75 Goals & Early Surprises Mark World Cup Start

On Thursday 18 June 2026, the opening round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage came to a close, with the tournament's first week seeing current European champions Spain and five-time world champions Brazil both fail to secure victories, while Curacao, DR Congo and Uzbekistan celebrated the first World Cup goals in their national teams' histories.

Chronicle.lu has prepared a group-by-group overview of the opening matchday, which featured 75 goals across 24 matches. According to FIFA, the first week also produced a new single-day World Cup attendance record, with 281,223 fans attending four matches on Tuesday 16 June 2026, while the tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa at the Azteca Stadium drew 80,824 spectators.

Group A: Mexico and South Korea Set Up Top-of-the-Table Clash

Co-hosts Mexico kicked off the tournament in front of their home fans at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, facing South Africa in a repeat of the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. While that encounter ended in a 1-1 draw, Javier Aguirre's team made a winning start this time, defeating Bafana Bafana 2-0 through goals from Julian Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez. The result also marked a positive step in Mexico's bid to bounce back from the disappointment of Qatar 2022, where El Tri failed to progress beyond the group stage for the first time after reaching the knockout rounds in each of their previous eight World Cup appearances.

Mexico are joined on three points by South Korea, who came from behind to defeat Czechia 2-1 in their opening fixture. The two group leaders will now meet in the next round of matches on Friday 19 June 2026 (03:00 CET), with top spot in Group A at stake. Czechia will face South Africa on Thursday 18 June 2026 at 18:00.

Group B: All Square After Opening Matches

Co-hosts Canada were unable to make a winning start to their home World Cup campaign. Playing in front of their supporters in Toronto and without captain Alphonso Davies, who continues his recovery from injury, the Canadians trailed Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-1 for much of the match before Cyle Larin rescued a 1-1 draw in the 78th minute.

All four teams in Group B ended the opening round on one point. Qatar and Switzerland also shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw, with the Gulf nation snatching an equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time. The group's European representatives, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland, will face each other in the second round of fixtures on Thursday 18 June 2026 at 21:00.

Group C: Brazil Stumble as Scotland Go Top

Group C produced one of the most anticipated fixtures of the opening round, as five-time world champions Brazil faced Morocco, the surprise package of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Carlo Ancelotti's team fell behind in the 21st minute when Ismael Saibari found the net for the Atlas Lions, but Vinícius Júnior restored parity ten minutes later. Neither team could find a winner, with the match ending 1-1.

Scotland, appearing at the World Cup for the first time since 1998, lead the group after edging past Haiti 1-0 in their opening match. John McGinn scored the only goal of the game to give the Scots all three points. In the second round of fixtures, Scotland will face Morocco on Saturday 20 June 2026 at midnight, while Brazil take on Haiti later the same day at 02:30.

Group D: USA Make Strongest Start Among Co-Hosts

Among the three co-host nations, the United States made the most emphatic start to the tournament, defeating Paraguay 4-1 to move top of Group D. Folarin Balogun scored twice, becoming the first US player since 1930 to net a brace in a World Cup match.

Australia also opened their campaign with victory, beating Turkey 2-0 to collect three points. The two winning teams will now meet in a potentially decisive clash on Friday 19 June 2026 at Seattle Stadium, with first place in the group on the line.

Group E: Germany Hit Seven Against World Cup Debutants

Germany made a dominant start to their World Cup campaign, brushing aside tournament debutants Curacao 7-1. The four-time world champions scored three times before the break and added four more goals in the second half, with Kai Havertz finding the net twice. Dick Advocaat's side nevertheless enjoyed a historic moment of their own, as Livano Comenencia scored Curacao's first-ever goal at a FIFA World Cup.

The Germans top Group E on goal difference, level on points with Côte d'Ivoire, who secured a dramatic 1-0 victory over Ecuador thanks to Amad Diallo's 90th-minute winner. The two victorious sides will meet on Saturday 20 June 2026 at 22:00 at Toronto Stadium.

Group F: Netherlands and Japan Share Thriller

One of the most entertaining matches of the opening round took place in Dallas, where the Netherlands twice took the lead against Japan. Goals from Virgil van Dijk and Crysencio Summerville appeared set to guide the Dutch to victory, but Keito Nakamura and Daichi Kamada responded on each occasion to earn Japan a 2-2 draw.

