FIFA World Cup 2026: The First Round Is Complete. Here Are All the Stories That Matter.

June 19 (Daily Mirror) - The 2026 FIFA World Cup promised the biggest opening act in the tournament's 96-year history, and for the most part, it delivered. Forty-eight teams. Twelve groups. Twenty-four matches crammed into seven days. By the time every nation had played its first game, the conversation had already shifted from expectation to evidence.

Germany destroyed Curaçao by seven goals. Spain, the top-ranked team in the world, was held scoreless by debutants Cape Verde. Messi reminded everyone why Argentina arrived as defending champions. And a resurgent Africa proved, in result after result, that the continent is no longer content to participate quietly.

According to the tournament statistics, a total of 600 shots were registered in the opening phase of the 48-team tournament, out of which 200 were on target, with Turkiye's Arda Guler being the most active shooter as he registered eight attempts on goal.

Two-time champions Uruguay, on the other hand, registered the highest tally of corners in a single match of the ongoing mega event thus far, 42, besides earning 14 corners in a single fixture, another tournament-best mark.

Below is a summary account of how the first round of the 2026 World Cup unfolded.

What the First Round Told Us

The headline from the first round of the 2026 World Cup is not any single result. It is a theme. Africa is back, or rather, Africa has arrived in a way it never quite has before. Morocco held Brazil. Egypt drew with Belgium. DR Congo denied Portugal. Cape Verde stunned Spain. Ghana won with a last-gasp goal. South Africa pushed Mexico before conceding. Only a handful of African nations fell short, and even those results were competitive. At recent World Cups, African teams have largely been eliminated before the knockout stage without making much noise. That story is already being rewritten.

Germany's 7-1 win over Curaçao was the most emphatic result of the week. Still, there was also something telling about Spain's failure to score against the same calibre of opponent that Germany annihilated. La Roja will regroup, but the 0-0 result was a warning sign that cannot be entirely dismissed. Even the best teams in the world can have bad days on the biggest stage.

On the individual front, Messi's hat-trick, Haaland's brace, Mbappé's goal and assist, Kane's double, and Balogun's debut all served notice that the Golden Boot race will be a genuinely competitive battle this summer. Eight players already had two or more goals after the first round.

The second round of group games is already underway. The group stage runs until June 27, with the Round of 32 — a format entirely new to the World Cup — beginning on June 28. There are still 80 matches left to be played. If the first round is any guide to what comes next, very few of them will be forgettable.