Messi and Ronaldo Shine as World Cup Drama Unfolds in North America

Lionel Messi didn’t just score a hat-trick. He reset the temperature of this World Cup.

Three goals against Algeria, another record equaled, another night in which the greatest of all time dragged the sport to his level. Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland each added two of their own in a thrilling day of attacking football, but this was Messi’s stage, Messi’s soundtrack, Messi’s reminder that the World Cup still belongs to the giants.

And when one legend raises the bar, another inevitably walks toward it.

Cristiano Ronaldo steps into the tournament today, Portugal’s captain chasing his own moment in the North American spotlight. At 39, he no longer glides through defenses as he once did, but he still commands attention, still bends the story around him. His first act comes wrapped in something heavier than hype or expectation.

It comes wrapped in grief.

Portugal’s opener played in the shadow of Diogo Jota

The loss of Diogo Jota stopped Portuguese football in its tracks.

The Liverpool and Portugal forward died last year in a car crash, along with his brother André Silva, less than two weeks after marrying his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children. The news barely felt real at the time. For those closest to him, it still doesn’t.

Liverpool players have spoken about the struggle to focus this season, about trying to perform while processing the death of a teammate and friend. For Portugal, that weight now travels with them into the World Cup.

This is their first game on this stage since Jota’s death. Every training session, every tactical tweak, every media appearance has carried that extra layer: they are not just playing for a nation, but for a teammate who should have been here.

Roberto Martínez made that bond formal when he named Jota an honorary member of the squad. Portugal’s Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, then underlined it, gifting each player a bracelet engraved with their own name beside Jota’s. The squad will wear them in today’s opener against DR Congo.

“They made sure that it was a wristband that we could wear on the pitch,” midfielder Vitinha told reporters. “He let us choose if we wanted to use it or not, during the day or during the match. We received it with a lot of affection and we chose to use it.”

The symbolism is simple. The emotion is anything but.

Vitinha spoke earlier this year about what this tournament means now. “We feel this and we want to win it, not just because it’s a World Cup and it’s everybody’s dream, but for him as well,” he told CNN Sports.

Kickoff in Houston — 1 p.m. ET at NRG Stadium — will be the moment the tribute turns into competition. The anthem, the armbands, the wristbands, the silence. Then the whistle. Then the reality that they still have to win a football match.

Ronaldo, a loaded midfield and a familiar question

On the pitch, Portugal arrive armed with one of the most complete midfields in the tournament.

Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Bernardo Silva and João Neves give Martínez a blend of creativity, control and relentless work rate that few teams can match. On paper, it’s a dream. On the grass, one issue hovers over the lineup board: what version of Ronaldo shows up, and how much of the system bends to accommodate him?

He struggled in Qatar 2022, eventually losing his starting place. Dropping him again for a World Cup opener would be a monumental call. It would also be a brave one. Because as Messi reminded everyone last night, class does not expire. Ronaldo still knows where the goal is, still lives for the moments when everything narrows to one chance, one finish, one roar.

Across from him, DR Congo will not simply stand and watch the tribute.

Yoane Wissa leads a side that understands its status as underdog and leans into it. The plan is clear: stay compact, stay organized, and let Wissa carry the attacking threat when Portugal’s lines stretch. If Portugal’s emotion spills into impatience, DR Congo have the discipline to punish them.

England, Croatia and a familiar knot in the stomach

Later in the day, another football-obsessed country starts its World Cup with that familiar mix of hope and dread.

England face Croatia at 4 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, a group-stage tie that already feels like a knockout rerun. These two have history, and not the kind that fades easily. Croatia knocked England out in the 2018 World Cup semifinals, another scar on a body already covered in them.

Thomas Tuchel has tried to reshape the story before a ball is kicked. He has leaned into unity over star power, leaving out big names such as Cole Palmer and Phil Foden. The message is clear: this is a squad built around the collective, not the headlines.

Even so, the spine still glitters. Declan Rice to anchor, Jude Bellingham to drive, Harry Kane to finish. For a nation that hasn’t lifted the World Cup since 1966, this is yet another generation that looks good enough to go deep.

Croatia, though, never seem to care about England’s narrative.

Luka Modrić is 40 now, but still shapes games with that familiar elegance and timing. Around him, the Vatreni remain stubborn, technically sharp, and utterly unafraid of the occasion. They have made a habit of spoiling English summers. They won’t be intimidated by a packed stadium in Texas or the noise swirling around Tuchel’s new era.

The emotional stakes are laid bare by those who have lived it longest. Legendary striker Gary Lineker, speaking to CNN Sports ahead of this World Cup, put it simply: “I’m desperately keen before I die to see England win a World Cup.” That line could have come from millions back home.

A fan’s lifetime of hurt, written down

To understand what England means to its supporters, you don’t need a statistic. You need a lifetime.

CNN Sports’ Glen Levy, an England fan and journalist, laid out that journey in a letter to the national team ahead of today’s match. It reads like a diary of every major tournament heartbreak.

Mexico 1986 and Diego Maradona’s Hand of God. Italy 1990 and penalties against West Germany. The absence in 1994. David Beckham’s red card against Argentina at France ’98, followed by the “10 heroic lions, one stupid boy” headline. The refrain of “hurt” in the song “Three Lions,” and the way hope keeps coming back regardless.