Sweden emerged as the early leaders of Group F after a commanding 5-1 win over Tunisia. The defeat proved costly for the North Africans, who dismissed head coach Sabri Lamouchi immediately after the match and quickly appointed Hervé Renard as his successor. The new coach is best remembered for guiding Saudi Arabia to their famous victory (2-1) over Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The group's two European teams, Sweden and the Netherlands, will face each other in the second round of fixtures on Saturday 20 June 2026 at 19:00.

Group G: Four Teams, Two Draws

Group G became another section in which all four teams finished the opening round level on one point. Belgium were held to a 1-1 draw by Egypt, with the bronze medallists from the 2018 FIFA World Cup forced to come from behind after conceding first and only finding an equaliser midway through the second half.

The other match in the group followed a similar pattern, although it was New Zealand who twice held the advantage against Iran. The Iranians managed to respond on both occasions, leaving the teams to settle for a 2-2 draw. Attention now turns to the second round of fixtures, with Belgium facing Iran on Sunday 21 June 2026 at 21:00, while New Zealand and Egypt are scheduled to meet at 03:00 on Monday 22 June 2026.

Group H: Cape Verde Frustrate Spain

One of the tournament favourites, Spain, began their campaign with a surprise 0-0 draw against Cape Verde. La Roja dominated proceedings, registering 27 shots, including seven on target, but were repeatedly denied by 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, whose performance earned him the Player of the Match award.

The group's other fixture also ended all square. Saudi Arabia took the lead shortly before half-time through Abdulelah Al-Amri, only for Uruguay to respond via Maxi Araújo after the break to secure a 1-1 draw. Saudi Arabia now face a stern test against Spain on Sunday 21 June 2026 at 18:00, while Cape Verde will look to build on their impressive start when they take on Uruguay on Monday 22 June 2026 at midnight.

Group I: France Win, Norway Lead

Runners-up at the previous World Cup, France demonstrated their quality in the second half of their opening match against Senegal. Didier Deschamps' team scored three times after the break, with Kylian Mbappé netting twice and Bradley Barcola also finding the target. Ibrahim Mbaye scored Senegal's only goal as Les Bleus claimed a 3-1 victory.

However, that result was not enough to put France top of the group, as Norway defeated Iraq 4-1 in their opener. Erling Haaland scored twice for the Scandinavians, who lead Group I on goal difference. France will face Iraq on Monday 22 June 2026 at 23:00, while Norway meet Senegal on Tuesday 23 June 2026 at 02:00.

Group J: Messi Hat-Trick Powers Argentina

Current champions Argentina began their title defence in emphatic fashion as Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 victory over Algeria. The Argentine captain took his World Cup tally to sixteen goals, drawing level with Germany's Miroslav Klose in the all-time scoring rankings.

Argentina sit top of the group after the opening round, while Austria occupy second place following a 3-1 victory over Jordan. The Austrians will provide the next challenge for Messi and company when the teams meet on Monday 22 June 2026 at 19:00.

Group K: Ronaldo Frustrated as Portugal Drop Points

Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to match his long-time rival Lionel Messi's exploits, as Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo. The Portuguese captain played the full match but failed to register a single shot on target. João Neves gave Portugal an early lead in the sixth minute, only for Yoane Wissa to equalise in first-half stoppage time.

Colombia moved to the top of Group K after defeating World Cup debutants Uzbekistan 3-1. Despite the defeat, the Central Asian side celebrated a historic milestone when Abbosbek Fayzullayev scored Uzbekistan's first-ever FIFA World Cup goal. Their next assignment will be another difficult test, as they face Portugal on Tuesday 23 June 2026 at 19:00, while Colombia take on DR Congo later the same evening.

Group L: England & Croatia Deliver Six-Goal Spectacle

This Group produced one of the most entertaining matches of the opening round as England and Qatar 2022 bronze medallists Croatia combined for six goals. Harry Kane twice put the Three Lions ahead in the first half, but Martin Baturina and Petar Musa each found an equaliser to leave the score level at 2-2 at the break. Just two minutes into the second half, Jude Bellingham restored England's lead before Marcus Rashford sealed a 4-2 victory for Thomas Tuchel's team.

Ghana also collected three points in the group, thanks to Caleb Yirenkyi's winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time against Panama. The result secured a 1-0 victory and set up a meeting between the group's two leaders in Boston on Tuesday 23 June 2026 at 22:00. Croatia, meanwhile, will look to claim their first points of the tournament when they face Panama on Wednesday 24 June 2026 at 01:00.