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Lionel Messi is playing successful his sixth World Cup for Argentina
After 72 matches crossed 3 countries, 48 teams who qualified for the 2026 World Cup person been whittled down to 32.
Records person been breached by immoderate of the prima players who person delivered connected football's biggest stage, portion caller heroes person emerged.
A radical of BBC reporters successful the United States, Canada and Mexico person picked their champion teams, players, matches and moments from the radical phase.
Ian Dennis, BBC Radio 5 Live
France. I've seen each of their radical games and they've made it 3 wins from 3 for the archetypal clip since they won the World Cup successful 1998. They're inactive not perfect, truthful country to amended arsenic they get stronger nether a manager who has the acquisition to gully on, arsenic Didier Deschamps seeks a 3rd successive World Cup final.
Phil McNulty, BBC Sport's main shot writer
France. Just looking astatine their onslaught with Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele and what it tin bash erstwhile it clicks - and the spot of Didier Deschamps' squad arsenic a full - makes maine deliberation they volition beryllium precise hard to stop. There are different beardown contenders, but they are the astir unsafe squad successful the tournament.
John Bennett, BBC World Service
After a sloppy commencement against Senegal, France exploded into beingness erstwhile Michael Olise was moved into the fig 10 position. Their beforehand 4 is frightening (with Desire Doue oregon Bradley Barcola), Kylian Mbappe's the happiest I person ever seen him astatine a large tournament, William Saliba is 1 of the champion defenders astatine the tournament, unsung Adrien Rabiot links things brilliantly and determination is besides truthful overmuch spot successful depth. I saw them unrecorded twice, successful New Jersey and Philadelphia, and I would beryllium stunned if they bash not marque it to the final.
Alex Howell, BBC Sport's England reporter
France look similar they are going to instrumentality immoderate stopping. They person the champion beforehand 3 of the tourney and their spot successful extent means that they tin rotate arsenic the tourney goes on. Kylian Mbappe is already firing and present he's up and moving helium volition beryllium hard to stop.
Liz Conway, BBC Sport journalist
I said Spain from the commencement and I'm going to instrumentality with them. We inactive haven't seen them deed apical cogwheel and we cognize they person acold much imaginable to show, particularly with cardinal players Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams coming backmost from injury. This is simply a agelong tourney and their momentum volition build. They could look France successful the semi-final, which would beryllium a immense test, but if they tin travel done that I deliberation they tin spell each the way.
Gary Rose, BBC Sport journalist
Lionel Messi is grabbing the headlines and rightly truthful with his six goals from 3 games truthful acold astatine this World Cup, but it would beryllium unfair to accidental Argentina are each astir him and him alone.
Often a postulation of superb individuals, this Argentina broadside looks much similar an array of superb individuals who are playing arsenic a team, and the effect of that has been 3 wins, nary goals conceded and 5 scored.
They person deed the crushed moving astatine this World Cup and look similar they volition instrumentality immoderate stopping.
Neil Johnston, BBC Sport journalist
I've seen some France and Brazil successful the radical signifier and close now, if I was to prime 1 implicit the other, I'd opt for Les Bleus. They person deed the crushed running, with Kylian Mbappe successful impeccable signifier and Michael Olise astatine his teasing best.
All of Messi's record-breaking 18 World Cup goals
Ian Dennis, BBC Radio 5 Live
Lionel Messi. The evergreen 39-year-old remains a joyousness to ticker with his skill, consciousness and quality and helium keeps producing connected the biggest stage. A footballing genius.
Phil McNulty, BBC Sport's main shot writer
Lionel Messi. Ageless genius but this is besides the World Cup wherever the large names specified arsenic Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo person travel to marque their mark. A superb tourney truthful far.
John Bennett, BBC World Service
Having followed France present successful the USA, my evident prime would beryllium Kylian Mbappe but I americium really selecting a subordinate who I could not halt watching during the archetypal crippled I attended successful New Jersey - Morocco's Ayyoub Bouaddi. I kept having to treble cheque his property due to the fact that his movement, decision-making and passing quality was unthinkable for an 18-year-old. I turned to a BBC workfellow astatine 1 signifier during the Brazil crippled and said: "This feline reminds maine of Patrick Vieira." There tin beryllium nary higher praise than that.
Alex Howell, BBC Sport's England reporter
Michael Olise has gone to different level this play and is showing his quality successful this World Cup. He's playing successful a apical prime French broadside and looks similar helium could person a immense interaction connected the tournament.
Liz Conway, BBC Sport journalist
Lionel Messi. Six goals successful 3 World Cup games and looking arsenic crisp arsenic ever. His humility with property disconnected the transportation is arsenic arsenic admirable, portion connected the transportation helium has an aura that fewer sportspeople successful past person possessed. Every clip helium plays, it feels similar you're watching thing special.
Gary Rose, BBC Sport journalist
Maybe it would person been casual to spell with a goalscorer here, peculiarly with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland doing what they bash champion astatine this tournament.
But my ballot astatine this signifier goes to Michael Olise, who has played a pivotal relation successful France's wins truthful far. He produced a player-of-the-match show successful Les Bleus' opening 3-1 triumph against Senegal, earlier providing 2 assists successful the 3-0 decision of Iraq.
Neil Johnston, BBC Sport journalist
Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Haaland… they've each turned up and they're a joyousness to watch. Kylian Mbappe has had to ticker his erstwhile nine Paris St-Germain triumph back-to-back Champions Leagues since helium near for Real Madrid (to triumph much trophies!). But helium looks determined to pb France to a 3rd satellite rubric - and 2nd successful 3 editions.
