Six groups down, six to go. Matchday 1 served up its share of surprises, dominant performances, and moments to remember. We’ve picked one standout from each group — with the exception of Group B, where no single player made a strong enough case to earn the spot.
[ best players on matchday 1 — player list (A~F) ]
| Group | Best Players on Matchday 1 | Age | POS | Country | Club | League |
| A | Hwang In-beom | 29 | DM | South Korea | Feyenoord | Eredivisie |
| B | X | . | . | . | . | . |
| C | Ayyoub Bouaddi | 18 | DM | Morocco | Lille | Ligue 1 |
| D | Patrick Beach | 22 | GK | Australia | Melbourne City | A-League |
| E | Felix Nmecha | 25 | DM | Germany | Borussia Dortmund | Bundesliga |
| F | Alexander Isak | 26 | ST | Sweden | Liverpool | Premier League |
[ best players in each group ]
hwang in-beom
Group A — South Korea
A-match career (Before WC)
73MP 6G 5A
– the korean vitinha emerged –
In a 3-4-2-1 system, Hwang In-beom slotted into one of the two central midfield roles — and from the first whistle, he was everywhere. Defensively sound, progressive in possession, and willing to make runs in behind, he was the complete package in the middle of the park. He held his own in the physical battle in midfield while combining neatly with Lee Kang-in, who operated as the right-sided attacking midfielder, to carve open Czech’s defence with quick, incisive combinations.
His first contribution was the goal. Receiving a through ball from Lee Kang-in, Hwang took one touch to shift the ball away from the onrushing defender and goalkeeper before lifting a composed chip into the net — a finish that was as clinical as it was cheeky. He wasn’t done there. Bursting into the space behind Czechia’s backline once more, he cut the ball back for Oh Hyeon-gyu, who had the simplest of finishes to double Korea’s lead. One goal, one assist — and a performance that was about far more than the numbers.
Match Result: South Korea 2-1 Czech Republic
player’s Match stats
| 1 Goal 1 Assist (0.36 xG 0.5 xA) |
| 3 Shots, 2 on Target |
| 1 Big Chances Created, 1 Key Passes |
| 93 Touches, 73/81(90%) Passes, 29 Carries |
| 9.4km Covered, 10 Sprints, Top Speed 28km/h |
| 2 Interceptions 1 Clearances |
25/26 Season stats in club
| Feyenoord (Eredivisie) | 991mins 17MP 12Starts |
| 1 Goal 3 Assists | 1.28 xG 3.05 xA |
| 27.1 (82%) Accurate Pass p90 | 29th of DM |
| 0.7 (39%) Accurate Long Ball p90 | 46th of DM |
| 3.5 Recoveries p90 |
| 0.7 Interceptions p90 | 36th of DM |
ayyoub bouaddi
Group c — morocco
A-match career (Before WC)
3MP 0G 0A
– The Next-GEN Maestro makes his debut –
Bouaddi was handed one of the two double-pivot roles in Morocco’s 4-2-3-1, partnering Neil El Aynaoui in the heart of midfield — which meant going head-to-head with Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães, two of the most decorated midfielders in the world. On paper, it looked like a mismatch. In practice, it was anything but.
The 18-year-old didn’t just hold his own — he controlled the game. He wriggled free from Brazil’s press with ease, distributed the ball with confidence, and served as the central cog in Morocco’s build-up and attacking transitions. His work rate was equally jaw-dropping. Bouaddi won the vast majority of his second-ball duels, and by the final whistle, Morocco had more than matched one of the tournament favourites in the middle of the park — largely because of him.
Match Result: Brazil 1-1 Morocco
player’s Match stats
| 60/66(91%) Passes, 87 Touches, 24 Carries |
| Total Progression 59.7m |
| Progressive Carrying Distance 19.1m |
| 9/14 Ground Duels Won |
| 11.3km Covered, 10 Sprints, Top Speed 31.8km/h |
| 6 Recoveries, 1 Clearances |
25/26 Season stats in club
| Lille (Ligue 1) | 2338mins 30MP 28Starts |
| 0 Goal 1 Assists | 1.65 xG 1.68 xA |
| 30.0 (85%) Accurate Pass p90 | 26th of DM |
| 1.2 (76%) Accurate Long Ball p90 | 30th of DM |
| 5.0 Recoveries p90 |
| 0.9 Interceptions p90 | 16th of DM |
Patrick beach
Group d — australia
A-match career (Before WC)
2MP 0 CLS 2GC
– A new goalkeeper burst onto the scene –
Australia came into the game as clear underdogs against Türkiye, and their game plan reflected it — a disciplined 4-4-2 or 5-4-1 low block anchored by Harry Souttar’s physicality, with Mohamed Touré and Nestory Irankunda tasked with making things happen on the counter. Türkiye dominated possession at 72 per cent, and chances came. They just couldn’t find a way past Beach.
