Spain’s ‘cool’ image has spread to the 2026 World Cup

What many perceive as a fairy tale, perhaps a miracle, and certainly a marvellous surprise that proves football is still capable of astonishing us – namely Cape Verde’s draw against Spain – is in reality a mixture of luck (or bad luck, depending on one’s perspective), Allegri-style defensive tactics executed poorly and, above all, Spanish arrogance. If the match between Spain and Cape Verde finished 0–0, and not by the narrowest of margins, it is primarily due to the Spaniards’ “superstar” attitude, fuelled by excessive complacency and an overabundance of vainglory. This is a national team that requires a measure of humility to avoid making a complete fool of itself again on live television against opponents who, while not particularly well-equipped, are at least combative and driven by a practical approach that goes something like this: ‘We’ll try to defend because that’s all we can do; let’s hope it’s enough.’ And it was enough. However, it would be inaccurate to label this approach as “Catenaccio”; Catenaccio was a distinct footballing philosophy, a reasoned management of resources on the pitch. Cape Verde simply adopted a deeply defensive stance, and their gamble paid off as the Spaniards became overly preoccupied with their own prowess.

Spanish ‘poshness’ is a disease that has infected all of yesterday’s favourites, for some random reason.

Uruguay drew with Saudi Arabia in a match that was scrappy and poorly executed by the South Americans, who are still wondering how they managed not to secure a victory.

Belgium were expected to beat Egypt the day before, but risked being beaten by the Egyptian side. The former darlings of Europe—beautiful yet defeated, as are all, or almost all, the teams we root for—took to the pitch with a patchwork of attacking midfielders who, even if you put four of them together, wouldn’t make a proper centre-forward. They played the ball with a clear sense of purpose, even displaying a certain aesthetic flair, but they conceded goals and risked losing a match they simply could not afford to lose. Egypt’s defence is not particularly strong, but their attack is highly effective. Emam Ashour, Omar Marmoush, Mohamed Salah and Mostafa Zico are top-class players with just one flaw: they do not pass the ball around enough. This tendency toward individualism is a significant liability; Momo Salah must repeatedly urge his teammates to be less selfish, although his calls are not always heeded. Had Egypt exhibited greater teamwork, the team would likely have secured a comfortable victory, and Belgium would not have recognised that, despite his current lack of form and limited aesthetic appeal, Romelu Lukaku remains a striker capable of occupying the penalty area, overpowering defenders, and at the very least, inducing opponents into scoring own goals.

The match between Iran and New Zealand ended 2–2. It was not a particularly well-played contest, a fact that was anticipated. One aspect that had not been apparent beforehand was the fascination of observing how the literary-sporting tradition of accidental goalkeepers at the World Cup remains vibrant.