World Cup 2026: BBC reporters pick best moments and players of group stage
Ian Dennis, BBC Radio 5 Live
France. I saw all the group matches and it was the first time they had won three out of three since they won the World Cup in 1998. They’re still not perfect, so there’s room for improvement as they get stronger under an experienced manager as Didier Deschamps looks for a third successive World Cup final.
Phil McNulty, BBC Sport’s chief football writer
France. When I look at their attack with Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele, what they can do when clicked and the strength of Didier Deschamps’ squad as a whole, I think it will be very difficult to stop them. There are other strong opponents, but they are the most dangerous team in the tournament.
John Bennett, BBC World Service
After a poor start against Senegal, France It came to life when Michael Olise moved to the number 10 position. Their front four is scary (alongside Desire Doue or Bradley Barcola), Kylian Mbappe is the happiest player I’ve ever seen him play in a major tournament, William Saliba is one of the best defenders in the tournament, the unsung Adrien Rabiot ties everything together brilliantly and there’s also strength in depth. I’ve seen them live twice, in New Jersey and Philadelphia, and I’ll be very surprised if they don’t make it to the finals.
Alex Howell, BBC Sport’s England correspondent
France They look like they’re going to stop for a while. They have the best front three of the tournament and their strength in depth means they can rotate as the tournament goes on. Kylian Mbappe has already started firing and now he is ready, it will be hard to stop him.
Liz Conway, BBC Sports correspondent
I told you Spain I will stick with them from the very beginning. We haven’t seen them step up to the top level yet and we know they have a lot more potential, especially with key players Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams returning from injury. This is a long tournament and they will gain momentum. They could face France in the semi-finals, that would be a huge test but if they can get through that I think they can go all the way.
Gary Rose, BBC Sports correspondent
Lionel Messi has been making headlines this World Cup with his six goals in three matches so far, but it would be unfair to say so. Argentina it’s all about him and him alone.
Often a collection of great individuals, this Argentine team looks more like a collection of great players playing as a team, and the result has been three wins, an unbeaten goal and five goals scored.
They’ve hit the ground running this World Cup and it looks like they’re going to slow down a bit.
Neil Johnston, BBC Sports correspondent
I saw both France and Brazil in the group stage and if I had to choose one over the other right now, I would choose this one. Les Blue. They took to the field quickly, with the impeccable form of Kylian Mbappe and the best performance of Michael Olise.
