Then to Africa, where Cabo Verde are undefeated through matches against former winners Spain and Uruguay! BBC Sport Africa’s Rob Stevens has helped us chart the rise of the Blue Sharks in recent years, and joins us at their most historic moment yet.

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The USA were much too strong for the Socceroos in Seattle, the 2-0 result putting them on track to win the group and give themselves the best chance of a gentle passage into the knockout stages. Jeremiah Oshan (Sounder At Heart) watched the World Cup come to his home and stage an almighty showpiece event, and he now joins us to reflect.

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The Socceroos have shocked Türkiye with a consummate performance in their World Cup opener but while the nation rejoices, in-house the squad will have quickly shifted their focus to the USA. Jonathan Tannenwald (The Philadelphia Inquirer) is travelling with Team USA, and there is no better time to catch up once more.

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We then welcome back another old friend; Croatia have performed admirably in recent tournaments, but can they go again? The Guardian’s Aleksandar Holiga returns, with Zlatko Dalic’s side to open their tournament against England on Thursday.

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Then to the USA, where Joey Lynch (ESPN) is travelling with the Socceroos team, Joey looks at the tournament vibe in North America and looks into the crystal ball to how the tournament will play out for Australia.

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The Socceroos are just days away from their World Cup opener against Türkiye in Vancouver! Melbourne-born Ersan Gülüm played for Australia’s U23s and seven times for Turkiye’s senior side; also formerly of Beshiktas and the current Hume City president, Ersan faces the classic Aussie conundrum of split allegiance this World Cup.

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Tony Popovic has locked in his World Cup 26, with Lucas Herrington and Cristian Volpato among the seventeen first-time names that make up a largely young Socceroos squad. Daniel Garb (10/Paramount+) returns with Volpato’s availability and Martin Boyle’s exclusion among the key headlines.

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The World Cup inevitably means attention turns to Argentina, who head north in the hope of defending the tournament for the first time since Brazil in 1962. The Guardian’s Marcela Mora y Auraujo returns; will the weight lifted in 2022 see Lionel Messi & co. excel, or lack the drive that the desperate weight of expectation provided?

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