OPINION: It is a bumper weekend for sport with an All Blacks test, Kiwis test, State of Origin and some roundball tournament taking place in Mr Putin's backyard.
No doubt the oval-ball codes will take centre stage in most Kiwi households, but I'm about to hit you with three reasons why you must catch Football World Cup action this weekend.
The Viking Clap – Iceland vs Nigeria, Saturday 3am (NZ time)
Iceland were the darlings of Euro 2016, eliminating England, before succumbing to hosts France in the quarter-finals.
They started their first World Cup superbly, holding the Argentinians to a 1-1 draw. Now, with Croatia thrashing the Leo Messi' boys on Friday morning, Iceland's clash with Nigeria could very well produce the second qualifier from Group D.
But what makes the Icelandics quite possibly the coolest team in Russia are their supporters.
The Viking Clap went viral in 2014 – the most awesome crowd chant in football, outside of anything produced by Liverpool fans.
Often imitated - I'm looking at you, Canberra Raiders fans - but never bettered, expect fans of the Nordic nation to go medieval, if their lads get the points on Saturday morning.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – Serbia v Switzerland Saturday, 6am (NZ time)
Courted by Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Juventus, the 23-year-old midfielder is the hottest property in world football.
Currently at Lazio, Milinkovic-Savic is likely to become one of the most expensive players in the game in a few weeks' time.
He has the talent to back up the hype. He was magical in Serbia's opening round win over a very good Costa Rican side and will play a key role in their tournament progress.
I could best describe him as a cross between Zinedine Zidane and Patrick Viera. The young Serb is beautiful to watch and makes football look easy.
Serbia have arguably the most talented young side in Russia, with the likes of Marko Grujic and Milos Veljkovic accompanying their more high-profile teammate.
They can book a second-round spot with a win over the Swiss.
Germany vs Sweden – Sunday 6am (NZ time)
It seemed inconceivable before the tournament began that the world champions could be eliminated after180 minutes of football.
A loss to Mexico in their opening game leaves that exact possibility now a probability, judging from what both these sides displayed first time out.
The Germans were rushed, unorganised and error-ridden, which is the polar opposite of what they have been in the 34-odd years I have been watching World Cup football.
Sweden, for their part, were everything the Germans weren't. Look, the South Korean opposition wasn't elite, but the Asian side are very good.
The Swedes repelled Korea's attack and did enough to get the points through a first-half penalty.
Make no mistake about it, Germany are in trouble and looking odds-on to continue the trend of defending champions struggling to make it out of group play.
Brad Lewis is Newshub senior online sports producer.
