It has been an exhilarating opening to the 2026 World Cup, with plenty of goals, drama and entertainment during the first round of group fixtures.
France, Argentina, Germany and England all got off to the perfect start, with convincing wins in their opening games.
From super-sub cameos to a history-making Scotsman, Standard Sport assesses how each Spurs player is faring after the first group games.
Came off the bench in the second half as Austria scored twice late on to secure a 3-1 win over Jordan. Ralf Rangnick’s side are in a strong position to progress into the last 32, but face reigning champions Argentina next.
Cristian Romero (Argentina)
Instead, England were dominant, producing 11 shots on target en route to a deserved 4-2 win.
Valuable option: Djed Spence came on as a late substitute during England’s win over Croatia in Dallas
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Spence may not have started against Croatia, but his brief cameo off the bench underlined why Thomas Tuchel decided to pick him ahead of more established names.
Spence’s pace helped stretch a tiring Croatia side, and it was his running that contributed to England’s fourth goal.
Tuchel has clearly defined roles and reasons for each player he has selected, and Spence proved why, despite a difficult domestic season, he was chosen to provide cover for England’s full-backs.
Micky van de Ven (Netherlands)
Van de Ven played the full 90 minutes at left-back and will have been bitterly disappointed with the manner in which Japan equalised for the second time.
Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal)
Despite having the better of the chances early on, the Lions of Teranga were unable to make their dominance count and were ultimately well beaten by Didier Deschamps’ star-studded side.
Rodrigo Bentancur (Uruguay)
Held to a frustrating 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia, as Uruguay failed to capitalise on Spain’s slip-up against Cape Verde in Group H.
Bentancur played the full 90 minutes as Maxi Araujo eventually cancelled out Abdulelah Al-Amri’s opener.
Tough test: Rodrigo Bentancur and Uruguay could only salvage a draw against Saudi Arabia, despite their dominance
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Andy Robertson (Scotland)
Steve Clarke’s side are currently top of Group C and stand a good chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.
Marcos Senesi (Argentina)
Jan Paul van Hecke (Netherlands)
Van Hecke’s relationship with Van de Ven will only grow over the course of the World Cup, which should be a good thing for Spurs.
