The opening round of the expanded 48-team World Cup across North America will be remembered first for the enduring genius of Lionel Messi. Days before his 39th birthday, the Argentina captain struck a hat-trick in a 3-0 dismissal of Algeria, equalling Miroslav Klose’s career record of 16 World Cup goals and seizing immediate control of the Golden Boot race. Viewed from Buenos Aires, the performance was both a reaffirmation of Messi’s talismanic value and a statement of intent from the holders, who began their title defence with the kind of authority that eluded several of their rivals. In European press rooms, the treble was read as a direct challenge to the next generation of stars, a reminder that the old guard is not yet ready to relinquish the stage.

The Argentine’s fireworks were the centrepiece of a goal-laden opening sequence. Across 24 matches, 75 goals were scored at an average of 3.125 per game, a rate that silenced early doubts about the competitive depth of a bloated field. Erling Haaland struck twice in Norway’s 4-1 win over Iraq, Kylian Mbappé matched that tally in France’s 3-1 victory against Senegal, and Harry Kane’s double powered England past Croatia 4-2. Germany delivered the round’s most emphatic scoreline, dismantling Curaçao 7-1, while Sweden put five past Tunisia and the United States, roared on by home crowds, swept aside Paraguay 4-1 with Folarin Balogun becoming the first American since 1930 to score a World Cup brace. Only one fixture, Spain’s goalless stalemate with Cape Verde, failed to produce a goal, a result that drew sharp criticism in Madrid and raised immediate questions about La Roja’s cutting edge.

Yet the first round was as notable for its surprises as for its scoring feats. Portugal, led by a subdued Cristiano Ronaldo, were held 1-1 by the Democratic Republic of Congo, a result that echoed across the Arab world and beyond as a symbol of shifting balances. Brazil, too, stumbled, while Qatar snatched a 94th-minute equaliser against Switzerland thanks to a Swiss own goal, a moment celebrated from Doha to Jakarta as proof that the tournament’s minnows can bite. Analysts in London noted that the traditional hierarchy appears unusually porous: the power rankings compiled by British outlets place Argentina, England and France at the summit, but the chasing pack is more crowded and less predictable than in any recent edition.

The new format, with 12 groups sending forward the top two and the eight best third-placed teams, means the second round of fixtures will be freighted with both opportunity and peril. For the underperformers—Spain, Portugal, Brazil—the margin for error has already narrowed sharply. For the frontrunners, the task is to build momentum while managing the physical toll of a tournament that will stretch deep into July. The Golden Boot chase, meanwhile, has acquired a narrative richness: Messi’s record-equalling burst has thrown down a marker, but Haaland, Mbappé and Kane are within striking distance, and the memory of Just Fontaine’s 13-goal single-tournament record from 1958 now flickers as a distant but tantalising target. As the teams regroup, the first round has delivered a World Cup that feels at once familiar and refreshingly unsettled.