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World Cup 2014: June 23, Napoli - style (aka Forza Chile!)

It's the first day of the third round of the group stages and we're pretty sure that makes it Day 12 of the World Cup. But it's all a little hazy.

Julian Finney

Welcome, friends, to the first day of World Cup 2014 in which there are four matches!

Oh wait. We already had that day. Welcome to the first day of World Cup 2014 in which there are four matches, but only two time slots!

That's right, today begins the last round of the group stages, in which teams like Australia and Spain have to play at the same time as Holland and Chile, despite the fact that their game matters not at all. Yeah, that's still funny.

Then we've got Group A, in which every game actually does have some significance. Brazil and Mexico are tied on four points, although Brazil have the advantage thanks to a little...help...in their first game. But Croatia can still sneak in if Mexico lose, or even if Mexico draw and Croatia win. It's all very exciting.

The matches

Group Location Time (CET/ET)
Australia vs. Spain B Arena da Baixada, Curitiba 6 p.m./ noon
Netherlands vs. Chile B Arena Corinthians, São Paulo 6 p.m./ noon
Cameroon vs. Brazil A Estádio Nacional de Brasilia, Brasília 10 p.m./ 4 p.m.
Croatia vs. Mexico A Arena Pernambuco, Recife 10 p.m./ 4 p.m.


Any Napoli players involved?

In Eduardo Vargas, there's either a Napoli player or a potential return of many, many Euros. The longer Chile stay in the tournament, the longer he has to keep doing shiny, special things.

Who should I keep an eye on?

Apparently Napoli are intrigued by Croatia's Ivan Perišić, because rumors started by agents are often extremely reliable. You can read our take on the matter while you're waiting for games to start.

You may also want to cheer on Alexis Sánchez, because the better he does, the less likely Juventus are to secure his services - or if they do, they'll be shelling out quite a chunk of change.

How do I watch these games?

In Italy? You're on SkyGO or Sky Mondiale. In the US it's ESPN in English and Univision in Spanish, and both have online streaming platforms, while Canadians friends have CBC and the CBC Sports player. In the UK you can watch  ITV for the first match and BBC One for the rest of the day, or use the ITV or BBC players online. If you live elsewhere, check LiveSoccerTV for listings in your country.