Sentul, Bogor - The 2026 World Cup has only been underway for a few days, but the tournament landscape is already delivering compelling storylines. While Spain and Portugal fell short of expectations with disappointing Draw Results, France, Argentina and England have instead demonstrated their class with convincing victories that send a clear warning signal to rival teams.
This stark contrast has become one of the main talking points on Itsme Podcast, hosted by Gilang Respaty and Yatna at the ITSMe Studio in Sentul, Bogor. Football analysts Ronny Pangemanan and Erwin Fitriansyah highlighted how the pressure of major international tournaments so often produces outcomes that diverge from pre-tournament predictions.
Spain found themselves under the spotlight after being held to a 0-0 draw by tournament debutants Cape Verde. Luis de la Fuente's side dominated possession and created numerous chances, but were unable to convert any of them into goals.
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Multiple European media outlets have criticised La Roja's lack of cutting edge up front, despite the team controlling nearly the entire match. Manager Luis de la Fuente himself admitted his side lost sharpness and creativity in the final third of the pitch.
According to Ronny Pangemanan, this result proves that possession dominance alone is no longer enough to guarantee victory at the highest level of international football.
"Teams that are considered underdogs these days are extremely well organised tactically. Spain controlled the ball, but could not break down the opposition defence. This is now a major issue they will have to fix," he stated.
Meanwhile Portugal also failed to live up to expectations, only managing a 1-1 draw against Congo. After taking an early lead, Portugal lost their momentum and allowed their opponents to claw back an equaliser.
The performance of Cristiano Ronaldo has once again become the subject of debate. International media outlets and former professional players have questioned the 41 year old superstar's effectiveness, after he missed several key goalscoring opportunities during the match.
Erwin Fitriansyah explained that criticism of Portugal is not solely directed at Ronaldo, but also concerns the team's overall tactical approach to the game.
"Portugal have a lot of talented, creative young players, but their game tempo dropped off drastically once they took the lead. Congo read this perfectly and exploited the gaps that opened up," said Erwin.
By contrast, France, Argentina and England have all displayed the mentality of genuine title contenders. All three nations opened their World Cup campaigns with convincing wins, demonstrating a perfect balance of individual quality, team organisation and clinical finishing.
These results also send a clear message to the rest of the tournament: these sides have not travelled to North America just to make up the numbers, they have arrived to compete for the World Cup trophy.
Ronny Pangemanan stated that the key difference between the teams comes down to efficiency. "France, Argentina and England don't need to dominate the entire match. But when chances present themselves, they take them. That is the quality that Spain and Portugal were completely lacking in their opening games."
The 2026 World Cup still has a very long way to run. But one clear lesson has already emerged in the opening week: past reputation and big names do not guarantee results.
Spain and Portugal now face mounting pressure to turn their form around quickly, while France, Argentina and England have already established themselves as serious contenders for the world title.
WorldCup2026 SpainVsCapeVerde PortugalVsCongo FranceNationalTeam EnglandNationalTeam ArgentinaNationalTeam
