Heavyweights stumble as World Cup underdogs close the gap in opening games

MIAMI, June 18 : The opening group games at the World Cup have delivered a reality check to some of soccer's traditional powerhouses with a few surprise results suggesting that the established hierarchy may not be set in stone.

Some teams that entered the tournament among the favourites have found it difficult to impose themselves against opposition that are weaker on paper, producing a series of surprising draws and underwhelming performances in their group openers.

European champions Spain failed to score against World Cup debutants Cape Verde while Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal were held 1-1 by the unheralded Democratic Republic of Congo, who were playing in the tournament for the first time in 52 years.

Meanwhile, Belgium drew with Egypt and France were frustrated for more than an hour by Senegal before skipper Kylian Mbappe took matters into his own hands.

The number of teams stumbling is growing and there is a sense that this edition may be less about the dominance of soccer's aristocracy and more about narrowing the gap between those at the top and everyone else.

"I do believe that the distance that separates the teams - when we look at the African teams, they're progressing, which is a good thing. We keep working on it," Senegal coach Pape Thiaw told reporters.

"Also the training of our coaches and head coaches, we've been working on that. We haven't seen an African team winning the World Cup and we did see that last time a team reached the semi-finals (Morocco in 2022)."

NEW FORMAT HAS NOT DILUTED COMPETITION

An expanded 48-team tournament was expected to dilute the competition but nations once dismissed as peripheral now arrive armed with players either developed in elite academies or sharpened in Europe's top leagues.