Nearly two weeks have passed since the 2026 FIFA World Cup got underway, and a lot has taken place in the group stage fixtures during this period. From Lionel Messi scoring a sensational hat-trick in Argentina’s tournament opener and other leading stars such as Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland scoring a brace each to Cabo Verde stunning the football world by holding former champions Spain to a goalless draw on World Cup debut.

Cabo Verde begin maiden World Cup campaign on historic note

The 2026 World Cup has also witnessed a number of records being broken and milestones being achieved, especially by some of the newer teams in football’s showpiece tournament, along the way, which we look at in greater detail below:

Curacao’s first World Cup goal

Dutch-born right-back Livano Comenencia had scored Curacao’s first-ever World Cup goal during their opening game of the tournament, against Germany in Houston. His goal, incidentally was the only one scored by Curacao in the 1-7 mauling that they had received at the hands of the four-time world champions.

Cabo Verde’s first World Cup points

Goalkeeper Vozinha led a stellar defensive display by the Cabo Verdean team as the debutants held former champions Spain to a goalless draw in their maiden World Cup game, collecting their first ever point in the process.

Cabo Verde’s first World Cup goals

After their maiden point against Spain with a goalless draw, Cabo Verde scored their first-ever World Cup goals in their 2-2 draw against two-time champions Uruguay in Miami on Sunday, 21 June. Kevin Pina became the first-ever goal scorer for the island nation located off Africa’s Atlantic coast, putting the Blue Sharks ahead in the 21st minute. Helio Varela later scored the equaliser shortly after the hour mark after goals from Maxi Araujo and Agustin Canobbio towards the end of the first half.

Goalkeepers above 40 starting in the same World Cup match

The Uruguay vs Cabo Verde had made history before kickoff as Muslera and Vozinha became the first pair of goalkeepers above the age of 40 years to feature in the same match in the history of the FIFA World Cup.

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First World Cup goal scorers for other debutant nations

It’s not just Curacao and Cabo Verde that are making their debut at this year’s FIFA World Cup, with Uzbekistan and Jordan also qualifying for football’s showpiece event for the first time ever. And both teams, incidentally have scored a goal in each of their opening clashes, although they suffered defeats with identical 1-3 scorelines.

Ali Olwan scored Jordan’s first-ever World Cup goal in their defeat at the hands of Austria in San Francisco, with Yazan Al-Arab conceding an own goal later in the game. Abbosbek Fayzullaev scored Uzbekistan's first-ever World Cup goal against Colombia in Mexico City the next day.

Other records achieved by FIFA World Cup’s latest entrants:

– Cabo Verde are the first nation since Senegal in 2002 to remain undefeated in their first two matches.

– Cabo Verde’s tally of five fouls is the lowest recorded by any team across two World Cup matches since 1966. They also became the first team in 60 years to score their maiden FIFA World Cup goal directly from a free kick.

To be updated as the tournament goes on