From 2002 onwards, Levy juggled fandom with professionalism: Ronaldinho’s freak goal in Japan, another penalty exit to Portugal in 2006, Frank Lampard’s ghost goal against Germany in 2010, the group-stage failure in Brazil 2014.

Then Gareth Southgate arrived and, for a while, changed the tone. A World Cup semifinal in 2018, a European Championship final in 2021, a quarterfinal in Qatar 2022. Pride restored, if not the ultimate prize.

Levy signs off with a plea that could have been written from any pub, any living room, any fan zone: please, just once, give us a reason to love you forever.

Visa chaos and a late reprieve for Iran

Away from the main contenders, no team has had a more complicated World Cup build-up than Iran.

Because of ongoing political tensions, the national team has been forced to base itself in Mexico and fly into the United States for matches. The logistical strain was bad enough. Then came a fresh twist: after Iran’s first game, winger Mehdi Torabi discovered his visa had expired.

For a player, that’s the nightmare you can’t train for.

The issue has now been resolved. A State Department official told CNN’s Jennifer Hansler that Torabi has been granted a new multi-entry visa, allowing him to play in as many matches as Iran can reach.

“As soon as we became aware of the issue, we worked to ensure that the player can participate in every game,” the official said.

Iran can now focus on football again — at least until the next off-field hurdle appears.

Ghana, Panama and a search for a foothold

At 7 p.m. ET, Toronto takes its turn as the stage. Ghana face Panama at BMO Field in a meeting of two nations trying to rewrite their World Cup scripts.

Panama’s previous appearance, in 2018, was brutal. Three games, three defeats, and a 6-1 hammering by England. This time, the target is modest but meaningful: earn a first-ever World Cup point. The opener against Ghana might be their best shot.

For Ghana, the story is tinged with what might have been. A controversial quarterfinal exit in 2010 once made the Black Stars look like Africa’s best bet to lift the trophy. Since then, the momentum has stalled. They have not escaped the group stage at a World Cup since.

This current side lacks some of the star power of that golden era, but it does have form up front. Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo arrives in sharp condition, a genuine threat who can tilt tight games.

They will have to manage without Thomas Partey in Toronto. The 33-year-old midfielder had his visa application rejected, a decision upheld by a Canadian federal judge earlier this week, according to the Associated Press. Partey is awaiting trial on rape charges in the United Kingdom, but he is expected to be available for Ghana’s remaining two group matches in the US.

So Ghana begin without their most experienced midfielder, chasing three points and a new direction.

Uzbekistan’s debut and Colombia’s familiar flair

The final act of the day comes in Mexico City, under the lights of one of football’s most storied arenas.

At 10 p.m. ET, Uzbekistan make their World Cup debut at Estadio Azteca against a Colombia side rich in tournament experience. The White Wolves are the last of this year’s four debutants to appear and are desperate to be the only one to win their opening match.

They are led by a man who knows this trophy better than most: Fabio Cannavaro, Italy’s World Cup-winning captain from 2006. His presence in the technical area gives Uzbekistan an immediate edge in know-how, if not in pedigree.

On the pitch, defender Abdukodir Khusanov is the standout name. At 22, he is already a regular starter for Manchester City, tested weekly in the Premier League and Champions League. His calm at the back will be crucial against a Colombian attack that thrives on chaos and creativity.

Colombia bring familiar faces and familiar threats. James Rodríguez, who exploded onto the global stage at the 2014 World Cup, remains the main creative spark in midfield. Out wide, Luis Díaz arrives in blistering form, one of the most dangerous wingers in world football this season.

For Uzbekistan, this is the ultimate exam: a first World Cup match, in a legendary stadium, against a team that knows exactly how to navigate days like this.

Ebola fears hover over DR Congo’s World Cup moment

Away from the stadiums and scorelines, another story shadows this tournament — and particularly DR Congo’s campaign.

Health officials are tracking an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that could, according to the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, become the “worst ever” in the region if it is not contained. More than 800 cases have been confirmed in the DRC as of Monday.

The challenge is severe. The affected area is remote yet densely populated, wracked by insecurity and humanitarian crises. This outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there are no specific treatments or vaccines.

US authorities have responded by introducing entry restrictions and screening for passengers arriving from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan. No Ebola cases have been identified in the United States, and the World Health Organization currently assesses the global risk as low, even as it warns that the danger inside the DRC is very high.

During the World Cup, US health officials are monitoring a range of viral threats. Ebola is not at the top of that list, partly because of how it spreads. In the early stages of infection, transmission is limited. Once a person becomes seriously ill and carries a high viral load, even small amounts of bodily fluid can pass on the disease — but at that point, a patient is unlikely to be traveling or attending matches.

So DR Congo walk into Houston today with a double burden: underdogs on the pitch, representatives of a country wrestling with a public health emergency off it.

The football world will watch to see how they cope with Portugal’s brilliance and emotion. The wider world will watch to see whether this outbreak can be contained before it becomes another tragic chapter in the nation’s history.