A World Cup Made in History: The 2026 World Cup Group Stage in Review

The 2026 FIFA World Cup promised to make history, and it has delivered thus far with an exciting group stage. Seventy-two matches, 48 teams, 216 goals, 232 yellow cards, and 10 red cards later, the 2026 World Cup is officially into the knockout stage.

(Image credit to @fifaworldcup on Instagram)

The new expanded format of the World Cup saw 48 teams take to the international pitch to prove they belong in the tournament. Despite facing initial skepticism specifically that the tournament would become diluted, the group stage produced more meaningful matches, more debut nations, and more opportunities for emerging football countries to prove they belong on the world stage.

12 groups, 48 teams, with the top two teams from each group automatically advancing, alongside the eight best third-place finishers to complete the Round of 32. The final group stage match was played on June 27, 2026, so let's take a look back at the World Cup so far. With 10 red cards already awarded, the 2026 world cup has already surpassed the number of red cards given over the entire course of the 2022 world cup that took place in Qatar.

Teams traditionally thought to be soccer giants such as Argentina, France, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands went on to top their groups to advance to the round of 32. The performance of France in the group stage has resulted in several analysts labelling them as the favourites going into the round of 32. While some nations continued to prove their capabilities, other nations typically considered to be strong football nations, have produced doubts. Despite advancing to the Round of 32 England and Portugal both appear to be in weak form. Several football powerhouses failed to qualify for the round of 32 including the likes of Uruguay. 

While several advancements were to be expected there were also some shocking advancements. African countries have set a new record with 9 out of the 10 who initially qualified for the World Cup advancing out of the group stage. Prior to this year the highest number of African countries in the knock out stages was 5, marking the growing depth and competitiveness of African football on the world stage. Furthermore, nations like Cabo Verde have shocked the world with their incredible performance, drawing against the likes of Spain and advancing to the knockout rounds without winning a match. 

The tournament also produced many historic firsts. For the first time in its history Canada has advanced to the knockout stage, Egypt celebrated its first-ever World Cup victory over New Zealand, and Curaçao scored their first World Cup goal. These milestones reflect the growing competitiveness of nations beyond the traditional powerhouses.

Lionel Messi broke the record for highest number of goals scored in the world cup, he was also the first player to score a hat-trick at this year's competition. Other players who also joined the small number of individuals with world-cup hattricks included Ousmane Dembélé playing for France and Jonathan David playing for Canada. David became the first Canadian to score a hat-trick at the world cup. 

There have also been several notable injuries that have occurred in the opening stage of the World Cup. Players like Nico Williams (Spain), Yeremy Pino (Spain), Ismaël Koné (Canada), and Mohamed Salah asked to be subbed off during Egypt's final group stage match. 

The round of 32 opened with co-hosts Canada playing against South Africa in Los Angeles on June 28, 2026 and only narrowly avoided extra time when Stephen Eustáquio scored a late goal in the 91st minute. Canada is now the first nation to advance to the round of 16 in this historic World Cup. 

Article written by Israa Ihab