World Cup 2026…full marks and historic surprises in the group stage

The curtain came down on the first round of the 2026 World Cup, after witnessing one of the most exciting group stages in the history of the tournament, in the first edition held with the participation of 48 teams, where the new system imposed a different reality, carrying with it many surprises, historical achievements, and exceptional stories that redrew the map of the competition before the start of the elimination rounds.

Emirates Today sheds light on the most prominent features of the first round, which witnessed the qualification of 32 teams to the knockout stage, at a time when the teams of France, Argentina and Mexico succeeded in ending their campaign with full marks, after gaining nine points from three matches, confirming their readiness to compete for the title.

France, Germany and the Netherlands also imposed themselves as the strongest teams offensively by scoring 10 goals each, while Mexico and Spain provided the best defensive performance, after they finished the group stage without conceding a single goal, in a clear indication of the balance enjoyed by the teams that are nominated to go far in the tournament.

In the Arab world, the first round witnessed historic moments, after the Egyptian national team succeeded in reaching the qualifying rounds for the first time in its history, while the Moroccan national team continued its strong performances by securing the qualification ticket, and Algeria joined it among the best third-placed teams, while the Tunisia national team exited the competitions early in one of the most prominent Arab disappointments.

The African continent recorded a remarkable attendance, after nine out of ten teams succeeded in qualifying for the round of 32, which is the best tally for the continent in the history of the World Cup, confirming that the increase in the number of seats allocated to African teams was technically deserved.

The tournament was not devoid of ironies, as the Cape Verdean national team grabbed the spotlight by qualifying for the next round without achieving any wins, contenting itself with three draws, while the Iranian national team lived through a harsh scenario of being eliminated from the tournament even though it did not suffer any loss, after also being content with three draws, but it was not enough to place it among the best third-place finishers.

The first round also witnessed the continuation of Argentine legend Lionel Messi in breaking records, after he became the first player in the history of the World Cup to score in seven consecutive matches. He also strengthened his lead on the list of all-time World Cup scorers, continuing to write a new chapter in his exceptional career.

With the completion of the finalists’ contract, attention is now turning to the round of 32 matches that resulted in strong summits, most notably Portugal against Croatia, Morocco against the Netherlands, and Brazil against Japan, while the Egypt national team is engaged in a historic confrontation against Australia, looking to continue writing history in its first appearance in the knockout rounds, to begin a new phase of the tournament that does not accept half-measures, where victory alone becomes the path to the greatest dream.