I spent the weekend planted on my couch with way too much coffee and honestly, I'm still processing everything that went down. The group stage wrapped up and the knockout rounds kicked off, and this tournament keeps delivering exactly the kind of chaos I was hoping for.

June 26 – Records Tumbling

Ousmane Dembele did something I'll be talking about for years. Twenty-five minutes. That's all it took for him to complete a first-half hat-trick against Norway. He became the first player to score a first-half hat-trick at a men's World Cup since Oleg Salenko in 1994. Norway left Haaland on the bench and paid for it – France won 4-1.

Senegal made history too. First African nation ever to score five goals in a World Cup match, thrashing 10-man Iraq 5-0. Ismaila Sarr scored his fourth career World Cup goal, surpassing Papa Bouba Diop as Senegal's all-time leading scorer. They needed that goal difference and they got it.

Cape Verde kept their fairytale going. A 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia secured second place in Group H. First knockout appearance in their history. They'll face Argentina in the round of 32. A 40-year-old goalkeeper against the defending champions. That's cinema.

Belgium smashed New Zealand 5-1 to top Group G, while Egypt drew 1-1 with Iran and qualified for the knockout stage for the first time in their history.

June 27 – Final Group Matches

England beat Panama 2-0 with Bellingham and Kane both scoring in the second half. Kane's goal was his 11th in World Cups, surpassing Gary Lineker as England's all-time leading scorer in the tournament. Croatia beat Ghana 2-1 to finish second in Group L, with Ghana sneaking through as one of the best third-placed teams.

Colombia and Portugal played out a 0-0 draw. C Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes but couldn't break the deadlock. Colombia had 24 shots, the most by any team in a World Cup match since 1966, but still couldn't score. Colombia finished top of Group K, Portugal second.

The most dramatic match was Austria vs Algeria. They played out a 3-3 draw, which meant both teams qualified. That result knocked Iran out of the tournament. Thirty-two teams became sixteen. The bracket was set.

June 28 – Knockouts Begin

Canada vs South Africa in Los Angeles. Two nations making their knockout debuts. The match went to penalties? No – Canada scored in the 92nd minute through Stephen Eustáquio. A late, late winner. Canada are through to the round of 16 for the first time in their history. They'll face the winner of Netherlands vs Morocco.

South Africa's fairytale ends here but they made history just by getting this far. Four World Cups, zero knockout appearances before this tournament. That's something to be proud of.

What's Next

Brazil vs Japan on June 30. Germany vs Paraguay on June 30. Netherlands vs Morocco on June 30. Argentina vs Cape Verde on July 1. Spain vs USA. France vs Sweden.

The bracket is wide open and honestly, I can't predict half of these.

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