After two wild days of group stage finales, we could be in for the most dramatic one yet. Just one of the eight teams in action Thursday has been eliminated, and two big teams are on the ropes in Belgium and Germany.
Here’s how to watch all the action.
Fox and FS1 begin simultaneous pregame coverage at 9 a.m. Eastern. Fox will break from noon to 1 p.m., then resume from there until 4 p.m. FS1′s coverage is nonstop from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The late-night studio show is at 10:30 p.m. on FS1 and midnight on Fox. Telemundo’s coverage is nonstop from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Universo’s is from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Group F: Croatia vs. Belgium
Time: 10 a.m.
Venue: Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
English TV/streaming: Fox and FoxSports.com (Ian Darke on play-by-play with analyst Landon Donovan, reporter Geoff Shreeves and referee expert Mark Clattenburg)
Spanish TV/streaming: Telemundo, TelemundoDeportes.com and Peacock (Sammy Sadovnik on play-by-play with analysts Sebastián Abreu and Claudio Borghi)
FoxSports.com and TelemundoDeportes.com require authentication through participating pay-TV providers. Peacock is NBC and Telemundo’s subscription streaming service.
Fox also has replays of every game for free on its streaming platform Tubi.
The standings: Croatia 4 points (+3 goal difference), Morocco 4 (+2), Belgium 3, Canada 0 (eliminated)
Betting odds: Croatia +170, Belgium +165, tie +230
Players to watch
Croatia: Dejan Lovren. The veteran centerback plays for Russia’s Zenit St. Petersburg now, but spent many years in England with Liverpool and Southampton. So he knows Belgium’s attacking stars from the Premier League and Champions League — and he knows Belgium has to go for it in this game to advance.
Belgium: Kevin De Bruyne. Frankly, all of the Red Devils’ attacking players have to step up. But when you’re the biggest star of the bunch, you get the biggest spotlight.
Group F: Canada vs. Morocco
Time: 10 a.m.
Venue: Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
English TV/streaming: FS1 and FoxSports.com (JP Dellacamera on play-by-play with analyst Cobi Jones and referee expert Joe Machnik)
Spanish TV/streaming: Universo, TelemundoDeportes.com and Peacock (Jorge Calvo on play-by-play with analysts Natalia Astrain and Tab Ramos)
Betting odds: Canada +260, Morocco +110, tie +230
Players to watch
Canada: Atiba Hutchinson. The 39-year-old midfielder was a long way off the pace against Croatia, and a big factor in the 4-1 final score. With the Canucks eliminated, we’ll see if he gets a farewell or is left on the bench.
Morocco: Youssef En-Nesyri. Hakim Ziyech gets the most attention of the Atlas Lions’ attackers, for good reason. En-Nesyri, of Spain’s Sevilla, is also a serious talent. But he has yet to score in this World Cup. In fact, he has just one shot through two games so far.
Group E: Japan vs. Spain
Time: 2 p.m.
Venue: Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
English TV/streaming: Fox and FoxSports.com (Jacqui Oatley on play-by-play with analyst Warren Barton and referee expert Joe Machnik)
Spanish TV/streaming: Telemundo, TelemundoDeportes.com and Peacock (Andrés Cantor on play-by-play with analysts
Betting odds: Japan +750, Spain -260, tie +380
The standings: Spain 4 points, Japan 3 (0), Costa Rica 3 (-6), Germany 1. All four teams are still alive. Germany’s easiest path to advance is a win and a Spain win or tie. If Germany wins and Spain loses, they’ll be tied on points, but Spain enters the day with a +7 goal difference to Germany’s -1.
Players to watch
Japan: Daizen Maeda. The Samurai Blue need to press from the front to not just score, but get the ball off Spain in the first place. Maeda is well-equipped to lead the charge since he’s used to high-tempo action with his club, Scotland’s Celtic.
Spain: Álvaro Morata. The biggest question around La Roja coming into the tournament was who would put the ball in the net. The 30-year-old from Atlético Madrid has answered the call with a goal in each game so far.
Group E: Costa Rica vs. Germany
Time: 2 p.m.
Venue: Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
English TV/streaming: FS1 and FoxSports.com (Derek Rae on play-by-play with analyst Aly Wagner and referee expert Mark Clattenburg)
Spanish TV/streaming: Universo, TelemundoDeportes.com and Peacock (Copán Alvarez on play-by-play with analysts Eduardo Biscayart and Amelia Valverde)
Betting odds: Costa Rica +1900, Germany -1000, tie +800
Players to watch
Costa Rica: Keylor Navas. Germany will throw the house at scoring. Navas, a three-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, will be ready for them.
Germany: Niclas Füllkrug. It took this team a long time to find a target forward, and there are others out there who didn’t make the squad. But the 29-year-old from Werder Bremen — not one of the Bundesliga’s bigger clubs — delivered in the clutch against Spain, scoring the tying goal that kept Die Mannschaft in the tournament.
