Messi’s still got it, France looks the part, and more: What we learned during the World Cup group stage

It’s hard to believe, but the knockout stage of the World Cup is upon us as South Africa and Canada get things started on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. Some of the big stars have delivered as we knew they would, many of the big teams have taken care of business, all three hosts are in the Round of 32, and a few fun stories have popped up. That’s not to say it hasn’t had its share of disappointments, either.

While we can’t go through all 144 group-stage matches, we can give you at least a birds-eye view of the tournament so far. Here are just a few things we learned over the past two-and-a-half weeks.

The United States, Canada, and Mexico have held up their ends of the bargain

The three tournament hosts had a relatively stress-free group stage. Mexico had the least trouble, winning all of its matches in Group A. The USMNT won Group D with a match to spare and came seconds from taking seven of nine points from their opponents. Canada had a little shakier path, but it was mission accomplished nonetheless.

All three should at least make the Round of 16. That’s where it would get a little tricky. Canada, as mentioned, plays South Africa and would get one of Morocco or the Netherlands in Houston on July 4. The USMNT, should it beat Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, would play Belgium or Senegal on July 6. Mexico faces Ecuador at the Azteca on June 30 and would likely see England there on July 5.

Lionel Messi’s still got it at 39 years old

Use any cliché you’d like here: “age is just a number,” “aging like fine wine,” etc. Whichever you prefer, it’s clear that Lionel Andrés Messi is still a darn good player. I’ll admit that I thought a few bumps and bruises from the MLS season with Inter Miami would limit his impact with La Albiceleste. I should have known better.

I mean, come on:

Only two countries have won back-to-back World Cups: Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962). Argentina could be poised to join that list in a few weeks. Oh, by the way, Messi, who’s never won the tournament’s Golden Boot, leads all players with six goals. Last World Cup? Heck, trot him out there in four years when he’s 43.

Cristiano Ronaldo is a shell of his former self

Another cliché is fitting when discussing Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup so far: Father Time comes for us all.

Take everything I just said about Lionel Messi and apply the exact opposite to Ronaldo, who has been, well, not quite to the standard for Portugal at 41. He scored twice during Seleção’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan on the second day of Group K action. Outside of that, he’s done precious little. He’s holding this group back massively.

Portugal plays Croatia on Thursday in Toronto in the Round of 32. I don’t think anyone will be surprised if Portugal loses, ensuring Ronaldo never wins the big trophy that’s escaped his grasp.

Erling Haaland has shone in his first World Cup

You know who else is a pretty good player? Erling Haaland. He’s scored four goals for Norway as it finished on six points in Group I, setting up a date with the Ivory Coast in Arlington on Tuesday.

The Norwegians will go as far as Haaland can take them, and while they shouldn’t have issues in the Round of 32, a potential Round of 16 match against Brazil on July 5 and a possible quarterfinal against England on July 11 are in the cards if their side of the bracket ends up being chalk. Regardless, Haaland has been having an absolute blast in the U.S. And he should!

France is an absolute machine

Les Bleus, who outscored opponents 10-2 during a perfect Group I, are looking to join West Germany (1982, 1986, 1990) and Brazil (1994, 1998, 2002) as the only nations to appear in three consecutive World Cup finals. While Iraq may have been the minnow, Norway (which rested Haaland on Saturday) and Senegal are no slouches. The French, led by Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé’s four goals, have made it look easy in any event.

Considering France gets past Sweden in East Rutherford on Tuesday, it could play Germany in Philadelphia on July 4, a very appealing Round of 16 affair on Independence Day. We could also be heading for a France-Morocco rematch in the quarterfinals and a potential semifinal against Spain on July 14. The road isn’t a smooth one, but it’s not an impossible one, either.

AFCON has entered the chat

Ten African countries qualified for the World Cup in 2026. Eight of them made it to the Round of 32: Algeria, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, and South Africa. The biggest story is DR Congo, in its first World Cup since 1974, which used a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan in Atlanta on Saturday to book a trip to the knockout stage.

Ivory Coast and South Africa have something to celebrate, too, as both are in their first-ever World Cup knockout rounds.

Despite the cynicism around 48 teams being in the tournament, it’s still cool to see stories like this (especially in DR Congo’s case) as those are what help make the World Cup what it is.

Cape Verde isn’t just here to sightsee

How about Cape Verde? The tiny island nation, in its first World Cup, drew Spain 0-0 in Atlanta thanks to a legendary performance in goal by Vozinha, then played Uruguay to a 2-2 result before another 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia on Friday.

It’ll play Argentina on Friday at Hard Rock Stadium in the Round of 32, but everything the country of just over 530,000 people does from here on out is gravy.