Note: This story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here.
The World Cup is really shifting into gear now, and the final group stage matches have already produced some dramatic moments. Yesterday saw South Africa and Canada both make history after they reached the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time. We also saw a cult figure say his potential farewell to Mexico, while Haiti proved this tournament isn’t all about winning.
We’ll have more on the above later in today’s newsletter, but we’ll start with the big one, the USA’s final group stage match. And while there is little riding on the game itself, a nation is hoping to preserve the World Cup bubble in which it’s currently living.
The Main Thing: A game that means nothing and everything at the same time
CNN Sports’ Kyle Feldscher has been on his travels and landed in Los Angeles this week ahead of the US’ final group game against Turkey.
It’s a match that matters more than one would imagine. I’ll let him explain why.
On paper, this game between the United States and Turkey means nothing.
The next steps for both teams are assured: The US goes on to the Round of 32 and, as things stand, plays Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Bay Area (though this opponent can definitely still change). Turkey, meanwhile, is going home. No matter the result, that’s what comes next.
But deep runs in the World Cup are not built on paper. They are often built with momentum and vibes. And that’s what’s at stake at SoFi Stadium in Southern California later today.
The USA, like the surfers I saw in the frigid waters off Manhattan Beach last night, are riding a wave right now. Two group stage wins have gotten the country behind them. In this segmented media consumption environment, it feels like the US has broken through and become mainstream.
The country is rallying with them. And the biggest thing at stake on Thursday is losing that belief.
See, America likes winners. But America also loves an underdog. And it’s so, so rare that Americans get to feel like underdogs in anything on the world stage (which, I should add, is a blessing that no one should take for granted).
A US men’s soccer team run in the World Cup is one of those rare times when Americans can unite behind a plucky group of athletes and root for them to succeed against impossible odds – and, despite those wins over Paraguay and Australia, the USA still faces pretty long odds in this tournament.
Not losing that feeling is what’s at stake in Thursday’s match.
A loss (or even a drab draw that finishes 0-0 or 1-1) will be a dose of reality that a lot of American soccer fans aren’t ready to swallow yet. A poor result introduces a bit of doubt into the equation, both for fans and the squad.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino knows the score.
“We need to perform tomorrow. We need to perform,” he told reporters Wednesday. “I have no doubt that the team that is going to play is going to perform.”
Those are the stakes. Lose – to a team that’s going fishing after two disappointing performances – and the bubble of belief that’s built up across the US might burst. Win and the vibes keep going all the way to Santa Clara for a July 1 showdown with Bosnia or whoever else qualifies ahead of it.
And after that? Who knows.
Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast (Group E)
When? 4 p.m. ET
Where? Philadelphia Stadium (Lincoln Financial Field), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Curaçao, playing in its first World Cup, has a chance to make more history today. If it manages to beat Ivory Coast – and Ecuador fails to beat Germany – the tiny island nation will qualify for the knockouts as group runner-up. That alone would be a remarkable achievement.
However, Ivory Coast knows that a win or a draw against The Blue Wave in its final group match will be enough for it to progress instead. Les Éléphants have the far more experienced and talented squad, but the question is whether Curaçao has another history-making performance left in it.
There is so much riding on this game, and it’s a must-watch for that reason.
Ecuador vs. Germany (Group E)
When? 4 p.m. ET
Where? New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium), East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA
For Germany, this is a bit of a day off. The European giant has already won the group and might look to rotate its squad and give all its players some minutes on the pitch.
For Ecuador, though, today will feel very different. To stand any chance of automatic qualification to the knockouts, the South Americans know they need to beat the four-time World Cup winner at the very least. They then have to hope Curaçao beats Ivory Coast.
However, a win regardless would put La Tri in with a great shot of finishing as one of the eight best third-place finishers.
