After 868 games between 209 teams over more than two years of qualification, the World Cup schedule has been set. On Friday, footballing legends like Diego Maradona and Cafu joined Gary Lineker on a stage FIFA proudly claimed included 2.5 tons of metal to draw the eight groups that will face off in Russia next summer.
The defending champion, Germany, drew a manageable group, featuring Mexico, Sweden, and South Korea, while the runner-up, Argentina, was paired with one of the tougher trios in Iceland, Croatia, and Nigeria. Five-time winner Brazil was drawn into a group with Switzerland, Costa Rica, and Serbia, and 2010’s champion, Spain, was paired with Portugal, Morocco, and Iran in what may be the hardest pod of the tournament. Meanwhile, Russia, which was seeded in Pot A because it is the host (and not because the Russians are one of the eight best teams; they’re 65th in FIFA’s rankings), drew close to the easiest group possible.
Thanks to a new pre-draw distribution of teams, the 2018 tournament will be absent a longstanding World Cup staple—there will be no Group of Death. In previous iterations, qualified teams were assorted into four pots, with Pot A holding the top seven teams in the FIFA rankings and the host, and the other three pots divided by federation. That led to groups that featured two and sometimes three traditional football powers, like last cycle, when three former World Cup champs, England, Italy, and Uruguay, were all drawn into the same group. Of course, despite all the pre-tournament build-up, Costa Rica ended up besting all three.
This year, FIFA went away from separating the pots by geographic location, and instead relied entirely on FIFA rankings. Pot A still includes the top seven teams and the host, but now, Pots B, C, and D include the following 24 qualified teams by order of ranking. As was previously true, teams from the same federation can’t be drawn in the same group with one another, with the exception of UEFA, which can have two teams in the same pod. While the new system may mean the draws are fairer than in previous tournaments, it also means not as much group-stage excitement.
There are more than seven months before Russia kicks off against Saudi Arabia on June 14. It’s the 63rd-ranked team in the world vs. the 65th-ranked team. Feel the excitement! While that game might not be one to circle on your calendar for any reason other than “This is when the World Cup starts,” the new-look group stages still offer up some intriguing matchups. Here are four of the must-watch games in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Spain vs. Portugal, June 15
Portugal seemed lost in the group stage of the 2016 European Championships. It dropped points to all three teams it played, and limped into the knockout stages, widely overlooked as a contender. In retrospect, that was foolish. Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal ripped through the knockout-stage bracket, and topped heavy favorite and host France to win the tournament. If Portugal wants to experience the same success this summer, it’ll have to go through Spain, which bested Portugal en route to its past two major championships.
The last time Spain and Portugal met in a major tournament was 2012, when they faced off in the Euros. Spain’s 2018 roster looks different from the one that bested Ronaldo and Co. in penalties. This iteration of the team is led by a mix of old and young, featuring stalwarts like Andrés Iniesta and young guns like Marco Asensio. Topping a team with Ronaldo is never easy, but Spain, despite landing in Pot B, is one of the pre-tournament favorites and will likely be the bettor’s pick to top this group. While the focus will be Ronaldo, Portugal has plenty of young stars—Valencia’s PSG-loanee, Gonçalo Guedes, Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva, and Swansea’s Bayern Munich–loanee, Renato Sanches—worth watching, too. And who knows, maybe the Spain-Portugal matchup will give us another beautiful moment like this:
Argentina vs. Iceland, June 16
What happens when you match the best player of a generation (and possibly of all time) against the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup? We’re about to find out. Iceland is the hipster choice in next summer’s tournament, winning the hearts of thousands after its Cinderella run to the quarterfinals at the 2016 Euros. Scoring goals and beating favorites is fun, but following victories with an Icelandic war chant? Well, that’s how legends are made.
That isn’t to say Iceland is all sizzle and no steak. The island country made its first World Cup on the back of midfielder Gylfi Sigurðsson—we swear he’s good in an Iceland shirt, Everton fans—and any chance it has of upsetting perennial superpower Argentina rests on his boots. Although it struggled to qualify, Argentina has as much attacking talent as anyone: There’s Lionel Messi and everyone else, but that supporting cast includes Sergio Agüero, Gonzalo Higuaín, Ángel Di María, Paulo Dybala, and Mauro Icardi.
Taking points from the Argentines will be a big ask for Iceland, but an underdog has triumphed against greater odds before. Just ask England.
Brazil vs. Switzerland, June 17
The last time we saw Brazil in a World Cup, it was embarrassed at home by eventual champion Germany. With nearly four years to stew, expect the Brazilians to come out roaring in their opening matchup with Switzerland. Everyone knows what Neymar can do, and he’ll be flanked by the likes of Premier League stars Gabriel Jesus, Philippe Coutinho, Willian, and Roberto Firmino. After putting up a plus-30 goal differential and finishing top of South American qualifying by 10 points, Brazil has more talent this cycle than most teams could ever dream of, but that doesn’t mean the Swiss won’t put up a fight.
Switzerland is led by Xherdan Shaqiri, who had a hat trick against Honduras in the 2014 World Cup, and Arsenal point man Granit Xhaka. They may be outmatched on paper, but the same was true in Brazil, where the Swiss placed second in a group with France and then nearly beat Argentina in the round of 16 before falling in extra time. The two teams have met only once in a World Cup before, in 1950, when they drew in the group stages. While Switzerland may be content to repeat history, Brazil will be trying to do to the Swiss what Germany did to it.
Belgium vs. England, June 28
Another clash of big-name European sides headlines Group G. Neither England nor Belgium dropped a single match in qualification en route to first place in their groups. While both teams are expected to advance from their pod, this showdown will likely determine who wins the group and draws the runner-up from the weaker Group H, which features Poland, Colombia, and Senegal.
With former Everton, Wigan, and Swansea manager Roberto Martínez manning the sideline, Belgium is led by Premier League stars Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, and they have the attacking talent to make life miserable for any defense. The pair have accounted for seven goals and nine assists domestically this season, and have the luxury of feeding Romelu Lukaku at the front. England will try to counter with its own pair of blossoming superstars in Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling. Both teams have a bevy of young talent to match with some aging stars, and either could make a deep run. While Belgium may have the upper hand in talent, England can rest easy, knowing there’s no way this game can go to penalties.
