The World Cup is underway! And so after the first round of fixtures, we are 24 games into the 104 of the summer tournament, and have already seen some huge results, some big performances, some surprise outcomes and lots and lots of talking points.

In this post, we are going to pick out the 3 big talking points from the first round of games and look ahead to the next round of the group stage and beyond.

As always, don’t forget to share your thoughts on this round of action and the whole World Cup tournament in general with us over on our social channels, and keep checking back with us for more posts across the competition.

Host Nations

It feels like a lifetime ago since Mexico got us underway, but in the first few days of the tournament, all 3 host nations got off to a decent start, with Mexico cruising to victory in their opener against South Africa with an added element of 3 red cards being dished out in a chaotic start to proceedings. Meanwhile, Raul Jimenez had a hugely emotional moment as he finally got his World Cup goal, a recognition for his efforts and personal battles with injury and getting the recognition in front of his home crowd.

Canada’s draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina was perhaps the more disappointing performance from the 3 host nations, however they had dominated for the majority of the game, having 61% possession, 13 shots and an xG of 1.23 compared to 0.96 for their opponents. While the 3 points would all-but see them through the group, they’ll be happy enough with their performance and comeback to secure a point, with a winnable game against Qatar up next and then rounding off in arguably their toughest opponent in Switzerland.

Finally, the US were probably one of the more impressive sides across the whole tournament, as they cruised to a 4-1 victory over Paraguay and while the noise from inside the US is one of confidence that they could go all the way in the tournament, the more sceptical thoughts of the rest of the world were arguably shut down in the manner of their victory. Not only scoring 4, but dominating the whole 90 minutes and playing some highly impressive football. With Poch at the helm, and their key players starting strong, there could be a chance for some real success this summer.

Overall, all 3 host nations remain unbeaten and near certainties to get into the knockout rounds. Each nation impressed in some ways and will still have other battles to come, but ultimately it’s a positive to see each nation get off to a decent start as this adds to the whole atmosphere of the tournament despite the off-field issues in the build-up and opening moments in the competition.

Golden Boot

7 players in the first round of games bagged a brace or more (looking at you Lionel), and already this tournament could be set for the best Golden Boot race of any World Cup we’ve ever seen. Personally, I’m not the biggest supporter of individual awards becoming too much of a focus, especially in a tournament like the World Cup, but when you have Messi bagging a hat-trick, Haaland, Mbappe and Kane all getting a brace and the surprise showings from Kai Havertz, Elijah Just, Folarin Balogun and Yasin Ayari all bagging 2 goals in their opening games, and suddenly we have a genuine battle for this award.

When watching any major tournament, you always want to see the big names perform, and unlike any club tournament the World Cup has more balance in the teams, with no ability to spend money on recruitment, it’s down to the natural talents of the nation, and so seeing these huge figures of the game lead their nations to a strong start, they will hopefully build on this early momentum and give us an extra dimension to the tournament as it plays out.

Surprise Results

It’s always tough to discuss ‘surprise’ results and ‘shock’ games without being disrespectful to nations who have qualified the same as any other to make it to a major tournament, but with the expanded competition, there were questions asked over the legitimacy of the competition with some smaller nations with less football pedigree perhaps being involved.

Those questions and doubts were quietened however given the results seen in the opening round of games. We had some big moments nearly every day of the tournament so far, with Qatar’s late equaliser against Switzerland, Cape Verde’s amazing draw against favourites Spain, Saudi Arabia continuing to be impressive again in the opening stage of a tournament as they drew with Uruguay, Iran and New Zealand’s 2-2 draw, DR Congo holding Portugal to a 0-0 draw and even Curacao bagging a goal to give Germany a scare despite the eventual result.

Almost all nations involved in the tournament have already had a moment to celebrate, and this brings a positive atmosphere to the tournament, and allows players to take centre stage when for large periods of their career they could remain unknown to most. We’ve seen stars being made already, big moments for whole countries and the blend of football styles which is what makes the World Cup such a brilliant tournament.

Don’t forget to share your thoughts on this round of action and the whole World Cup tournament in general with us over on our social channels, and keep checking back with us for more posts across the competition.