We are now halfway through the group stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the excitement shows no signs of slowing down. Following another entertaining set of matches, Gameweek 2 more memorable moments. From Spain’s emphatic victory over Saudi Arabia to Lionel Messi rewriting the history books, here is our review of Groups G-L in their second round of fixtures.
Group G: Egypt Go Top
Vancouver, British Columbia was host to New Zealand vs Egypt in a big clash with both teams drawing their first game. A quarter of the match had gone by before Finn Surman heading home from a corner giving New Zealand the lead. But the ‘All Whites’ couldn’t capitalise on their lead, despite a header from short range going close from Callum McCowatt going astray.
Following a lacklustre first half, Eygpt moved through the gears, scoring two goals nine minutes apart. The first came from Mostafa Ziko from close range, before the Pyramids FC winger turned provider for Mohammed Salah to overturn the deficit. Trezeguet made it 3-1 late on, which moved Egypt to top spot in Group G.
Belgium underwhelmed once again as they failed to score in a 0-0 draw against Iran. Alireza Beiranvand was instrumental in the Iran goal, making seven saves to keep Belgium at bay. Mehdi Taremi made Real Madrid number one Thibaut Courtois’ life difficult in the second half but both teams will be disappointed with the result.
Group H: Spain Have Arrived
Following their shocking 0-0 draw with Cape Verde in matchday one, Spain showed up and dominated Saudi Arabia in a dominant 4-0 victory. Teenage superstar, Lamine Yamal, came into the starting lineup and delivered a goal within 10 minutes to put Spain 1-0 in front. Real Sociedad’s Mikel Oyarzabel got himself a brace as Spain went into the break with a three goal lead.
Hassan Al Tambakti bundled the ball into his own net just after the restart, rubbing salt in the wounds of a poor performance for Saudi Arabia. Bareclona’s Ferran Torres had a fifth ruled out late on in the game but Spain will be happy to bounce back with an emphatic win following the points dropped in their first game.
Uruguay faced Cape Verde in Miami as they looked to follow in Spain’s footsteps after a disappointing draw in their first game. But Cape Verde had other ideas as the most inspiring team of this year’s World Cup took the lead from a Kevin Pina free kick. Uruguay turned the game around with Maxi Araujo and Agustin Canobbio scoring just before the break. However, Cape Verde found an equaliser in the 61st minute as Mathias Olivera’s poor back pass left Fernando Muslera in no man’s land, leading to Helio Varela passing into an empty net.
Cape Verde have a real chance of qualifying for the round of 32 with a final matchday game against Saudi Arabia on the horizon. Uruguay will have to muster up a win against Spain in a mouth watering fixture.
Group I: Haaland Brace Sinks Senegal
Norway faced Senegal in a highly anticipated match in Group I which certainly didn’t disappoint. After a cagey first half, Norway took the lead through Marcus Holmgren Pederson just before the break. It didn’t take long after the restart for the Vikings to grab their second, with Martin Odegaard playing a beautiful through ball to Erling Haaland who slotted past Edouard Mendy.
Senegal would hit back with Ismalia Sarr five minutes later and the comeback looked on, before Erling Haaland tapped in from a Patrick Berg cross to grab his fourth goal of this World Cup and extend Norway’s lead to 3-1. Sarr would get another with six minutes left on the clock, but it was too little too late for Senegal as they have zero points from their first two games.
France had no problem against Iraq as they dominated in a 3-0 win. Kylian Mbappe continued his scoring form, grabbing a brace, tying him with Miroslav Klose with 16 goals, the second most in World Cup History. Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele added a third in the 66th minute putting France joint top of their group with Norway ahead of their Gameweek 3 showdown.
Group J: Messi Breaks the Record
For many fans of the beautiful game, Lionel Messi is seen as the best player of all time as he continues to break records and carry his team. After a penalty miss nine minutes in, Messi finished a lovely Argentina move to score his 17th goal in World Cups, breaking the record set by Miroslav Klose in 2014. Austria couldn’t get out of second gear as they failed to score against the stubborn Argentina defence.
Deep into injury time, Julian Alvarez’s shot was parried by Alexander Schlager right into the path of Messi who bagged his fifth in two games in this tournament and now 18 overall. Argentina qualify for the Round of 32 with Messi continuing to defy his age as Argentina head to the knockout round.
Algeria and Jordan faced off in the other game in Group J with both teams looking for their first win after losses in game week one. Jordan took the lead through Izar Al Rashdan’s first time effort firing past Luca Zidane. But, it was a tale of two corners in the second half as Nadir Benbouali’s header levelled the game before Marseille’s Amine Gouri grabbed the winner in the 82nd minute. Algeria will face Austria in game week three with both teams needing a win to gain automatic qualification.
Group K: Ronaldo Proves Doubters Wrong
Just like Spain did earlier in the tournament, Portugal fired back after a shocking draw to DR Congo with a 5-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan. There was a lot of noise after Cristiano Ronaldo’s disappointing game against Congo, but just six minutes in he slid the ball into the net for Portugal’s opener. PSG fullback Nuno Mendes scored from a free kick, doubling Portugal’s lead before Azizjon Ganiev’s beautiful strike was ruled out for a foul in the build up.
Uzbekistan’s day would go from bad to worse as Ronaldo scored his second just before the break. Abduvohid Nematov scored an own goal, before substitute Rafael Leao stretched their lead to 5 in emphatic style. Portugal will likely need to beat Colombia in their final group stage match to secure top spot.
Colombia beat DR Congo 1-0 to secure their spot in the Round of 32. Sebastian Desabre’s side didn’t make it easy for them as they frustrated Colombia throughout the game. But 14 minutes from time, Crystal Palace fullback Daniel Munoz finally broke the deadlock to put Colombia top of Group K
Group L: Ghana’s Resilience Frustrates England
The Three Lions looked to build on their opening fixture with another win to send them into the knockout stages, but Ghana showed resilience and frustrated England throughout the 90 minutes. Ghana’s ‘Park the Bus’ tactic made it incredibly hard for England to find any space in attacking positions, with their only real chance of the first half being a Declan Rice free kick which was always rising over the bar.
England tried to put the pressure on in the second half, but Ghana’s defence wouldn’t break. Bukayo Saka came close with a curling shot from just outside the box, but the biggest chance came in stoppage time. Nico O’Reilly’s header cannoned off the bar and fell into the lap of Harry Kane who blasted it over the bar from 10 feet out. 0-0 was the final score and Ghana should be proud of their performance. As for England, they now need to beat Panama if they want to win the Group L.
Croatia bounced back from their loss to England with a 1-0 win over Panama. Luka Modric made his 200th appearance for Croatia, however the game was not exactly memorable. Croatia took the lead early in the second half with Ante Budimir scoring at the back post from a Josip Stanistic cross. This win makes Croatia vs Ghana a very exciting fixture, with a win for either team means qualification to the Round of 32.
With just one round of group-stage fixtures remaining, the race for the Round of 32 is on. Argentina, France and Colombia have already secured their places in the knockout stages, while teams such as Spain and Portugal have rediscovered their best form at the perfect time. Surprise packages Cape Verde and Ghana continue to prove their worth as they prepare for fascinating final-day encounters.
As the pressure increases and every point becomes even more valuable, Gameweek 3 promises to deliver more drama, more memorable moments and hopefully more surprises. With qualification, group winners’ spots and World Cup dreams all on the line, the final round of fixtures is one that fans will not want to miss.
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