The first round of the group stage in the 2026 World Cup concluded with several surprises, most notably Spain and Portugal being held to draws by Cape Verde and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, respectively.

The round also featured a standout performance from Argentine star Lionel Messi, who scored his first World Cup hat-trick and climbed to the top of the tournament’s all-time scorers list, now tied with Germany’s Miroslav Klose at 16 goals each.

While most of the favorites secured victories, Brazil were held to a draw by Morocco, who delivered a strong performance.

From the Brazil vs. Morocco match. (AFP)

Here are the group standings in the 2026 World Cup after the end of the first round:

*Group A
1- Mexico (3 points)
2- South Korea (3 points)
3- Czech Republic (0 points)
4- South Africa (0 points)
*Group B
1- Switzerland (1 point)
2- Canada (1 point)
3- Qatar (1 point)
4- Bosnia and Herzegovina (1 point)
*Group C
1- Scotland (3 points)
2- Morocco (1 point)
3- Brazil (1 point)
4- Haiti (0 points)
*Group D
1- United States (3 points)
2- Australia (3 points)
3- Turkey (0 points)
4- Paraguay (0 points)
*Group E
1- Germany (3 points)
2- Côte d'Ivoire (3 points)
3- Ecuador (0 points)
4- Curaçao (0 points)
*Group F
1- Sweden (3 points)
2- Japan (1 point)
3- Netherlands (1 point)
4- Tunisia (0 points)
*Group G
1- New Zealand (1 point)
2- Iran (1 point)
3- Belgium (1 point)
4- Egypt (1 point)
*Group H
1- Uruguay (1 point)
2- Saudi Arabia (1 point)
3- Spain (1 point)
4- Cape Verde (1 point)
*Group I
1- Norway (3 points)
2- France (3 points)
3- Senegal (0 points)
4- Iraq (0 points)
*Group J
1- Argentina (3 points)
2- Austria (3 points)
3- Jordan (0 points)
4- Algeria (0 points)
*Group 11
1- Colombia (3 points)
2- Democratic Republic of the Congo (1 point)
3- Portugal (1 point)
4- Uzbekistan (0 points)
*Group 12
1- England (3 points)
2- Ghana (3 points)
3- Panama (0 points)
4- Croatia (0 points).