The 2026 FIFA World Cup has delivered and then some. The largest-ever edition of the tournament—in stature and structure—began with loads of goals, upsets, individual brilliance, and most importantly, unforgettable stories. CST’s José Guerra and Gracin Galbreath give you a digestible review of the first week’s performances.
HOST CHECK
There wasn’t a single host that didn’t make the most out of their moment. The United States and Mexico used their raucous fan presence to stun their opponents, while Canada were inspired into a late equalizer and a huge first point against Bosnia & Herzegovina. All of them are in the picture for topping their group. – Gracin
SHOCK RESULTS
Every World Cup delivers shocks from the start, and this time around has been no exception.
Mighty Spain (ranked #2 by FIFA as of June 11), the reigning European champions, were held goalless in a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde (#69). The hero of this match was Cape Verde’s goalkeeper, 40-year-old Vozinha, whose performance made him a global sensation, going from a few thousand followers on Instagram to over 10 million.
Portugal (#5) was barely able to draw 1-1 against the Democratic Republic of Congo (#46). The team’s star, Cristiano Ronaldo, seemed to weigh down his team through attempts at individual play but overall, it was a slow and unimaginative performance by one of the favorites.
Switzerland (#19), a dark horse for the World Cup but still a strong team, drew with Qatar (#56), who didn’t win a point in their home World Cup four years ago. The Swiss were slow, plodding, and conservative which played into Qatar’s tactical approach of defending in numbers. – José
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
38-year-old Lionel Messi stole the show 20 years to the very day that he debuted at the World Cup. His hat trick against Algeria not only made him the current tournament’s top scorer, but equalized Miroslav Klose’s all-time scoring record at the tournament. Somehow, he still shocks us all.
Sweden put as many as five goals past a Tunisian side that didn’t even concede in qualifiers. The striker duo of Alexander Isak and Victor Gyokeres were unstoppable, contributing to four of those five goals, while Yasin Ayari scored a brace from midfield. – Gracin
GROUP A: OLD FOES, OLD FRIENDS
Mexico had played against South Africa in the opening match of the 2010 South Africa World Up exactly 16 years before to the day. They took the match 2-0 with Raul Jimenez scoring the second goal, his first in four World Cup competitions. He broke down in tears as he lifted his hands to the sky in tribute to his father, who had passed away three months before.
South Korea, another previous foe but also friend of Mexico, came from behind to bring down Czechia 2-1. Pavel Bucha’s homeland team didn’t bring him onto the roster before the tournament and failed to hold a 1-0 after 60 minutes. – José
GROUP B: LEAF IT ALL ON THE LINE
Qatar and Switzerland opened up the second day with something of a shock. The vast majority of the match was unsurprisingly dominated by the Swiss, but a very late equalizing header from Qatar ended it at 1-1 with one point apiece.
The following matinee for Canada’s opener as host followed the same pattern, as the Bosnians scored first and bunkered down for a large portion of the match. However, the Canadians finally found their moment from a Cyle Larin equalizer, and with it, their first point at a World Cup. – Gracin
GROUP C: DAVID(S) VS GOLIATH
Brazil is again a favorite with the pundits, but yours truly believes they are not the powerhouse they used to be. This was borne out when Lions de l’Atlas (Morocco) managed a 1-1 draw against the Brazilian Seleção squad. The Moroccans are no pushovers, but Brazil showed a lack of cohesion coupled with individual brilliant play from their stars. Not a recipe for long term success in the competition.
Elsewhere, the “Tartan Army” from Scotland eked out a 1-0 win against the fast moving and surprisingly good Les Grenadiers from Haiti. The fans from Scotland dominated much of the headlines with their off-pitch antics and contributions. – José
GROUP D: ANGLOPHONES ANSWER THE CALL
The Americans seized the day in a three-decade long wait to be hosts. They were unplayable with intricate spells of possession, quick transitions, and zonal awareness. As a result, the U.S. scored four emphatic goals to Paraguay’s lone consolation goal.
Late into the night, the Australian “Socceroos” stunned a dark-horse Turkey squad with devastating counterattacks and complete solidity at the back in a 2-0 win. – Gracin
GROUP E: THE GUANTLET FOR SURVIVAL
In most World Cups, Germany would have been the hands-down favorite to take this group, but with Die Mannschaft having failed to get out of the group stage in 2018 and 2022, there were questions. They answered with a crushing 7-1 win over “The Blue Wave” of Curaçao. The Caribbean team may have been happy just to be there, scoring a first-half equalizer, but their quest for survival was dashed after six consecutive scores by the Germans.
