Cape Verde held Spain to a draw in the Group For The 2026 World Cup, one of the opening week's clearest upsets. The first set of matches finished after seven days, with all 48 teams playing across three countries and 32 of the 48 sides set to go through to the next phase.
Lionel Messi and Argentina
In the Group J opener Argentina played Algeria, and thousands of fans flocked to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi. That match framed the week: a marquee name drawing a crowd while unexpected results elsewhere shifted early perceptions of the expanded format.
United States 4-1 Win
The United States beat Paraguay 4-1, the clearest result among opening fixtures. Mexico opened with victory over South Africa, Canada picked up their first-ever point, Australia and South Korea won, and Japan held the Netherlands — results that mixed comfortable wins with draws that kept several groups unsettled.
Curacao Scored Against Germany
Curacao scored against Germany despite being drubbed, Jordan pushed Austria for long periods, and DR Congo held Portugal. Brazil, Uruguay and Switzerland were all held to draws by so-called lesser nations, while Qatar and Saudi Arabia picked up creditable draws that fed the week’s narrative of competitive balance.
Before kickoff there were concerns that the expanded tournament would produce boring, one-sided contests, but several underdogs instead earned draws or wins. "There has been a lot of the talk about the expansion, but you can see it is bringing out the best in teams." — Emma Hayes (said to ITV)
The opening seven days produced a record 104 matches across the tournament and 75 goals in that first set of fixtures. With 48 teams in the field and 32 moving on, two-thirds of sides will progress from the group phase; which teams advance will be decided by group-stage results and the usual ranking and tiebreaker procedures used to order teams within each group.
Will the early competitive balance continue once the group stage progresses and bigger teams can afford an off-day?
