The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off on Thursday with a pair of Group A matches.
Mexico walked out of Estadio Azteca in Mexico City with a commanding 2-0 victory over South Africa, while South Korea edged out Czechia 2-1 to close out the day in Guadalajara.
Friday saw the other two co-hosts play. Canada came back to draw even 1-1 against Bosnia-Herzegovina at BMO Field in Toronto, and later on, the United States dismantled Paraguay 4-1 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
All three co-hosts now sit atop their groups as the tournament favorites prepare for their respective group stage matches.
But even as the United States, Canada, and Mexico continue to dominate headlines, another voice has pushed back against one of the World Cup favorites.
On Thursday, ESPN FC’s Steve Nicol, a former star defender with Liverpool and Scotland World Cup veteran, fired a pointed warning at Spain, one of the tournament’s heavyweights.
“My worry for them is defensively down the middle. I agree 100% with the boys about Rodri. He’s way (far away) from what he was before his injury. And I don’t like the look of the centerbacks’ partnership at all. Even if you take (Aymeric) Laporte out, and you make it (Eric) Garcia and (Pau) Cubarsi, we all know the reason why probably Barcelona don’t win the Champions League, it’s because, defensively, they’re weak,” Nicol said.
“Because they play a high line domestically, there will be times where they end up in between. They won’t be deep, and they won’t be too high because they’ll be having to think about it. So, yeah, too many questions about Spain to think they’re favorites. I don’t think they’re favorites,” he added.
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Spain just won the Euro 2024 tournament and sits No. 2 in the world by FIFA, carrying enormous expectations to win their second-ever World Cup.
They’re considered the outright favorites alongside France, and haven’t lost a match since March 2024, a friendly versus Colombia. Over that span, they’ve won the Euro 2024, the Nations League, and put together a near-flawless World Cup qualifying run, winning five of six qualifiers, with their 2-2 draw against Turkey being the only outlier.
With a stacked roster featuring stars like Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, David Raya, Rodri, and Pedri, many have pegged La Roja to be the ones hoisting the trophy in July.
Spain lands in Group H alongside Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay. They play Cape Verde first on June 15 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, before Saudi Arabia on June 21 back in Atlanta, and Uruguay on June 26 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
It’s a manageable group, but the true test will come later on when they’ll have to go through other deep, talented squads like France, Argentina, Brazil, England, and Portugal.
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