World Cup 2026: Groups E to L Shirts and Stories So Far

 

If the first four groups gave us Scotland's heroics and a USA statement, Groups E to L brought the heavyweights into the tournament, and they did not disappoint. England got a measure of revenge over Croatia, Lionel Messi wrote himself further into the history books, Germany ran riot, and a tournament debutant's goalkeeper became an overnight sensation. Here is our roundup of the stories and the standout shirts from the second half of the group-stage draw, as the 2026 World Cup roared fully into life.

The Rest of the Field Is Up and Running

With all 48 teams now in action, the shape of the tournament is beginning to emerge. The expanded format means more matches, more nations and more drama than any World Cup before it, and the opening rounds across Groups E to L delivered a mix of the expected and the surprising: dominant wins for some of the favourites, a couple of genuine shocks, and several of the tournament's most anticipated shirts finally seen in competitive action. For the neutrals, and the collectors, there was plenty to enjoy.

These groups contain many of the tournament's title contenders, France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, England and defending champions Argentina, so the early games offered a first real look at how the big nations are shaping up. Some made statements; others were given a fright. And as ever, the shirts told their own stories, with several designs already attaching themselves to memorable moments. Here is how it unfolded.

England's Statement Against Croatia

For English fans, this was the result they wanted. England opened their campaign with a thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas, gaining a measure of revenge for the 2018 semi-final defeat in the process. Harry Kane led the way with a first-half brace, and after Croatia twice pegged England back, second-half goals from Jude Bellingham and substitute Marcus Rashford settled a barnstorming contest. It was England's third successive winning World Cup opener, and a statement of intent from Thomas Tuchel's side.

England wore their classic white home shirt with the gold star for the occasion, the most-worn jersey in the UK this summer, and the emphatic win will only have increased demand for it. On paper this looked like England's toughest group game, so to come through it with four goals and a win over the team that broke English hearts in 2018 was the perfect start. Tuchel's side head into their meeting with Ghana full of confidence, and the white shirt is once again carrying a nation's genuine hopes.

Messi Makes History in Group J

The defining individual moment of the opening round belonged, fittingly, to Lionel Messi. In what is almost certainly his final World Cup, the Argentina captain marked his record sixth appearance at the tournament by scoring the first World Cup hat-trick of his career, inspiring a 3-0 win over Algeria and equalling Germany's Miroslav Klose on 16 goals as the joint-highest scorer in World Cup history. At just short of 39 years old, Messi reminded everyone that the magic is far from gone.

It was the perfect start to Argentina's title defence, and it came in the shirt that has been the consensus best of the tournament, the three-tone gradient home that pays tribute to Argentina's previous World Cup wins. For collectors, a Messi-farewell shirt was already among the most significant of 2026; a record-equalling hat-trick in the opening game only adds to its resonance. Argentina look every bit the side that will be hard to stop, and Messi is writing one last chapter on the biggest stage.

The Big Guns: Germany, France, Spain

Germany made the loudest statement of all, thrashing tournament debutants Curacao 7-1 in a ruthless display that announced them as serious contenders. France, one of the co-favourites, began with a controlled 3-1 win over Senegal, while Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo in his own farewell tournament, were held to a surprising 1-1 draw by DR Congo, a reminder that no game is straightforward in this expanded field. Belgium were also held, drawing 1-1 with Egypt.

Co-favourites Spain were the biggest name to drop points, held to a goalless draw by tournament debutants Cape Verde in one of the early shocks. The result was a reminder that in a 48-team World Cup, the smaller nations can and will cause problems, and that the favourites cannot ease their way through. With Spain, Portugal and Belgium all dropping points in their openers, the early rounds showed that even the strongest sides have work to do in the new format.

The pattern is worth noting for what it says about the expanded tournament. In a 48-team field, the gap between the smaller nations and the giants has narrowed at the margins, and the debutants in particular have arrived with nothing to lose and everything to prove. Cape Verde holding Spain, DR Congo holding Portugal, Curacao taking the game to Germany before being overwhelmed: these are the moments that justify the bigger format, and they make the group stage genuinely unpredictable. For the favourites, it means there is no gentle way in; every point has to be earned, and the shirt of an unfancied side can become a story overnight.

The Stories: Cape Verde, Norway and More

Some of the best stories came from outside the favourites. Cape Verde, one of the smallest nations ever to reach a World Cup, held mighty Spain thanks to an inspired display from goalkeeper Vozinha, who became an overnight global sensation and reportedly gained millions of social media followers for his heroics. It was the kind of underdog moment that makes the World Cup special, and a fairytale chapter for a debutant nation punching far above its weight.

Elsewhere, Erling Haaland announced himself on the World Cup stage at last, scoring as Norway beat Iraq 4-1 on their return to the tournament, while Japan continued their reputation as tournament dark horses with a dramatic 2-2 draw against the Netherlands before thrashing Tunisia. The early rounds also confirmed Japan's away shirt, the off-white kit with rainbow pinstripes, as one of the must-have designs of the summer, having sold out almost instantly on release. There were stories, and shirts, everywhere you looked.

The Shirts of Groups E to L

On the kit front, these groups delivered some of the tournament's most admired designs in action. Argentina's gradient home, carried by Messi's heroics, strengthened its claim as the best shirt of 2026. Japan's baseball-inspired away continued to fly off the shelves. France's geometric away, a bold departure for Les Bleus, divided opinion but caught the eye, and Germany's clean white home looked the part as they ran in seven goals. Even Cape Verde's understated kit gained new significance through Vozinha's heroics.

It is a reminder that a shirt's standing shifts with the football, which is exactly why our ranking of the tournament's kits is a living one. As teams rise and fall and shirts attach themselves to moments like Messi's hat-trick or Cape Verde's clean sheet, the order changes. You can follow how it all shakes out in our living 2026 World Cup kit tier list, updated through every round of the tournament.

Following the Tournament in a Shirt

With the group stage in full flow and the contenders emerging, there has never been a better time to pick a team and follow it in a shirt. The simplest way to join in is to order the World Cup 2026 mystery box, which delivers one authentic shirt from any of the 48 competing nations at £49.99, with the nation kept a surprise until you open it, and every shirt authenticated before it ships. You might be handed a title contender or a fairytale underdog.

MJK has shipped more than 100,000 boxes to date, and the global supply network spans 53 countries, with all 48 competing nations in the rotation. Around one in seven MJK customers who order during a tournament window tells us they ended up actively following a nation they had never paid attention to before, simply because that nation's shirt arrived in their box, which this summer could be anyone from Argentina to Cape Verde. To choose a specific nation instead, the full World Cup 2026 shirt collection covers the tournament range.

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