World Cup 2026 Daily Guide 6/17/26: Your move, Cristiano Ronaldo

Day 6 of World Cup 2026 delivered in a big way as a trio of global superstars, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Lionel Messi led France, Norway, and Argentina, respectively, to victories and scored an incredible seven goals via two braces and a hat trick by Messi. Day 7 comes with almost as much star power as Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Harry Kane (England), Luka Modric (Croatia), and Luis Diaz (Colombia) all take the stage. Can these four deliver like yesterday’s Big 3?

Here is your World Cup 2026 Daily Guide: What to watch for on 6/17/26.

World Cup matches on 6/17/26

Austria 3 vs. Jordan 1 — San Francisco, California —12 am ET 

The day started out in the wee hours of the morning with Austria making a late push to beat a feisty Jordan squad in the latter’s first-ever World Cup match, 3-1.

Portugal vs. Congo DR — Houston, Texas — 1 pm ET (FOX, Telemundo/Peacock)

Odds: Portugal -350, Draw +450, Congo DR +1100

England vs. Croatia — Dallas, Texas — 4 pm ET (FOX, Telemundo/Peacock)

Odds: England -140, Draw +270, Croatia +425

Ghana vs. Panama — Toronto, Canada — 7 pm ET (FS1, Telemundo/Peacock)

Odds: Ghana +140, Draw +220, Panama +220

Uzbekistan vs. Colombia — Toronto, Canada — 10 pm ET (FS1, Telemundo/Peacock)

Odds: Uzbekistan +850, Draw +390, Colombia -270

Odds via DraftKings

3 things to watch for on World Cup 2026 Day 7 

Here are three things to watch for and fun facts to amaze and entertain your friends with on Day 7 of the 2026 World Cup.

Does Cristiano Ronaldo have to answer Lionel Messi?

In the soccer GOAT debate, there are only really three options. There is Brazil’s Pelé, Argentina’s Lionel Messi, and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Sure, you can throw in names like Diego Maradona and Brazil’s Ronaldo, but with the sustained excellence of the first three, others simply can’t truly compete.

In recent years, Messi has pulled ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in this area, especially after leading his country to a World Cup win in 2022. Now, at 38, Messi has once again turned back the clock. Scoring a hat trick in his World Cup 2026 opener and tying Germany’s Miroslav Klose for all-time World Cup goal leader was mind-blowing. Now, it’s Ronaldo’s turn to answer.

At 41, Ronaldo is further from his peak than Messi is from his, so a hat trick in Portugal’s opener seems unlikely. However, Portugal is a squad that could go far in this tournament, and if Ronaldo can answer Messi in the trophy case, even if he can;t quite do the same on the field, the GOAT debate gets a lot more interesting.

Is football coming home?

The England national team player pool is deeper and more talented than ever, but manager Thomas Tuchel did something interesting this World Cup cycle. Instead of taking his most talented 26 players, he built the best team. This didn’t work out well for stars like Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, and Harry Maguire, but it may be great for the Three Lions.

England has the possible misfortune of playing its hardest Group Stage match first, with Luka Modric leading the always-fiesty Croatia in Dallas. But if they want to win the trophy, the 2026 squad can announce its intentions with a solid win over a tough team.

Whatever happens on Wednesday, it will be entertaining as usual. England almost always provides moments of brilliance in big international tournaments, and—as David Baddiel, Frank Skinner, and the Lightning Seeds like to point out in song—also find spectacular ways to shoot themselves in the foot.

And whenever you have a reason to listen to the greatest tribute song in sports history, you just have to take it.

Can Colombia kill the CONMEBOL Curse?

OK, it may be a little extreme to label this a curse, but the South American contingent is not doing well at the 2026 World Cup. Outside of the defending champs, Argentina, which cruised to an easy win in its opener, the rest of their continental brethren have struggled.

Brazil drew with Morocco, which is nothing to be ashamed of, but they looked flat and uninspired (except for Vini Jr.’s brilliant goal). Paraguay got smoked by the USMNT, Ecuador got upset by the Ivory Coast, and Uruguay drew with Saudi Arabia.

Two wins, two draws, and two losses look a lot better than a win with three draws and three losses for a continental football federation, so what Colombia does on Wednesday will tell the tale of CONMEBOL’s early 2026 World Cup. They are big favorites, but Uzbekistan is an interesting nation that has invested heavily in its soccer team in recent years, including hiring Italian legend Fabio Cannavaro as manager, so it won’t be a pushover.

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