I'm just going to fire all my views on games as they take place here:
Write ups for the below to come.
Day 31
Norway 1-2 England
I didn't watch Argentina vs Switzerland.
Day 30
Spain 2-1 Belgium
Day 29
France 2-0 Morocco
Day 28 - day off
Day 27
Argentina 3-2 Egypt
Switzerland 0-0 Colombia (4-3 on penalties)
Day 26
Portugal 0-1 Spain
Day 25
Brazil 1-2 Norway
Mexico 2-3 England
Day 24
Canada 0-3 Morocco
Paraguay 0-1 France
Day 23
Australia 1-1 Egypt (2-4 on penalties)
Argentina 3-2 Cabo Verde
Day 22
Spain 3-0 Austria
Possibly the worst game of the tournament, not once did I believe Austria would get back into the game, even Curaçao at least offered some form of resistance against Germany.
Day 21
England 2-1 DR Congo
The English came perilously close to disaster, and it's pretty damning that Declan Rice looked more comfortable as a right back than folks who actually play that position week-to-week. The game against Mexico is going to be hostile and such a slow start there would be the end of the campaign.
Belgium 3-2 Senegal (AET)
Unfathomable defeat for the Senegalese, Belgium looked out of ideas for most of the game and managed to cash in on a string of catastrophic mistakes. I haven't seen such a catastrophic loss in Seattle since the NFC Championship Packers *shudders*.
Day 20
Cote d'Iviore 1-2 Norway
This game took a while to pick up pace and could have gone either way with the volume of chances, but it felt to me that the stronger team won on the day. Norway's game against Brazil will be a fascinating watch.
France 3-0 Sweden
This game was done at 2-0, Sweden were mostly nullified in the first half when France adapted for their counter and the first goal just before half time was game-changing. Overturning any deficit looked unlikely and that second goal sealed it.
Day 19
Brazil 2-1 Japan
On balance the correct side won, but Japan had their chances on the counter, squandered them and were then picked off in added time. Brazil showed they can bump up their attacking play a gear if needed, but I do wonder what happens to them as the opposition gets trickier.
Germany 1-1 Paraguay (Paraguay win 4-3 after 6 pens each)
Not an easy watch, Paraguay spent most of the game happily soaking up German pressure. I think the VAR overturning of what likely would have been a winner for Germany was harsh, but over 120 minutes I couldn't sincerely say Germany were robbed, they were just blunt up front.
I didn't watch the Netherlands-Morocco game, but having watched each in the group stages, I'm only surprised Morocco needed penalties.
Day 18
South Africa 0-1 Canada
This game wasn't a classic, South Africa made some fantastic clearances but finally let Canada in as the finale approached, a fair result. It can't be stressed enough how far along the South Africans came from that opening day mess, and I'd like to think they could bring this intensity to AFCON.
On the topic of African football, 9 teams qualifying for the last 32 from CAF helped to highlight what a raw deal teams from that confederation have had (and in comparison, the lack of teams qualifying from Asia highlighted how generous the spot allocation has been for them in recent years).
Day 17
Panama 0-2 England
England struggled again to generate solid chances as Panama copied Ghana's playbook, but they eventually did the job and got over the line in first. I have my doubts about this unit progressing far.
Shoutout to DR Congo for qualifying, that initial draw with Portugal being crucial and setting them on a path with England. Their solid defence in the group phase and ability to nick a goal on a set piece means they're going to be a pain to take on.
Day 16
Norway B 1-4 France
That B isn't a typo, it was a shame we didn't get a proper match-up, France took apart the reserves with ease.
Senegal 5-0 Iraq
Another dismantling, Senegal cashed in to qualify against an Iraq team that never overcame the early red.
I didn't watch this due to the overnight game, but Cabo Verde qualifying undefeated in a group with Spain and Uruguay is one of the great World Cup upsets, fantastic.
