Scotland, Brazil, Germany among five World Cup games not to miss this week | OneFootball

No one can watch every World Cup game – can they? – so here are five in the first four days not to be missed…

The World Cup begins on Thursday, kicking off 104 games over the coming weeks.

That, of course, is a truly ridiculous number and those among us suffering the inconvenience of jobs and families may have to pick and choose our games carefully. Especially those for which we stay up through the wee small hours.

So here are five not to miss through the first four days and nights…

1) Mexico v South Africa – 8pm, Thursday, ITV

The opener is a must-watch chiefly because it’s the opener, the point to which all the anticipation of the last four years builds up and we get a sense of just what this World Cup might look like.

It helps too that Mexico take on South Africa at a convenient time for European viewers, but there are plenty of unknowns around this tournament – rules, conditions, presentation – that we might all understand a little better on Thursday evening.

Tune in early for the opening ceremony, headlined by Shakira and Burna Boy, while there are also performances from Alejandro Fernandez, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Angeles Azules, Mana, and Tyla. All of whom we’ve absolutely heard of, because we’re definitely cool. We have all their CDs.

When the game actually kicks off, the onus is on the hosts to blow away the scepticism among the Mexican public. No one really knows what to expect from Javier Aguirre’s side, but optimism is not high in the build-up. That, of course, will all change if they lay down a marker against Bafana Bafana.

2) USA v Paraguay – 2am, Saturday, BBC

Three hosts means three opening ceremonies, and Canada will stage theirs on Friday night before they face Bosnia, one of two games we’re willing to overlook before the World Cup kicks off on US soil in Los Angeles.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, we’re unlikely to have much time for Katy Perry and even less for Donald Trump, especially with Gianni Infantino in tow as chief fluffer, so tune in at 2am when the United States get their campaign underway.

Unlike in Mexico, there is rather more excitement and anticipation around the USA team – of course there is – and their opener against a nation ranked 23 places lower offers Mauricio Pochettino’s side a chance to whip up that enthusiasm.

Of course, the pressure could also get to the hosts and Trump could be made to watch his boys being beaten by a team he’d probably deport at half-time given half a chance. The prospect of that is definitely worth an interrupted kip.

3) Brazil v Morocco – 11pm Saturday, BBC

The first of two reasons why it is unwise to make plans for Sunday. Certainly none that you might have to pretend to be present and attentive…

Game six is our first glimpse of one of the favourites, even if Brazil are unfancied in that particular group.

Their opener against Morocco is likely to be Brazil’s toughest group game, offering an insight into their prospects under Carlo Ancelotti and the manager’s thinking around a squad that still appears imbalanced.

Which will make Brazil an entertaining watch as the warm-up for the weekend’s main event…

4) Haiti v Scotland – 2am, Sunday, BBC

After smashing in eight goals in two warm-up wins that showed Steve Clarke’s side to be in very fine fettle, Scotland being Scotland, a Haiti win here feels almost inevitable.

When the draw was made, the Tartan Army could be forgiven for suffering flashbacks to Italia ’90 and their opener against Costa Rica, but at least on this occasion, there is no prospect of Scotland underestimating Haiti.

Many a Scottish eyebrow was raised by Haiti’s 4-0 humping of New Zealand, a side against whom England managed only the one. Even if Peru – another nation to prompt shudders in Scotland – beat Haiti on Saturday while Scotland were battering Bolivia.

With Morocco and Brazil to come, victory in their opener is essential if Scotland are to retain realistic hopes of getting out of Group C.

5) Germany v Curacao – 6pm, Sunday, ITV

Mercifully, the four-game Sunday night/Monday morning schedule is front loaded, with European heavyweights Germany and Netherlands in action before what many might consider a reasonable bed time.

The first game at 6pm sees four-time winners Germany take on the smallest nation ever to compete at a World Cup finals.

Curacao, with the best kit, have already won just by being in the United States, so facing the Germans is a free hit.

Which makes this a dangerous game for Julian Nagelsmann. His side, like Brazil, sit among the favourites without being fancied by many at all. They’ll be fancied less still should they suffer one of the biggest shocks – the biggest? – in World Cup history.