2022 World Cup, Day 6: Wales vs. Iran; Qatar vs. Senegal; Netherlands vs. Ecuador; England vs. USA

It’s the start of the second round of the group games, which for many teams, could be the make or break game of the group. But today’s slate is highlighted by the highly anticipated showdown between England and the colonies, so it’s time to fire up your weathered copy of Colonization, and get to independenting!

But first!

WALES vs. IRAN

Date / Time: Friday, November 25, 2022, 10.00 GMT; 5am EST
Venue: Al-Rayyan Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar
Referee: Mario Escobar (Guatemala)

On TV: BBC One (UK); Fox Sports 1, Telemundo (USA); elsewhere
Streaming online: BBC iPlayer (UK); FOX Sports Live, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA)

Chelsea interest: Wales fought back to earn a credible 1-1 draw against the States, which puts extra emphasis on not only winning this game, but winning it by a large margin in the expected battle for second place in the group (behind England). Ethan Ampadu played almost every minute in the first game, and will likely do the same here again. Meanwhile, for Iran, the only way is up after the 6-2 shellacking by England in their first game.

Photo by Ding Xu/Xinhua via Getty Images

QATAR vs. SENEGAL

Date / Time: Friday, November 25, 2022, 13.00 GMT; 8am EST
Venue: Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)

On TV: BBC One (UK); Fox Sports 1, Telemundo (USA); elsewhere
Streaming online: BBC iPlayer (UK); FOX Sports Live, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA)

Chelsea interest: Speaking of the only way being up, the same is true for both of these teams, after matching 0-2 defeats on the first matchday. Qatar looked like they belonged nowhere near this level in their first game, while Senegal’s cautious approach against the Netherlands came back to bite them in the butt in the end. There have been some rumors that Édouard Mendy would get unceremoniously dropped after his mistakes in their first game.

Photo by Matteo Ciambelli/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

NETHERLANDS vs. ECUADOR

Date / Time: Friday, November 25, 2022, 16.00 GMT; 11am EST
Venue: Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar
Referee: Mustapha Gorbal (Algeria)

On TV: ITV 1 (UK); Fox, Telemundo (USA); elsewhere
Streaming online: ITV Hub (UK); FOX Sports Live, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA)

Chelsea interest: Both teams looked good in their opening games, though we’ll see how much of that was down to their qualities and how of that was due to the opposition.

Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images

ENGLAND vs. USA

Date / Time: Friday, November 25, 2022, 19.00 GMT; 2pm EST
Venue: Al-Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar
Referee: Jesús Valenzuela (Venezuela)

On TV: ITV 1 (UK); Fox, Telemundo (USA); elsewhere
Streaming online: ITV Hub (UK); FOX Sports Live, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA)

Chelsea interest: This game would be spicy enough already without the added narrative of Mount (and Sterling) vs. Pulisic. England can secure a place in the knockout stage with a win, though that’s something they’ve failed to achieve in either of their two previous tries against the US at a World Cup: losing 1-0 in 1950 quite famously (non-US citizen Joe Gaetjens with the goal), and drawing 1-1 in 2010, in South Africa (the Rob Green howler game).