What to Expect From the LAST ROUND with Chris Vannini of The Athletic | World Cup Today

Riley James is joined by Chris Vannini of The Athletic to break down one of the most dramatic parts of the 2026 World Cup group stage. In this episode: The chaos of multiple groups playing final matches simultaneously How real-time results from other games affect tactics and mentality The USMNT’s path after winning Group D Biggest storylines and potential knockout bracket implications Chris brings sharp insight as these concurrent matches decide who advances and who goes home. Timestamps: 0:00 – Welcome to World Cup Today 0:36 – Ronaldo scores at 6th World Cup + Portugal win 1:26 – Colombia advances 1:49 – England 0-0 Ghana + Croatia beat Panama 3:09 – Concurrent finals explained (history & drama) 3:32 – Chris Vanini Interview (The Athletic) 6:01 – Most exciting groups 8:33 – Rest advantage for teams already through 9:52 – USMNT bench & rotation value 10:39 – Would you want to know the score? 12:32 – Today’s fixtures preview 13:24 – Ochoa’s 6th World Cup 13:46 – Outro If you’re enjoying the daily World Cup coverage, drop a LIKE, subscribe, and turn on notifications!