Ronaldo was all smiles in Portugal's training session at Grand Hamad Stadium yesterday ...

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes said it was a "dream" to play with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United but "nothing lasts forever".

Ronaldo's contract with United was mutually terminated on Tuesday.

Portugal begin their World Cup campaign against Ghana today but Fernandes says the players have not been distracted by Ronaldo's situation.

Ronaldo's United exit follows a controversial interview in which the 37-year-old criticised the club and said he had "no respect" for manager Erik ten Hag.

Fernandes said: "You know how important playing for Portugal is for Cristiano and for all of us. It is the dream of every player. Our focus is 100% on the national team and we are all aware of what we have to do.

"I don't feel uncomfortable. It was a privilege to play with Cristiano and a dream at the club. Cristiano has always been an inspiration for me, it was a dream to be able to play with him at Man Utd, but we know nothing lasts forever.

"It was good while it lasted but we have to respect his decision, regardless of us agreeing or not.

"We know it might be difficult to make decisions but these must be for the best of our families."

Let's take some time now to look at one of the biggest stories to break this week ... yes I'm talking about Cristiano Ronaldo (isn't everybody?)

• This is the first international fixture between Switzerland and Cameroon.
• Cameroon have qualified for their eighth World Cup, the most by an African team. They have also played more matches at the World Cup than any other African nation (23), while only Nigeria (23) have scored more goals at the tournament among African sides than Cameroon (18).
• Switzerland have qualified for their 12th World Cup, finishing top of their group ahead of Euro 2020 winners Italy. It's their fifth in a row, setting their longest run of consecutive appearances in the tournament.
• Cameroon have lost each of their past seven games at the World Cup. Only Mexico have ever lost more games in a row in the competition's history (9 between 1930 & 1958).
• Switzerland are unbeaten in their opening game in each of their five appearances at the World Cup (W2 D3), since losing 5-0 against Germany in 1966.

Image source, BBC Sport

BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton is predicting the outcome of all 64 games at the Fifa World Cup 2022.

Switzerland knocked France out of Euro 2020 on their way to the quarter-finals but I don't see them having the same impact at this World Cup.

Xherdan Shaqiri has been their go-to man for the past few years but he is playing in the MLS now so a lot will rest on the shoulders of Granit Xhaka - who has been superb for Arsenal this season - and young Red Bull Salzburg striker Noah Okafor, who is definitely a player to watch.

Let's face it, these two sides and Serbia are probably playing for second place in the group behind Brazil.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Image source, Getty Images

How about this for confidence. Switzerland boss Murat Yakin says the current national side is the "best that has ever existed" as he eyes a run to the latter stages of the World Cup.

The Swiss have reached the last-16 stage in three of their past four appearances at the tournament but have not progressed to the quarter-finals since doing so as hosts in 1954.

"We have improved a lot and now we want to write history," said Yakin.

Let's turn our attention now to the first of today's four games, Switzerland v Cameroon.

Kick-off is just under an hour away.

Image source, Getty Images

Wales had the rainbow flag on prominent display at their training base in Qatar on Wednesday, sending a defiant message to World Cup organisers.

There were pre-tournament promises that teams and fans would be able to show support of LGBTQ+ rights in the Gulf state, where homosexuality is illegal.

But a last-minute U-turn saw captain Gareth Bale warned against wearing a OneLove armband or he could be booked.

The Football Association of Wales chief said the players had been silenced.

In an interview with ITV, Noel Mooney said he was "furious" with Fifa's late decision to threaten players from Wales, England and other European nations with sporting sanctions if they wore the armband.

"To lay that one on us is pretty cheap and pretty low, to be frank. We are really disappointed by that attitude.

"We have been absolutely furious about this. We have given Fifa everything we have got in terms of how furious we are about this decision. We think it was a terrible decision.

"We didn't back down. We had to look at the sporting sanction that was there.

"We had said we would accept fines, whatever sanctions came, but when it turned at the very last moment to specific sporting sanctions that would have stopped our players taking the field of play potentially, that is a different thing. It was done so late."

Read what else Noel Mooney had to say here

Image source, BBC Sport

Think you know your World Cup players?

Well, grab yourself a brew and get your thinking caps on because we're giving you the chance to prove it.

You have got two minutes on the clock to name these seven players.

Good luck!

BBC Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand says some of his superstar England team-mates "shrunk" under the pressure of international football.

"I've played with some players that shrunk and weren't the same type of player on the international scene.

"It was the pressure and the type of attention, especially the negative press and reaction.

"It was some of the giant players and it's surprising to see that."

Four more games coming up today of course with our live text commentary on the opening game from Group G between Switzerland and Cameroon now under way.

Remember you can stay across the whole of the World Cup schedule on the BBC Sport website right here.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

You'd never have guessed but Spain's 7-0 win over Costa Rica has gone down rather well at home.

