France’s Karim Benzema is ruled out through injury, while there’s no beer at stadiums. Recapping the latest and looking ahead at the World Cup.
The World Cup kicked off in Qatar, after years of waiting, and ESPN has you covered for the world’s biggest sporting event.
We’ve seen the opening ceremony, the pre-game speeches and the musical acts (yes, that was BTS out there!). We’ve seen the first goal disallowed by VAR at the World Cup (well done, Enner Valencia, for being the answer to that trivia question) and we’ve seen the first goals allowed at the World Cup too (again, congrats to Enner Valencia, whose two goals gave Ecuador a win over host nation Qatar.)
Be sure to check in with ESPN throughout the tournament as we bring the latest from Qatar. Let’s get into it.
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Group B play begins bright and early on Monday morning as England take on Iran at Khalifa International Stadium (8 a.m. ET), but that’s the mere appetizer to a delicious main course as the U.S. begin their tournament against Gareth Bale and Wales at Al Rayyan Stadium (2 p.m. ET).
For the USMNT, it’s imperative they get off to a hot start as England await in their second group game. Wales offer plenty of menace thanks to their talisman, Gareth Bale — who had a few notable cameos during LAFC’s run to the 2022 MLS Cup this season — but the U.S. boast their full complement of stars, led by Christian Pulisic, and will be eager to make up for what they missed out on at Russia 2018. (We won’t mention Couva. We won’t mention Couva.)
Tyler Adams has been named captain, making him the youngest U.S. skipper at a World Cup since Harry Keough in 1950, and they’ve been fortunate in avoiding significant injuries during pre-tournament prep, something that can’t be said about France (Karim Benzema was ruled out Saturday), Senegal (Sadio Mane was ruled out Thursday) or Belgium (striker Romelu Lukaku is already out for their first group game). The U.S. also got good news in the form of defender Sergino Dest and midfielder Weston McKennie passing fitness tests to face Wales.
They also got a timely message from home, courtesy of U.S. Soccer, prior to their first match…
24 hours from the biggest moment of their lives, the families of all 26 #USMNT players send a heartfelt ‘good luck’ from back home ❤️???????????? pic.twitter.com/sh8fLRQtsP
Ahead of the game, Sam Borden met the man responsible for feeding the team in Doha, while Luis Miguel Echegaray spoke to the fantastic forward Tim Weah about his soccer roots and what this World Cup means to him. Coach Gregg Berhalter believes his team « can beat anyone » in Qatar… he’ll be put to the test by the Welsh on Monday, then. No pressure, then!!
Host nation Qatar fell to a 2-0 defeat against Ecuador in the World Cup’s opening game, with bizarre scenes of home fans leaving well before the final whistle in droves to leave a largely pro-Ecuador environment for much of the second half. We covered the surrealism of day one as well as the poor performance of the Qatar national team in what was essentially their first game for the global audience. Meanwhile, Ecuador fans were captured chanting « we want beer » as Qatar fans left early.