Quote of the Day
The words from veteran Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa after he played in what’s likely to be his final game for the national team yesterday. Ochoa has been a cult figure for El Tri for over a decade, being his country’s undisputed starting goalkeeper in the 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
He’s now playing a supporting role for the current squad but was substituted onto the pitch in the 77th minute of yesterday’s 3-0 win against Czech Republic.
Ochoa, 40, made his professional debut at the Estadio Azteca in 2004, so it was only fitting for him to say a potential goodbye to his country in the same arena.
The story behind the World Cup trophy
CNN’s Antonia Mortensen speaks with Giorgio Gazzaniga, son of Silvio Gazzaniga, who designed the FIFA World Cup trophy, about how the iconic prize came to be.
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<time datetime=”2026-06-25T15:25:50.764Z”>Updated Jun 25, 2026, 11:25 AM ET</time>
<time datetime=”2026-06-25T15:25:50.764Z”>Published Jun 25, 2026, 11:25 AM ET</time>
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<div class=”timestamp__published vossi-timestamp_elevate__published”>PUBLISHED <time datetime=”2026-06-25T15:25:50.764Z”>Jun 25, 2026, 11:25 AM ET</time></div>
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CNN’s Antonia Mortensen speaks with Giorgio Gazzaniga, son of Silvio Gazzaniga, who designed the FIFA World Cup trophy, about how the iconic prize came to be.
Japan vs. Sweden (Group F)
When? 7 p.m. ET
Where? Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium), Dallas, Texas, USA
This is one of those groups where a point for three of the four teams will probably be enough to see them through.
Japan is on four points already, which means it will likely progress through to the knockouts as a third-place finisher whatever happens against Sweden. A win against the Swedes, though, would see the Samurai Blue through to the Round of 32 automatically as either the group winners or runners-up.
Sweden, meanwhile, is currently on three points. A win would see the Blågult qualify automatically, but a draw might be enough to see them through as one of the lucky third-place squads. If they lose, then they’re left relying on the results from other teams.
Tunisia vs. Netherlands (Group F)
When? 7 p.m. ET
Where? Kansas City Stadium (Arrowhead Stadium), Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Tunisia will just be playing for pride in its final group game, having lost both of its first two matches.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands will be feeling confident of another win that would see it through to the knockouts as the group winner. In truth, the Oranje just need to better Japan’s result and they will top the group.
The Dutch looked sharp in their 5-1 win against Sweden, and many have started tipping them as a possible winner of the tournament.
Haiti shows the planet what the World Cup spirit is all about
It’s weird to say, but the World Cup isn’t all about winning. It’s often not even about soccer at all. CNN Sports anchor Don Riddell experienced just that last night as he watched Haiti lose 4-2 to Morocco inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Les Grenadiers already knew they were out of the tournament but produced a performance that made an entire nation proud, twice going ahead with goals from Lenny Joseph and Wilson Isidor.
Over to Don to give you a sense of the atmosphere from within the stands after Haiti had taken the lead and Morocco had just equalized.
Watching from the top tier of Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Haiti fan EJ Emmanuel told me that he never thought he’d see his team play in a World Cup, never mind something like this: “My dad used to tell me what happened 52 years ago, now I’m going to tell my kids. Fifty-two years, that’s two generations. And I love it!”
As we were speaking, Wilson Isidor fired in what will arguably be the goal of the tournament from 25 yards out to put Haiti 2-1 ahead, and the place erupted again. Emmanuel shook his dreadlocks in disbelief, pointed to the sky, dropped to one knee and slapped the concrete three times. The scene around me was one of utter bedlam, with stadium officials even joining in the celebrations. Knowing that their country has endured so much hardship, I will admit that it was a profoundly moving experience to share the moment with them.
Jacqueline Charles, who has reported on Haiti for over a decade for the Miami Herald, told CNN Sports: “That emotion you heard was Haitians saying, ‘OK, we can hold our heads up while we go out here.’ In a country that’s very divided, that is politically unstable, with a capital overrun by gangs, this World Cup appearance really has united Haitians in an incredible way.”