The young goalkeeper had only two senior international caps to his name coming into the match, and his selection raised eyebrows. What followed silenced them. Whenever Türkiye’s attacks broke through Australia’s defensive shape, Beach was there — commanding his area, making the saves that needed to be made, and keeping his side in the game long enough for the counter-attacking plan to bear fruit. Australia won 2-0, and Beach was a significant reason why.
Match Result: Australia 2-0 Türkiye
player’s Match stats
| 0 Conceded 1 Clean Sheet (1.46 Goals Prevented) |
| 8 Saves, 3 Saves from Inside Box |
| Opponent – 30 Shots, 1.36 xG, 2 Big Chances |
| 1 High Claims, 1/1 Runs Out |
25/26 Season stats in club
| Melbourne City (A-League) | 2280mins 25MP 25Starts |
| 9 Clean Sheets | 2nd of GK |
| 1.3 Conceded p90, 33 Conceded | 4th of GK |
| 2.9(69%) Saves p90 | 9th of GK |
Felix Nmecha
Group E — Germany
A-match career (Before WC)
8MP 1G 1A
– the merciless Die Mannschaft –
With seven goals and contributions spread across the squad, singling out one player from Germany’s demolition of Curaçao is no easy task — but Nmecha edges it.
With Kimmich tucking in as an inverted DLP, Nmecha was given licence to roam forward — and he made the most of it. He broke the deadlock early, combining with Wirtz before curling a composed shot from the edge of the area into the net. From there, he served as the connective tissue between midfield and Germany’s fluid front three, driving play forward and keeping the transitions sharp throughout a dominant German performance.
Match Result: Germany 7-1 Curaçao
player’s Match stats
| 1 Goal 0 Assist (0.26 xG 0.08 xA) |
| 4 Shots, 3 on Target, 1 Hit Woodwork |
| 1 Big Chances Created, 1 Key Passes |
| 55 Touches, 38/40(95%) Passes, 11 Carries |
| 7.7km Covered, 9 Sprints, Top Speed 30.5km/h |
| 2/3(67%) Tackles, 2 Recoveries |
25/26 Season stats in club
| Borrussia Dortmund (Bundesliga) | 2184mins 29MP 25Starts |
| 2 Goal 3 Assists | 3.62 xG 4.24 xA |
| 32.3 (87%) Accurate Pass p90 | 25th of DM |
| 1.3 (62%) Accurate Long Ball p90 | 29th of DM |
| 3.8 Recoveries p90 |
| 0.9 Interceptions p90 | 25th of DM |
Aleksander Isak
Group F — Sweden
A-match career (Before WC)
58MP 17G 7A
– resurrection –
Isak and Viktor Gyökeres led the line as a strike partnership, with Isak operating wider and taking on more of a wing-forward role than a traditional number nine. His pace, ball control, and timing made him a nightmare to handle for Tunisia’s defence throughout.
He got on the scoresheet himself with a sharp, well-timed strike from outside the box for Sweden’s second goal. His assist work was equally impressive — winning the ball high up the pitch through a well-executed press before laying off a perfect chance for Gyökeres, and getting a crucial touch from a set piece to keep Matthias Svanberg’s goal onside. A goal and two assists in a 5-1 win, and every single one of them mattered.
Match Result: Tunisia 1-5 Sweden
player’s Match stats
| 1 Goal 2 Assist (0.36 xG 0.03 xA) |
| 3 Shots, 2 on Target |
| 2 Big Chances Created, 2 Key Passes |
| 35 Touches, 14/17(82%) Passes, 14 Carries |
| 8.1km Covered, 17 Sprints, Top Speed 32.9km/h |
25/26 Season stats in club
| Liverpool (Premier League) | 714mins 14MP 8Starts |
| 3 Goal 1 Assists | 2.65 xG 0.10 xA |
| 1.2 Shots p90, 0.4 Shots on Target p90 |
| 0.1(10%) Successful Dribbles p90 |
| 3.9(63%) Accurate Passes p90 |
| 1.2(29%) Total Duels Won p90 |
All match and season statistics via Sofascore.
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