World Cup 2026, day five: the tournament has already found its pulse

Five days in, and the doubts feel a long way away. A 48-team World Cup spread across three countries was always going to invite the worry that the group stage would sprawl, that the early matches would be a procession of cagey openers and safe draws. Instead, this tournament has come out swinging. We have had a genuine classic, a record-breaking minnow that refused to read the script, a last-gasp winner from a Premier League name, and three host nations all making early statements. If the opening matchdays are a promise of what is to come, sign me up for the rest.

Let me start where everyone who watched it is still starting their conversations: Netherlands against Japan. This was the game that announced the tournament. A first half that simmered, then a second half that boiled over, with all four goals arriving after the break and three of them inside a frantic 13-minute spell. The Dutch led twice and looked, on both occasions, like a side with the composure to see it out. Japan simply would not have it. There was a moment, as wave after wave of crosses sailed into the box, when you could feel the second-guessing creep in, the sense that they were forcing a method that was not working. And then Daichi Kamada rose at the death to head the equaliser and make the stubbornness look like conviction. A 2-2 draw rarely feels this loud.

Germany made a statement, and so did Curacao

If Japan and the Netherlands gave us the drama, Germany gave us the warning. Seven goals against Curacao is the kind of scoreline that travels, the sort of result that makes the rest of the field glance over its shoulder. The four-time champions look serious, and there is an edge to them that suggests they intend to be there at the business end.

And yet the abiding image of that match is not German. It is the sight of Curacao, a nation of roughly 156,000 people, the smallest ever to reach a men's World Cup, actually scoring first. Livano Comenencia's goal will be a footnote in the record books and a lifetime memory on the island. Dick Advocaat's side were eventually overwhelmed, as everyone expected, but they turned up, they had their moment, and they reminded us why an expanded field is not only about the heavyweights. For a few minutes in front of a roaring crowd, the smallest country in the competition led one of its giants. That is the World Cup doing what it does best.

Amad's moment, and a record toppled

Then there was the late winner that had my notebook in the air. Amad Diallo, on as a substitute, taking Wilfried Singo's cut-back and finishing low into the corner in the 90th minute to give Ivory Coast a 1-0 win over Ecuador. It was the Elephants' first World Cup victory in 12 years and their first ever against South American opposition, and it came at the expense of an Ecuador side that arrived unbeaten in 19 matches. One swing of a substitute's boot, and a long unbeaten run was gone. That is tournament football: months of careful build-up undone in a single, decisive instant.

The hosts have answered the first question

For a World Cup staged across the United States, Mexico and Canada, the early form of the host nations matters more than usual. A flat start from any of the three would have dampened the mood in stadiums that need a local pulse to truly come alive. No such worries so far. Mexico opened the whole show with a 2-0 win over South Africa at the Azteca, the grand old stadium doing exactly what it was built to do. The United States then put four past Paraguay in a 4-1 win on home soil, a result with real intent behind it. South Korea, too, got off the mark. The co-hosts are up and running, and a tournament always breathes easier when the home crowds have something to shout about.

Elsewhere, Sweden made light work of their opener and there were tight, cagey affairs too, with Group B in particular delivering a cluster of draws that left Switzerland, Canada, Qatar and Bosnia all sharing the spoils. Not every match can be a thriller, and the early evidence is that the group stage will have its share of chess as well as fireworks. That is no bad thing. Tournaments need their slow-burners to make the explosions count.

What I am watching as day five unfolds

Today's slate keeps the momentum going, with Spain among the headline acts as they begin their campaign, Belgium and Egypt meeting in a fascinating cross-continental test, and Saudi Arabia facing a Uruguay side many fancy as dark horses. Spain, in particular, carry the weight of expectation that comes with being among the favourites, and how they handle their opener will tell us plenty about whether they are ready to convert pedigree into a deep run.

If I were to offer an early read, it is this: the sides that have impressed most are the ones playing without fear. Japan chasing a game they could have settled for losing. Ivory Coast going for the throat in the final minute. The United States attacking from the front. In a long tournament, caution is a temptation, but the opening days suggest the bold will be rewarded. The teams sitting back and hoping to sneak through have, so far, looked the most vulnerable.

There are caveats, of course. It is early. Group tables this thin tell you little, and a single result can flip a nation's tournament from comfortable to anxious overnight, as Ecuador discovered. Reputations built over qualifying campaigns count for nothing once the whistle blows here. But that is precisely the appeal. Five days in, this World Cup has already given us a classic, a fairytale, a record broken and three hosts in good voice. The doubters worried it would take an age to get going. It took about 13 minutes in Dallas.

On this evidence, the next few weeks are going to be a lot of fun. Settle in.