“The trip to the desert has been wonderful for Spain” said La Vanguardia, external which marvelled at the “most brilliant collective exercise so far in the tournament”.

El Mundo, external called the team a “group of guys playing billiards, not football” who left their opponents “unable to guess the next move, the next touch, the next wall, the next game changer".

El Pais, external also revelled in the “historic thrashing” and called it an “almost perfect game” for Spain.

There was a slightly more downbeat tone in Costa Rica mind.

The Tico Times, external called their defeat a “brutal World Cup opener," and Nacion, external declared the result a “nightmare” even before the final whistle was blown.

Looking ahead to the rest of Group E, it noted that “Germany is not the giant that it seemed and underestimating Japan is a sin”.

Image source, BBC Sport

This is well worth a listen...

Kelly Cates is joined by our football correspondent John Murray, Dion Dublin and French football journalist Julien Laurens for reaction to the big stories from day four of the World Cup in Qatar,

The guys discuss Japan’s shock 2-1 win over Germany, what impact Germany’s pre-match gesture aimed at FIFA will have, and Spain’s 7-0 thrashing of Costa Rica.

Emma Saunders gives us the latest from the England camp, as Raheem Sterling explains why he wasn’t happy with one of his teammates during their 6-2 win over Iran.

And Statman Dave tells us who to look out for in Thursday’s matches.

Image source, Getty Images

At the age of 39 years and 288 days, Canada captain Atiba Hutchinson became the second-oldest outfield player ever to appear in a World Cup game, after only Roger Milla for Cameroon in 1994 (42y 39d).

Image source, Getty Images

Along with Neymar, there are several other huge names that are likely making World Cup swan songs at this tournament.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer are all at an age where you'd think an other World Cup is beyond them.

Plus the likes of Virgil van Dijk and England's Harry Kane aren't getting any younger.

But which player do you think could finish with a flourish so to speak? And while we are at it what's the most memorable moment you can remember from a player in his final World Cup?

Zinedine Zidane anyone? Three goals and a general inspiration as France reached the 2006 final before he was then famously sent off.

Gary Rose
BBC Sport

As their star player fell to the ground, screaming in pain with his arm bent round to his back, a whole nation breathed in and feared the worst.

Neymar was Brazil's talisman, the one who would lead the national team to glory on home soil at the 2014 World Cup but, after a knee to the back as he challenged for the ball with Colombia's Juan Zuniga, the then 22-year-old's vertebrae was broken and he was out of the tournament.

Brazil won the game to progress to the semi-finals, but there they fell to a humiliating 7-1 loss against Germany. Four years ago, they went out in the quarter-finals to Belgium.

Although Neymar is now 30, he's in some of the best form of his career and there's a real hope this could be his and Brazil's year.

Read the full feature.

As per 08:20 post....

We will be hearing all the latest from the England camp later today as they prepare for Friday's Group B match against USA.

That includes an update on the fitness of Harry Kane, who has had a scan on an ankle injury suffered against Iran.

The Three Lions skipper was able to train with his team-mates on Wednesday though, boosting hopes he will be fit for Friday's second Group B match.

Image source, Getty Images

As well of oodles of action, there are loads of manager and player news conferences to come later today as well namely from:

• Qatar (08:30)
• Senegal (09:15)
• Ecuador (11:00)
• Netherlands (11:45)
• USA (12:30)
• Poland (13:15)
• France (13:30)
• Wales (14:30)
• Iran (15:00)
• England (16:00)

All times are GMT. Enough to keep you going?

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer in Doha

Canada were roared on by thousands of fans inside Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, giving thunderous and colourful backing to John Herdman's team.

And even though their first game of this World Cup ended in defeat, Canada's supporters still gave their team a deserved standing ovation at the final whistle after a performance in which they did everything but score the goal they richly merited.

Canada were fearless from the first whistle, sensing vulnerability in Belgium's defence and the disjointed nature of Martinez's team, whose ranking means they should be among the World Cup favourites.

They had Belgium on the run but squandered their big chance when Davies' tame penalty was saved by Courtois following Yannick Carrasco's handball. It was to prove a pivotal moment.

Canada made nearly all the running and had 22 efforts on goal but only three were on target, leaving them at the mercy of one moment of quality from Belgium, which duly arrived with Michy Batshuayi's goal.

Compared to Wednesday's other three games, the first match of the day was a bit of a damp squib as Croatia, runners-up four years ago, started their World Cup campaign with a goalless draw against Morocco.

Only four players from their final defeat by France in 2018 started this game and they lacked an attacking spark throughout, but came closest through Nikola Vlasic's toe-poked effort.

Morocco were impressive, but failed to create clear-cut opportunities.

Croatia, who are 12th in Fifa's world rankings, dominated possession as expected, but they were unable to create opportunities or break down Morocco, who have only lost two of their past 40 games across three years.

As you can see though, we've done a decent job of grabbing all the highlights.