Cape Verde proceed to astonishment with entertaining Uruguay draw
Ian Dennis, BBC Radio 5 Live
Ecuador 2-1 Germany. The archetypal radical signifier crippled with a existent consciousness of jeopardy. It was triumph oregon bust for Ecuador and they responded arsenic they played with escapade portion their fans created a superb atmosphere. Bold and brave arsenic they came from behind. Manic defending astatine the extremity but the chaos added to the play arsenic they clinched a spot successful the knockout stages.
Phil McNulty, BBC Sport's main shot writer
Uruguay 2-2 Cape Verde. Cape Verde person provided 1 of the stories of this World Cup truthful acold and this lucifer was a classical arsenic they took the lead, fell behind, past drew level. Football tin sometimes beryllium cleanable and clinical. Cape Verde person played with quality, emotion and defiance.
John Bennett, BBC World Service
Uruguay 2-2 Cape Verde. This was not a crippled I saw unrecorded from the stadium, but watching connected from afar connected TV it brought backmost large memories of covering this precise likeable squad successful their travel to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations successful 2013 and 2023. From Kevin Pina making past with Cape Verde's archetypal World Cup extremity with that agelong scope free-kick, to the side's fightback from 2-1 down and past the chaos of the last stages erstwhile some teams had chances to triumph it. To adhd to the fun, the cameras kept picking retired Luis Suarez successful the assemblage going done each the imaginable emotions and looking similar helium was hopeless for this acquisition to end. More Cape Verde chaos, please.
Alex Howell, BBC Sport's England reporter
England 4-2 Croatia. England's second-half show against Croatia was truly breathtaking and showed however the Three Lions could play erstwhile they're astatine their best. They haven't replicated it yet, but that showing proves they could beryllium a menace successful this tournament. They produced free-flowing attacking shot and it was arguably the champion 45 minutes of this tournament.
Liz Conway, BBC Sport journalist
Argentina 3-0 Algeria. Set against a stunning Kansas sunset, Lionel Messi scored his archetypal World Cup hat-trick, equalled the all-time World Cup goals grounds with his 16th, and proved erstwhile again that helium is 1 of the top players of each time. Argentina's fans started the enactment agelong earlier kick-off and the ambiance successful the stadium was phenomenal arsenic everyone realised they were witnessing history.
Gary Rose, BBC Sport journalist
Netherlands 2-2 Japan. There person been a batch of draws astatine this tourney but that doesn't mean they've each been dull stalemates, and the lucifer I've astir enjoyed truthful acold was the Netherlands' gully with Japan. The crippled saw Japan doubly deed backmost earlier scoring a melodramatic last-minute winner.
Neil Johnston, BBC Sport journalist
England 4-2 Croatia. I watched the lucifer successful a sports barroom successful Philadelphia and the goals were flying in. There were a bully fig of Brazil fans successful the barroom and adjacent they were applauding immoderate of the finishing by the Three Lions.
Portugal 1-1 DR Congo highlights - World Cup 2026
Ian Dennis, BBC Radio 5 Live
Cape Verde astonishing Spain connected their World Cup debut and the consequent absorption of their goalkeeper Vozinha. His emotions post-match aft his sparkling show of 7 saves was truthful touching - and what a infinitesimal for the full nation. A reminder not each heroes deterioration capes… sometimes its a yellowish jersey.
Phil McNulty, BBC Sport's main shot writer
Ecuador's fans and players celebrating their melodramatic comeback to bushed Germany and suffice for the past 32. The ambiance wrong the New York New Jersey Stadium was electrical and the scenes aft volition unrecorded agelong successful the representation for those of america fortunate capable to person been there.
John Bennett, BBC World Service
A extremity and besides a celebration. When Portugal scored aboriginal against DR Congo everyone expected them to triumph convincingly, but Sebastien Desabre's broadside had different ideas. Yoane Wissa equalised with a large header conscionable earlier half-time, scoring their archetypal ever World Cup goal. Then to marque the infinitesimal adjacent much special, helium ran to the halfway enactment wherever helium seemed to beryllium met by the full substitutes' bench, arsenic good arsenic each the on-field players, and they launched into a choreographed creation they person made celebrated astatine Afcons called the 'fimbu'. The assemblage loved it, isolated from the Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo fans, that is. Not atrocious for DR Congo's archetypal crippled astatine a World Cup for 52 years.
Alex Howell, BBC Sport's England reporter
It's hard to look past Lionel Messi's hat-trick arsenic Argentina began the defence of their World Cup crown. Messi is 39 present but, with the squad built astir him, helium was capable to people the archetypal hat-trick of the World Cup.
Liz Conway, BBC Sport journalist
Not galore radical would person imagined that Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozinha, would go the leader of his country's World Cup debut against Spain. His performance, which was backed by unthinkable enactment from the fans, turned Cape Verde into everyone's 2nd team. It's the benignant of underdog communicative that makes the World Cup truthful special, and present they've topped it disconnected by reaching the knockout stages.
Gary Rose, BBC Sport journalist
There are others, I americium sure, but I privation to absorption connected 1 that I saw successful idiosyncratic and that was the USA beating Australia. Outside the United States it mightiness not person seemed similar a lucifer that mightiness person the champion moment, but to perceive however large the USA fans got down their squad from commencement to decorativeness - belting retired a tremendously large rendition of Country Roads astatine full-time, it was a infinitesimal that made you realise that the shot fans successful this state are afloat into this tourney and good down their nationalist team, contempt suggestions different earlier the World Cup began.
Neil Johnston, BBC Sport journalist
Watching immoderate of the youngest players astatine this tourney measurement up and present for their country. Ibrahim Mbaye, aged 18 years and 143 days, became the 4th youngest goalscorer successful World Cup past erstwhile helium scored for Senegal against France, but watching Switzerland's Johan Manzambi, 20, play - and people - has been a delight. And with a grin connected his face.
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