England

OK, it feels like we have been holding off on England chat for long enough now.

Thomas Tuchel's side have been given the longest of long run-ups to their opening game against Croatia, but we are less than 33 hours from kick off now.

Three Lions fans are mobilising ahead of their opening game at Dallas Stadium - the final match in the opening round of group games - while the squad will soon be preparing to leave their training base in Kansas City.

We will be hosting a long build-up on this page tomorrow, including a Q&A session with BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty.

But today we thought we would spend a couple of hours discussing who should be in England's starting XI, amongst other things...

Image source, Getty Images

Midday has come and gone already - time flies when you're having fun!

We've spent the morning bringing you all the reaction and talking points from the four games on day five of the World Cup.

In case you've missed any of it, here's a recap:

• Highlights of the four games that all ended in draws
• Who is Vozinha - Cape Verde's goalkeeping hero and how he's now a media sensation
• Spain manager Luis de la Fuente is confident they will bounce back
• Egypt's Emam Ashour goal from long-range is worth a minute of your time
• Iran 'most oppressed' team at World Cup - Ghalenoei

Still plenty more to come from us, so don't go anywhere...

Who will be happiest after the opening draws in Group G?

Both Egypt and Belgium looked strong - can either Iran or New Zealand provide an obstacle to their progress into the knockout stages?

Remaining matches in the group:

Sunday, 21 June

• Belgium v Iran (20:00 BST)

Monday, 22 June

• New Zealand v Egypt (02:00 BST)

Saturday, 27 June

• Egypt v Iran (04:00 BST)
• New Zealand v Belgium (04:00 BST)

New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley speaking after his side led twice before drawing with Iran:

"I am extremely proud of the players and performance. Really good in possession, created a lot.

"We've come off disappointed not to win. We scored two really good goals and it's going to hurt because we had a chance to make history.

"I am so proud though."

Image source, Getty Images

Leon Osman
Former Everton midfielder on BBC Radio 5 live

Both teams will be pleased, it’s an important point at the start of the campaign. Sometimes when you are watching a World Cup you’re expecting real high-quality teams to maybe face a low block and have to break teams down.

This was just really refreshing as it was two teams going toe to toe, they are proud to be at the World Cup and came out swinging away. Neither could quite get the win but it sets it up for the rest of the group.

Whatever has happened off the field to the Iran contingent in the build up to their World Cup opener, on the field former Everton midfielder Leon Osman says they were able to go "toe to toe" with New Zealand...

Elizabeth Botcherby
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei says they are the "most oppressed" team at the World Cup after having last-minute travel restrictions imposed on them.

Speaking after his side's 2-2 draw with New Zealand on Monday night, Ghalenoei said they had expected to stay in Los Angeles overnight and have a recovery session the following day but were told after the final whistle to immediately return to their training base in Mexico.

Iran were originally due to be based in Tucson, Arizona, for the duration of the World Cup but moved their camp to Tijuana, Mexico in late May after encountering logistical and visa issues.

"After the game they said to us, 'you have to leave immediately'," Ghalenoei said.

"We've been asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana and we are really troubled by that.

"They are forcing us to go back early. They are making the situation more and more difficult, more hurdles, but we're not going to let that stop us from doing our best."

Iran's involvement in the World Cup has been plagued with uncertainty, linked to the ongoing war in the Middle East and related security concerns.

Read more here

Shaimaa Khalil
BBC North America correspondent in Los Angeles

Image source, Getty Images

When I was outside the sentiment was clear in terms of the anti-regime chants, the anti-team chants.

Many people were saying we cannot separate the team from the regime. They don't represent us, they represent the Islamic Republic. And those are a very specific group of people, those who are anti the Islamic republic, mainly monarchists. And they were there because they wanted to carry the pre-revolution flag, the lion and sun flag.

They were protesting because Fifa had banned it. But they were also there to make sure their voices were heard - that they were not there to support the team.

Image source, Getty Images

Then it gets more nuanced as it gets closer to the stadium, you see people going in, and you ask them 'how do you feel about that?'

Then it starts to get more conflicted. One woman told me, 'I'm here for my dad, he died in 2020 and he loves the Iranian national team and loves football. I'm trying to separate them. I'm really torn. I want to be there to honour my dad, because I love the game, and I love Iran. I don't like the government and I'm trying to separate them.'

