The England team were the last of the major contenders for the World Cup to make their debut in this tournament. But they did so in style. England were the better side for much of the match and only Livakovic’s superb performance prevented Thomas Tuchel’s side from running up an even bigger scoreline. Harry Kane showed why he is the captain and the world’s best centre-forward.

England started dominantly, and from a corner, Modric conceded a penalty on Madueke whilst attempting to clear the ball. Kane missed the initial spot-kick, but the goalkeeper came off his line and the Bayern Munich forward made no mistake. Baturina equalised just past the half-hour mark, but Kane, from another corner, headed home masterfully to put the English side back in front. In the final move of the first half, Musa equalised following a brilliant team move.

The blow looked as though it might take a psychological toll, but nothing could be further from the truth. Bellingham finished off a superb move by the English to put his side back in front. The second half was a one-sided affair, with England in complete control, and only the narrow margin on the scoreboard provided any excitement. Marcus Rashford sealed the victory with five minutes to go before the 90-minute mark.

Results from the first matchday of the 2026 World Cup group stage

• Mexico 2–0 South Africa
• South Korea 2–1 Denmark
• Canada 1–1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
• United States 4–1 Paraguay
• Qatar 1–1 Switzerland
• Brazil 1–1 Morocco
• Haiti 0–1 Scotland
• Australia 2–0 Turkey
• Germany 7–1 Curaçao
• Netherlands 2–2 Japan
• Ivory Coast 1–0 Ecuador
• Sweden 5–1 Tunisia
• Spain 0–0 Cape Verde
• Belgium 1–1 Egypt
• Saudi Arabia 1–1 Uruguay
• Iran 2–2 New Zealand
• France 3–1 Senegal
• Iraq 1–4 Norway
• Argentina 3–0 Algeria
• Austria 3–1 Jordan
• Portugal 1–1 Congo
• England 4–2 Croatia
• Chile 1–1 Panama
• Uzbekistan 1–3 Colombia

Matchday two gets underway

With this victory, England top Group L ahead of Ghana on goal difference. The African side will be England’s opponents on matchday two, and Thomas Tuchel’s men know that a win would virtually secure top spot in the group. Their final match is against Panama, the weakest side in the group.

Among the other contenders for the 2026 World Cup, the draws for Spain and Portugal against lesser opponents such as Cape Verde and Congo stand out. In contrast, Germany and France secured victories with spells of fine football, whilst Brazil could only manage a draw against a Morocco side that proved their semi-final run at Qatar 2022 was no fluke.

As for the reigning champions, Argentina, they beat Algeria thanks to a hat-trick from Messi. The Argentine star showed that he still has the quality to keep playing for as long as he wants. In his sixth World Cup, the former Barcelona player led his national team to a comfortable victory.

Matches for the second matchday of the 2026 World Cup group stage

• Czech Republic v South Africa
• Switzerland v Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Canada v Qatar
• Mexico v South Korea
• United States v Australia
• Scotland v Morocco
• Brazil v Haiti
• Turkey v Paraguay
• Netherlands v Sweden
• Germany v Ivory Coast
• Ecuador v Curaçao
• Tunisia v Japan
• Spain v Saudi Arabia
• Belgium v Iran
• Uruguay v Cape Verde
• New Zealand v Egypt
• Argentina v Austria
• France v Iraq
• Norway v Senegal
• Jordan v Algeria
• Portugal v Uzbekistan
• England v Ghana
• Panama v Croatia
• Colombia v Congo