The last two days have completed the first round of group-stage fixtures at the 2026 World Cup, and the shape of the tournament is already more interesting than anticipated. Portugal’s much-discussed last act for Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, did not go to plan in Houston, where DR Congo held Roberto Martínez’s side to a 1–1 draw that was, by most statistical measures, not the injustice it may have appeared. England beat Croatia 4–2 in Dallas in a match that swung between alarming and exhilarating — sometimes within the same minute. Ghana, in the last gasp of stoppage time in Toronto, scored what may prove to be the most precious single goal of the group stage so far. And the Africa Cup of Nations holder’s performance across the board, combined with a string of results that have scrambled the expected hierarchy, has given this World Cup a texture that FIFA’s expansion format was supposed to promise but few quite believed would materialise.
The Ronaldo Problem
Portugal’s opening Group K fixture in Houston was supposed to be the scene of Cristiano Ronaldo’s triumphant arrival at what is, at 41, almost certainly his final World Cup. It did not unfold that way. João Neves, 21 years old and increasingly among European football’s most quietly authoritative midfielders, put Portugal ahead after six minutes — a header from a Pedro Neto cross that was precise and well-timed, and which Neves dedicated to the recently deceased Diogo Jota. That should have been the launchpad for a measured, controlled Portuguese afternoon.
Instead, DR Congo equalised just before half-time. After a short corner, Arthur Masuaku whipped a ball to the back post, and Yoane Wissa — the Newcastle striker who has developed into one of the Premier League’s more underrated forwards — thumped a header into the roof of the net. It was the first goal DR Congo, or Zaire as they then were, had scored in a World Cup since their one previous appearance in 1974. The watching fans in Houston were briefly stunned; the DR Congo players were not. They had come here to play.
The second half produced the tournament’s defining Ronaldo image so far: swarmed by defenders whenever the ball arrived at his feet, firing two close-range efforts wide of the post when openings did present themselves, ultimately substituted with the score unchanged at 1–1. The goalless run in major tournaments continues, now stretching across 10 games. At 41 years and 132 days, Ronaldo became the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match — a record that was both a tribute to his longevity and, on this particular afternoon, a reminder that physical records and football effectiveness are not quite the same thing.
Portugal’s xG for the game was 0.64, against DR Congo’s 0.82. In other words, the Leopards were, on expected-goals terms, the better side. Manager Sébastien Desabre later described it as executing their game plan exactly as intended. Roberto Martínez would probably not describe his afternoon in quite those terms. With Colombia also in Group K — and the South Americans expected to be formidable — Portugal cannot afford another afternoon like this.
England and the Tuchel Paradox
England’s 4–2 win over Croatia in Dallas was, depending on which 45 minutes you watched, either a statement of genuine intent or a cause for mild alarm, or possibly both simultaneously. Thomas Tuchel reflected as much in his post-match assessment, noting that his side spent too long in a low block, that the defensive shape was too passive, and that both Croatian equalisers stemmed from structural errors England should be better equipped to avoid. All of which is true. It is also true that England finished with 22 shots, created chance after chance after the interval, and produced a second half of football that was, at times, quite brilliant.
Harry Kane opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 12th minute, after Noni Madueke drew a foul from Luka Modrić — a moment of generational irony, the old master and the new generation colliding in the Texas heat. Kane’s first attempt was saved by Dominik Livaković, but encroachment was spotted by the referee, the retake was ordered, and this time Kane found the net. It is worth noting: Kane has now scored the most penalties in World Cup history excluding shootouts, with five. He is also, after his second goal — a header from Declan Rice’s corner in the 42nd minute — level with Gary Lineker on 10 World Cup goals for England. Few records in English football carry quite that weight.
Croatia twice pulled level: Martin Baturina in the 36th minute and Petar Musa just before half-time. Each time, England’s defensive vulnerability was exposed through the centre — Modrić, even at 40, finding spaces that a better-organised backline should have closed. The half-time whistle arrived with the score at 2–2, and England’s fans somewhere between irritated and anxious.
