World Cup 2026: Seven things we learned from the group stage, including record-breakers to surprise packages

The 2026 World Cup has been a spectacle since kick-off connected June 11, with the expanded 48-team format delivering chaos, prime and the occasional daze crossed Mexico, the United States and Canada.

More teams person people meant much storylines, with the radical signifier seldom allowing a quiescent infinitesimal arsenic outsiders seized their accidental portion the established powers inactive recovered ways to enforce themselves.

Records person tumbled on the way, portion acquainted names person continued to propulsion absorption erstwhile it mattered most, with the likes of Erling Haaland among those to present connected the biggest stage.

While the radical signifier volition reason successful the aboriginal hours of Sunday, galore of the cardinal talking points person already taken signifier agelong earlier the last whistle of the remaining fixtures.

With that successful mind, Sport Mole looks astatine 7 talking points from the 2026 World Cup radical stage.

Lionel Messi is present the top World Cup goalscorer of each time

There were doubts implicit whether Lionel Messi would adjacent marque it done different World Cup, but the eight-time Ballon d’Or victor has looked similar helium is rewriting the publication alternatively than simply adding to it.

A hat-trick against Algeria successful the opening match saw Messi gully level with Miroslav Klose’s long-standing grounds of 16 World Cup goals portion besides making him the oldest hat-trick scorer successful the tournament’s past successful the process.

The Argentine skipper past added a further 2 against Austria to determination wide connected 18, surpassing not lone Klose but besides Marta’s tally of 17 crossed the women’s tourney to go the top World Cup goalscorer, antheral oregon female.

At 38 years and 363 days old, Messi became lone the 3rd antheral to people successful six consecutive World Cup matches, aft Just Fontaine successful 1958 and Jairzinho successful 1970.

The Inter Miami guardant has scored each 5 of Argentina’s goals successful the tourney truthful far, making him the competition’s starring scorer astatine this stage, with the defending champions already securing apical spot successful Group J.

Cristiano Ronaldo keeps rewriting the limits of longevity

Cristiano Ronaldo’s quality to pb Portugal’s frontline was questioned heading into the tournament, with galore feeling the 41-year-old could nary longer header with the strength of planetary football, and those doubts lone grew aft Selecao das Quinas opened with a gully against DR Congo.

However, the Al-Nassr striker answered his critics successful emphatic fashion connected matchday two, scoring doubly successful a commanding 5-0 triumph implicit Uzbekistan to punctual everyone wherefore Roberto Martinez continues to spot his spot successful him.

Those 2 goals made Ronaldo the archetypal and lone subordinate to people successful six antithetic World Cups, a grounds spanning from Germany 2006 to North America 2026, portion besides taking him past Eusebio arsenic Portugal’s all-time starring World Cup goalscorer with 10 strikes.

Twenty years aft making his World Cup debut, Ronaldo is inactive uncovering ways to power football’s biggest stage, a singular show of longevity from the oldest outfield subordinate astatine this year’s tournament.

The GOAT statement is inactive alive

The Greatest of All Time speech betwixt Ronaldo and Messi has spanned astir 20 years, and portion galore believed it was settled erstwhile the second lifted the World Cup successful 2022, comparisons betwixt the brace person continued passim this tournament.

Messi’s 3 goals against Algeria saw him surpass the grounds acceptable by Ronaldo successful 2018 arsenic the oldest subordinate to people a hat-trick astatine the World Cup, portion the Portuguese skipper besides etched his sanction into caller past with his brace against Uzbekistan.

There is besides the anticipation that some legends could clash successful the quarter-finals of this tournament, depending connected wherever Portugal decorativeness successful Group K, a contention the footballing satellite would relish.

The large names person besides turned up 

The tourney has besides seen galore of football’s biggest stars, peculiarly those playing successful Europe, present connected the biggest stage, with Kylian Mbappe strengthening his assertion to beryllium regarded arsenic 1 of the top players successful World Cup history.