Ecuador came into this tournament having qualified second in CONMEBOL, but La Tri was brought down by a very talented Ivory Coast team, 1-0. Along with much of the African continent, Les Éléphants are flexing their muscles. – José
GROUP F: GROUP OF DYNAMISM
The heavyweight clash between the Netherlands and Japan did not disappoint, becoming one of the matches of the tournament in a back-and-forth 2-2 settlement. (Read all about the coverage from our CST contingent that made the trip. – Ed.)
At night, Sweden decimated the Tunisians 5-1. The following morning, Tunisia became the first team in the tournament to sack their manager. Hervé Renard takes the wheel, having coached Morocco and Saudi Arabia in the past two World Cup cycles. – Gracin
GROUP G: UP FOR GRABS
The “Red Devils” from Belgium are transitioning from their Golden Generation and it showed, barely able to muster a 1-1 draw against the “The Pharaohs” from Egypt. The European team has not won its last three World Cup matches.
In a game that had much intrigue because of how unknown the teams are, the “All-Whites” from New Zealand and “Team Melli” from Iran put up a show for the spectators in a lively 2-2 draw. Iran has been a sentimental favorite, given all the travails they have suffered to play in the USA. – José
GROUP H: TAPAS FOR EVERYONE
The headlines were stolen by one of the biggest underdog performances in recent memory, as Spain failed to score amidst the heroic efforts of the Cabo Verdeans in their first match and first point on the world stage.
Uruguay and Saudi Arabia came to a 1-1 result, despite Marcelo Bielsa’s side having all the momentum in the second half. – Gracin
GROUP I: VIKINGS TO RAID LES BLEUS
Who will rule this group? Kilian Mbappé or Erling Haaland? At the moment, it’s both of them.
France defeated the stubborn “Lions of Teranga” from Senegal, 3-1. Mbappé scored a brace in the second half to once again announce his presence. The Røde-Hvite-Blå (Red, White & Blue) from Norway easily subdued the “Lions of Mesopotamia” from Iraq 4-1 behind a brace from Haaland. – José
GROUP J: THE GOAT SHOW IN ITS 20TH SEASON
Argentina didn’t miss a beat in their long-anticipated first match as defenders of the trophy, winning 3-0 and hardly giving Algeria a chance on the back of a hat-trick from Lionel Messi.
In another late night high-scoring affair, Jordan were briefly level with Ralf Rangnick’s Austria, but their hopes ended thr0ugh two goal concessions in the final fifteen minutes to lose 3-1. – Gracin
GROUP K: COFFEE, PREDATORS, AND LEGENDS
The Oq bo‘rilar (“White Wolves”) from Uzbekistan made their debut against Los Cafetertos (“The Coffee Makers”) from Colombia. The Uzbeks put up a strong fight against the South Americans, only to fall 3-1 in the Estadio Azteca.
The Seleção das Quinas (“Team of the Shields”) from Portugal barely managed a 1-1 draw against a resilient and physical Les Léopards from DR Congo. Questions immediately arose as to whether Ronaldo is helping or hindering the team. – José
GROUP L: THREE ROARED, ONE PURRED
Familiar foes England and Croatia held a 2-2 split at the break as Harry Kane sat on a brace. In the next half, the English attacking threat was too overwhelming as they scored two unanswered goals—it could have been more—to win it 4-2.
The match immediately following it between Ghana and Panama was a stalemate all the way until stoppage time, when Caleb Yirenkyi finished a nifty dribbling run for the 1-0 tap-in winner. – Gracin
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
- All three hosts have an opportunity to build on their opening matches successes. As of this writing, Mexico, Canada, and the United States have already won their second matches, with Mexico and the U.S. already qualified for the next round. Canada is still fighting to determine its place in the next round.
- Favorites coming into the tournament such as Brazil and Spain had work to do and will have the chance to either make a statement or raise more questions. Brazil appears to have answered them with an emphatic 3-0 win over Haiti, even though the second half was scoreless. Others such as Argentina, France, and England made strong cases as teams that can reach at least the semifinals.
- Dark horses such as Norway, Belgium, and Portugal are a mixed bag, and after a first round of matches, no real conclusions can be made. However, Norway made their statement win and will look towards building on it as they eventually face off France, but not before playing Senegal. Belgium will need to show more power, but they should be able to get into the next round. Portugal will have to answer the question of whether to play with or without Ronaldo.
- Finally, stadiums, as many have predicted, are either being filled or have very strong attendance. This should be no surprise since, despite the ridiculous high prices, the true fans (and corporations) will continue to snap up tickets. – José
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