Day 15
Curaçao 0-2 Cote d'Ivoire
A spirited run came to an end, Curaçao followed that rough opening day with two reasonably competitive performances, they deserved their spot far more than a fair few at this tournament.
Ecuador 2-1 Germany
A brilliant finale, Ecuador had to qualify the hard way but they really ground out this result, taking advantage of some iffy play at the back.
Day 14
Switzerland 2-1 Canada
Canada did themselves over with errors and a lack of attacking intent until it was ultimately too late.
Bosnia & Herzegovina 3-1 Qatar
One of the nicest human stories of this tournament eliminating one of the less savoury, sportswashing be damned.
Scotland 0-3 Brazil
A thoroughly disappointing, self-inflicted, familiar disappointment for Scotland. This was always going to be a hard game, but they actively screwed themselves over.
I didn't watch it due to the late night slot, but South Africa's win over South Korea was a shocker to me, RSA were a mess in game 1, didn't play much inspiring stuff in game 2, and then knock over a Korean side who'd look solid on their opening matchday.
Day 13
Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan
Watching a certain eejit celebrate just gave me "well done, he's 13" vibes
England 0-0 Ghana
Ghana saw the ease with which England attacked the space left by Croatia and basically shut all of that down with the low block, England mostly ran out of ideas by the first water break, tough watch for most involved.
Day 12
Argentina 2-0 Austria
It's fun watching Messi still rolling, Argentina largely neutralised Austria and fully deserved the win, the second goal to seal it was just a joy to see develop.
France 3-0 Iraq
I only watched the first half due to the weather delay, but France were comfortable, even in the dodgy weather conditions leading up to half time.
Day 11
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
At no point did this feel like a contest, two teams operaing at drastically different levels.
Belgium 0-0 Iran
Awful for fair chunks, the red card made things awkward for Belgium but Iran didn't exactly chase the game even with that advantage.
Day 10
Netherlands 5-1 Sweden
Sweden just fell to bits chasing what felt like an even game for a fair while, strange spectacle
Germany 2-1 Ivory Coast
This felt like an unfair scoreline, CIV dictated a fair chunk of this game and took the sucker punch at the end - professional sport has its cruelties.
Day 9
USA 2-0 Australia
It never felt like a contest after the first goal, US comfortably through against a flat Aussie team.
Morocco 1-0 Scotland
Scotland deserved a penalty, but they took too long to up the attacking side and ultimately ran out of time, this was a gettable points.
Day 8
Czechia 1-1 South Africa
Terrible game, only redeemed by the fact this result makes it likely neither team will qualify for the knockout stages.
Switzerland 4-1 Bosnia & Herzegovina
Scoreline was harsh, the first goal and red card were a one-two punch that completely flipped the game and the Swiss took full advantage.
Canada 6-0 Qatar
Ruthless stuff from Canada, Qatar lost their heads repeatedly and the hosts took full advantage. Can only wish the best to Kone after that freak injury, horrible moment.
Day 7
Portugal 1-1 DR Congo
That #7 for Portugal seemed like a bit of a passenger. On paper this should have been an easy win, but good grief Portugal were blunt for so much of this game, can't really argue with the draw ultimately - possession only wins games if you can stick it in the onion bag.
England 4-2 Croatia
The second half saw some of the best attacking sequences of play England have ever brought to tournament football, and the Croatian keeper saved it from being 5 or 6, a fantastic display from a fair few. The warning signs are clear with the back line though, they let Croatia back in twice. Fair enough on goal 1, it was a lovely shot, but goal 2 was a bit of a mess on two levels.
Day 6
France 3-1 Senegal
This was a big ol' scrap for a fair while, Senegal made this a pain, but two bits of brilliance got France over the line. For the record, I think the ref was fine not to go along with his VAR and overturn the no-pen, there was nowhere near enough contact to justify that.
Iraq 1-4 Norway
This was another one which was far from certain for a fair chunk of the game, Iraq showed some really good attacking play at times and caught Norway off guard. Ultimately Norway figured out their tweaks and got home comfortably enough.
