The World Cup games and players to watch in Houston

The big picture: Houston Stadium (formerly NRG Stadium) is hosting five group-stage matches, featuring nine teams.

• Two knockout round games will also be played at the stadium.

State of play: Three teams playing group-stage matches in Houston are perennial powerhouses and hope to make deep runs in the tournament.

🇵🇹 Portugal, ranked No. 5 in the FIFA world ranking, face No. 46 Congo on June 17 and No. 50 Uzbekistan on June 23.

🇳🇱 The Netherlands, ranked No. 8, play No. 38 Sweden on June 20.

🇩🇪 Germany, No. 10, face No. 82 Curaçao on Sunday.

The intrigue: Curaçao's odds of winning the World Cup are 2,500-1, tied for the longest odds with Jordan and Haiti.

Zoom in: There are plenty of storylines coming into World Cup play at Houston Stadium. Here are some players to watch.

• Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, the all-time leader in goals (143) and appearances (227) for Portugal, is considered one of the greatest players of all time. He's playing in a record sixth World Cup but he's never won the tournament.
• Germany's attacking midfielder, Jamal Musiala, 23, has been a star at Bayern Munich since he was a teenager, but he's returning from injury.
• Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk is considered one of the best center-backs of his generation.