World Cup group stage delivers shocks, milestones and emotional moments

MEXICO CITY: The group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has produced a series of dramatic storylines across the three host nations, from emotional home moments and surprise qualifiers to major disappointments for established teams.

The tournament opened with celebrations in multiple venues. In Mexico City, Shakira performed at Azteca Stadium before 80,000 spectators at the ground that previously staged the World Cup finals of 1970 and 1986. A day later, Los Angeles hosted a Hollywood-style opening event featuring Katy Perry, Future and Jason Sudeikis as the United States welcomed the competition.

Mexico began their campaign with a 2-0 win over South Africa after Julian Quinones scored the first goal of the tournament in the ninth minute. Raul Jimenez then added Mexico’s second in the 67th minute with a header from Roberto Alvarado’s cross. The goal carried added significance for the 35-year-old striker, whose career was threatened by a fractured skull in 2020 and whose father died in March. Jimenez marked his first World Cup goal by pointing skyward and breaking into tears in front of the home crowd.

United States progress, smaller teams make an impact

The United States finished top of Group D with their highest-ever goal return at a World Cup. They beat Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0 before losing 3-2 to Turkiye after already securing qualification. Nearly 25 million viewers watched the US opening match, a figure said to be higher than the average NBA Finals game.

The event also drew visible fan culture across American cities. Netherlands supporters turned streets orange in Kansas City, Norway fans brought Viking-style rowing displays to Citi Field in New York, and Scotland’s travelling support filled bars in Boston. One fan said the tournament was giving Americans a chance to experience football culture.

Cape Verde emerged as one of the most notable stories of the first round. With a population of just over 500,000, the side became the smallest nation to reach the World Cup knockout stage. They held Spain to a 0-0 draw, drew 2-2 with Uruguay and then shared another goalless match with Saudi Arabia, finishing second in what was described as the group of death. Their 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha was credited with a standout display against Spain.

Uruguay and Tunisia endure difficult campaigns

Uruguay, by contrast, failed to advance after drawing 2-2 with Cape Verde and 1-1 with Saudi Arabia before losing 1-0 to Spain. Darwin Nunez did not score in the group stage, Fernando Muslera made a costly mistake and Agustin Canobbio was sent off. After the team’s exit, coach Marcelo Bielsa said: "I have not left anything to Uruguayan football."

Tunisia’s tournament also collapsed badly. After qualifying for the World Cup without conceding, they exited with zero points and 12 goals conceded. Their manager was dismissed after the opening game, described as the fastest sacking in World Cup history. Herve Renard was then appointed and said he was "ashamed".

Tunisia’s disarray was underlined in the Netherlands match when one player returned late for the second half, causing a delay.

Turkiye, tipped in some quarters as outside contenders, were unable to recover from defeats to Australia and Paraguay despite a final-day 3-2 win over the United States. Before their opener, Arda Guler was caught on camera telling teammates: “Come on, boys. We are much better than them… Let’s prove it from the first minute!”

After the elimination, Guler said: “I didn’t play well; none of us played well. Whatever they say, they’re right.”

South Africa recover, Iran fall short

South Africa rebounded after a difficult start to reach the knockout stage for the first time. They lost 2-0 to Mexico in their opening match and had two players sent off, then drew 1-1 with Czechia before Thapelo Maseko scored in the 63rd minute of a decisive win over South Korea. Captain Ronwen Williams said: "Everybody was against us. We use that as energy."

Iran, meanwhile, were left out of the knockout round after three draws in Group G. The team arrived with their country facing economic sanctions, political isolation and severe travel restrictions. Iran drew 2-2 with New Zealand, having twice come from behind, then held Belgium 0-0 despite being unable to make use of Belgium’s numerical disadvantage after a red card.

In their final match against Egypt, Iran conceded early before Ramin Rezaeian equalised. Mehdi Taremi then missed a penalty. In stoppage time, Shoja Khalilzadeh appeared to have scored a winner that would have sent Iran through for the first time, but VAR ruled the goal out for offside. Soon afterwards, Saeid Ezatolahi hit the crossbar with a header. Iran finished third with three points and needed other results to go in their favour, but a draw between Algeria and Austria ended their hopes.

Stars shape the race into the knockout rounds

Among the leading players, Lionel Messi has six goals and leads the Golden Boot standings, with one of them taking him past Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record. Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Ousmane Dembele and Vinicius Junior were all reported to have four goals. Argentina completed the group stage with another win, with Messi coming off the bench to score again.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s group-stage campaign was more uneven. After a quiet first game against DR Congo, he scored twice against Uzbekistan to become the first player to net in six different World Cups. After that performance, he said: "I’m back."

He did not score in Portugal’s final group match, however. Portugal finished second in their group with four points and are set to face Croatia in the last 32. France won all three of their group matches, while Spain progressed with a measured and disciplined campaign.