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Reigning European champions Spain, whose World Cup campaign got off to a shaky start, face Saudi Arabia in the headline event of the tournament’s 11th day.
Iran face Belgium in Sunday’s second match as travel restrictions continue to disrupt the Middle East team’s rest and recovery during the monthlong global showpiece.
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Sunday’s match schedule concludes with Uruguay taking on tiny Cape Verde and New Zealand playing Egypt. None of the teams in action can seal qualification to the next round or get eliminated on Sunday.
Away from the football, France supporters were urged to keep their hands off Philadelphia’s Rocky Balboa statue to avoid attracting “monumental bad luck”.
Stats provider Opta’s supercomputer has handed Spain a whopping 86.7 percent probability of winning against Saudi Arabia, who have a mere 4.3 percent chance of winning. There is a 9 percent probability of a draw.
Belgium has a 67.5 percent probability of winning this game while there is 19.3 percent chance of a draw, according to Opta. Iran has 13.2 percent odds of victory.
Uruguay are the favourites to win, having a 67.2 percent probability, while Cape Verde have a 12.2 percent chance of winning. There’s a 20.6 percent chance of a draw, Opta said.
Egypt are the favorites in this fixture with a 59.6 percent probability of winning, according to Opta, while New Zealand have a 17.7 percent chance of victory. A draw is marked at 22.6 percent probability.
The US will continue to assess the Iran squad’s travel arrangements at the World Cup, but for now, the original plan remains in place despite the team saying they would lodge a complaint with FIFA, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the tournament, told the Reuters news agency.
Iran are unhappy with the restrictions that mean they can travel only to venues in the US within 24 hours of their fixtures and must depart back to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, directly after each game.
The restrictions have prompted coach Amir Ghalenoei to suggest his side were “the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup”.
Giuliani, however, says the situation is fluid and they will discuss what measures will be in place for Iran’s third game against Egypt in Seattle on Friday after their meeting with Belgium in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Iran, who are in Group G, kicked off their campaign in North America after months of uncertainty over the team’s participation in the World Cup amid the US-Israel war on Iran.
France supporters at the World Cup were issued an urgent warning to keep their hands off Philadelphia’s Rocky Balboa statue after a string of sporting misfortunes befell teams whose fans dared to dress it in their colours.
The official France supporters group has told travelling fans to steer clear of draping Sylvester Stallone’s famous fictional boxer in France gear, citing Philadelphia sports folklore that has claimed several victims.
Ecuador discovered this the hard way when supporters draped the team’s yellow shirt and flag on Rocky’s shoulders before their group opener against the Ivory Coast, only to see their team lose.
“Don’t touch Rocky! To all French people in Philadelphia, we urge you to exercise the utmost caution,” the supporters group Irresistibles Francais said in a statement before their next group match against Iraq on Monday.
“Under no circumstances should you put a Les Bleus shirt or scarf on the Rocky statue!
“Here, the local superstition is very clear: dressing Rocky in the colours of the opposition brings monumental bad luck and dooms the team to defeat (just ask NFL fans).”
Belgium’s Jeremy Doku is due to become a father for the first time while the World Cup is still on and wants to be present at the birth, creating a potential dilemma for the team.
Belgian media reported that plans for him to leave the US and return home for the birth of his child are being put in place. Doku told reporters his wife, Shireen, is due in the second week of July when the tournament would be in its quarterfinals stage, and if Belgium are still involved, Doku wants to be at the birth.
“It depends on when it happens, but it’s my first child, so I would definitely want to be there,” the 24-year-old Belgian winger, one of the key players of the team, said.
“If you ask me what I want, my answer is that nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child. But I also know that football involves many other considerations. I know the federation supports its players and understands their situations. We’ll see what we can do,” he added.
After bowing out in the group stage in 2018 and 2022, the Germans have finally punched their ticket to the knockouts this time. They beat Ivory Coast 2-1 on Saturday after a brace from Denis Undav, including a stoppage-time winner, which confirms their top spot in Group E.
That victory, coupled with their 7-1 thrashing of Curacao in the first game, sends them through to the round of 32 as the third team to do so. The last time Germany made it out of the group stage, they went on to lift the trophy in 2014.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands and Japan are on the cusp of advancing to the next round.
Curacao moved on swiftly from their heavy defeat to Germany – in which Livano Comenencia became their first World Cup scorer – earning their first point of the tournament on Saturday.
The tiny Caribbean island of just over 150,000 people and covering only 443sq km (171sq miles) – also the smallest nation to play at a World Cup – held Ecuador to a goalless draw.
Coach Dick Advocaat said the result, secured thanks to goalkeeper Eloy Room’s 15 saves, was a reward for supporters who never lost faith despite a bruising defeat six days earlier.
“The people on Curacao have given us their support from the outset,” Advocaat said. “Particularly last week after the 7-1, people were still celebrating on the island, and people were full of joy.
“It was a madhouse tonight. So I think that for people whose life is not always that easy, I really wish them to celebrate this success.”
Tunisia became the third team after Haiti and Turkiye to be eliminated from the tournament when they lost 4-0 to Japan on Saturday. The defeat came shortly after they suffered a heavy 5-1 loss to Sweden in their opener.
Tunisia were the first African team to win a World Cup match when they beat Mexico in 1978, but they have never progressed beyond the group stages.
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