Why the 2026 World Cup Already Feels More Unpredictable Than Qatar 2022
Only a few days into the tournament and World Cup 2026 already feels like chaos.
Which is exactly what football fans wanted.
Going into Qatar 2022, most people expected one of the usual suspects to dominate. Argentina, France, Brazil and England entered as favourites and, despite a few shocks, the tournament eventually produced a fairly predictable final.
This time feels different.
The giants are still there, but the gap between football's elite and everyone else suddenly looks much smaller.
Spain have already been held to a shock 0-0 draw by Cape Verde.
Belgium were frustrated by Egypt.
Uruguay couldn't beat Saudi Arabia.
Brazil were held by Morocco.
The Netherlands dropped points against Japan.
And Iran and New Zealand somehow served up one of the most entertaining draws of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Germany smashed seven past Curaçao, Scotland opened with a win over Haiti, and the United States announced themselves with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay.
Nothing feels guaranteed.
And that's what makes this World Cup so fascinating.
Smaller nations aren't arriving simply hoping to survive. They're playing without fear. Cape Verde's heroic draw against Spain instantly became one of the stories of the tournament, while Morocco once again proved that their remarkable run in Qatar wasn't a one-off.
Perhaps the expanded format has something to do with it.
Perhaps the quality gap between nations is shrinking.
Or perhaps football has simply become too global for the old hierarchies to hold forever.
Players from every corner of the world are now competing in Europe's top leagues. Tactical knowledge is everywhere. Sports science is everywhere. Smaller countries no longer arrive with part-time footballers and crossed fingers.
They arrive with belief.
And belief changes tournaments.
The group stage has barely begun, yet fans already have the feeling that nobody is truly safe.
Not Spain.
Not Brazil.
Not Belgium.
Maybe not even France or Argentina.
That uncertainty is giving the tournament an energy that many felt was missing four years ago.
Because deep down, football fans don't really want perfection.
They want surprises.
They want underdogs.
They want goalkeepers turning into national heroes.
They want entire countries celebrating draws like trophies.
They want stories.
And so far, World Cup 2026 has delivered plenty of them.
The favourites may still win it.
History suggests they probably will.
But unlike Qatar 2022, this tournament already feels like it's capable of producing something nobody saw coming.
And that's usually when the World Cup is at its best.