Shoot first, ask questions later: Goal-scorers show no mercy... except for Cristiano Ronaldo

Aside from surprises like Spain, Brazil and Portugal’s draws against Cape Verde, Morocco and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, respectively, the first matchday of the 2026 FIFA World Cup went according to plan. It was a start in which the top scorers—the best forwards expected to lead the tournament’s scoring charts—did not fail to find the back of the net.

All of them took advantage of their opportunities to send the ball into the back of the net at least once—all except Cristiano Ronaldo. While the Portuguese player failed to score against his opponent in the opening match, his longtime rival scored a hat trick. 

Messi adds to his legacy

That reference is to Lionel Messi. Given his start, the defending champion can believe it’s possible to defend the title it won in Qatar in 2022. The Argentine star began his sixth FIFA World Cup by the main driving force behind the "Albiceleste’s" resounding victory over Algeria (3-0). He scored all three goals, a hat trick that tied him with legendary German striker Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in the tournament’s history.

Mbappé finds his form

Another player who opened his scoring account was Kylian Mbappé. Criticized for his season with Real Madrid—despite having scored 42 goals in 44 matches—the French star led "Les Bleus" to their victory over Senegal (3-1) with a spectacular brace: the first came after a great run to lose his defender; the second was a masterpiece of a long-range shot. With his scoring instinct in full swing, France can feel confident.

Kane unstoppable

There’s no better center forward than him right now, a status he’s earned thanks to the 61 goals he’s scored this season with Bayern Munich. Harry Kane kicked off the 2026 FIFA World Cup by doing what he does best. In what was likely the most thrilling match of the opening day, the English striker found the back of the net twice in England’s victory over Croatia (4-2). One of them came from the penalty spot; the other, a header. What a start.

Haaland: The pride of the Vikings

One of the national teams that could pull off an upset in this FIFA World Cup is Norway. Their rout of Iraq (4-1) in the first round had a clear star, Erling Braut Haaland. He was the architect of the first two goals scored by the Norwegian national team in the match. The side's to the world’s premier soccer tournament—they haven’t competed in it since France 1998—promises to be more than exciting, thanks in large part to the striker from Manchester City.

Balogun gives hope to the U.S.

It’s their FIFA World Cup, and they want to go far in the tournament. The United States has gotten off to an outstanding start, mercilessly crushing Paraguay (4-1) in front of their home crowd. The national team (USMNT) has reason to believe it can go far. One such reason is Folarin Balogun. The center forward scored half of the goals with which the "Stars and Stripes" defeated the "Guaraníes."

Havertz was merciless

The biggest victory so far in the 2026 FIFA World Cup was achieved by Germany against Curaçao (7-1). Among the six German scorers in the match, Kai Havertz stands out, as he scored twice to lead the "Mannschaft" to victory and left the Caribbean team, making its FIFA World Cup debut, with no room to maneuver.

Vinícius Jr., Luis Díaz...

Other top-tier forwards who delivered were Vinícius Jr.—who scored Brazil’s only goal against Morocco (1-1)—and Luis Díaz—the star of Colombia's victory over Uzbekistan (3-1) with a goal. Sweden’s Viktor Gyokeres and Mexico’s Raúl Jiménez also made their mark in the opener.