Didn't watch the late nighters, but yep, Mr Messi is still very much a threat.
Day 5
Spain 0-0 Cabo Verde
A fantastic shock, a nation with the population of Bristol holding the European champions. The goalkeeper is instantly a national hero, and the defensive side of that team did a solid job. While Spain did have a couple of huge chances, they were largely frustrated and even subbing on some big names had a limited effect - a wonderful result.
Belgium 1-1 Egypt
Two teams capable of attacking brilliance playing to a frustrating draw. Egypt have a fantastic pace of attacking play to them, but often lacked that final touch which took advantage of the big spaces they ran into, while Belgium could work themselves into promising positions, but the slow nature of their attacking play at times meant Egypt could practically walk into different defensive alignments at times. They're both teams capable of more, and I hope they can put the pieces together, the extended format of this tournament gives them a better chance of doing so.
Didn't watch the later games because of timings.
Day 4
Germany 7-1 Curaçao
It took Germany a while to get going but once they found their rhythm it was ruthless stuff. The equaliser for Curaçao was a fantastic moment, but the scoreline didn't feel like a freak result to me, it was two teams operating on very different levels.
Netherlands 2-2 Japan
The first half was a stinker, but some of the passages of play after half time, oof! It felt like Japan were holding back at times, but the pace of their attack and the balls they were pinging about when chasing the game was fantastic to witness, they are capable of a run.
Didn't watch Cote d'Ivoire-Ecuador or Sweden-Tunisia, wasn't expecting either of those scorelines, particularly the Swedes dishing out a demolition job to the extent that a manager got sacked, brutal.
Day 3
Qatar 1-1 Switzerland
Total smash and grab, Switzerland could have had that game put away by half time, but they were incapable of scoring from open play and Qatar pinched a point in the final moments. Ha.
Brazil 1-1 Morocco
This game had some very fun moments, ran out of steam towards the end as both teams exhausted themselves. I have my doubts about Brazil progressing if they don't figure out that backline, they had a few frail moments in this game and got away with it. Usually with these tournaments there's a 1-0/shootout sucker punch for teams structured like this, sometimes even a 7-1...
Didn't watch Scotland-Haiti or Australia-Türkiye due to the late kick offs, but fantastic wins for the Aussies and Scots!
Day 2
Canada 1-1 Bosnia & Herzegovina
I really enjoyed this one, great atmosphere, both teams had their moments going forward, the physicality was there, and then there's the whole nature of Bosnia & Herzegovina's qualification given the recent history in that part of the world - it just felt like a special occasion. It's one of those contests which is highly unlikely to affect who is ultimately lifting the trophy, but still holds so much significance – thank you to all involved with making that game what it was. Given Qatar's presence in this group and the fact that two-thirds of third place teams go through, I think these two have a great chance of making it - best of luck to them!
Didn't watch USA vs Paraguay due to the late kick off, I missed a demolition job.
Day 1
Mexico 2-0 South Africa
Total mismatch of a game, while Mexico weren't perfect – and wasteful with the chances presented to them – both in-and-out of possession they were a level above a really poor South African team, 2-0 was a merciful scoreline. I think two of the reds (the 'possible' slap with a fuzzy shot that doesn't make clear the intention or the full nature of the contact, and the wide run being classed as DOGSO) were harsh, it was the cleanest three red game I've ever seen.
Didn't watch South Korea vs Czechia live because of the 3am kickoff. After watching the highlights, I wish I'd been in a position to do so, it looked like a fun contest.
Misc
ITV's studio is in a fantastic location, that view of south Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge is lovely (but goodness knows how much it's costing them renting out that chunk of Brooklyn for 5ish weeks).
I'm also pleasantly surprised that ITV haven't taken Fifa's offer of going to ads during the 'hydration break', possibly because of all the grief they got for running ads during scrum setting time at this year's Six Nations? Either way, it's nice not to get hit with a gambling/AI ad mid-game.