The group stage of the 23rd FIFA World Cup in June certainly lived up to expectations, delivering non-stop thrills and dramatic spills across North America.
Following an unforgettable opening round of football's biggest competition, SuperSportBet looks back at five of the most defining moments.
Bafana Bafana Reach The Round Of 32
Bafana relished a historic group stage campaign in North America. They finished second in Group A with four points, one behind co-hosts Mexico, to qualify for the knockout stage for the first time ever.
Bafana achieved their success in style. They did so with an overwhelming tally of 19 locally-based players in their 26-member squad.
Coach Hugo Broos also etched his name into the history books in his full-circle moment, becoming the oldest coach, aged 74 years and 75 days, to win a World Cup match in the history of the prestigious competition.
Africa Lights Up The Show
CAF representatives achieved the near-improbability in the group stage. Only one team, Tunisia, from the 10 representatives failed to qualify for the knockout stage – a record, given that no more than two African nations have ever qualified for the next round in history.
Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Ghana, Algeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Cape Verde, South Africa, and DR Congo are the nine African nations that qualified for the Round of 32 in North America.
There was more history for Cape Verde, which has a population of just 500,000, as they reached the knockout stage for the first time at the first attempt. They also exited the group stage unbeaten, while Kevin Pina scored Cape Verde’s first-ever World Cup goal against Uruguay.
Messi Setting The Pace Already
Reigning World Cup Golden Ball winner and defending champion captain, with Argentina, Lionel Messi set the tone in the group stage, scoring a whopping six goals in three matches.
That incredible haul cemented his legendary status even further, making him the World Cup's all-time top goalscorer with 19 goals –a feat that has fans believing he can perfectly defend the crown he won in Qatar back in 2022.
Messi also gained significant ground in the "Greatest of All Time" (GOAT) debate, continuing to rewrite history on the world's biggest stage. His closest rival Cristiano Ronaldo only scored two goals, becoming Portugal's all-time top goalscorer in the competition with 10 goals.
An Avalanche Of Goals Scored
A total of 215 goals were scored across the 72 World Cup group stage matches, setting a new tournament record for the highest-scoring group phase in history.
Messi (Argentina) led the scoring charts with six goals, and was followed by Ousmane Dembélé (France), Erling Haaland (Norway), Kylian Mbappé (France), and Vinícius Júnior (Brazil), who all scored four goals apiece.
There was a touch of bad luck amid the euphoria, though, with 12 own goals scored during the round, matching the tally of the 2018 edition in Russia.
Supporters Flock To The Stadiums
The group-stage fixtures across the United States, Canada, and Mexico proved to be a massive crowd-puller. A staggering 4.6 million spectators turned the turnstiles across the 72 games in 17 days.
Interestingly, that record surpassed the tally of 3.5 million spectators who watched the opening round of the competition during the 1994 World Cup held in the United States, who are this year’s co-hosts with Mexico and Canada.
While the knockout stage attendance is expected to dip slightly due to stadium capacities, records are still expected to tumble due to the expansion of the competition and the competitiveness of all remaining participants.
Place Your Bets Today
The dramatic group phase has concluded, and the high-stakes knockout rounds are now officially underway. Experience the absolute pinnacle of tournament football and find the best match markets, live in-play opportunities, and competitive odds at SuperSportBet.
