The 2026 FIFA World Cup is barely a week old and European football’s sense of superiority is already taking some dents. Of the 16 UEFA-qualified nations in the tournament, only seven managed to win their opening group stage matches, while six drew and three lost outright.

Germany delivered the performance of the round. Their 7-1 demolition of Curaçao on June 16 was the kind of statement that makes other teams quietly reconsider their pre-tournament bravado.

Scotland ground out a 1-0 win over Haiti, a result that gets the job done in a tournament where points are everything. Sweden took a more emphatic approach, dispatching Tunisia 5-1 in a performance that suggests the Scandinavians could be a dark horse in this expanded field.

Belgium drew 1-1 with Egypt. Switzerland also settled for a 1-1 draw against Qatar. In total, six European teams shared the spoils in their opening games.

Three European nations dropped all three points in their first fixtures, results that immediately put pressure on their remaining group stage matches. In a tournament format where each group contains only three teams, an opening loss leaves almost zero margin for error going forward.

Why this matters more than usual

This is the first edition to feature 48 teams, up from 32 in previous tournaments. The tournament is being held across North American cities, including Houston and Boston, with matches kicking off from June 11. The tournament runs through July 19, hosted jointly by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

With a maximum of two European teams per group spread across the 16 UEFA qualifiers, every match carries outsized importance.

What this means for the rest of the tournament

The six teams that drew face a more complicated calculus. A draw in a three-team group means you likely need a win in your second match to guarantee advancement. Belgium and Switzerland, two teams with genuine knockout-stage ambitions, now find themselves in must-win territory far earlier than they would have planned.

The three European losers are in the most precarious position. In a three-team group with only two matches per team, losing the opener means the second game is essentially an elimination match.