The Group Stage

48 Matches in 14 Days

They all matter, but some a little more than others. These are the most important to watch:

1. England vs. USA 

Yes, this is the author's American bias, but this is also the way to gauge how good the Three Lions will be and how scared the rest of the world should be of the USA.

2. Côte d'Ivoire vs. Portugal 

Winner of this match comes out of the toughest group. Plain and simple. However, after Drogba's injury, it is more important for The Elephants than the Selecção das Quinas.

3. Portugal vs. Brazil 

The colonial match of all matches, the one that pits the talented against the more talented, this will be an amazing show of the "beautiful game". However, if any match is going to, this one will get chippy if Cristiano gets to diving instead of scoring. Please, for every one's sake, just score those amazing goals Cristiano. 

4. Italy vs. Paraguay 

Paraguay are good. Really good. It has been said before, CONMEBOL is the toughest qualifying there is. (Don't tell that to Russia or Turkey.) So then the question becomes: is Italy still defending the Cup, or are they a shadow of what once was?

5. Argentina vs. Nigeria 

In the group stage, there is nothing more important for a favorite to get out of the gate quick. If La Albiceleste score a lot, if Maradona hasn't completely lost it, if Tévez, Messi, & Higuaín play like the greatest generation of soccer talent to ever play for the same country,  then this match will have more implications for a favorite than all except...  

6. Chile vs. Spain 

...Spain. This is it for La Furia Roja. They have 4, 5, or 6 of the best players in the world at the moment, depending on who you ask. Can they keep up their run of unbeaten in all but one game since 2007? (Side note: USA!!!) Chile are a tough team (again, CONMEBOL), but if Spain are the team of destiny, this is a win for them.

7. Brazil vs. Côte d'Ivoire 

This match is roughly 20 days after Drogba's ill-fated spill (at the hands of a Brazillian-born Japanese national?!?!). The Elephants are the best African team. The Canarinho are as good as anyone has ever been, so the question becomes can the "home" Elephants topple the all-over-the-world-loved Samba Kings?    

8. Cameroon vs. Denmark 

This is a game that will more than likely be for the honor of playing against Italy in the knockout round. Les Lions Indomptables can be very frightening with Eto'o up top. He's as good as anyone in the world at scoring goals and changing games. In many ways, this game means more to the Azzuri than it does the teams playing -- primarily because Eto'o is that dangerous. 

9. France vs. Mexico 

The winner of Group A is going to be happy when they play the second team from Group B instead of Argentina. Too bad for both teams here, Uruguay is going to win group A. But this match is going to determine how this group lies in the end. El Tri have a star who's pissed his bro got cut, and a team that's talent is being mined by European clubs all over. The problems in France are big, only the issues for them are slightly more in their head and not the pitch. France are very, very talented. Coach Domenech is more crazy than Maradona and their raison d'être is cast in the shadow of two of the more famous handled balls in history. 

10. Ghana vs. Germany 

This is a grudge match at this point. It's the last of the group stage for these two and if their is any doubt in this group, this match could go down for the ages. The history here is shallow, only several weeks old now. The facts: a German-born Ghanaian player Kevin-Prince Boateng, injures German captain Michael Ballack in the last club game before the World Cup. This could mean nothing, or it could become a brawl. If this game carries any weight, then this will be a must watch.    

Watch these as well:  

11. Uruguay vs. France
12. Germany vs. Australia
13. Netherlands vs. Denmark
14. Chile vs. Switzerland
15. Cameroon vs. Netherlands
16. Denmark vs. Japan
17. Mexico vs. Uruguay
18. Ghana vs. Australia
19. Japan vs. Cameroon
20. South Africa vs. Mexico