Incredible images from the World Cup's opening week
World Cup 2026 is well under way, creating moments of joy and heartache for players and fans as teams from around the world compete for football's biggest prize.
In total, 104 matches will be played across 16 cities and three countries, with the final in New Jersey on 19 July. They will feature teams from 48 nations in the biggest football tournament in history.
The first week of the tournament ended with hard-fought matches and some memorable goals, notably a hat-trick from Argentina's Lionel Messi and a brace for France's Kylian Mbappé including a late screamer from outside the box.
Messi is now level with Germany's Miroslav Klose as the World Cup's all-time top scorer with 16 goals, while Mbappé is on 14 and in joint fourth behind them and Brazilian legend Ronaldo.
England and Scotland both started their campaigns with thrilling wins.
Harry Kane scored England's first two goals of the tournament - the first from the penalty spot.
There were plenty of nerves on show at the Scotland game - and at home - but the win was enough to put them top of their group after Morocco and Brazil drew.
Probably the greatest shock from the opening week was the tiny nation of Cape Verde holding European champions Spain, who are one of the tournament favourites, to a goalless draw.
Forty-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha made seven crucial saves to deny Spain and was in tears as he left the pitch after the final whistle on Tuesday.
"I cried because I grew up with my grandparents," he said after being awarded player of the match. "Unfortunately they were not here. They died a few years before. They were everything for me, everything for my life."
With a population of just over half a million, Cape Verde is the third smallest nation to qualify for the finals behind Iceland, who played in Russia in 2018, and Curaçao, who also made their World Cup finals debut this week.
After falling behind, the Caribbean minnows scored against four-time champions Germany to equalise, prompting wild celebrations, but ultimately lost 7-1.
Other shocks have included DR Congo holding Portugal to a 1-1 draw to take a point, while Qatar and Saudi Arabia did the same to Switzerland and Uruguay respectively.
The results have eased some concerns about the expanded tournament producing one-sided contests, with US women's manager Emma Hayes telling ITV: "You can see it is bringing out the best in teams."
However, the introduction of mandatory three-minute "hydration breaks" halfway through each half to help players cope with stifling heat has been less well received.
Managers have used them to pass on tactical changes to players, and the breaks have been criticised by others for slowing down the game.
Fans from across the world have come together for the festival of football.
It all started just over a week ago with almost 87,500 fans, celebrities and dignitaries packed into the Estadio Azteca to see co-hosts Mexico open their campaign with a 2-0 win against South Africa.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino had promised the three ceremonies would "bring together music, culture and football in a way that reflects both the individuality of each nation and the unity that defines this tournament".
They concluded with performances from Shakira, Alanis Morissette and Katy Perry before each host nation kicked off their respective opening matches and started the five-and-a-half-week tournament.
All three host countries had something to celebrate going into the tournament's second week.
The US won their opening game, scoring four goals, while Mexico became the first team to qualify for the next round after beating South Korea on Thursday night.
And Canada earned their first ever World Cup point with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina and topped that days later with their first ever win - a 6-0 victory against Qatar - although that was marred by a serious-looking leg injury to midfielder Ismael Kone.