South Korea lives and breathes its team’s final group stage match
The emotional highs and lows of the World Cup are being felt in every part of the world and South Korea is no exception.
CNN’s Gawon Bae watched on from Gwanghwamun Square in the nation’s capital where she joined thousands of fans as they watched the Taegeuk Warriors lose 1-0 to South Africa, leaving them sweating over their potential spot in the knockout rounds.
“Dae-han-min-guk (South Korea)!” thousands of people chanted half a globe away from Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Mexico.
Children, office workers, tourists and soccer fans filled every corner and alleyway in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square on Thursday, a location that’s become known for its World Cup street parties.
People dressed in various kits – some even brought back the 2002 World Cup’s “Be the Reds” t-shirt or wore captain Son Heung-min’s former club (Tottenham) jersey – as the Taegeuk Warriors were projected to make it to the knockout stages.
Despite crowd control measures forcing people without seats to keep walking, everyone joined in on the chants from the Red Devils cheer team, South Korea’s official national team supporters, throughout the game.
When Son’s warmup on the sidelines popped up on the screen at halftime, people screamed in anticipation of seeing him come on the pitch to hopefully lead the squad to victory.
When goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu made two super saves, the square exploded in wild excitement.
Gasps of frustration, though, burst out among the thousands in attendance when South Africa forward Thapelo Maseko hit the net in the second half and when the full-time whistle blew.
Yet, as things stand, these scenes may come to pass again – except with a happy ending – as South Korea is in decent standing of being one of the lucky third-place finishers at this World Cup.
Turkey vs. USA (Group D)
When? 10 p.m. ET
Where? Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium), Los Angeles, California, USA
As we’ve already touched on, the Americans’ last group game has very little riding on it. Turkey is out and the US Men’s National Team has won the group.
So today will be an opportunity for the US to rest some key players and give minutes to some of those in the squad who haven’t gotten out on the pitch so far this summer.
In many ways, this was the dream scenario for the co-host before the tournament kicked off. It will still want to put on a show for its fans, though.
Paraguay vs. Australia (Group D)
When? 10 p.m. ET
Where? San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi’s Stadium), Santa Clara, California, USA
Meanwhile, the other game in Group D is a straight shootout for the runner-up spot. Both Paraguay and Australia sit on three points so whoever wins will go through to the Round of 32 automatically. A draw would favor the Socceroos because they boast a better goal difference.
A draw, though, would almost definitely be enough for Paraguay to go through as a lucky third-place team as well, while a loss would leave La Albirroja sweating and relying on other results going their way this week.
I know a lot of you will be watching the USA game – and rightly so – but this game has much more riding on it, so it should be a brilliant watch.
The Final Whistle: Christian Pulisic ‘feeling good’ after injury forced him to miss last game
US soccer star Christian Pulisic hopes to play against Turkey today, declaring himself healthy enough to play after a calf injury sidelined him for his nation’s second match of the tournament.
“I’m feeling good, yeah,” he told reporters Wednesday at the US training base. “I’ve obviously joined with the team in the last few days, so I’m feeling good, positive going into it, and hopefully, I’ll be able to play it hard tomorrow.”
CNN Sports had eyes on Pulisic during a short training session on Wednesday and he looked to be unrestrained and moving freely. He wore no protection on his calf and had no signs of a limp or any limitation during drills at Great Sports Park.
Whether the star player is risked for this game, which essentially means nothing, is yet to be seen. It might make more sense to give him another few days of rest before the USA faces a tougher test in the knockout rounds.
Good luck telling the 27-year-old that, though.
“I want to be a part of the group, I want to get on the field and try to help the team in whatever way I can,” he insisted.
CNN Sports supervising editor Kyle Feldscher is our man on the ground in LA ahead of the final group game and you can read more about his thoughts on Pulisic here.