Playing successful his 3rd planetary competition, Mbappe, who was instrumental successful France lifting the trophy successful 2018, besides won the Golden Boot successful 2022 erstwhile Les Bleus mislaid the last to Argentina, and helium is looking to pb them to glory erstwhile again.

The 27-year-old has scored 4 goals successful this tournament, matching Klose’s erstwhile grounds of 16, and fixed helium is the lone progressive subordinate closest to Messi’s precocious acceptable tally, fewer would stake against him matching oregon surpassing it.

Mbappe’s Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Junior is besides pulling the strings for Brazil, having recovered the nett 4 times arsenic well, with Erling Haaland besides presently connected the aforesaid tally successful what is his debut World Cup.

Current Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele has besides racked up 4 goals pursuing his hat-trick connected matchday three, expanding his assertion to clasp the coveted French award, portion Lamine Yamal, contempt his wounded setbacks, has inactive made his people with a onslaught against Saudi Arabia successful circular two.

Goalkeepers person had their infinitesimal too

In a tourney dominated by goals, respective goalkeepers person softly shaped the radical signifier with performances that changed outcomes alternatively than simply preventing defeat.

Eloy Room rewrote the grounds books for Curacao against Ecuador, making 15 saves successful a azygous lucifer – the astir by immoderate goalkeeper successful 90 minutes of a World Cup crippled since records began successful 1966.

Meanwhile, 40-year-old Vozinha has besides been immense for Cape Verde, particularly successful their daze goalless gully against Spain connected matchday one.

Patrick Beach’s emergence for Australia has besides been 1 of the understated stories of the tournament, stepping successful up of skipper Mathew Ryan to grounds cleanable sheets against Turkey and Paraguay.

Meanwhile, moments specified arsenic Guillermo Ochoa’s sixth World Cup quality person carried affectional weight, underlining however overmuch goalkeepers person contributed beyond the headlines.

Home vantage inactive carries existent weight

The erstwhile variation saw hosts Qatar exit astatine the radical stage, but the 2026 World Cup has shown location vantage inactive carries existent weight, with co-hosts United States, Canada and Mexico each progressing to the circular of 32.

Mexico and the USA some finished apical of their groups, with the erstwhile claiming each 9 points successful Group A, portion Mauricio Pochettino’s broadside collected six points acknowledgment to victories successful their opening 2 matches, leaving decision against Turkey connected matchday 3 inconsequential.

Canada’s way to the knockout signifier was not without complications, having drawn their opening crippled with Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier securing their first-ever World Cup triumph successful emphatic fashion.

The Reds scored six against Qatar connected matchday 2 and, though they mislaid to Switzerland successful their last Group B fixture, a superior extremity quality was capable to unafraid 2nd place.

Africa has announced itself arsenic a genuine force

In 2022, Morocco became the archetypal African federation to scope the semi-finals of a World Cup, and it whitethorn not beryllium far-fetched to ideate that feat being matched oregon adjacent surpassed here, fixed the fig of teams from the continent that person precocious to the knockout stage.

Of the 10 African nations astatine the tournament, 7 person already secured places successful the circular of 32, portion Algeria and DR Congo inactive person chances to articulation them aft completing their last radical fixtures.

Ivory Coast broke done to the circular of 32 for the archetypal clip successful 4 World Cup appearances aft finishing 2nd successful Group E, portion South Africa reached the knockout signifier for the archetypal clip successful their past aft finishing runners-up successful Group A pursuing triumph implicit South Korea connected matchday three.

Morocco besides finished 2nd successful their group, missing retired connected apical spot lone connected extremity difference, portion Egypt progressed arsenic Group G runners-up up of Iran, mounting up a round-of-32 gathering with Australia.

Senegal’s 5-0 demolition of Iraq stands arsenic a grounds – the archetypal clip an African broadside has scored 5 goals successful a azygous World Cup lucifer – with that emphatic triumph securing progression arsenic 1 of the champion third-placed teams.

Ghana person besides already qualified contempt inactive having a crippled successful hand, portion Cape Verde person been 1 of the stories of the tournament, drafting each 3 of their radical matches against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to suffice for the knockout signifier successful their archetypal ever World Cup appearance.