As of June 23, 2026, the group stage of the first-ever 48-team World Cup has produced 137 goals across 45 matches. The expanded format, with 12 groups of four teams and 104 total matches, hasn’t diluted the product.
Upsets and goal avalanches across three countries
The tournament, spread across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, was supposed to expose the gap between soccer’s elite and the newcomers invited to the expanded party. Germany reminded everyone of the talent disparity with a 7-1 demolition of Curaçao. But that scoreline tells only part of the story.
South Africa’s Bafana Bafana captured one of the tournament’s best storylines by qualifying for the knockout stage for the first time in the nation’s World Cup history.
Kraken, fan tokens, and crypto’s World Cup moment
