James Rodriguez was the start of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and will help his team qualify for 2018 in Russia. (Getty)
The international break is in full swing Thursday, as 24 World Cup qualifying matches are on the schedule. That’s 48 teams taking part in qualifiers on three different continents, taking part in over 2,000 minutes of international action.
It’s the beginning of a long road for some teams, as world powers Argentina and Brazil will kick off their quests for another World Cup appearance. The 10-team South American tournament will kick off today and tomorrow, but will lead with it’s best foot forward.
Six of the eight South American teams in action tonight appeared at the 2014 World Cup. Bolstered by a strong home-field advantage, five of the six teams advanced out of the group stage. Colombia gave us the breakout star of the tournament, and Brazil and Argentina both advanced to the semifinals.
All times below are Eastern. To find out if any games are being broadcasted in your area, check here.
4:00 am Australia vs Kyrgyzstan
5:50 am Maldives vs Hong Kong
6:00 am Korea Republic vs Myanmar
6:15 am Singapore vs Japan
6:30 am Iran vs Turkmenistan
6:30 am Afghanistan vs Cambodia
6:35 am China vs Bhutan
7:00 am Tajikistan vs Bangladesh
7:00 am Thailand vs Chinese Taipei
7:00 am Philippines vs Yemen
8:00 am Uzbekistan vs Korea
8:30 am India vs Guam
8:30 am Burundi vs Congo DR
9:00 am Palestine vs Malaysia
9:00 am Namibia vs Guinea
9:15 am United Arab Emirates vs Timor-Leste
10:00 am Lebanon vs Laos
10:00 am Benin vs Burkina Faso
10:30 am Togo vs Uganda
1:00 pm Morocco vs Equatorial Guinea
3:00 pm Bolivia vs Venezuela
4:00 pm Ecuador vs Uruguay
6:30 pm Chile vs Colombia
7:00 pm Argentina vs Brazil