What the world is saying about the others

Norway are through to the World Cup Round of 32 — their first knockout stage since 1998 — and the world has stopped calling it a fluke. Erling Haaland’s second-half double in a 3-2 win over Senegal made it back-to-back World Cup victories for the first time in Norwegian history and took him to four goals at the tournament (59 in 52 caps). The global narrative now frames Norway as a genuine dark horse carried by the most ruthless finisher at the tournament, with the looming France showdown billed as a referendum on Haaland vs Mbappé.

Argentina’s title defence has become the Lionel Messi farewell tour. After a hat-trick against Algeria, his brace in a 2-0 win over Austria made him the all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history (18 goals, two clear of Klose) and the first man since Jairzinho in 1970 to score in six consecutive World Cup games. The global press frames Argentina as genuine contenders carried by a 38-year-old rewriting the record books, though the earlier refereeing row over his (uncarded) conduct still lingers in rival coverage.

Cape Verde, the second-smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup (~525,000 people), have gone from feel-good debutants to genuine knockout contenders. After holding European champions Spain 0-0, they came from behind to draw 2-2 with two-time winners Uruguay — Kevin Pina’s long-range free-kick their first-ever World Cup goal — to sit on two points from two games. The global narrative has shifted from “plucky romantics” to “nobody wants to play them,” with the Blue Sharks’ resilience and diaspora backstory (a Dublin banker recruited on LinkedIn among them) now a defining story of the tournament.

Spain’s tournament narrative swung hard in a week. Pilloried across Europe after a goalless draw with debutants Cape Verde, they answered with a ruthless 4-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia — Lamine Yamal off the mark on his first World Cup start, Mikel Oyarzabal with a two-and-a-half-minute brace — to seal a Round of 32 place and quiet the doubters. The global verdict flipped from “horror-show ghosts” to “statement response,” though some noted the test was modest.

The global narrative on Brazil is "unconvincing favourites in name only." A turgid 1-1 draw with Morocco drew alarm from the international press, who saw a nervy, ageing side rescued only by Vinicius Jr; a routine 3-0 win over Haiti steadied things but persuaded few. Pundits and bookmakers have downgraded the Selecao, with Ancelotti and a sluggish Casemiro the focus of cross-border scrutiny, while France and Spain are seen as the real contenders.

The global narrative on co-hosts Canada has flipped sharply upward during the group stage: after a 1-1 draw with Bosnia gave them their first-ever World Cup point, a 6-0 demolition of Qatar delivered Canada's first-ever World Cup win and equaled the record host margin of victory (Italy 1934, Brazil 1950, Argentina 1978). Foreign and neutral observers now float Canada as potential knockout-stage "dark horses," crediting Jonathan David's hat-trick and Jesse Marsch's confident side, while tempering praise by noting Qatar were "shambolic." A darker subplot runs alongside the football — a post-match brawl and a broken leg for Ismael Koné after Assim Madibo's tackle drew red cards and cross-bench tension.

The global narrative on Curacao has flipped from sympathetic novelty to genuine respect. Initially framed everywhere as the smallest nation (population about 158,000) ever to reach a World Cup, lovable underdogs led by 78-year-old Dick Advocaat, they were pitied after a 7-1 opening thrashing by Germany. But their 0-0 draw with Ecuador, built on goalkeeper Eloy Room's record-tying 15 saves, turned international coverage to astonishment and admiration, casting them as a heroic, defiant blue wave who belong on the stage.

After a 4-2 opening win over Croatia on June 17, the cross-border narrative on Tuchel's England is split: foreign press (especially in Latin America) hails them as genuine title contenders led by a record-equalling Harry Kane, while ESPN and tactical analysts flag glaring defensive frailties and a "chaotic" display that flattered the scoreline. Bookmakers have shortened England to joint-third favourites, framing them as serious but unconvincing dark horses behind France. The recurring theme: dazzling attack, brittle defence, and a German coach openly raging at his own players.

Germany have a perfect two-from-two start and reached the last 32 for the first time since their 2014 title, yet the global narrative is "winning without convincing." Foreign and neutral coverage frames the side as deep and experienced but still flat — saved by Deniz Undav's bench heroics against Ivory Coast — while bookmakers keep them firmly outside the top tier of favourites and pundits ignored them entirely in pre-tournament picks. An on-pitch fair-play row and a domestic storm over Leroy Sané add edge to how outsiders view Nagelsmann's team.

With two clean-sheet wins (2-0 vs South Africa, 1-0 vs South Korea), Mexico became the first team to reach the knockout round and topped Group A, sparking street celebrations at home. But the outside narrative is markedly cooler than the home euphoria: foreign and neutral observers frame Mexico as efficient and well-organized under Javier Aguirre yet uninspiring and reliant on opponent errors, with persistent skepticism that this team can finally break its decades-long round-of-16 ceiling. Bookmakers have nudged their odds up, but they remain firmly in the second tier behind France, Spain and England.

After a shock 1-1 draw with World Cup debutants DR Congo in their Group K opener, the global narrative around Portugal has become "the Ronaldo problem." Foreign press and neutral pundits frame a 41-year-old Ronaldo — goalless in 10 straight major-tournament games, with 25 touches and three wild shots — as a drag on a talented team, with several openly arguing Portugal would be better with him on the bench. The story has spilled into an ugly social-media war, with Ronaldo fans flooding teammates' accounts demanding they "pass the ball to Cristiano," while bookmakers have nudged Portugal down the contender list behind England and Argentina.

With Christian Pulisic sidelined by a calf injury, the co-host USMNT still beat Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0 to win Group D early, and the outside narrative has flipped from "will they embarrass themselves" to genuine respect for Mauricio Pochettino's rebuild. The dominant cross-border storylines are twofold: foreign press (especially in Argentina) crediting Pochettino with forging a real tactical identity, and beaten opponents plus skeptics framing the wins through referee complaints and host-nation advantage. Bookmakers have sharply shortened the USA's title odds, though still well behind France, Spain and England.