The 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, continues its group stage action. The latest round of matches, marking the second series of games, is providing clearer insights into which teams are poised for the knockout rounds.

Among the 48 competing nations, 16 European teams are vying for glory. Spain delivered a commanding 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia yesterday, bouncing back impressively from an earlier draw against Cape Verde. Meanwhile, France, the reigning vice-champions and two-time winners in 1998 and 2018, are set to face Iraq this Monday at 11 PM French time for their second tournament fixture.

Throughout this World Cup, we are tracking the pulse of the European selections, offering a daily barometer of their performances and significant developments. Here’s a summary of the key takeaways for European teams from this eleventh day of competition, Sunday, June 21st.

The stat of the day 📊

27.2

This figure represents the average age of players across the sixteen European national teams participating in the World Cup. Bosnia and Herzegovina fields the youngest squad, with an average age of 26 years. Notably, there’s a relatively small age gap to the oldest European team, Scotland, whose players average 28.7 years.

The statement 🎙️

I have little to fault my boys for, except our lack of efficiency. It’s part of a World Cup start, a slow burn. At least we know what result we need against New Zealand.

Rudi Garcia, Belgium coach

Belgium’s World Cup campaign has faced a challenging start, following a 0-0 draw against Iran, which came after an earlier stalemate with Egypt. Despite these setbacks, French coach Rudi Garcia, formerly at the helm of Lille, Marseille, and Lyon, maintains a composed perspective.

With Egypt’s victory overnight, the top spot in the group is no longer within the Red Devils’ immediate control. Belgium now faces the imperative to secure a significant win against New Zealand and hope for a misstep from Egypt in their match against Iran.

Under the spotlight 🔎

For the past seven editions, no Ballon d’Or winner has managed to follow up their individual triumph with a World Cup title the subsequent year. Ousmane Dembélé, the 2025 Ballon d’Or recipient and a French forward for Paris Saint-Germain, who has also secured two European club championships, now has the chance to break this streak. He will lead the Bleus in the 2026 World Cup, with their second group match against Iraq scheduled for June 22nd at 11 PM (French time) in Philadelphia.

Several prominent European players, often decorated with football’s most coveted individual award, have found themselves on this list. This includes Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner who remained without a World Cup title in 2014 and 2018, and England’s Michael Owen, who was unable to make an impact in 2002. The unique case of Karim Benzema also stands out; the French star, honored in 2022, was forced to withdraw from the World Cup held in Qatar that same year (which took place in December) due to an injury sustained in training just four days before France’s opening match against Australia.

European team news 📰

With Lamine Yamal on the pitch, everything seems to flow more smoothly. Despite still recovering from a thigh injury and not yet having 90 minutes in his legs, the Barcelona prodigy made his first World Cup start against Saudi Arabia, completely transforming his team’s performance in their 4-0 victory. The 18-year-old star (who will celebrate his 19th birthday during the tournament on July 13th) opened the scoring in just the 10th minute before being substituted at halftime as a precautionary measure.

“He is back,” declared Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente after the match, a clear warning to their upcoming opponents.