Every team at the tournament has now played its first match, and the field is turning toward the second round of fixtures. Host nation Canada is back in action later today against Qatar, a matchup Canada will fancy its chances in. Live coverage continues for Czech Republic vs South Africa at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
France, Argentina, and England at the Top
France’s litmus test produced positive results with a 3-1 opening victory over Senegal. Unlike Spain and Brazil, two other heavily fancied sides, France did not underwhelm. After a stagnant first half, Kylian Mbappe clicked into gear despite being denied a penalty, and his long-range second goal took him past Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time top scorer. Bradley Barcola scored France’s second and proved the team’s strength in depth, coming off the bench to find the net. Against the team that beat Morocco in January’s Africa Cup of Nations final, this was a performance to cement France’s place at the top of the rankings.
At his sixth World Cup, Lionel Messi still has magic in his boots. Watching him score his first hat-trick at the tournament at 38 years old was goosebump-inducing. Could Algeria’s goalkeeper Luca Zidane, the son of France legend Zinedine have done better on two of the three goals? Yes. Does that matter? No. He probably was not helped by having a fractured jaw, in fairness. The main doubts about Argentina revolve around them having an ageing squad. It is a longer tournament than ever before and so their staying power will be tested, but what a start this was. Argentina will be well aware no team has back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
If that’s what Thomas Tuchel’s England are going to look like, sign us up for more. The nation’s star forwards flourished in a 4-2 win over Croatia as Harry Kane registered a double and Jude Bellingham put England back in front after half-time, before Marcus Rashford came off the bench to score a fourth. Harry Kane celebrated with Jude Bellingham after the latter’s goal just after half-time against Croatia. This wasn’t a win against anybody, either. Croatia are a top 15-ranked nation whose goalkeeper, Dominik Livakovic had to bail them out on several occasions. Questions still have to be answered defensively, but England could not have started in much more exciting fashion. England remain third in the rankings behind the 2022 World Cup finalists.
Updated Top Three After Day Seven
The re-ranking marks movement from the previous list. France moved up to the top spot, with England holding at No. 3 behind the 2022 World Cup finalists.
- France (movement: up to No. 1) . Opening 3-1 win over Senegal. Mbappe’s long-range strike made him France’s all-time top scorer ahead of Giroud. Barcola added a bench goal against the AFCON final winners who beat Morocco in January.
- Argentina . Messi’s first World Cup hat-trick at 38 in his sixth tournament. Ageing squad and tournament length remain questions, but the opening display was strong. No back-to-back World Cup winner since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
- England (remain No. 3), 4-2 over Croatia with Kane (two goals), Bellingham after half-time, and Rashford off the bench. Croatia ranked top 15; Livakovic made several saves. Defensive questions remain despite an exciting start under Tuchel.
Germany, Spain, and Brazil
For a nation like Germany, it’s either win the World Cup or nothing, so in terms of their prospects of achieving their goal in 2026, not much was gleaned from a 7-1 win over minnows Curacao. However, there was evidence that Germany’s imaginative attack will be one of the best to watch at the tournament, but their defending might leave much to be desired.
As Spain proved in 2010 when losing their opening game but going on to win the tournament (see also Argentina in 2022), it’s not how you start but how you finish. Still, a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde was a humiliating and hugely disappointing result for the Euro 2024 champions. Unimaginative, uninspiring, predictable and they certainly didn’t look like World Cup winners in the making. Are they just going to rely on Lamine Yamal? There are worse strategies, but perhaps the unfit 18-year-old can’t do it all himself. Spain, the pre-tournament favourites have work to do.
Brazil didn’t set the world alight in their opening match. Carlo Ancelotti made two changes at half-time, an indication they aren’t fine-tuned as yet. Those changes came at full-back and in midfield, two areas of concern for this Brazil team that were not dispelled by the 1-1 draw against Morocco. Brazil can still go on to top Group C, with games against Haiti and Scotland to follow.
Portugal’s day seven stumble stands apart from the winners on the same slate. England, Ghana, and Colombia all took victories while Portugal did not capitalize on the opening window that strong starts are crucial to securing for knockout progression.
