Haaland competes with Mbappe and the best matches of the 2026 World Cup

VHO - The confrontation between the two best strikers in the world is just the highlight of the group stage, which also witnessed a series of historic reunions and the opportunity to shock World Cup rookies.

Next summer's World Cup is already starting to come to life, especially after the lengthy but eventful draw in Washington DC. As fans around the world eagerly mark their calendars and prepare for the record-expanding 48-team tournament, the exciting storylines are starting to emerge - from a fireworks showdown between Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé to historic reunions that have rocked the World Cup.

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The draw ceremony was long and drawn out, with many unbelievable moments.

Millions tuned in to watch the live broadcast, which was scheduled to begin at 17:00 GMT, but had to wait nearly 90 minutes before the first cards were drawn. Between performances by Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger, and speeches by US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the draw dragged on so long that commentators joked that “the World Cup could start before the ceremony is over”.

The announcement of the three co-host nations (USA, Mexico, Canada) alone took up half an hour, before the actual draw began at 6:27 p.m. The entire ceremony lasted nearly two hours, kicking off one of the biggest World Cups in history.

The group stage quality is not high, but there is no lack of highlights.

The 2026 World Cup will have 12 groups of four teams. The large numbers do not necessarily mean equal quality, with only one match in the group stage being a clash between two of the world's top 10 teams: England vs Croatia.

Brazil's clash with Morocco, ranked 11th in the world, is considered the second most interesting match. The Netherlands are in the toughest group with Japan, Tunisia and a play-off team, while Germany are in what is considered the weakest group with Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curacao.

However, football fans still have many matches to look forward to ahead.

Haaland vs Mbappé: the dream match of world football

Erling Haaland, who scored 16 goals in eight qualifying matches, is preparing for his first World Cup. With his devastating form for Manchester City, he has brought Norway back to the tournament after 26 years.

But in the final group stage match, Haaland will face Kylian Mbappé - a French and Real Madrid football icon - who is closing in on France's all-time scoring record.

Haaland is in impressive form with 15 goals in 14 matches for Man City this season, while Mbappé also maintains a high scoring efficiency with 16 goals in 15 La Liga matches for Real Madrid.

This is considered a confrontation between two stars expected to dominate world football in the next decade. Coach Didier Deschamps frankly assessed that this will be "an explosive match".

Memorable reunions at the World Cup

The 2026 World Cup will bring many matches with rich historical value:

Mexico vs South Africa opened at the Azteca, similar to the opening match of the 2010 World Cup with a super goal from Siphiwe Tshabalala.

France vs Senegal, reminiscent of the “Seoul 2002 shock” when Papa Bouba Diop sent the defending champions into defeat in their opening match.

The ghosts of history are waiting to repeat themselves, or be erased.

World Cup dreams of rookies

The four teams participating for the first time are Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan and Curacao. And before they could enjoy the joy, they had to face the giants:

Curacao meet Germany in their first World Cup appearance.

Cape Verde face Spain in the opening match.

Jordan is in the same group as Argentina and Lionel Messi.

Uzbekistan, under the guidance of Fabio Cannavaro, face Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.

These rookies face a huge challenge, but also have the chance to create a surprise like Saudi Arabia did with Argentina in 2022.

Knockout round: where big dreams meet

If the strong teams advance as expected, the knockout round could explode right from the round of 16:

Germany vs France - a rematch of the 2014 quarter-finals.

The Netherlands and Spain are in the same branch as Germany, making for a tough journey.

Messi could meet Ronaldo in the quarter-finals, if Argentina and Portugal both top their groups and win their first two matches.

A dream scenario: Messi and Ronaldo meet again in what will be their final World Cup.

For England, a win over Croatia could see them meet the third-placed team from one of the other groups in the round of 32. Scotland, if they top the group, are likely to face either Japan or Tunisia.

According to BBC

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/haaland-so-tai-mbappe-va-nhung-tran-dau-hay-nhat-cua-world-cup-2026-186128.html