Everything you need to know as the World Cup group stage wraps

🇺🇸 The sub-heavy USMNT fell 3–2 to Türkiye last night, conceding the winning goal in the final minute of play. Quite a gut punch. Having already clinched Group D before kickoff, the Americans started nine new players against Türkiye, including midfielder Sebastian Berhatler, who notched a goal and an assist in his first WC start.

• Onto the next one: The USWNT — including a healthy Christian Pulisic — will officially face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on July 1st.

📋 Looking ahead, here’s who has clinched a Round of 32 berth by finishing first or second in their group since our last edition: Netherlands, Japan, Australia, Côte d’Ivoire, Brazil, Morocco, Switzerland, Canada, and South Africa.

• 👋 Sadly, that means we have to wave goodbye to a few teams whose WC journey is over: Curaçao, Czechia, Qatar, and Jordan. Miss you already.

3️⃣ And then there’s the third-place teams. As a reminder, the top eight of the 12 third-place finishers will advance to the knockouts.

• Of that group, Ecuador locked in their spot defeating Germany 2–1 yesterday, as did Sweden, who drew 1–1 with Japan.

• Other countries like Scotland, Korea Republic, and Paraguay are in purgatory for now, watching the rest of the group stage matches and hoping they’ve done enough to advance.

🇨🇦 As you read, CanMNT is onto the Round of 32 for the very first time, but didn’t exactly conclude the group stage with a bang. Les Rouges lost 2–1 to Switzerland on Wednesday, squandering their chance to win Group B and play a fourth consecutive game at home.

• Instead, Canada will face inconsistent fellow second-place finisher South Africa in the first elimination match of the tourney: Sunday at 3 p.m. ET in LA.

📺 The final six groups are in action today and tomorrow, giving us 12 games to enjoy. Here are our top picks:

• 🇳🇴 Norway vs. 🇫🇷 France (Group I) — Today at 3 p.m. ET: This clash of titans pits Norwegian goal-scorer Erling Haaland against fellow Golden Boot contender, Frenchman Kylian Mbappé. Oh yeah, and the winner will top the group. NBD.

• 🇺🇾 Uruguay vs. 🇪🇸 Spain (Group H) — Tonight at 8 p.m. ET: A Uruguay win would distance them from fellow group member Cabo Verde, who just might Cinderella their way into the Round of 32.

• 🇵🇦 Panama vs. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England (Group L) — Tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET: Following their shocking 0–0 draw with Ghana earlier this week, powerhouse England needs a redemption win, stat. Will they find one against already-eliminated Panama? Probably, but you never know.