The World Cup on Thursday features four more group-stage matches, including a meeting between Mexico and South Korea after both teams opened the tournament with wins.
The race for the Golden Boot is already taking shape, Cape Verde and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are celebrating historic results, and debates over hydration breaks, diversity in football and Africa’s growing presence at the tournament continue to generate discussion.
Here’s what to know:
Mexico have a strong record against South Korea, winning both of their previous World Cup meetings, including a 2-1 victory in Russia 2018.
While both teams boosted their knockout-stage hopes with opening wins, Opta’s supercomputer favours Mexico in this Group A clash. Across 25,000 simulations, El Tri won 49.1 percent of the time, compared with 24.3 percent for South Korea, while 26.6 percent ended in a draw.
Czechia and South Africa have met only once before. South Africa have a solid record against European opposition at the World Cup, including a famous 2-1 win over France in 2010, and have lost only one of their last four such matches.
The Czechs, meanwhile, lost 2-0 to Ghana in their only previous World Cup match against African opposition. Opta’s supercomputer calculates Czechia as the favourites, giving them a 54.9 percent chance of victory, compared with 21.8 percent for South Africa.
This will be the first World Cup meeting between Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The only previous match between the two nations came in a friendly in Zurich in 2016 when Bosnia claimed a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic.
Despite that result, Switzerland enter this match as the clear favourites. According to Opta’s supercomputer, Switzerland won 61.6 percent of 25,000 pre-match simulations while Bosnia came out on top in 17 percent. A draw was predicted in 21.4 percent of the scenarios.
History favours the hosts in this matchup. On the three previous occasions a World Cup host nation has faced an Asian federation team, the hosts have won every time: Mexico beat Iraq in 1986, France defeated Saudi Arabia in 1998 and Russia also overcame Saudi Arabia in 2018.
Opta’s supercomputer predicts that trend will continue. Canada were victorious in 72.9 percent of 25,000 pre-match simulations while a draw occurred in 16.5 percent. Qatar are given just a 10.6 percent chance of pulling off an upset.
The first round of matches has already produced memorable moments, surprise results and stories beyond the scorelines. Here are some of the biggest talking points from around the World Cup:
Lionel Messi leads the race for the World Cup’s Golden Boot with three goals after scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s opening win over Algeria.
A group of seven players sits one goal behind:
Yoane Wissa scored the DRC’s first-ever World Cup goal during their unexpected 1-1 draw with the team FIFA ranks fifth in the world – Portugal.
The Newcastle United forward headed home shortly after half-time in Houston, Texas, to cancel out an early goal from Portugal’s Joao Neves, earning a historic point for the Leopards in their first World Cup appearance in 52 years. The milestone sparked celebrations among Congolese supporters in the stadium and around the world.
Colombia made a successful start to their World Cup campaign by beating tournament debutants Uzbekistan 3-1 at Mexico City Stadium.
Luis Diaz was the standout performer, setting up Daniel Munoz for the opening goal before scoring Colombia’s second after the break. Uzbekistan briefly levelled through Abbosbek Fayzullaev, but the South Americans regained control and secured all three points.
The victory gives Colombia an early boost in Group K as they look to return to the knockout stages after missing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw with Spain is arguably the biggest surprise of the initial group matches. The World Cup newcomers held one of the tournament favourites to a draw and earned a historic point in their first-ever World Cup match.
The DRC’s 1-1 draw with Portugal also ranks among the tournament’s biggest shocks while Iran’s 2-2 draw with New Zealand raised eyebrows after Iran were widely expected to win their Group G opener.
Several World Cup squads include players from different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of the countries they represent.
England, France, Spain and Sweden are among the nations whose teams include both Christian and Muslim players. Spain’s teenage star Lamine Yamal and Sweden midfielder Yasin Ayari are among a growing number of Muslim footballers competing on the sport’s biggest stage.
Some analysts see these teams as examples of how people from different backgrounds can work together despite wider debates over immigration, identity and integration in parts of Europe. Eboo Patel, president of Interfaith America, said the cooperation seen on the pitch sends a powerful message.
“They score, they each say their respective prayers and then they’re hugging each other,” Patel said. “You’re cooperating to build a community and a team. It’s the way you build an excellent soccer team.”
The 41-year-old became one of only two players, alongside Lionel Messi, to feature in six World Cups, but he was unable to find the net despite several chances in the second half. His missed opportunities were especially notable after stars including Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane all scored in their opening matches.
Portugal dropped points in their Group K opener, leaving Ronaldo and his teammates looking for a bounce-back performance in their next group fixture.
FIFA’s new hydration breaks, introduced to help players cope with summer heat in the US, Canada and Mexico, are drawing criticism from pundits and fans who say they disrupt the flow of the matches and can shift momentum.
The debate intensified after Curacao scored against Germany before a hydration break in Houston, only to concede twice before half-time in an eventual 7-1 defeat. Former England striker Alan Shearer said the stoppage “killed their momentum” while former Ireland captain Roy Keane compared the breaks to timeouts, arguing they interrupt the pace that makes football unique.
FIFA says the breaks are designed to protect player welfare, but critics argue they also create opportunities for tactical adjustments and additional broadcast advertising.
In a special report, Al Jazeera’s Marthe van der Wolf looks at the record number of sub-Saharan African teams competing at the World Cup and the challenges and opportunities they face:
A record six sub-Saharan African nations are competing at the 2026 World Cup, more than ever before. South Africa’s Bafana Bafana were the first of them to take the field, losing 2-0 to Mexico in the tournament opener. However, several of the continent’s traditional powers are also back on the biggest stage.
Ghana’s Black Stars reached the quarterfinals in 2010, matching the achievements of Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002. Senegal returned to the tournament this year while Ivory Coast are competing at their first World Cup since 2014 after winning two Africa Cup of Nations titles in the years since.
Among the continent’s most intriguing stories are DR Congo and Cape Verde. The Leopards are back at the World Cup for the first time since 1974 when the country was known as Zaire. Many members of the squad were born in Europe, a trend also seen in the Cape Verde team. The Blue Sharks have already made history in their World Cup debut, earning a surprise draw against Spain.
The road to the tournament has not been without challenges. Some teams, officials and supporters have faced travel and visa-related issues. Many fans holding African passports were initially required to post $15,000 bonds to enter the United States, a policy that was later dropped but, critics said, too late for some supporters to make travel plans.
The tournament is also missing one of the most recognisable symbols of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa: the vuvuzela. The plastic horn, whose constant buzz became synonymous with the tournament, has been banned at this year’s event.
Yet with an African-born diaspora of more than three million people across the US and Canada, the continent’s six representatives are expected to enjoy strong support as they seek to make their mark on football’s biggest stage and carry the hopes of an entire continent.
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