FIFA World Cup 2026: Messi and Mbappé among the stars steal opening act as Ronaldo fails to shine

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has opened like an old Broadway theater that suddenly finds new light. Some curtains have risen on unknown faces, some scripts have been torn up before the second act, and yet, right on stage, the big names in football have refused to fade into the background.

This was intended to be a tournament stretched wide by expansion and vulnerable to mismatches. But the newcomers and outsiders have proven that they did not come as an ornament. They have come with elbows out, raised voices and the belief that history does not belong only to the old houses.

But every World Cup also needs its zodiac signs. It needs the players whose names draw millions to a match before the first whistle. And in that sense too, this tournament has been blessed early.

Lionel Messi has made time negotiable again. At 38, he no longer moves like a storm raging through the grass. He now looks more like a watchmaker, measuring space in small, impossible units and appearing wherever the game requires a key instead of a hammer. Argentina’s opening 3-0 win over Algeria brought peace to champions who still know their old compass works. Messi’s hat-trick took his goal tally to 16, level with Miroslav Klose as the World Cup’s all-time top scorer.

Hours earlier, Frenchman Kylian Mbappe had briefly outpaced the Argentine after striking twice against a determined Senegalese defense. If Messi had adapted the game to his rhythm, Mbappé would have attacked it with urgency. He remains the lightning bolt of football with his sudden, explosive movements that are almost impossible to control once he gains strength. His two goals were enough to settle a match that threatened to become terribly awkward for France for a long time.

For Norway, returning to the World Cup after 28 years, Erling Haaland attacks the game like a door waiting to be kicked open. His football is not graceful. It is avalanche football, all speed, mass and certainty. The striker scored twice in a 4-1 win over Iraq and became the centerpiece of a Norwegian side considered by many to be the country’s most talented generation. His movement has tested the Iraqi defence, his finishing has punished every mistake and his presence has turned Norway from an outsider into a real threat.

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Harry Kane, meanwhile, offered reassurance to England. Against Croatia, in a 4-2 win that could prove to be a milestone for what this team hopes to become, Kane scored twice and equaled Gary Lineker’s scoring record in England at the World Cup. He finished with seven shots, three of which were on target, created two chances and even scored in stoppage time, showing the world that England’s ambitions are built on something stronger than hope.

But not every big name had the same beginnings. Cristiano Ronaldo struggled to impose himself in Portugal’s 1-1 draw against DR Congo. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner looked drained, unable to summon the electricity that has so often been the antidote to Portugal’s unrest.

This contrast has made the opening week of the World Cup intriguing. The tournament is bigger than ever, but the judging remains the same. Messi, Mbappe, Haaland and Kane passed the first test with distinction. Ronaldo still has work to do on his paper for the time being.

Published on June 18, 2026