The 2026 FIFA World Cup's expanded 48-team group stage has wrapped up, and the verdict is mixed. New nations made history, goals rained down, and social media exploded — yet the world's biggest football nations barely broke a sweat to advance.
The stories that made the tournament
Cape Verde were the undisputed stars of the group stage. The Atlantic archipelago emerged from a group containing Spain and Uruguay with their place in the last 32 secured — a result that seemed unthinkable before a ball was kicked. They held Spain to a goalless draw, battled Uruguay to a 2-2 stalemate, and then drew against Saudi Arabia to finish second in the group.
Their 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozinha, became an unlikely global icon. He started the tournament with 50,000 Instagram followers; by the time Spain's players had trudged off the pitch, that number had surged to five million. It now stands at 16.7 million. His mother, unable to attend earlier games due to the difficulty of obtaining a US visa, finally made it to the stadium for the Uruguay match. It is the kind of story only the World Cup can produce.
Curacao, the smallest nation ever to qualify for the tournament, claimed a point against Ecuador. DR Congo drew 1-1 with Portugal to emerge as one of the best third-placed teams. Haiti's Wilson Isidor produced a goal-of-the-tournament contender against Morocco. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Ivory Coast, and South Africa all reached the knockout rounds for the first time.
African nations were particularly impressive: nine of their 10 teams advanced to the last 32. If FIFA president Gianni Infantino needed proof that expansion was worthwhile, the continent provided it.
Where the format fell short
Yet for all the feel-good narratives, the group stage exposed a structural weakness. With eight of the 12 group winners decided with a game to spare and third-placed teams qualifying, the tension drained from the final round of fixtures for most major nations. Of the 12 top seeds, only co-hosts Canada and Portugal failed to top their group.
FIFA's decision to use head-to-head record — rather than goal difference — as the primary tiebreaker compounded the problem. Instead of every team chasing goals on matchday three, nine sides were effectively playing out dead rubbers: four already guaranteed top spot, five already eliminated.
Even Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz, whose side advanced as a third-placed team, criticised the format, calling it
