It's only been 7 days, but already feel like I suffer football overdose. Yet, we're merely getting warmed up!
One thing became immediately obvious: despite all the handwringing about expanding the tournament to 48 teams, Matchday 1 was anything but boring. Sure, there were a few games that felt like they should have come with a complimentary pillow, but there were also enough surprises, near-upsets, and genuine quality matches to keep things interesting.
And yes, before anyone asks...
I attended Spain vs. Cape Verde live in Atlanta.
So much for my declaration that FIFA wouldn't see another dime from me after the ticket-pricing fiasco. Apparently my principles, much like England's defense, have vulnerabilities when subjected to sufficient pressure. Clearly I have the same level of resistance to World Cup football as a moth has to a porch light.
Let's go group by group.
Group A – Mexico Makes a Statement
Mexico 2-0 South Africa
South Korea 2-1 Czechia
Mexico looked exactly like a host nation should look: organized, confident, and fully aware that the home crowd is willing to carry them the extra ten yards when their legs start getting heavy. Just three points and a nation's blood pressure temporarily returning to normal.
South Korea quietly produced one of the more impressive performances of Matchday 1. Their win over Czechia wasn't flashy, but it was efficient.
Group A may not contain a traditional heavyweight, but after one match it suddenly feels a lot more competitive than many expected. Mexico and South Korea already look like the teams to beat.
Group B – Nobody Wants to Leave
Canada 1-1 Bosnia & Herzegovina
Switzerland 1-1 Qatar
Four teams.
Four points total.
Four goals.
Four draws would somehow have felt more appropriate.
The opening matches in Group B produced enough parity to make an accountant smile. Nobody separated themselves, nobody embarrassed themselves, and nobody gave us much clue about who advances.
The biggest story may have been Qatar earning the first World Cup point in its history thanks to a stoppage-time equalizer after being outshot 26-7. It was entirely Switzerland's fault for not killing the game as they should
Football occasionally resembles a meritocracy.
This was not one of those occasions.
This group currently feels like one giant game of rock-paper-scissors.
Group C – Scotland, Meet World Cup Reality
Brazil 1-1 Morocco
Scotland 1-0 Haiti
Morocco picked up right where they left off in Qatar four years ago. Their draw with Brazil wasn't a fluke. They defended well, remained dangerous in transition, and looked completely comfortable on the big stage.
That's not necessarily a criticism. Tournament football isn't about winning beauty contests. It's about surviving.
Brazil looked decent without looking dominant. It's been a loooong time since Brazil have actually been considered "favorites". Years ago the talent heading from Brazil to Europe resembled a flood. these days, it's merely a "trickle". Brazil is simply not producing quality players any more... Just "above average".
Meanwhile Scotland won a World Cup match and immediately entered the "could we actually win this thing?" phase of the emotional cycle.
The answer is probably no.
But let them have this.
Group D – The Americans Arrive
United States 4-1 Paraguay
Australia 2-0 Turkey
The United States delivered one of the most convincing performances of Matchday 1. Four goals, attacking intent, and enough energy to make every neutral observer start recalculating expectations.
Were Paraguay poor?
Yes.
Did the U.S. still look excellent?
Also yes.
Australia's victory over Turkey may not have generated headlines, but it was one of the most professional performances of the tournament so far. The fact that Turkey thought they won before the game even started didn't help their cause.
Group D suddenly looks much stronger than expected.
Group E – Germany Doing Germany Things
Germany 7-1 Curaçao
Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador
Seven.
That's all.
Germany scored seven goals and reminded everyone that when they smell weakness, they tend to treat football matches like laboratory experiments.
The scary part?
They never looked particularly emotional about it.
Just efficient.
Just German.
Ivory Coast quietly grabbed one of the most important wins of Matchday 1. In a group where Germany already appears destined to finish first, every point matters. The fact that they waited until the very last minute to achieve it is pointless (but does not save from an otherwise boring game.
Group F – The Most Entertaining Draw
Netherlands 2-2 Japan
Sweden 5-1 Tunisia
If you only watched one Matchday 1 game, Netherlands-Japan had a strong case.
End-to-end football. Momentum swings. Chances. Drama.
The Dutch probably leave frustrated. As the Swiss the other day, they failed to killed the game when they needed to, and got punished for it.
Japan probably leaves encouraged.
Neutral fans leave happy.
Sweden, meanwhile, delivered the biggest surprise performance of the opening round. Five goals against Tunisia was not on many prediction sheets.
Somebody in Stockholm is already browsing airfare for the knockout rounds.
