5 things we learned in the first week of the FIFA World Cup

When the final whistle was blown on Columbia’s 3-1 win over Uzbekistan on Wednesday night, the first wave of games in this year’s FIFA World Cup officially came to an end. Each team in the tournament has now played one group stage contest.

Obviously, this means that the sample size of performance is still a relatively small one. Nonetheless, we now have had a first glimpse at all 48 teams and an opportunity to readjust our expectations and projections.

Chances are, the next nine days will bring even more of that. For the time being, let’s take a quick breath and assess what we have learned so far.

The superstars are delivering, with one exception

More than 1,200 players are participating in this year’s World Cup, but naturally some of them stand out above the rest. And one week into the tournament, those superstars have mostly lived up to the expectation placed upon them by their countries and the neutral observer alike.

Whether it was Vinícius Júnior showing his individual quality when scoring the equalizer in Brazil’s 1-1 draw against Morocco, or England’s Harry Kane and Norway’s Erling Haaland both scoring twice in their respective games against Croatia and Iraq, the best players in the world showed that all it takes is one difference-maker of their caliber to completely turn a game upside down.

Also of that caliber, at least, are Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. The French and Argentinian are not just at the heart of two of the pre-tournament favorites—France and Argentina squared off in the legendary 2022 final—but also in an active race for the all-time World Cup goal scorer crown.

Mbappe opened with two goals in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal, including a heater in extra time to finalize the score. He now sits at 58 overall goals as a French international — taking the top spot in his country’s storied history—including 14 in the World Cup. Still only 27 years old, he is in clear striking distance of a record currently jointly held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose and Lionel Messi.

Messi, of course, elevated himself into the top spot by scoring all three of Argentina’s goals against Algeria. He will have a chance to break the tie against Austria on Sunday.

The only true letdown among the superstars was, admittedly unsurprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite being a focal point in his team, the 41-year-old struggled to make much of an impact in a 1-1 Portugal tie against underdog DR Congo. Despite having a talented team around him, especially in midfield, Ronaldo—or at least the striker position within the squad—needs to return to form quickly if Portugal wants to make the noise it would on paper be capable of making.

The tournament expansion does not dilute the format

For the first time in the World Cup’s history, 48 teams are participating. That marks an increase of 50% from the 32 nations that competed in the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

One of the big questions about the increased size of the tournament was whether or not it would lead to a drop in quality and by extension watchability. And while not every contest so far has been of the same quality as those aforementioned France-Senegal or England-Croatia games, the supposedly “little” teams did manage to hold their own on multiple occasions.

From Cabo Verde going 0-0 against another pre-tournament favorite, Spain, to DR Congo scoring a point against Portugal in its first World Cup appearance in 52 years, the big countries did not have as easy a time as one would expect. Even Curaçao, which was defeated 7-1 by Germany, played better than the final score would suggest.

Ultimately, the bigger teams are still expected to rise to the top in the group stage; the importance of squad depth and overall talent cannot be discounted over a three-game stretch. Some of the fears expressed before the tournament about it being diluted by the increased number of participants, however, have not become reality.

Big-name teams have work to do

On the opposite end of the spectrum to the little teams are the big nations seemingly always in contention for the trophy. Some of them have shined in their openers, with Argentina and especially France and England taking care of business in impressive fashion.

The same cannot be said for Brazil, Spain and Portugal.

Brazil, as mentioned above, drew 1-1 against Morocco. That in itself would not be an issue given that Morocco is a realistic candidate to again advance deep in the tournament. However, Brazil’s game organization especially from midfield looked questionable and need to improve quickly if it doesn’t want to become overly dependent on the individual class of players like Vinícius Júnior.

Spain and Portugal, meanwhile, were incapable of turning pressure into actual results. Obviously, it is still early in the tournament and some tactical or personnel changes might provide the spark needed. However, neither of the two sides should expect much success particularly in the knockout round if there are no improvements.

If we want to be controversial, we can also throw Germany into the mix here. Yes, they celebrated the biggest win of the first round of games, leaving Curaçao little chance in a 7-1 victory. However, the game was actually fairly close up until the first hydration break—more on that in a second—and the score might not be a proper reflection of what Germany is or isn’t capable of.

Hydration breaks are disrupting the game

For the first time in World Cup history, every game will be interrupted on three separate occasions. Besides halftime, FIFA also introduced hydration breaks to this tournament. The referee will at one point midway through the first and second halves blow the game dead and allow both teams to refresh and reset.

In theory, the concept is a positive one; hydration is important even for world-class athletes, and especially on hot days. However, the introduction of those breaks in every game looks like more of a commercial than a humanitarian idea. It allows FIFA and its broadcasters to cram extra commercials into the broadcast, using a game format akin to the NFL and NBA.

Don’t believe it? Then why do England and Croatia need to hold two breaks of around three minutes each despite playing in a domed, air-conditioned stadium? Surely the players are conditioned to withstand two 45-minute halves, as they do every single game with their clubs.

The World Cup has always been subject to over-commercialization, but it has now reached a point of actively disrupting the game. Fact is, after all, that the hydration breaks add a stop-start element to a game very much built on its continuous nature and flow. Sure, disruptions of that kind are nothing new, but the regularity is unprecedented and something not every team handles the same.

Take Curaçao as an example. Going up against Germany, the World Cup debutant scored the 1-1 equalizer in the 21st minute, just before the game was interrupted. Momentum had shifted the underdog’s way and the team looked a lot more confident, but the break allowed the big favorites to reset and compose themselves. They scored two goals in the second quarter (if we want to call it that) to start pulling away. Germany would likely still have won fairly easily without the hydration break allowing for some relief, but it is one concrete example of the fleeting nature of momentum and how losing it through no fault of their own can negatively impact little teams such as Curaçao.

And as for the humanitarian element mentioned above, soccer games have had hydration breaks in the past. Typically, however, those were only used if the conditions called for them — and not because an apparent search for revenue did.

The U.S. squad is legit

The first three games of the tournament were highly competitive, close affairs. Then came the United States’ debut against Paraguay, and a convincing 4-1 victory that saw the home team take a 3-0 lead into the SoFi Los Angeles Stadium locker room at the half.

The final score against a team that had surrendered only 10 goals in 18 qualification games was impressive, but so was the way head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s team performed. The game it played, after all, was of a modern variety: playing an attacking style of offensive soccer with the team being equally active out of possession, all while having the personnel to adapt the formation based on the opponent and game situation.

It will be seen whether the game against Paraguay was an actual appetizer or already the main course, but for now there is a lot to feel good about the U.S. team at this stage in the tournament. With three points already in the bag and a +3 goal differential, qualification for the knockout round seems within reach.

And once there, anything is possible.