The second week and second matchday of the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted by North America has kicked off after weeks one offered fans around the world a glimpse into the participating teams’ forms and fuelling early predictions over who has what it takes to bring the coveted title home.
The first seven days have seen all 48 nations who qualified for this expanded edition of the global tournament take to the pitch, producing a mix of expected, exciting, lacklustre and disappointing results – depending on which nation you support.
The eight teams making up Groups A and B took to the pitch late on Thursday and early into Friday morning as the fight to clinch vital points has begun.
In FIFA’s newly expanded format including 48 instead of the usual 32 teams, the top two teams from each of the 12 groups will earn a ticket to the knockout rounds, in addition to eight of the best third place finishers – reviewed by points – from all the groups.
Here is an overview of all the action Day 8 of the tournament had to offer:
