Wales vs Iran (11 a.m. CET)
Another good performance is expected on Friday from Gareth Bale, who scored a late goal after a penalty shootout to help Wales draw against the United States in the opening game.
Bale, 33, who signed for the Los Angeles Galaxy in June in what many thought was a sign of his decline from its peak, in which he was described as one of the best players of his generation, was thrilled to receive the lead role in his World Cup debut.
Iran will miss goalkeeper Ali Beiranvand. He was injured in the opening game and was taken to a local hospital.
Although they took part in the last two World Cup finals, Iran never reached the knock-out round.
Qatar vs Senegal (14:00 CET)
Qatar returns to competition after becoming the first host country in World Cup history to lose its first game, a 0-1 loss to Ecuador on the opening night of the tournament.
The hosts get another chance to win against Senegal, who also lost their opener and sustained injuries to their key players.
Senegal is missing Sadio Mane, the Bayern Munich striker, who was excluded from the tournament with a leg injury. Midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate is also expected to miss Friday’s game with an Achilles tendon injury.
Netherlands vs Ecuador (17:00 CET)
Ecuador and the Netherlands have both won their opening games, and in their game on Friday, two strikers, Enner Valencia from Ecuador and Dutch striker Memphis Depay, are facing off.
Valencia scored both Ecuador’s goals in a 2-0 win over Qatar before leaving with a sore knee but will play on Friday.
Depay returned from an Achilles tendon injury and led the Netherlands in a 2-0 win over Senegal. He came off the bench in this game but wants to start against Ecuador.
A win for either team would likely guarantee promotion from Group A.
England vs United States (20:00 CET)
The Americans are the underdogs after their 1-1 draw against Wales, while England claim an opening 6-2 win over Iran.
Another win for England would bring the Three Lions to the round of 16, with one game still to go.
England captain Harry Kane, top scorer at the 2018 World Cup, injured his ankle against Iran and defender Harry Maguire left the game with blurred vision in the 70th minute. However, both are expected to play on Friday.
In 1950, a random US national team — a motley group that included a mailman, a gravedigger, a dishwasher and a school teacher — famously defeated England 1-0 in the first game between the two.
What happened at the World Cup on Thursday?
Cristiano Ronaldo made World Cup history as the first male player to score a penalty in the 65th minute against Ghana at five World Cups. Portugal won the game 3-2.
Richarlison prevailed for the “Seleção” and scored both goals for Brazil in a 2-0 win over Serbia. His second, an overhead kick into the top left corner, is already being touted as the best goal of the tournament.
Since competing as Serbia in 2010, the country has not made it to the World Cup knock-out rounds.
Monaco striker Breel Embolo scored the only goal of the game and defeated Cameroon — the country he was born in — in the morning game in Qatar on Thursday. Embolo kept his promise not to celebrate the goal, which ultimately decided the game in Switzerland’s favor: 1:0.
None of the five African teams at the World Cup in Qatar won their first game in the group stage.
What are the most important topics of conversation so far?
Two big surprises marked the first round: First, Saudi Arabia scored an astonishing result in its opening game against Argentina at Lusail Stadium and won the game 1-2.
Then it was Japan that also beat Germany 1-2 and destroyed the German advantage with two goals in eight minutes, which consistently proved to be a fast-paced competition.
The president of the German Football Association, Bernd Neuendorf, has called for an official statement from FIFA on the measures that will be taken when players wear One Love bracelets at the World Cup.
Several World Cup teams have withdrawn and abandoned an anti-discrimination campaign against host country Qatar because they fear they will receive yellow cards if they support them. One of the teams, Denmark, supported Germany’s protest.