, Wednesday, at 19:00
Houston Stadium, Houston, Texas, USA
TV4/P4 Radio Sport
+ Warning: state of disaster
When Cristiano Ronaldo gets the chance to play his sixth World Cup with Portugal, he begins the tournament in the middle of a storm.
In Texas, where the Houston Stadium is located, Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state of disaster as both Louisiana and Texas face several days of heavy rain, posing a risk of flooding, Bloomberg reports.
+ Squad shaken by Ebola
Congo-Kinshasa, which has qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1974 (then under the name Zaire), has received a less-than-optimal boost.
The national team's planned warm-up match against Chile in Spain was canceled due to Ebola fears. Congo also had to move its training camp from its home country to Belgium to avoid a three-week quarantine before entering the United States, and domestic fans and journalists have been denied visas due to the Ebola outbreak in their home country.
Group L: England–Croatia, Wednesday, 10:00 PM
Dallas Stadium, Arlington, Texas, USA
TV4/P4 Radio Sport
+ Is it now that “football is coming home”?
Since 1996, English fans have been singing "It's coming home," but never since has the men's national team won the European Championship or the World Cup.
60 years after their only World Cup triumph, England are still waiting for their next success. Despite high expectations, however, the national team's German coach Thomas Tuchel does not want to be counted among the biggest favorites.
"There are proven winners in the tournament with greater success under their belt. They are the favorites. We are fighting for the trophy, we dream big," Tuchel said ahead of the tournament.
Group opponent Croatia crushed England's golden dreams in the World Cup semi-final in Russia 2018.
+ Group L: Ghana–Panama, Tuesday, 1:00 AM
Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
TV4
+ Swedish officials on the pitch
It's not just the national football team that represents Sweden in the World Cup. Referee Glenn Nyberg - along with his assistants Mahbod Beigi and Andreas Söderkvist - makes his World Cup debut when Ghana meets Panama. The trio has previously refereed the Champions League, European Championship and the Olympics.
The last time Swedes refereed at the World Cup was Jonas Eriksson and his refereeing team in Brazil in 2014.
+ Group K: Uzbekistan–Colombia, Tuesday, 4:00 a.m.
Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico
TV4
+ Italian centre-back icon makes World Cup comeback
After seven consecutive failures in qualifying, Uzbekistan's dismal streak has been broken. As the nation makes its first World Cup appearance since gaining independence in 1991, it is with Italian centre-back icon Fabio Cannavaro at the helm.
Colombia awaits in the historic debut.
"I don't worry about the players' technical level, only about their physical form," said coach Cannavaro ahead of the championship, according to The Athletic .
