WELCOME TO DAY 3 OF THE 2022 WORLD CUP!!! We are four games into the tournament in Qatar after the first two days and we’ve already seen some fun games, a big win for England and three points for the first two Barça players in action as Frenkie De Jong and Memphis Depay led the Dutch to an opening night victory.

And now the fun begins for real: starting today and until the end of the group stage, every day will bring us four matches and the big, big favorites all make their debuts between today and Thursday. And today features at least one Barça player (or legend) in every single game on the schedule, so it’ll be non-stop fun for Culers.

We begin with the GOAT as Lionel Messi kicks off his final World Cup as he searches for the only title he is yet to win when Argentina face Saudi Arabia in Al Daayen. This is the best national team Messi has ever had around him, and the Albiceleste are arguably the biggest favorites to win the trophy. Saudi Arabia aren’t the pushovers from years past, so Messi and Co. will need a serious, professional performance to start their Group C campaign with three points.

Up next it’s Andreas Christensen’s turn to make his debut in the competition as Denmark take on Tunisia in the opening match of Group D. Denmark had a wonderful campaign in last year’s Euros and are hoping for a similar dream run in Qatar, and have a ton of continuity with their best players all healthy and in excellent form coming into the tournament. Tunisia have a physical side that will try to disrupt Denmark’s high-flying attack, but the Danes are big favorites in this one.

The third game of the day and the second in Group C is the debut of Robert Lewandowski’s Poland, who face Mexico in a fascinating game in Doha. This is Argentina’s group to lose, so the winner of this one will gain a massive advantage in the race for second. Lewandowski has yet to have a signature World Cup performance in his career, but his start to the season for Barça has been fabulous and the superstar striker arrives in great form and full of confidence to face a deep and entertaining Mexico side.

Day 3 closes with the champs: France begin their title defense with a game against Australia in Al Wakrah. The French lost striker Karim Benzema and one of the best young players in the tournament in Christopher Nkunku on the eve of their debut having already lost Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté to injury, but remain insanely deep and one of the main favorites. Barça’s Jules Kounde is a crucial piece of the defense and Ousmane Dembélé will be one of the first names off the bench, but Les Bleus will count on Kylian Mbappé and former Blaugrana Antoine Griezmann to lead them to glory once again as they did in Russia four years ago.

This should be a fun, busy day of World Cup action, and you’re welcome to join us to follow and comment all the action. Vamos!

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LIVE BLOG

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FRANCE 4-1 AUSTRALIA

LINEUPS

France XI: Lloris; Pavard, Konaté, Upamecano, L. Hernández; Tchouaméni, Rabiot; Dembélé, Griezmann, Mbappé; Giroud (4-2-3-1)

Australia XI: Ryan; Atkinson, Souttar, Rowles, Behich; McGree, Mooy, Irvine; Leckie, Duke, Goodwin (4-3-3)

MATCH INFO

Competition/Round: 2022 FIFA World Cup, Group D, Matchday 1

Date/Time: Tuesday, November 22, 2022, 10pm local time, 8pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 7pm GMT (UK), 2pm ET, 11am PT (USA), 12.30am IST (India, Wednesday)

Venue: Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar

Referee: Victor Gomes (RSA)

HOW TO WATCH, STREAM 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP

How to watch on TV: FOX (USA), TSN 1 (Canada), BBC One (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), Sports18 (India), Gol Mundial (Spain), others

How to watch online: FOX Sports App, Sling TV (USA), BBC iPlayer (UK), others

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MEXICO 0-0 POLAND

LINEUPS

Mexico XI: Ochoa; Sánchez, Montes, Moreno, Gallardo; Álvarez, Herrera, Chávez; Lozano, Martín, Vega (4-3-3)

Poland XI: Szczesny; Cash, Glik, Kiwior, Bereszynski; Krychowiak; Kaminski, Szymanski, Zielinski, Zalewski; Lewandowski (4-1-4-1)

MATCH INFO

Competition/Round: 2022 FIFA World Cup, Group C, Matchday 1

Date/Time: Tuesday, November 22, 2022, 7pm local time, 5pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 4pm GMT (UK), 11am ET, 8am PT (USA), 9.30pm IST (India)

Venue: Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar

Referee: Chris Beath (AUS)

HOW TO WATCH, STREAM 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP

How to watch on TV: FOX (USA), TSN 1 (Canada), BBC One (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), Sports18 (India), Gol Mundial (Spain), others

How to watch online: FOX Sports App, Sling TV (USA), BBC iPlayer (UK), others

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DENMARK 0-0 TUNISIA

LINEUPS

Denmark XI: Schmeichel; Andersen, Kjaer, Christensen; Kristensen, Hojbjerg, Delaney, Maehle; Olsen, Dolberg, Eriksen (3-4-3)

Tunisia XI: Dahmen; Talbi, Meriah, Bronn; Drager, Skhiri, Laidouni, Abdi; Slimane, Jebali, Msakni (3-4-3)

MATCH INFO

Competition/Round: 2022 FIFA World Cup, Group D, Matchday 1

Date/Time: Tuesday, November 22, 2022, 4pm local time, 2pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 1pm GMT (UK), 8am ET, 5am PT (USA), 6.30pm IST (India)

Venue: Education City Stadium, Doha, Qatar

Referee: César Arturo Ramos (MEX)

HOW TO WATCH, STREAM 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP

How to watch on TV: FS1 (USA), TSN 1 (Canada), ITV 1 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), Sports18 (India), Gol Mundial (Spain), others

How to watch online: FOX Sports App, Sling TV (USA), ITV Hub (UK), others

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ARGENTINA 1-2 SAUDI ARABIA

LINEUPS

Argentina XI: Martínez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul, Paredes, Gómez; Messi, Lautaro, Di María (4-3-3)

Saudi Arabia XI: Owais; Abdulhamid, Altambakti, Al-Boleahi, Shahrani; Kanno, Malki, Al-Faraj; Al-Buraikan, Al-Shehri, Al-Dawsari (4-3-3)

MATCH INFO

Competition/Round: 2022 FIFA World Cup, Group C, Matchday 1

Date/Time: Tuesday, November 22, 2022, 1pm local time, 11am CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 10am GMT (UK), 5am ET, 2am PT (USA), 3.30pm IST (India)

Venue: Lusail Stadium, Al Daayen, Qatar

Referee: Slavko Vincic (SLO)

HOW TO WATCH, STREAM 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP

How to watch on TV: FS1 (USA), TSN 1 (Canada), ITV 1 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), Sports18 (India), Gol Mundial (Spain), others

How to watch online: FOX Sports App, Sling (USA), ITV Hub (UK), others

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Matchday Thread Rules

We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:

Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, watch the swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do it will be warned, and those who post links will be instantly banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.

Have fun with the game! Forever and ever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!