The 2026 World Cup is exactly one round old, and already the picture is coming into focus. Argentina, France, and England all won. Germany scored seven. And Spain got held by Cape Verde, which nobody had on their bingo card.
Let’s start with the defending champs. Argentina beat Algeria 3-0, and Lionel Messi scored all three goals. At 38 years old. That tied him with Miroslav Klose for the most World Cup goals ever. The guy just keeps writing his own script. Argentina’s supporting cast hasn’t exactly blown the doors off since Qatar, but it doesn’t matter when they can still feed Messi and watch him go to work. Three points, statement made.
France looked ordinary for about 45 minutes against Senegal. Then Kylian Mbappe woke up. He scored twice, passed Pele on the all-time World Cup goals list, and reminded everyone he’s 27 years old chasing a third final appearance. Senegal came in as African champions (or at least they were until they got bounced from the Nations League), but they couldn’t hang after halftime. France’s attack is just unfair when it clicks. Also worth noting: the ref missed a stonewall penalty on Mbappe early on. Didn’t matter.
England beat Croatia 4-2 in Arlington, and it was both encouraging and a little messy. Harry Kane bagged a brace and made his own Golden Boot statement. But they also gave up the lead twice before halftime. Thomas Tuchel read the team out at the break, and they steadied in the second half. Croatia is the toughest test in that group on paper, so walking away with three points is fine. But the defense needs tightening.
Spain got the weirdest result of round one. The near-unanimous pick among writers to win the whole thing played Cape Verde — a World Cup debutant — and ended up in a 0-0 draw. Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams both came off the bench, suggesting they might not be fully fit yet. That changes things if they’re both available. For now, Spain sits lower than expected in these rankings.
Germany put seven past Curacao. That sounds dominant. And it mostly was. But Curacao — a tiny Caribbean island smaller than the Isle of Man — equalized 1-1 in the 21st minute and gave Germany a real fright before the floodgates opened. Julian Nagelsmann’s team showed the kind of ruthlessness that vanished after 2014. If they do this against Ecuador or Ivory Coast, watch out.
Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo looked old. All due respect to a legend, but Ronaldo, now 40, was invisible in a 0-0 draw with DR Congo. Goncalo Ramos sat on the bench. That decision is going to get questioned loudly if Portugal can’t create chances. Right now they’re in the rankings mostly on reputation.
Brazil looked flat against Morocco and needed Vinicius Jr. to bail them out. Carlo Ancelotti’s team seems stiff and uninspired, the kind of performance that screams early-round exit if they don’t figure it out. Morocco, meanwhile, looked like the better side, which tracks for a team that made the semifinals in 2022.
The U.S. men kicked off in style. A 4-1 win over Paraguay, with Folarin Balogun scoring twice. The crowd was loud, the energy was real, and now casual American fans are convincing themselves the U.S. can win the whole thing. That’s probably premature, but it’s fun while it lasts. Sweden also deserves a mention after beating Tunisia 4-0. Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres both scored, and they fired their coach after the game. The Swedes weren’t supposed to be here after a terrible qualifying campaign, but they took the Nations League path and now they look dangerous.
One round down. Plenty of chaos left.
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