The 2026 World Cup finally bursts—after 24 matches

What many feared would be a slow start for the first 48-team 2026 World Cup has, after the first round of group matches—24 games—delivered excitement, attacking football, and even thrilling “deadly dull” scorelines that never stayed dead.

For years, World Cup football comes with a familiar lull.

Around the early days, presenters turn to the pundits and ask whether it’s fair to say the tournament is still waiting to properly “burst into life.” The pattern is usually blamed on the build-up—until Brazil or Argentina play and the football supposedly finds its pace.

No one is saying anything like that about the 2026 World Cup.

Even before a ball was kicked, the tournament carried reasons to be cautious. This is the first 48-team World Cup, which means quality is reduced and third-placed sides progress. Safety-first football was a plausible worry. Climate was also a constant talking point. with the threat of empty seats raised as a way the intensity could be compromised.

The question now—after the first round of group matches, all 24 of them—is whether the tournament’s opening actually broke the script.

After those 24 games, the realistic conclusion is that the football has been as good as could reasonably be expected. There have been great games, great stories, and great players. Every day has brought something new.

The hosting setup has its own impact on that early feeling. This is the first World Cup hosted by three separate nations. It’s too early to judge how well the format works across a full tournament—especially with gruelling journeys still ahead—but the structure has already given the competition a kind of built-in momentum.

In Mexico City, the atmosphere for Mexico’s 2-0 win over South Africa looked fantastic. Canada couldn’t win. but it still found a reason to celebrate when it scored a late equaliser against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Then the United States delivered a performance even its biggest supporters couldn’t have expected: slick interplay and some fantastic goals in a 4-1 demolition of Paraguay.

It’s not just that there have been highlight-reel nights. There’s also a striking absence of the kind of matches that drag the tournament down.

There have been several very good games—and, arguably more crucially, no terrible games. The most testing game thus far, Ghana’s 1-0 win over Panama, still produced a stoppage-time winner. With so many more games still to come, there’s room for even more to happen.

The match that feels most revealing is New Zealand’s 2-2 draw with Iran.

These sides aren’t expected to win the tournament, and they probably won’t reach the round of 16. It was the fourth game of the day. the sort of slot where you’d assume people would switch off. recharge. and go again tomorrow. Instead, the game stayed thrilling—energetic, end-to-end, and full of great goals.

And when the tournament produced a 0-0, the scoreline didn’t settle the mood—it intensified it.

Cape Verde held on for a momentous goalless draw against European champions Spain. So far, underdogs haven’t been completely out of their depth. Even in defeat, they’ve delivered moments people will remember.

That includes a late sting of drama from Qatar, which snatched an equaliser against Switzerland. Curacao were thrashed by Germany, but not without their own flash of impact: Livano Comenencia made it 1-1. Iraq drew 1-1 against Norway, Jordan hit an equaliser against Austria, and DR Congo levelled against Portugal before hanging on. Uzbekistan scored against Colombia—though DR Congo were the only ones in this group of outsiders to turn that into staying power.

Then came the individual statements that turn tournaments into history.

Tuesday was the best day for superstars, with Kylian Mbappé scoring two goals. The moment underlined how quickly the tournament can shift from “let’s see” to “is this the best World Cup player?” The very same day ended with Lionel Messi hitting a hat-trick to remind everyone he remains a world-beater.

Three goals for Lionel Messi has him leading the goalscorer chart of the first round.

Between those headline acts, Erling Haaland scored twice for Norway.

Football is increasingly consumed through individuals rather than teams. Even in that lens, these early weeks have offered what fans usually crave: attacking intent and constantly changing game states.

There’s a personal thread to that, too. Having been in Dallas for two great games—Japan 2-2 Netherlands and England 4-2 Croatia—the excitement of the early tournament felt physical: the games weren’t quiet, and they weren’t cautious. They asked questions and then answered them with goals.

Of course, it’s only the first week of action. Tournaments are remembered for what happens at the business end—especially the final—and for the identity of the winners.

The 2002 World Cup took a while to get going, but the final ended in thrilling fashion with popular winners, so it’s often remembered with fondness. Euro 2004 offered many enjoyable matches, but Greece’s defensive-minded approach is rarely recalled as entertaining.

So far, the 2026 World Cup isn’t offering the kind of “slow burner” many expected.

This hasn’t been a tournament for dipping in and out, or for skipping games that look like foregone conclusions. Fans were promised something bigger than football—about fans, culture, and internationalism—and that part still matters.

But it’s also been, unmistakably, about the football. And so far, it rarely starts off like this—fast, open, and willing to entertain from the first whistle to the last.

2026 World Cup 48-team World Cup group matches Mexico vs South Africa United States vs Paraguay New Zealand vs Iran Cape Verde vs Spain Qatar vs Switzerland Lionel Messi Kylian Mbappé Erling Haaland underdogs goals