Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe headline the Best XI for the 1st round of fixtures at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The opening round of group-stage action at the 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered drama, goals, and standout individual performances, with some of football’s biggest stars immediately stamping their authority on the tournament.
From Lionel Messi’s record-breaking heroics for Argentina to Kylian Mbappe’s explosive display for France, the first set of matches produced several unforgettable moments and established the early frontrunners for individual honours.
As teams begin to settle into the competition, a number of players have already separated themselves from the pack with match-winning performances, defensive masterclasses, and moments of pure brilliance. Here is the Best XI from Round 1 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage, featuring a blend of established superstars and emerging talents who lit up the tournament’s opening chapter.
In his first match at the 2026 World Cup, 40-year-old Vozinha became the oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in the tournament’s history.
The Cape Verde shot-stopper lived up to that moniker with a string of unbelievable saves that secured the little African nation’s first-ever point against powerhouses Spain.
Vozinha finished the 0-0 draw against La Roja, having made seven saves and prevented 1.45 goals.
Nathaniel Brown – Germany
Bayern Munich will be excited to have gotten the deal for Frankfurt’s Nathaniel Brown over the line after his brilliant performance in Germany’s 7-1 demolition of Curaçao.
The full-back was at his expert best, providing an assist for Nico Schlotterbeck’s goal to restore Germany’s lead before adding a goal of his own to seal a superb display for the youngster.
Nikola Katić – Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bosnia’s famous 1–1 draw with Canada was built on the back of Nikola Katic’s incredible defensive work in keeping the co-hosts at bay.
The centre-back made an astonishing 26 defensive actions in Bosnia’s opener, fighting tooth and nail to keep Bosnia in the game right until the very end.
Kastic made a ridiculous 16 clearances, won 15 duels and four out of five tackles, making him the best Bosnian on the pitch and one of the best defenders of the opening round.
Wilfred Singo – Ivory Coast
Ivorian centre-back Wilfred Singo made telling contributions at both ends of the pitch in the Ivory Coast’s opening day 1-0 win over Ecuador.
Starting the game at centre-back, Singo made 7 clearances and 7 recoveries, won all four of his aerial duels and was not dribbled past once, shutting out the energetic Ecuadorian attack.
Still, his most important contribution of the night came after being moved to right back, where his long, bursting run in the last minute of the game set up Amad Diallo for the game’s winner.
Rezaeian’s all-action display at right-back earned him man of the match honours in Iran’s 2-2 draw with New Zealand.
The Foolad Khuzestan defender was immense for the Cheetahs, scoring their first equaliser of the game and providing the assist for the second as Mohammad Mohebi earned a point to kick-start Iran’s World Cup campaign.
Born in Sweden to a Tunisian father, Ayari made the Carthage Eagles pay for missing out on him with two incredibly sumptuous strikes in their 5-1 opening day loss.
The Brighton midfielder showed exactly why the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool are circling him in the last year of his contract.
Korean midfielder Hwang In-Beom’s opening day performance in the Taegeuk Warriors’ 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic was so good that it survived the recency bias of several other top performances that have come after it.
The silky midfielder evoked comparisons with Barcelona great Iniesta with his perfectly timed pause and thrust that kept Korea in control of the entire tie.
Hwang added a superb goal and an assist to his midfield dominance to seal his spot on the team of the round.
Words are often insufficient to describe Lionel Messi’s performances, and his masterclass against African giants Algeria was no different.
The two-time World Cup Golden Ball winner set himself on the course for a third award after becoming the all-time top scorer in the competition’s history, joint with Miroslav Klose on 16 goals, after his first-ever hat-trick.
Messi put Algeria to the sword, and with Austria and Jordan still to come, the Argentine is almost certain to make the record his own before the end of the group stages.
The Nigerian with a British accent, who only lived in America for a month before being called up for the national team, made a stunning impact for the USMNT in their opening game win over Paraguay.
Balogun netted a brace as the USA dismantled a stubborn Paraguay side in the 4-1 statement of intent among the host nations.
Erling Haaland’s World Cup debut could hardly have gone better with the Manchester City striker finally leading his country’s attack on the biggest stage.
A brilliant brace to put Iraq to the sword, combined with forcing the Iraqi own goal, meant Haaland finished head and shoulders as Norway’s best player in the 4-1 win, setting them up for a strong run in the competition.
Kylian Mbappe looked to be the biggest star of the World Cup after his metronomic performance for France against Senegal.
The Real Madrid star took the game by the scruff of the neck when it appeared that Senegal were on the ascendancy, scoring the opener before securing the tie with a worldie of a strike to seal France’s 3-1 win.
Despite being outshone by Messi just hours later, Mbappe showed that he is once again prepared to push the Argentine star for the World Cup Golden Ball.