The night of 24–25 June is one of the busiest of this World Cup: six matches in the third and decisive round of Groups A, B and C. The standout fixture is Scotland vs Brazil in Miami, where Neymar is expected to start for the first time at this tournament, and the Scots have a chance to make history. Plan your evening — the first kick-off is at 22:00 Kyiv time.
Schedule for the night
- 22:00 Kyiv time. Switzerland vs Canada (Group B, Round 3) — BC Place, Vancouver
- 22:00 Kyiv time. Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar (Group B, Round 3) — Lumen Field, Seattle
- 01:00 Kyiv time (25 Jun). Scotland vs Brazil (Group C, Round 3) — Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
- 01:00 Kyiv time (25 Jun). Morocco vs Haiti (Group C, Round 3) — Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta
- 04:00 Kyiv time (25 Jun). Czech Republic vs Mexico (Group A, Round 3) — Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
- 04:00 Kyiv time (25 Jun). South Africa vs South Korea (Group A, Round 3) — Estadio BBVA, Monterrey
Scotland vs Brazil | 01:00 Kyiv time | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
The match of the night, without a doubt. Brazil have 4 points and lead Group C on goal difference, but first place is not yet secured. Scotland sit third with 3 points and must win to guarantee a place in the Round of 16, although even a narrow defeat could theoretically keep their hopes alive via the best third-place ranking. This is Scotland's ninth World Cup in history, and they have never made it out of the group stage.
The key team news: Neymar is expected to start — he missed the first two matches with a calf muscle injury, but manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed his return for this game. Raphinha, meanwhile, is ruled out with a thigh muscle injury and will not face Scotland. On the other side, Steve Clarke's side beat Haiti (1–0) and lost to Morocco (0–1). Watch out for the duel between Vinícius Júnior and Scotland's defensive line: the Brazilian has already shown his quality at this tournament.
Simultaneously at the same time in Atlanta, Morocco face Haiti: the Atlas Lions have 4 points and can snatch top spot in the group if they win by a sufficient margin and Brazil fail to do the same. Haiti are already eliminated.
Switzerland vs Canada | 22:00 Kyiv time | BC Place, Vancouver
A straight fight for first place in Group B. Canada and Switzerland both have 4 points, but the Canadians lead on goal difference after their emphatic 6–0 win over Qatar. A draw is enough for Canada to top the group; Switzerland must win. Leading tournament scorer Jonathan David (3 goals) is the key figure for the home side. Simultaneously in Seattle, Bosnia and Herzegovina face Qatar — both teams have 1 point and can still theoretically fight for a best third-place spot.
Czech Republic vs Mexico | 04:00 Kyiv time | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Mexico have already secured their place in the Round of 16 from Group A and play at home in front of the passionate Azteca crowd — for El Tri, it is a matter of claiming first place and a favourable knockout bracket. The Czech Republic and South Africa both have 1 point and must win to keep any hopes alive. Simultaneously in Monterrey, South Korea (3 points) face South Africa — the Koreans need a win to guarantee their progression.
Conclusion
Full results from all six matches will be available in the evening edition of Nightly Mundial after 06:00 Kyiv time, with the complete morning digest including the standings and a preview of the next matchday published as usual by 10:00.
Photo: via foxsports.com · Editorial (source)
