The 2026 FIFA World Cup opened with a celebration — three nations, three ceremonies, and a promise of spectacle.
In Mexico City, Shakira performed at the Azteca Stadium, where 80,000 fans filled the iconic venue that had hosted World Cup finals in 1970 and 1986. The next day, Los Angeles hosted a “Hollywood-style megaparty of music and light”, with Katy Perry, Future and Jason Sudeikis welcoming the world to the United States.
Then the football began.
And with it, stories that no script could have written.
Mexico’s opener against South Africa was supposed to be a routine win. It became something far more memorable.
Julian Quinones scored the first goal of the tournament in the ninth minute. But it was Raul Jimenez’s goal in the 67th minute — a powerful header from Roberto Alvarado’s cross — that brought tears to the eyes of 80,000 fans and millions watching at home.
Jimenez has been through some tough times. A fractured skull in 2020 nearly ended his career and his life. His father, who had been his unwavering supporter, passed away in March. Now, at 35, in front of a home crowd, he scored his first-ever World Cup goal. He pointed to the sky, paid tribute to his father, and let the tears flow. You don’t cry like that unless it matters. That’s what the World Cup does.
Across the Atlantic, another story was unfolding in the land co-hosting the tournament. Critics said America wouldn’t care. They said the World Cup would struggle to capture the nation’s attention. They were wrong.
The United States topped Group ‘D’ with their highest-ever goal tally in a World Cup. They thrashed Paraguay 4-1, beat Australia 2-0, and even in defeat — a 3-2 loss to Turkiye — they had already qualified.
Nearly 25 million watched their opening match, more than the average NBA Finals game. Outside the stadiums, the tournament became a cultural event.
In Kansas City, a sea of orange flooded the streets as Netherlands fans marched. In New York, Norway’s Viking rowing echoed through Citi Field. Scotland’s Tartan Army, kilts and all, drank bars dry in Boston.
“This is what the World Cup is all about,” one fan said. “It’s an opportunity for Americans to discover soccer culture.”
A nation learning to love the beautiful game, filling stadiums from coast to coast. The World Cup had arrived in America, and it had made an impression.
The tournament’s power to captivate, however, was not limited to the hosts. A few hundred miles from Mexico City, Cape Verde were writing a fairytale.
The smallest nation to ever reach the knockout round of a World Cup — a population of just over 500,000 — held Spain to a goalless draw. Their 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha produced the performance of his life, denying the European champions shot after shot.
They drew 2-2 with Uruguay, fought back from behind, and then held Saudi Arabia to a 0-0 draw. Three matches, three draws, zero defeats. That was enough to finish second in the group of death.
The team they had drawn with, Uruguay, had a far more harrowing story. The two-time world champions arrived with high hopes and left with none. A 2-2 draw with Cape Verde was followed by a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia and a 1-0 defeat to Spain.
Darwin Nunez did not score once. Fernando Muslera made a costly error. Agustin Canobbio saw red. After the final whistle, Marcelo Bielsa — the coach who has influenced Guardiola, Simeone, and an entire generation of football thinkers — delivered a brutal verdict: “I have not left anything to Uruguayan football.”
It was an honest ending for a team that had lost its way long before the first whistle.
From one shocking collapse to another, the focus shifts to North Africa, where Tunisia’s campaign was a disaster of a different kind. They qualified without conceding a single goal. They arrived with hope. They left with 12 goals conceded, zero points, and a campaign that descended into farce.
They sacked their manager after one game — the quickest sacking in World Cup history. They brought in Herve Renard, who admitted he was “ashamed”. And against the Netherlands, one of their players was late returning to the pitch, forcing a delay to the second half. It was a campaign that had unravelled completely.
The chaos wasn’t confined to the established nations: Turkiye arrived as dark horses, but Arda Guler, the 21-year-old Real Madrid playmaker, was so convinced of his team’s quality that he was caught on camera in the tunnel before their opener, rallying his teammates: “Come on, boys. We are much better than them… Let’s prove it from the first minute!”
Instead, they lost 2-0 to Australia, fell to Paraguay, and salvaged a 3-2 win over the US on the final matchday — too little, too late.
After the elimination, Güler didn’t make excuses. “I didn’t play well; none of us played well,” he admitted. “Whatever they say, they’re right.”
While Turkiye’s story was one of unfulfilled potential, the most remarkable turnaround came from South Africa.
Written off after a humiliating 2-0 defeat to Mexico in their opener — a match that saw them receive two red cards — they were expected to be one of the first teams eliminated.
Instead, they fought back. A 1-1 draw with Czechia kept their hopes alive. Then came the decisive match against South Korea. Thapelo Maseko’s 63rd-minute strike sent South Africa into the knockout round for the first time in their history.
“Everybody was against us,” captain Ronwen Williams said. “We use that as energy.”
It’s a redemption story that will be told for years.
But the cruellest fate belonged to Iran. They arrived with their nation facing economic sanctions, political isolation, and travel restrictions that were unheard of, yet they still fought.
Three draws. Three performances that could have been victories. A 2-2 draw with New Zealand, where they fought back twice. A 0-0 draw with Belgium, where they couldn’t capitalise after Belgium were reduced to ten men. And then the Egypt match — the one that will haunt them.
They fell behind early, equalised through Ramin Rezaeian, missed a penalty through Mehdi Taremi. And then, in stoppage time, Shoja Khalilzadeh bundled the ball home. The players celebrated. The fans roared. It was a dream goal that would send Iran through to the knockout stage for the first time in history.
Then the referee checked VAR. The goal was ruled out. Offside by half a shoe — the tightest of margins. Minutes later, Saeid Ezatolahi’s header crashed off the crossbar. Another chance. Another miss.
Iran finished third in Group ‘G’ with three points. They needed results elsewhere to go their way to advance as one of the best third-placed teams.
The final blow came from the Algeria-Austria match — a draw that ended Iran’s hopes. It’s a cruel, heartbreaking and deeply Iranian story: a nation that keeps fighting with spirit against the odds.
While these teams scrapped for survival, the tournament’s biggest stars illuminated the group stage.
Lionel Messi leads the Golden Boot race with six goals — including the one that broke Miroslav Klose’s all-time record.
Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Ousmane Dembele and Vinicius Junior are right behind with four goals. Argentina wrapped up their group with another victory, with Messi coming off the bench to add to his tally.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s tournament, in contrast, has been a mixed bag. After a quiet opener against DR Congo where he looked laboured, he responded with a brace against Uzbekistan to become the first player to score in six different World Cups.
“I’m back,” he shouted into the camera. But in Portugal’s final group match, he was quiet again, failing to add to his tally. At 41, the inconsistency is perhaps inevitable.
Portugal, with four points, finished second in their group and will face Croatia in the last-32.
France have been relentless, winning all three matches with an attack that looks unstoppable, while Spain, steady and disciplined, are lurking. The knockout rounds will separate the contenders from the pretenders.
The group stage is over.
The round-of-32 begins.
Cape Verde will face Argentina. Uruguay are going home. South Africa are dancing. The United States have made it through. Iran’s heartbreak is a testament to the fine margins of this sport.
This World Cup has already given us shock, spectacle, and a reminder that football is never predictable. The beautiful chaos continues.