The second half was different. Jude Bellingham, given the number ten role ahead of Morgan Rogers, restored England’s lead just two minutes after the restart with a solo drive from the right that finished low across Livaković. The goalscoring posture he struck after — unhurried, self-possessed, already mid-celebration before the ball had stopped rolling — said everything about a player who treats the big occasion as his natural habitat. From there, England piled on. Livaković made save after save, keeping Croatia nominally competitive as England’s football became increasingly fluid. Marcus Rashford, introduced as a substitute, combined with Bukayo Saka to put the result beyond doubt in the 85th minute. Final score: 4–2. England top Group L.
The problems are real — two goals conceded against an opponent who, whatever their quality, are not among the tournament’s genuine powers — but they are not fatal. Tuchel’s side showed enough in the second half to suggest that when the defensive questions are resolved, this could be a formidable team.
Africa’s Best Day
The tournament’s longest single narrative over the first round of fixtures is not European, and it is not South American. It belongs to the African sides, who have produced a collective performance across eight games that challenges every assumption about the continent’s footballing standing at the World Cup level.
Ghana provided the most dramatic single moment of the June 17 programme. Against Panama in Toronto, neither side had managed to score through ninety minutes of cautious, attritional football. Then, deep into stoppage time, substitute Caleb Yirenkyi poked the ball home for a 1–0 Ghana victory — described by Yahoo Sports as the latest regulation-time match-winner in World Cup history. It was the kind of goal that changes everything: Ghana now sit level on points with England in Group L after a single matchday, with the entire group live heading into the second round of fixtures.
Across the tournament, DR Congo’s draw with Portugal added to Cape Verde’s goalless result against Spain, Senegal’s resilience against France, Morocco’s draw with Brazil, and Egypt’s point against Belgium. These are not freak results — they are a pattern. The African teams that qualified for this tournament arrived with tactical sophistication and Premier League-calibre individuals that previous World Cup generations could not access. Wissa plays for Newcastle. Ghana’s Caleb Yirenkyi is part of a squad peppered with players from European leagues. The gap has narrowed in ways that are now showing up in the scorelines.
Ronaldo and the Last Lap
Separately from the result itself, Portugal’s opening match threw into sharp relief the question that has followed Ronaldo across two World Cups and multiple European Championships: what is his actual role now? At 41, he can still press defenders, still make runs, still fire the crowd — but the clinical finishing that defined him in his prime is demonstrably less reliable, and the space and time required to operate effectively at this level has shrunk. The decision to start him remains, in Roberto Martínez’s mind, non-negotiable. Whether the system can be built to accommodate him while still functioning efficiently is the question that will determine Portugal’s ceiling in this tournament.
There is a parallel to the Messi situation for Argentina, who began their title defence emphatically against Algeria three days earlier — but the parallel holds only so far. Messi at 38 is still playing at a level that no empirical analysis can adequately explain. Ronaldo at 41 is playing at a level that is impressive for a person of his age and demanding for a tournament of this intensity. The distinction matters.
What the First Round Tells Europe
For the European sides — sixteen of them across twelve groups — the first round has produced a mixed picture that is broadly consistent with what tournament football always reveals: pre-tournament form is only a partial guide, and the expanded 48-team format rewards tactical flexibility over assumed superiority.
England and Germany have looked the most settled of the European contingent so far, even if both have questions in defence. France won their opener convincingly. Portugal did not. Spain were held by Cape Verde. Norway impressed in their return to the World Cup. Switzerland, Belgium, and several others have yet to fully open their accounts. The knockout stages begin on June 28, and with eight third-place teams advancing, the group stage has more margin for error than before — but also more opportunity for the unexpected.
The tournament’s clearest early message is that the hierarchy has not disappeared, but it has blurred. In a competition this size, played across three countries over six weeks, that blurring is not a bug. It is, finally, the feature.
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