Group G – The Group of Shrugs
Belgium 1-1 Egypt
Iran 2-2 New Zealand
Raise your hand if you had New Zealand scoring twice against Iran.
Exactly.
Belgium only have themselves to blame.
Group G immediately became one of the hardest groups to predict. Every team remains alive, and nobody appears particularly eager to establish themselves as favorites.
Sometimes chaos is fun.
This is one of those times.
Group H – The Group I Saw Live
Spain 0-0 Cape Verde
Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay
I was there in Atlanta. Yes, after writing an entire blog post explaining why FIFA wasn't getting another dollar from me. Clearly my boycott lasted roughly as long as a New Year's gym membership.
The atmosphere was outstanding.
The football?
Let's just say nobody will be producing a Netflix documentary about the match.
Spain dominated possession, territory, and most statistical categories. But lots of sideways and backwards passing. No real threat. No incisiveness. They were predictable. Slow. Uninspired. Cape Verde defended bravely, worked relentlessly, and fully deserved the point.
The bigger issue for Spain is one that has haunted them for years: they don't have a true No. 9.
Every attack felt like watching someone spend twenty minutes assembling IKEA furniture only to discover three screws are missing.
Lots of effort.
No finished product.
Meanwhile Cape Verde arrived with a very clear tactical plan:
Defend.
Defend some more.
Then defend the defending.
And you know what?
It worked.
The 0-0 draw felt like a victory for Cape Verde, a loss for Spain, and a punishment for neutral spectators.
Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia continued its recent tradition of refusing to follow anyone else's script. Their draw against Uruguay means Group H suddenly became one of the most fascinating groups in the tournament.
Group I – Norway Announces Itself
France 3-1 Senegal
Norway 4-1 Iraq
France won.
Nobody is surprised.
France always feels like they're operating at about 75% effort until suddenly they're in a semifinal.
But Norway's performance may have been more impressive.
Four goals. Clinical finishing. Confidence. Energy. Explains how they blew away Italy in the preliminaries.
For years we've wondered whether Norway's talented generation could finally deliver on the biggest stage.
Early signs suggest the answer might be yes.
Group J – The Messi Retirement Tour Continues
Argentina 3-0 Algeria
Austria 3-1 Jordan
Argentina looked exactly like defending champions should look.
Controlled.
Patient.
Dangerous.
The scary thing is they rarely seem rushed.
They simply wait for opponents to make mistakes and then punish them. Messi scored a hat-trick without even trying.
The defending champions didn't just win.
They looked like they knew exactly how this tournament works.
Which, to be fair, they do.
Austria also handled Jordan comfortably, creating a likely winner-take-all showdown with Argentina later in the group.
Group K – The Shock Group
Portugal 1-1 DR Congo
Uzbekistan 1-3 Colombia
Portugal's draw with DR Congo immediately became one of the biggest surprises of Matchday 1. DR Congo defended courageously, Portugal lacked sharpness, and suddenly a group many expected to be straightforward feels anything but.
Frankly, this one is Roberto Martinez (Portugal coach). He stuck with a clearly "past-his-expiration-date" Ronaldo for the whole 90, while having so many better options on the bench. I know they all want him to break yet another scoring record, but football is a team sport, not about individual accolades. I'm sure they will bounce back, but a tie with DR Congo does not bode well for all the talent in that squad
Every World Cup produces at least one group where pre-tournament predictions get shredded before the second round begins.
Group K is volunteering.
Late last night Colombia also sweated until the last minute against Uzbekistan. You can tell they are coached by a World Cup Italian defender!
Group L – The Best Match So Far
England 4-2 Croatia
Ghana 1-0 Panama
England and Croatia produced the game of the tournament.
Six goals.
Momentum swings.
Defensive mistakes.
Individual brilliance.
Complete chaos.
At one point it looked like neither side had much interest in defending. England ultimately prevailed thanks to Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, and an attack that looked frightening whenever it accelerated.
The bad news for England?
They still conceded twice and occasionally defended like they had only recently met each other.
The good news?
Most teams would gladly accept that trade-off.
Meanwhile Ghana quietly collected three valuable points against Panama and may have positioned themselves perfectly to become one of the tournament's surprise stories.
Final Thoughts
The first round delivered exactly what a World Cup should deliver.
A few giants stumbled.
A few underdogs believed.
A few favorites reminded us why they're favorites.
And one stubborn blogger who swore FIFA would never get another dollar out of him somehow ended up sitting in Atlanta watching Spain pass the ball sideways for ninety minutes.
The World Cup is back.
And somehow, despite everything, it's still magic.
Ready for Round 2!
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