Outside, you hear 'the mullahs' team is not my team, regime change in Iran' and then the Iranian team score and there's a raucous cheer, and you have republic flag and monarchist flags flying, and they're cheering for the team.

That whole match represents what this team is up against. I don't remember a team coming into a World Cup carrying so much political baggage. And at every stage of the match you could feel that baggage inside and outside the stadium.

Image source, Getty Images

The scenes outside Los Angeles Stadium before Iran's World Cup opener against New Zealand were "more nuanced" than those reflected by those images from Tehran, writes BBC's North America correspondent Shaimaa Khalil...

Iran twice battled back from behind to draw with New Zealand.

Here's how fans enjoyed the game in the Iranian capital of Tehran last night.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

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The four countries in Group G are also all square, with Belgium's fightback against Egypt followed by Iran's battling display against New Zealand in their 2-2 draw.

That ensured there were four draws in a single day at the World Cup for the first time in 68 years.

The last time there were four draws was on 15 June in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.

Image source, Gett

In a complete contrast to Emam Ashour's opening goal for Egypt, Belgium's leveler was an own goal.

The introduction of Romelu Lukaku in the second-half paid off, as just 22 seconds after coming off the bench the ball was in the back of the net.

It won't be in the strikers top 10 goals of all-time, but his presence alone spooked Egypt right-back Mohamed Hany into an error.

Egypt's Emam Ashour scored his first-ever World Cup goal in their Group G fixture against Belgium on Monday.

It was a fantastic long-range strike ... feast your eyes on this!

Uruguay's fightback against Saudi Arabia ensured that honours remained even in Group H after the opening round of matches, following on from Spain's shock draw with Cape Verde..

Remaining matches in the group:

Sunday, 21 June

• Spain v Saudi Arabia (17:00 BST)
• Uruguay v Cape Verde (23:00 BST)

Saturday, 27 June

• Cape Verde v Saudi Arabia (01:00 BST)
• Uruguay v Spain (01:00 BST)

Neil Johnston
BBC Sport in New York

Image source, Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo. Karim Benzema. Neymar. Sadio Mane.

The list of world-class talents who have chosen to play in the Saudi Pro League has risen over the years.

But could the presence of these multiple Champions League and Ballon d'Or winners be finally benefiting the nation that has been selected to host the 2034 World Cup?

Over the years the Saudi Arabia national team has struggled on the world stage.

At the 2002 World Cup they suffered a humiliating 8-0 defeat against Germany in their first group game in Japan. They exited the tournament without a point - or a goal.

However, the performance of the national team has steadily improved since the Saudi Pro League started throwing money at attracting big names.

Are the days of 8-0 thumpings for Saudi Arabia on the world stage a thing of the past?

Read more here

Chris McKenna
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Darwin Nunez can probably count himself lucky that he started this Wold Cup game given he has barely played football since February.

The former Liverpool striker's move to the country he was playing against here has turned sour after he was omitted from Al-Hilal's Saudi Pro-League squad following the arrival of Karim Benzema midway through the season.

The 26-year-old had scored nine goals in 24 appearances but his future is now in doubt and the lack of game time saw him dropped to the bench for Uruguay's March friendlies against England and Algeria.

Yet it should be a concern for the forward at how much better Uruguay looked after the break when he was withdrawn, although he would have liked more service having recorded just eight touches, his lowest tally in a start for his national team.

The England lads, meanwhile, didn't have too much trouble taking direction for their World Cup portraits.

A handful of the best went viral as fans were entertained by Dan Burn's ponderous looks and Declan Rice's sunburn.

Which one is your favourite?

Image source, BBC Sp

Elizabeth Hudson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

One thing about Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa is that he is definitely his own man.

Whether it is his nickname of 'El Loco' (The Crazy One), his obsessive attention to detail or sitting on an ice box during matches, the former Leeds manager is well known as a maverick.

And the 70-year-old seems to have kept up his reputation in his official Fifa portrait for the World Cup.

Unlike most players and managers who play up to the camera and enjoy their moment in the spotlight, Bielsa stared stonily downwards rather than straight into the lens looking like he would rather be at the training ground or analysing yet another match.

"I don't have to give any explanation, the picture was taken the way it was taken," he said.

"I'm not a model."

Read more here